Natalie Wood and 'Rome Adventure'

The following information is taken from pages 173-4 of Gavin Lambert’s biography of Natalie Wood (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004).

Natalie brought the script for “Rome Adventure” to her friend Mart Crowley, who had moved into the garage apartment of the Wagner’s house in spring 1961. “I’m sure it’s terrible,” she told Crowley and asked him to read it. Mart confirmed that the script was terrible, and Natalie found a way to reject it without going on suspension again.

“Now is the time for that tonsillectomy,” she said. During the last week of filming “West Side Story,” she’d developed a mild sore throat, and altho her doctor had warned that surgery would be necessary after she finished the picture, she hadn’t consulted him again. But now she asked her doctor to write a letter advising her that postponement had made surgery essential and she’d need several weeks to recover. Then she went to see Jack Warner, played a very effective scene pretending to feel devastated at losing the chance to play in “Rome Adventure, and showed Jack the letter. It worked. Natalie had her tonsils out, and the “Rome Adventure” role went to Pleshette.