David Niven - The Moon's A Balloon <AudioBook>

David Niven is remembered as one of Britain's best-loved actors. The archetypal English gentleman, he starred in over ninety films. He is equally remembered as the author of this classic autobiography. In his first volume, he remembers his childhood and school days, his time at Sandhurst and his early army service.
He recalls America during the prohibition era and days in Hollywood before the Second World War. Of the war itself, he tells of family life back in Britain and his time on the front line in France and Germany. THE MOON'S A BALLOON is a wonderful record of a truly remarkable and warm-hearted man, told in his inimitable style.



Published in 1972, THE MOON'S A BALLOON proved one of the great bestsellers of the decade–and if you read the first page you'll know why. You are immediate hooked by star David Niven's wild, wicked sense of humor. Whether it is his Dickensian childhood, his outrageous tour of duty with the British military, or his climb to unexpected stardom, this is truly Niven exactly as you imagine he would be.
Imagine, however, seems to be an operative word. Niven was less interested in relating the facts of his life than he was in telling a good story and in putting his best face to the public–something that is not entirely unexpected in an autobiography, particularly the autobiography of a Hollywood star. Later writers have noted that Niven played fast and loose with the facts in THE MOON'S A BALLOON, and that for all his charm he could be viciously despicable when the mood took him; it is also worth pointing out that he was never quite the "A List" star that he seems to be in his memoirs.
But all this is actually a little beside the point. Whether it is factually accurate and emotionally honest or not, THE MOON'S A BALLOON is simply a delightful read right from the first page, where we meet Nessie, the Picadilly hooker who introduced Niven to the joys of the flesh. Approximately half the book concerns Niven's life before he arrived in Hollywood as a would-be actor, and it is a riotous ride; once Niven hits the film industry, however, he begins to name drop with the best of them–offering memorable glimpses of such famous names as director William Wyler and stars Laurence Olivier and Vivian Leigh. It is all fascinating stuff.
It can also be quite startling. As just one example among many, when writing of his first wife's death Niven mentions that Joan Crawford
stepped in to care for his children while he attempted to cope with his grief. Yikes! And although he was a great womanizer and cut a swath
through Hollywood's beauties, Niven does no name dropping there; he does, however, describe an affair with a "Great Big Star" who was very
likely Merle Oberon, the leading lady of WUTHERING HEIGHTS.
True enough, THE MOON'S A BALLOON will hardly stand a cold factual analysis–but it is a tremendously fun thing to read, a joyous and fun book, and while quite a lot of it is of the "tall tale" variety it certainly presents the star as he likely most wished to be seen and be remembered. Don't pick it for bedtime reading, because you'll never put it down!