Must Read Autobiographies - V

The Moon's A Balloon

David Niven

The Moon's a Balloon , by British actor David Niven (1910–1983),  was published in 1972.

It is probably the best autobiography written by a Hollywood celebrity. Full of wry humor, scandalous anecdotes, the book is a highly enjoying read.It tells of all his life except the the last twelve years.

He became fatherless at a very young age. His mother put him and his sister in good boarding schools. He had a stint of army training at Sandhurst and served in Malta.

His years of education, army training and brief army career are very entertainingly described in his book. His first encounter with a Soho prostitute are described with a very soft heart. His description of his experience with the Soho girl, Nessie, is very heart warming indeed. 

He leaves army and goes to States in 1930s. His initial forays into "business" are hilariously described by him. He attributes his rise to movie stardom, from an extra, to lots of luck, charm and schmoozing.

But it’s the section of the autobiography that focuses on the Second World War, during which Niven genuinely earned his military stripes, that leaves you most impressed by the man. For no other reason than a stubborn duty to his country did he give up his lucrative deal with Hollywood producer Samuel Goldwyn and board a boat back home following the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939.

He confesses that he visited the British Embassy in Washington before embarking, where he was advised to stay in America and not get involved until such a time as he may be called up. Predictably then, there followed a period of months when Niven couldn’t find a regiment that would take him. It’s a mark of the man’s calibre that he was frustrated and desperate to sort matters out with Hitler. 

During his war years he was involved in the formation of the Commandos, took part in the June ’44 Normandy invasion, where he met Ian Fleming.

Niven was lauded in his later years as a great raconteur, both in private and as a TV chat show guest, and this autobiography does feel like the literary equivalent of spending several hours in his company as he relates wonderful anecdote after wonderful anecdote. 

Very few copies of this book are available in the market.
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