Ali McGraw

Sorry, but I must agree with the majority. McGraw was achingly awful. She was so bad that my husband groaned and commented each time she came on. I haven't seen the series since it first aired, and had not remembered her being so bad. It was much better when she wasn't in it. The trouble is that Natalie makes some painfully bad decisions which the audience knows are huge mistakes, and her reasons are not sympathetically conveyed by McGraw's portayal which makes you wish (as an earlier comment mentions) that she is dealt with harshly sooner rather than later!
Mitchum was brilliant, as was Bergen, Graves, Bellamy, etc. but Vincent was miscast, although he at least managed to seem almost a teenager next to McGraw, and in the final part, he was quite good.

I am surprised by all the negative comments about Ali MacGraw. This is likely my fifth time watching Winds, and I love it. Every time I think about watching it again, it is with Ali MacGraw in mind. It is her sharp edge that makes the Natalie character for me. She has always been striking in her appearance, so those who have criticized that must be mixing up their dislike of the character with the actress. BTW, I had a terrible time adjusting to Jane Seymour as Natalie in W and R. She was not believable after Ali had done the set up to expect the look and quick wit she gave the part. As for the age difference between Natalie and Byron, it works because you know this person would never give him a second glance if not for the "chemistry" shown between the actors. She vacillated between Leslie and Byron because she knew Leslie was the common sense person for her. This mini-series is by far the best I’ve ever seen and the only one I watch repeatedly.

Convoy!!! That's WHY;-P