The only role in the movie, a trace in the fate of Vysotsky and the mysterious disappearance of Natalia Panova, the first beauty of the 1960s

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

She played only one role in the movie, but the audience probably remembered the waitress Zoya from the detective "The Case of the Motley" was such a bright beauty that she could outshine the first stars of the screen, moreover, this film became the leader of the box office in 1958 - then it was watched by 33, 7 million people. At the same time, Natalya Panova was not an actress - she was known as a costume designer for the film studio named after. M. Gorky and one of the first beauties of the 1960s, who would now be called a "secular lioness." She revolved in the circle of creative bohemians, she was considered the first love of Vladimir Vysotsky and one of the most mysterious figures of that time.

There is so little information about Natalya Panova that even the main dates of her life are not indicated in the official biographies. No information has survived either about when she was born, or about her family, or about recent years. The main source was the memoirs of her contemporaries, who called her a talented costume designer and an incredibly bright and charismatic beauty, as the audience could see for her only role in the movie.

In the film "The Case of the Motley", which was later called one of the best Soviet detectives, director Nikolai Dostal brought together a brilliant cast. The roles were approved as recognized movie stars of that time - Vsevolod Safonov, Yevgeny Matveev, Andrey Abrikosov, Alexey Gribov - and little-known novice actors who in the future became the idols of millions of viewers - 23-year-old Oleg Tabakov, who previously starred in only one the film, 24-year-old Natalya Fateeva, whose film career began 2 years ago, 35-year-old Mikhail Pugovkin, who has appeared on screens since 1940, but at the same time is still very far from the peak of his popularity. It was extremely difficult not to get lost against the background of so many bright artists, especially for an unprofessional actress. However, Natalya Panova succeeded. According to critics and viewers, she was in no way inferior to even the brilliant film star Natalya Fateeva.

It is not known why the role of Zoya - the waitress of the Lastochka cafe, the sister of the "bear cub" Safron, the character of Mikhail Pugovkin, went to the costume designer. Perhaps the decisive factor in the choice of the director was her spectacular appearance. But on the screens, Natalya Panova, in the form of an arrogant beauty with dubious connections, looked so convincing that none of the audience could have thought that she was on the set for the first time.

Despite the fact that this role was secondary, they paid attention to the young actress. After this success, Panova could have received an acting education and continued to act in films, but she chose a different path for herself and did not regret at all about her failed acting career. In the 1960s - 1970s. she became the lead costume designer for the film studio. M. Gorky, whose professionalism can be judged by the films "Goodbye, pigeons!"

For the general public, Natalya Panova has always remained a mystery - she never appeared on the screens, never spoke about herself, left no memories. She was well known only in the narrow circle of the bohemians of the 1960s. She moved in a circle of golden youth, was married to the son of an academician, was friends with artists and diplomats, in Moscow she was known as one of the first beauties and a lover of entertainment. But the biggest mystery was her role in the fate of Vladimir Vysotsky.

Some researchers of the poet's life and work call her Vysotsky's first love. Their romance happened when he was a student at the Moscow Art Theater School. A friend of the poet, Arkady Svidersky, spoke about this. In his youth, Vysotsky lived in Bolshoi Karetny Lane, where they often met with the company of his friend Levon Kocharyan. His wife Inna called Natalya Panova “Volodina's big love” and said that he encrypted her surname in the song “Bolshoi Karetny”: in the line “Everything is new there, believe not believe” one could hear “All Panova is there, believe do not believe.

The daughter of actress Tatyana Okunevskaya Inga recalled: "". Vysotsky himself never talked about his first love, so all this evidence remains at the level of assumptions.

Panova always had a lot of fans, which gave Vysotsky a lot of experiences. According to Inna Kocharyan's testimony, the beauty's infidelity was the reason for their separation: “”.

The further fate of Natalia Panova is shrouded in mystery. It is only known that until the end of the 1970s. she continued to work as a costume designer for the film studio. M. Gorky. For what reasons she left there and what she did after - it is not known. According to some contemporaries, she drank a lot in her youth, which in the future became a serious problem. However, these are only guesses. One of the most beautiful women in the USSR in the 1960s. as if she had disappeared without a trace and never revealed her secret …

The film, on which Natalya Panova worked as a costume designer, became one of the best Soviet comedies: Secrets of "Three plus two".