Quote:
Originally Posted by timetraveler
Sir John. I'd nearly forgotten about the late SirDavid Niven. Truth is, I never knew that he had been knighted. Anyway, for some odd reason, as a kid I'd always liked him & had once had a copy of his autobiography Bring On The Empty Horses. I just wish that i'd got my hands on a copy of The Moons A Balloon too.
|
David Niven
Since I wrote my thread starter, I was delighted to discover literally in passing my bookcase that far from adding my paperback copy of "The Moon's A Balloon" to the large pile of books I was forced to jettison when packing to come over to the States in 2000, I had obviously deemed it a fine enough book (albeit a humble paperback to bring with me.I have therefore been able to reread it, and I enjoyed it so much I found myself wondering what else of an autobiographical nature could be in the later volume "Bring On The Empty Horses" written only some 4 years (1975) after the first.
I have just perused a most useful resource:-
http://www.abebooks.com
which is if anyone is not aware a most wonderful database of millions of second hand books available from hundreds if not thousands of second hand booksellers from all around the world including The USA, Canada The UK Australia and New Zealand
search results
1. for "david niven"
my fitrst search produced 2955 results including a hardback copy of "horses" in WA
for only $1.00 plus shipping that I might avail myself of
the results for a "title" search for "The Moon's A Balloon"
produced some 400. Now I do not know off hand where timetraveller is located but it does not really matter as these are of course internet sales so can usually be shipped anywhere.
a more restrictive search for Bring On The Empty Horses
revealed a number of copies of both books in a single volume
Amongst the many amusing and other anecdotes in "Balloon" are many fascinating details of the early 1930's days of the motion picture industry especially regarding Sam Goldwyn. and a couple of encounters with Winston Churchill, after Niven by then a successful Hiollywood star ha returnee to th K and nlisted in the Brtiish Army.
one such concerns meeting the great man in 1941 at the home in England of mutual friends the conversation was:-
Niven "Do you think,sir." I asked, "that the Americans will ever come into the war?"
He fixed me with that rather inimidating gaze and unloosed the famous jaw-jutting
growl.
"Mark my words - something catclysmic will occur".
Four weeks later the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour.
Months later, when we were once again enjoying the delights of a short leave at
Ditchley, I asked in the walled garden if the Prime minister remembered what
he had said so long ago.His reply gave me goose pimples.
"Certainly I remember".
"What made you say it sir?"
"Because,young man,I study history"
I also enjoyed Niven's account of the chaos in Belgium in 1944
''The next day I went through the fog-shrouded Forest of the Ardennes to
Marche. Within hours the last great German offensive of the war erupted.Ahead of it, General Skornezy's Trojan Horse Brigade,American speaking and wearing
American uniforms,infiltrated everywhere with captured American tanks and
half-tracks.sabotaging as they went, they rushed for the Meuse.The rumours of
Skornezy's men flew wildly.In my British uniform and jeep with 21st Army Group markings,I had some anxious moments at the hands of understandably trigger happy GIsIidentification papers meant nothing -
"Hands above your head,Buddy- all right- so who won the World Series in 1940"
"I haven't the faintest idea but I do know that I made a picture with GingerRogers in 1938"
"OK beat it Dave but watch your step for Crisake"
Time and again I was stopped.and thanks entirely to Sam Goldwyn, survived
____________________________________________
I am having silly booting problems with my desktop so this response has been composed and posted using my lovely, and very cheap on Ebay, old (1998)
little HP Jornada 820 PC Companion (a comparitively large handheld Windoze CE equipped marvel) .I am going to take a picture of this then attempt to upload it then return and display it here
Providing that is that in fail safe mode on the PC I can copy the jpg from the camera's SD card to th Compact Flash card that the Jornada can handle.
BRB
The Moon's a Billboard!!
