I agree with this. Call me biased but Natalie Wood was born to play Louise/Gypsy, she lived with a real life "Mama Rose", she knew what it was like to have a tyrannical stage mother thrust you into the spotlight at a very young age. The 1962 movie shines because of her.
Right. Wood's transformation is very believable too. She is truly plain, and then becomes truly gorgeous.
I remember catching Gypsy on the 4:30 movie on ABC when I was 7. They showed it in two parts over two days and I was enthralled. I remember telling my mom that I HAD to see part 2 the next day. (How did she not know I was gay??) I had no idea it was called Gypsy, or what the hell it was. For years and years I would refer to it as "that movie with Baby June". It wasn't until I was 18 that I found out what the movie was and the show's importance.