Decoder Ring Plus | The “West Side Story” Story

In this week’s main episode, we told the story of Marni Nixon: the patron saint of ghost singers, “the ghostess with the mostest.” On her first big dubbing job, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I, Marni worked closely with actress Deborah Kerr to create the illusion that Kerr was singing, resulting in one of the most seamless examples of ghost singing in Hollywood history. But Nixon’s next leading role was much more contentious, dubbing an actress who did not want to be dubbed: Natalie Wood as Maria in 1961’s West Side Story. In this special bonus episode, you’ll hear the story from Marni Nixon herself (in archival interviews) as well as Stephen Cole, co-author of Marni’s memoir, I Could Have Sung All Night. This episode is for Slate Plus members. Join now to unlock it—plus other exclusive Decoder Ring bonus episodes and ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Decoder Ring show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus for access wherever you listen.