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David Niven Memoirs
The Moon's a Balloon
One of the bestselling memoirs of all time, David Niven's The Moon's a Balloon is an account of one of the most remarkable lives Hollywood has ever seen.
Beginning with the tragic early loss of his aristocratic father, then regaling us with tales of school, army and wartime hi-jinx, Niven shows how, even as an unknown young man, he knew how to live the good life.
But it is his astonishing stories of life in Hollywood and his accounts of working and partying with the legends of the silver screen - Lawrence Oliver, Vivien Leigh, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, Noel Coward and dozens of others, while making some of the most acclaimed films of the last century - which turn David Niven's memoir into an outright masterpiece.
An intimate, gossipy, heartfelt and above all charming account of life inside Hollywood's dream factory, The Moon is a Balloon is a classic to be read and enjoyed time and again..
Beginning with the tragic early loss of his aristocratic father, then regaling us with tales of school, army and wartime hi-jinx, Niven shows how, even as an unknown young man, he knew how to live the good life.
But it is his astonishing stories of life in Hollywood and his accounts of working and partying with the legends of the silver screen - Lawrence Oliver, Vivien Leigh, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, Noel Coward and dozens of others, while making some of the most acclaimed films of the last century - which turn David Niven's memoir into an outright masterpiece.
An intimate, gossipy, heartfelt and above all charming account of life inside Hollywood's dream factory, The Moon is a Balloon is a classic to be read and enjoyed time and again..
327 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
About the author
David Niven
15 books67 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. This is David^^Niven.
James David Graham Niven, known as David Niven, was an Oscar winning English actor and novelist. Niven wrote four books. The first, Round the Rugged Rocks, was a novel which appeared in 1951 and was forgotten almost at once. In 1971, he published his autobiography, The Moon's a Balloon, which was well-received, selling over five million copies. He followed this with Bring On the Empty Horses in 1975, a collection of highly entertaining reminiscences from Hollywood's "Golden Age" in the 1940s. It now appears that Niven recounted many incidents from a first person perspective which actually happened to other people, and which he borrowed and embroidered. In 1981, Niven published a second and much more successful novel, Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly, which was set during and after World War II, and drew on his experiences during the war and in Hollywood. He was working on a third novel when his health failed in 1983.
Aming his many movies he appeared in A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), and Enchantment (1948), all of which received critical acclaim. Niven later appeared in The Elusive Pimpernel (1950), The Toast of New Orleans (1950), Happy Go Lovely (1951), Happy Ever After (1954) and Carrington V.C. (1955) before scoring a big success as Phileas Fogg in Michael Todd's production of Around the World in 80 Days (1956). He won the 1958 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Major Pollock in Separate Tables, his only nomination for an Oscar. Niven appeared in nearly a hundred films, and many shows for television.With an Academy Award to his credit, Niven's career continued to thrive. In 1959, he became the host of his own TV drama series, The David Niven Show, which ran for 13 episodes that summer. He subsequently appeared in another 30 films, including The Guns of Navarone (1961) The Pink Panther (1963), Murder by Death (1976), Death on the Nile (1978), and The Sea Wolves (1980). He died at his home from ALS ( "Lou Gehrig's disease" in the US and motor neuron disease (MND) in the UK) on 29 July 1983 at age 73
James David Graham Niven, known as David Niven, was an Oscar winning English actor and novelist. Niven wrote four books. The first, Round the Rugged Rocks, was a novel which appeared in 1951 and was forgotten almost at once. In 1971, he published his autobiography, The Moon's a Balloon, which was well-received, selling over five million copies. He followed this with Bring On the Empty Horses in 1975, a collection of highly entertaining reminiscences from Hollywood's "Golden Age" in the 1940s. It now appears that Niven recounted many incidents from a first person perspective which actually happened to other people, and which he borrowed and embroidered. In 1981, Niven published a second and much more successful novel, Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly, which was set during and after World War II, and drew on his experiences during the war and in Hollywood. He was working on a third novel when his health failed in 1983.
Aming his many movies he appeared in A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), and Enchantment (1948), all of which received critical acclaim. Niven later appeared in The Elusive Pimpernel (1950), The Toast of New Orleans (1950), Happy Go Lovely (1951), Happy Ever After (1954) and Carrington V.C. (1955) before scoring a big success as Phileas Fogg in Michael Todd's production of Around the World in 80 Days (1956). He won the 1958 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Major Pollock in Separate Tables, his only nomination for an Oscar. Niven appeared in nearly a hundred films, and many shows for television.With an Academy Award to his credit, Niven's career continued to thrive. In 1959, he became the host of his own TV drama series, The David Niven Show, which ran for 13 episodes that summer. He subsequently appeared in another 30 films, including The Guns of Navarone (1961) The Pink Panther (1963), Murder by Death (1976), Death on the Nile (1978), and The Sea Wolves (1980). He died at his home from ALS ( "Lou Gehrig's disease" in the US and motor neuron disease (MND) in the UK) on 29 July 1983 at age 73
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 387 reviews
December 17, 2020
David Niven might not necessarily have been a great actor,but he was a terrific writer.
His friend Roger Moore wrote that he told splendid stories,but he also embellished them.
I had earlier read his other book,Bring on the Empty Horses,and found it immensely enjoyable.His gift for embellishment is apparent there and it is absolutely hilarious.
The Moon's a Balloon is the story of his life.It is a bit more serious,as he encountered plenty of hardship in the course of that life.But still,there is plenty of humour.
He served in the army,became a bootlegger,worked as a movie extra,fought in World War II and finally, became a major international movie star.
The saddest part is the death of his young first wife.He had survived World War II and married her,bringing her to the US with him,but she met an accident.
Niven later wrote a novel as well,Go Slowly Come Back Quickly,and seems to have included elements from The Moon's A Balloon,in that book as well.
3.5 stars
His friend Roger Moore wrote that he told splendid stories,but he also embellished them.
I had earlier read his other book,Bring on the Empty Horses,and found it immensely enjoyable.His gift for embellishment is apparent there and it is absolutely hilarious.
The Moon's a Balloon is the story of his life.It is a bit more serious,as he encountered plenty of hardship in the course of that life.But still,there is plenty of humour.
He served in the army,became a bootlegger,worked as a movie extra,fought in World War II and finally, became a major international movie star.
The saddest part is the death of his young first wife.He had survived World War II and married her,bringing her to the US with him,but she met an accident.
Niven later wrote a novel as well,Go Slowly Come Back Quickly,and seems to have included elements from The Moon's A Balloon,in that book as well.
3.5 stars
May 6, 2015
Quintessentially English, Niven was a Hollywood star in the time when an English accent and formal manners were in vogue. Successful as he was, as soon as war against Germany was declared, he returned to Britain to fight as a soldier for six years.
One of Niven's most famous lines, illustrating just how he could appeal to an audience was delivered when he was presenting the Oscars in 1974 and a naked man ran across the stage behind him, "Isn't it fascinating to think, that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life, is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings!"
This is light reading, an entertaining life-story of an officer, a gentleman and a excellent raconteur.
One of Niven's most famous lines, illustrating just how he could appeal to an audience was delivered when he was presenting the Oscars in 1974 and a naked man ran across the stage behind him, "Isn't it fascinating to think, that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life, is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings!"
This is light reading, an entertaining life-story of an officer, a gentleman and a excellent raconteur.
April 1, 2019
British soldier / actor / wit / ranconteur David Niven took as his personal life myth that once everything is smooth sailing for him, something comes along to louse it up. These vicissitudes are well in evidence in this, his first set of memoirs, that was a huge bestseller on both sides of the Atlantic. From a dodgy childhood bordered with neglect he was kicked out of one school and wound up in a worse one, until a better one surprisingly presented itself. He was deemed officer material in the Royal Army, but given his third choice of squadron in most soliders' last choice of location.
Yet when Niven was invited to New York by a wealthy friend he made the acquaintance of truly wealthy people and real aristocrats -- then, when Hollywood called, he had a detached leg-up knowing how to deal with pretend wealth and pseudo-aristocracy of the kind that Tinseltown bred in such profusion during its "Golden Age" pre-World War II. If you, the reader, object to chronic name-dropping then this book is probably not for you; but when the names dropped are this memorable and so ably drawn, warts and all, it does make for a superlative set of memoirs. This book is pretty much still a dream read, even after the passage of over 45 years.
Later Niven would publish a second, and just as highly acclaimed set of memoirs, Bring on the Empty Horses. It deals exclusively with Niven's Hollywood years.
Yet when Niven was invited to New York by a wealthy friend he made the acquaintance of truly wealthy people and real aristocrats -- then, when Hollywood called, he had a detached leg-up knowing how to deal with pretend wealth and pseudo-aristocracy of the kind that Tinseltown bred in such profusion during its "Golden Age" pre-World War II. If you, the reader, object to chronic name-dropping then this book is probably not for you; but when the names dropped are this memorable and so ably drawn, warts and all, it does make for a superlative set of memoirs. This book is pretty much still a dream read, even after the passage of over 45 years.
Later Niven would publish a second, and just as highly acclaimed set of memoirs, Bring on the Empty Horses. It deals exclusively with Niven's Hollywood years.
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March 4, 2024Fascinating read, full of name dropping and embellished stories, but likeable for all that. Niven is sufficiently aware of his own flaws forit not to come across as excessively bumptious. Most fascinating is that he obviously had a spectacular war--joined the Commandos, trained under Sykes and Fairbairn!--and doesn't give any detail on that at all, on the grounds that it was too serious for anecdotes.
Extraordinary account of the basically feral manner in which the British upper classes raised their kids. Explains a lot.
Extraordinary account of the basically feral manner in which the British upper classes raised their kids. Explains a lot.
May 4, 2015
Charming. Absolutely charming.
This isn't the greatest of memoirs I have read but Niven's rather down to earth narration makes it worthwhile. For someone so well known, he could have been much more arrogant but it is one of the aspects that makes this book so readable that he does not mind telling of his failures.
And, yet, I would have hoped for more insights and opinions rather than a more or less straight run-down of his life and career.
This isn't the greatest of memoirs I have read but Niven's rather down to earth narration makes it worthwhile. For someone so well known, he could have been much more arrogant but it is one of the aspects that makes this book so readable that he does not mind telling of his failures.
And, yet, I would have hoped for more insights and opinions rather than a more or less straight run-down of his life and career.
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July 22, 2018
I read this book nearly fifty years ago and again about twenty years ago. As one who almost never can find the humour or cause for side-splitting laughter in books that are supposed to be funny, I can cite "The Moon's a Balloon" as a book that made me truly laugh.
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August 5, 2011Its easy to see why this is considered one of the greatest Hollywood biographies. Through a combination of good fortune and good contacts Niven made his way to the top during Holywood's golden era, maybe not the greatest actor , as John Mortimer commented - "I don't think his acting ever quite achieved the brilliance or the polish of his dinner-party conversations." he still managed to win an Oscar for Separate Tables in 1958.
Friends with the rich and famous from Marilyn Monroe (who he slept with) to JFK (who his wife slept with and caught chlamydia ) Niven came to epitomise the suave and sophisticated Englishmen - words that seem like they were invented for him, Serial adulterer he may have been but then you wouldn't want to read the book if he'd lived the life of a monk. Although he doesn't really go in to detail about his adultery (others have filled in those details for us) you get a real sense of a life lived to the full, a mix of tragedy and comedy that will leave you wanting to find out more about this Hollywood legend.
Friends with the rich and famous from Marilyn Monroe (who he slept with) to JFK (who his wife slept with and caught chlamydia ) Niven came to epitomise the suave and sophisticated Englishmen - words that seem like they were invented for him, Serial adulterer he may have been but then you wouldn't want to read the book if he'd lived the life of a monk. Although he doesn't really go in to detail about his adultery (others have filled in those details for us) you get a real sense of a life lived to the full, a mix of tragedy and comedy that will leave you wanting to find out more about this Hollywood legend.
January 30, 2008
This is the greatest autobiography I've ever picked off the shelf. Rather than have me go on and on about it's awesomeness, I'll give you some highlights from the first two chapters:
the FIRST paragraph:
"Nessie, when I first saw her, was seventeen years old, honey-blonde, pretty rather than beautiful, the owner of a voluptuous but somehow innocent body and a pair of legs that went on forever. She was a Piccadilly whore."
"Grizel [my sister], who was two years older than me, became very interested in the shape and form of my private parts; but when after a particularly painful inspection, I claimed my right to see hers too, she covered up sharply and dodged the issue by saying, 'Well, it's a sort of flat arrangement.'"
"For the most part, the masters [at school] were even more frightening. It would be charitable to think that they were shell-shocked heroes returned from the hell of Mons and Vimy, but it seems more probable that they were sadistic perverts who had been dredged up from the bottom of the educational barrel at a time of acute manpower shortage."
"After the sudden descent of my testicles, I was removed from the choir..."
I'm not even half-way done yet, but so far it is a touching memoir of the years post-WWI.
I'll continue my review as I read!
the FIRST paragraph:
"Nessie, when I first saw her, was seventeen years old, honey-blonde, pretty rather than beautiful, the owner of a voluptuous but somehow innocent body and a pair of legs that went on forever. She was a Piccadilly whore."
"Grizel [my sister], who was two years older than me, became very interested in the shape and form of my private parts; but when after a particularly painful inspection, I claimed my right to see hers too, she covered up sharply and dodged the issue by saying, 'Well, it's a sort of flat arrangement.'"
"For the most part, the masters [at school] were even more frightening. It would be charitable to think that they were shell-shocked heroes returned from the hell of Mons and Vimy, but it seems more probable that they were sadistic perverts who had been dredged up from the bottom of the educational barrel at a time of acute manpower shortage."
"After the sudden descent of my testicles, I was removed from the choir..."
I'm not even half-way done yet, but so far it is a touching memoir of the years post-WWI.
I'll continue my review as I read!
January 10, 2011
David Niven is not just an actor who writes, he is an actor with something to say who says it well-in written form. The combination of all 3 qualities is not so easily found. He is, as is said, witty, urbane, and sophisticated; he has moved in exciting, glamorous circles; he has known tragedy and he has witnessed it in others lives and he has been present for it all. His gift to us is his ability to articulate memory and insight. What a surprise it was to me: I opened the door of this book because he was an actor whose work and presence I loved who knew other actors I was curious about. I stayed in his world for the stories and the voice. I only closed the door because I knew I would come back. I'm sorry he's gone; I'm glad he was here; I'm most glad he left us these written traces of his life.
April 6, 2015
I remember David Niven from the 1970s when he was a regular tv chat show guest. His anecdotes often had Michael Parkinson crying with laughter and he played the part of urbane raconteur with a polished ease.
So this book seems like very much a part of that performance. Niven strikes me as the kind of person who worked very hard at being the perfect dinner party guest, honing his humorous anecdotes over so many years that he sort of forgot which had actually happened to him and which he had heard from someone else. For I don't believe for one second that this book is actually an autobiography, any more than today's stand-up comedians are autobiographical in their routines.
Niven came from that class of cocksure twits who used to run this country and it certainly shows. He never quite explains how he came to spend the weekend with people like Winston Churchill, or how he always managed to find someone who would put him up, get him a job, or lend him money. He also overlooks to mention the names of any of the ordinary men that he knew in the army - the Jocks, or the Cockneys, as he refers to them en masse. But every officer is apparently an old pal or a friend of the family and he bumps into them all over Europe and America. It makes you realise what a small and insulated world it was for the privileged few.
But in spite of this, Niven was fundamentally an entertainer. His stage persona was charming, upper class, roguish and self deprecating and this book is the performance of that persona. He was one of the Hollywood glitterati for quite a few years and was pals with the likes of Errol Flynn, Lawrence Olivier and Humphrey Bogart, but if you are looking for film history, this is not the book for you... Niven was above all a socialite and I feel sure that there is no part of this book that was not a dinner party anecdote a hundred times before it got written down on the page.
So this book seems like very much a part of that performance. Niven strikes me as the kind of person who worked very hard at being the perfect dinner party guest, honing his humorous anecdotes over so many years that he sort of forgot which had actually happened to him and which he had heard from someone else. For I don't believe for one second that this book is actually an autobiography, any more than today's stand-up comedians are autobiographical in their routines.
Niven came from that class of cocksure twits who used to run this country and it certainly shows. He never quite explains how he came to spend the weekend with people like Winston Churchill, or how he always managed to find someone who would put him up, get him a job, or lend him money. He also overlooks to mention the names of any of the ordinary men that he knew in the army - the Jocks, or the Cockneys, as he refers to them en masse. But every officer is apparently an old pal or a friend of the family and he bumps into them all over Europe and America. It makes you realise what a small and insulated world it was for the privileged few.
But in spite of this, Niven was fundamentally an entertainer. His stage persona was charming, upper class, roguish and self deprecating and this book is the performance of that persona. He was one of the Hollywood glitterati for quite a few years and was pals with the likes of Errol Flynn, Lawrence Olivier and Humphrey Bogart, but if you are looking for film history, this is not the book for you... Niven was above all a socialite and I feel sure that there is no part of this book that was not a dinner party anecdote a hundred times before it got written down on the page.
November 9, 2019
I love David Niven. I read Bring on the Empty Horses a long time ago and he cracked me up then, so I was excited to read his autobiography. His pre-Hollywood life is pretty fascinating, especially his army friends. I did enjoy all the name-dropping, especially from his first days in Hollywood, but he started losing me after his Oscar win, and the last few pages just felt strange. I guess it's what he was living through at the time, but the transition from the classic film era to his brushes with counterculture was an odd note to end on, and one that detracted from my enjoyment of his other stories. Or maybe it just felt rushed. Or maybe I just think the '60s and onward are boring. Oh well.
In all, it's very funny, and very reminiscent of Douglas Fairbanks Jr's first autobiography, which I read earlier this year (the two being friends helped, too).
In all, it's very funny, and very reminiscent of Douglas Fairbanks Jr's first autobiography, which I read earlier this year (the two being friends helped, too).
July 23, 2011
C1971: I have always felt that this is the best “Hollywood” autobiography. It helped that I always liked David Niven in films and the relatively early days of cinema are so interesting. However, his early life and career during the Second World War were, dare I say it, even more captivating. I am certain that, as with everyone’s memories, there were a few less than accurate details due to his reputation as being a raconteur of note. This is a laugh out loud funny book! I have re-read this book on so many occasions and this is the one of the few books that even The Non-bibliophile read and enjoyed. “ Benchley was one of the wittiest men alive, but unlike most people full of funny things to say, he was rather retiring. … Benchley disappeared to Europe. I made him promise to go to Venice, which he had never before visited. One day he cabled me, and in view of the address he used, the fact that it was delivered was flattering enough:
VENICE
NIVENTRAVEL
HOLLYWOOD
STREETS FULL OF WATER. ADVISE
BENCHLEY”
VENICE
NIVENTRAVEL
HOLLYWOOD
STREETS FULL OF WATER. ADVISE
BENCHLEY”
November 3, 2019
Very interesting biography from one of the great actors of the Hollywood Contract system. I always enjoyed David Niven in the movies, particularly The Pink Panther, the Guns of Navarone, and Around the World in Eighty Days. His characters were always so suave and debonair.
What I did not realize was that he was in the British Army, specifically the Highland Light Infantry. It was to be his career. I was a third into the book wondering how in heaven's name he was going to end up in Hollywood as an actor. A fascinating arc!
Niven's book is chock full of incredible anecdotal stories and lots of name dropping. He seemed to know everyone: Laurence Olivier, Mike Todd and Elizabeth Taylor, Ronald Coleman, Cary Grant, Loretta Young, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, John R Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy, Henry Fonda, Merle Oberon, Nigel Bruce, and Charles Boyer, just to name a few.
For anyone interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood, this book is for you.
What I did not realize was that he was in the British Army, specifically the Highland Light Infantry. It was to be his career. I was a third into the book wondering how in heaven's name he was going to end up in Hollywood as an actor. A fascinating arc!
Niven's book is chock full of incredible anecdotal stories and lots of name dropping. He seemed to know everyone: Laurence Olivier, Mike Todd and Elizabeth Taylor, Ronald Coleman, Cary Grant, Loretta Young, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart, John R Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy, Henry Fonda, Merle Oberon, Nigel Bruce, and Charles Boyer, just to name a few.
For anyone interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood, this book is for you.
August 21, 2017
I read this book many years ago & absolutely loved it.
This time around my enjoyment is slightly clouded by knowing that Niven didn't let facts get in the way of a good story & that he would have been unable to write that his second marriage was deeply unhappy.
Also a lot of the names he drops are now forgotten.
What is still very good & authentic sounding are his childhood memories & his grief at the death of his first wife.
I'd actually be interested in reading one of the biographies (there are at least three) of this complex man.
This time around my enjoyment is slightly clouded by knowing that Niven didn't let facts get in the way of a good story & that he would have been unable to write that his second marriage was deeply unhappy.
Also a lot of the names he drops are now forgotten.
What is still very good & authentic sounding are his childhood memories & his grief at the death of his first wife.
I'd actually be interested in reading one of the biographies (there are at least three) of this complex man.
December 22, 2020
This is an enjoyable read but all opinions of memoirs are highly dependent on what the reader wants to know and read about. This has a lot of name-dropping, which is inevitable in a book about show business, and Hollywood in particular, and since he was a ranking officer of a certain social class during World War II, the political names also figure in. There are no names named in his love life although he leaves no doubt as to how active he was; the closest he comes is mentioning his cross-country trip with the GBS (Great Big Star), who was apparently more starlet than star at the time. That's okay with me. In all things, David Niven is the upper-class gentleman and this is where the problem began for me as no one is described as being a bastard or hateful or any other denigrating form; everryone is one of the warmest and most generous people you could know, and continues to be one of Niven's closest friends, along with their spouses, who are also mentioned by name. Now, I can understand this as bastards tend to be proud of being one and would love to be mentioned as such but by leaving them out, they are denied the pleasure. However, I got a little tired of so many names slipped in as being generous, big-hearted, warm, friendly, loyal... Not a bad word for anyone and no boasting, lots of amusing anecdotes, no confidences betrayed, all very civilized, and so it had no bite in the end. As I say, pleasant and good reading but not much more.
December 4, 2023
Read this one way back in the 1970s and really enjoyed it. Niven lived a very full life - not all of it fun and laughter. He knew how to tell a good story and above all else, how to entertain. This book is filled with vignettes of the people, places and escapades in Niven's life. It's told in his own dinner table manner and bathed in humor... but it's humor from the middle years of the 20th century when social norms of behavior were quite different from those of today. If you can cut Niven some slack and forgive him for being a product of his times and of his lifestyle, a name dropper, somewhat superficial and a bit of a twit, you may find this an entertaining and funny read. If you're looking for an autobiography with introspection, depth and reflection, this is not it.
April 11, 2024
The Moon's a Balloon by David Niven (1971) review by Jeffrey Archer
A few years after this came out, I found myself on tour with David Niven. He was publicising the follow-up, Bring on the Empty Horses, and I was publicising Not a Penny More. I remember being at one signing session where David had three hundred people queuing up to meet him and I had half a dozen! But there was never an ounce of arrogance from the man. Charming, engaging, generous… what you saw on screen was what you got in person.
He did admit to me that some of the stories in the books had actually happened to other actors but, again, does that really matter? He tells the stories so well that they become his stories.
For more of my reviews, please go to My Unputdownable Articles
A few years after this came out, I found myself on tour with David Niven. He was publicising the follow-up, Bring on the Empty Horses, and I was publicising Not a Penny More. I remember being at one signing session where David had three hundred people queuing up to meet him and I had half a dozen! But there was never an ounce of arrogance from the man. Charming, engaging, generous… what you saw on screen was what you got in person.
He did admit to me that some of the stories in the books had actually happened to other actors but, again, does that really matter? He tells the stories so well that they become his stories.
For more of my reviews, please go to My Unputdownable Articles
December 17, 2020
A very enjoyable autobiography from one of Britain's most beloved film stars. I remember Niven popping up in the Roger Moore autobiography I read a few years ago; there, he was the aged and ailing Hollywood star, while in this one he's the youthful figure who enters a strange industry. The first thing I should say about this book is that it's very funny, with humorous anecdotes on every page, and genuine wit throughout. The early passages, dealing with Niven's school days and army career, are particularly well-developed, and the tale actually loses a little something when it reaches Hollywood and the 1950s, when things start to get rushed. There's a lot of unashamed shoulder-rubbing and name-dropping along the way, but the author makes no bones about that. I enjoyed it so much that I look forward to reading the second volume, BRING ON THE EMPTY HORSES, in due course.
February 7, 2013
Possibly the best autobiography I have ever read and I have read many.
It is surprising really as I am not a fan of David Niven and did not know a great deal about him prior to reading this book.
It is very funny at times and the book flows like it was written by a seasoned writer.
It is surprising really as I am not a fan of David Niven and did not know a great deal about him prior to reading this book.
It is very funny at times and the book flows like it was written by a seasoned writer.
September 12, 2015
"Mmm. Trubshawe...Niven...
"Goats? Bad show..."
"Goats? Bad show..."
October 26, 2022
I’ve often seen The Moon’s a Balloon referred to as the classic Hollywood memoir and one of the most entertaining autobiographies of the twentieth century. It’s certainly entertaining; David Niven on the page, as in life, was a natural raconteur with an eye for the absurd and the eccentric. He also writes very well. So many celebrity memoirs are either ghostwritten or flat and stilted, but The Moon’s a Balloon is a delight to read, with its flowing, sparkling prose. He admits more than once to being an inveterate name dropper, and the Hollywood sections of the book are filled with great names - Bogart, Bacall, Taylor, Olivier, Selznick, Goldwyn and umpteen others (a brief glance at the index is sufficient to get a feel for the circles in which he moved). Niven has great stories to tell about all of them, although how many are true and how many ‘enhanced’ for dramatic or comedic effect it’s hard to tell. In the end it hardly matters, as the overall effect is so enjoyable.
October 28, 2021
I loved the first and last parts of this memoir---these sections seemed more personal. The middle part about the war years went on and on and held no interest for me.
6.5/10
6.5/10
August 11, 2019
The Moon is a Balloon by David Niven
9 out of 10
It is always fascinating for this reader to read about the motion pictures an books like Adventures in the Screen Trade by the marvelous, regretted William Goldman, The Kid Stays in the Picture, Who the Hell's in It or Making Movies by Sydney Lumet have been a pleasure to read
One special passage in this formidable book has David Niven taking a steam bath with Douglas Fairbanks, who has invited him there, Samuel Goldwyn, Darryl Zanuck and Charlie Chaplin.
At that stage, the narrator is broke and Fairbanks, who seems to have liked all kinds of jokes, practical or otherwise, asked him if he is going to take his yacht out.
After this, the British newcomer is invited to a game of polo, where his horse, the agitated Saint John, bites Darryl Zanuck and the triangle is forced to advance together in the game.
When Samuel Goldwyn offers him a contract, the chance of a real debut, after the days when he was paid $ 2.5 per day as a Mexican extra, is offered.
Niven is lucky to be directed by a very kind man, who invites him in set, where the nervous debutant stumbles, shakes, but he is applauded at the end, because the marvelous director had instructed the cast to do so and he lied to the new man, claiming after the flawed take that they will just film again for fun, they have what they need, when in fact, they had not even put film in the camera, for what he had known to be a failed first accommodation acting number.
With Michael Curtiz, the British actor has a difficult encounter.
Curtiz was known to eat actors for breakfast and he shouts at David Niven to run get his script, in a very hot day, after being rude and oppressive to other candidates and thus the author shouts back:
You run and take it! And this is how he gets the part.
Samuel Goldwyn wants Niven to play a role, Edgar, in Wuthering Hights, under the direction of William Wyler.
The best director in the business was a Jekyll and Hyde character, a fiend in the director chair.
Even the giant Laurence Olivier could not understand Wyler.
After being made to act forty different times, the same scene, the iconic actor asks:
Look, I have tried for forty times, doing it differently...why don't you tell what you want?
I want you to do it better, was Wyler's reply.
Indeed, the film went on to become one of the greatest ever made.
David Niven will also have the chance to play in Around the World in 80 Days, which would win the Oscar for Best Motion Picture and become one of the most successful movies at the box office...before the arrival of the rather forgettable, but representative for what audiences want today, Avatar and Avengers.
There is tragedy in the life of the great actor, for his first wife dies after an absurd, awful accident, falling down the stairs to the cellar, when they played a game.
We have also opportunities to laugh, as when he calls the wife of a lawyer by mistake, thinks he has a date with her, but the amusing woman sends her friends to play a game with David Niven, the last even sing to him:
Happy luncheon to you!
The book has been a bestseller and indeed, it is very entertaining and a joy to read, in an abridged version for the undersigned.
9 out of 10
It is always fascinating for this reader to read about the motion pictures an books like Adventures in the Screen Trade by the marvelous, regretted William Goldman, The Kid Stays in the Picture, Who the Hell's in It or Making Movies by Sydney Lumet have been a pleasure to read
One special passage in this formidable book has David Niven taking a steam bath with Douglas Fairbanks, who has invited him there, Samuel Goldwyn, Darryl Zanuck and Charlie Chaplin.
At that stage, the narrator is broke and Fairbanks, who seems to have liked all kinds of jokes, practical or otherwise, asked him if he is going to take his yacht out.
After this, the British newcomer is invited to a game of polo, where his horse, the agitated Saint John, bites Darryl Zanuck and the triangle is forced to advance together in the game.
When Samuel Goldwyn offers him a contract, the chance of a real debut, after the days when he was paid $ 2.5 per day as a Mexican extra, is offered.
Niven is lucky to be directed by a very kind man, who invites him in set, where the nervous debutant stumbles, shakes, but he is applauded at the end, because the marvelous director had instructed the cast to do so and he lied to the new man, claiming after the flawed take that they will just film again for fun, they have what they need, when in fact, they had not even put film in the camera, for what he had known to be a failed first accommodation acting number.
With Michael Curtiz, the British actor has a difficult encounter.
Curtiz was known to eat actors for breakfast and he shouts at David Niven to run get his script, in a very hot day, after being rude and oppressive to other candidates and thus the author shouts back:
You run and take it! And this is how he gets the part.
Samuel Goldwyn wants Niven to play a role, Edgar, in Wuthering Hights, under the direction of William Wyler.
The best director in the business was a Jekyll and Hyde character, a fiend in the director chair.
Even the giant Laurence Olivier could not understand Wyler.
After being made to act forty different times, the same scene, the iconic actor asks:
Look, I have tried for forty times, doing it differently...why don't you tell what you want?
I want you to do it better, was Wyler's reply.
Indeed, the film went on to become one of the greatest ever made.
David Niven will also have the chance to play in Around the World in 80 Days, which would win the Oscar for Best Motion Picture and become one of the most successful movies at the box office...before the arrival of the rather forgettable, but representative for what audiences want today, Avatar and Avengers.
There is tragedy in the life of the great actor, for his first wife dies after an absurd, awful accident, falling down the stairs to the cellar, when they played a game.
We have also opportunities to laugh, as when he calls the wife of a lawyer by mistake, thinks he has a date with her, but the amusing woman sends her friends to play a game with David Niven, the last even sing to him:
Happy luncheon to you!
The book has been a bestseller and indeed, it is very entertaining and a joy to read, in an abridged version for the undersigned.
September 11, 2021
Entertaining memoir. First parts describes his childhood, mostly spent in boarding schools, then his military career, then his entry into Hollywood. He is full of amusing anecdotes and descriptions of unusual characters, some who are very famous indeed. The tone is predominantly cheerful, even when shit happens.
May 4, 2014
David Niven tells his life story (or at the least the first part of it) in this book, and he does it in wonderfully entertaining, genuinely amusing and often quite touching fashion. From his early life with a distant stepfather, through his life in the Highland Light Infantry, before deciding to give up a military career to try his luck in Hollywood (although he returned to Britain to fight in World War II), Niven takes the reader on a journey packed with anecdotes and funny interludes.
As he explains in the introduction, he drops names all over the place, particularly while talking about his film career, but he remains respectful throughout, and his genuine affection and respect for many of his contemporaries comes through. His stories – both of his Hollywood life, and his military career – are peppered with laugh-out-loud one-liners; several times I would burst out laughing and then insist on reading bits out to my husband. Niven is truly a wonderful storyteller and raconteur – he is also self-effacing and honest about his own shortcomings, and modest about his talents as an actor.
Details of his film career also reveal some of Hollywood’s machinations, and by the end of the book – which was published in 1972 – it’s clear that he is unhappy about a changing film industry.
Unlike many such memoirs, Niven did not use a ghostwriter – the writing is his own – and he has a lovely turn of phrase, but is also capable of showing genuine emotion, such as when he describes the tragic death of his first wife, which had me struggling to hold back tears.
If you are at all interested in David Niven, or Hollywood in the 40s – 60s, I would definitely recommend this book.
As he explains in the introduction, he drops names all over the place, particularly while talking about his film career, but he remains respectful throughout, and his genuine affection and respect for many of his contemporaries comes through. His stories – both of his Hollywood life, and his military career – are peppered with laugh-out-loud one-liners; several times I would burst out laughing and then insist on reading bits out to my husband. Niven is truly a wonderful storyteller and raconteur – he is also self-effacing and honest about his own shortcomings, and modest about his talents as an actor.
Details of his film career also reveal some of Hollywood’s machinations, and by the end of the book – which was published in 1972 – it’s clear that he is unhappy about a changing film industry.
Unlike many such memoirs, Niven did not use a ghostwriter – the writing is his own – and he has a lovely turn of phrase, but is also capable of showing genuine emotion, such as when he describes the tragic death of his first wife, which had me struggling to hold back tears.
If you are at all interested in David Niven, or Hollywood in the 40s – 60s, I would definitely recommend this book.
January 6, 2011
An amusing memoir of the first half of David Niven's life. However, there is WAY too much military stuff, that I admit I really really quickly skimmed through. Also, one gets the sense that behind the gentlemanly air and self-deprecating humor, David Niven was not a nice person, with little respect for women and definitely someone who used others to rise to the top. Articles I've read about him since his death seem to confirm this.
I've also found his second book, "Bring on the Empty Horses," which focuses more on his movie career, and I've been told that it's a much funnier book that drags less.
I've also found his second book, "Bring on the Empty Horses," which focuses more on his movie career, and I've been told that it's a much funnier book that drags less.
March 27, 2012
Niven pretty much presents himself as an R-rated Beano character, and this collection of scrapes and practical jokes would arguably be better off in 'annual' format.
I found the first half of the book, which deals with his schooling and the military, good fun. But the second half is a cavalcade of movie stars I know nothing about - I barely know who David Niven is, to be honest - so I lost interest. I expect if you have seen more than three films made before 1970 you will have a different experience.
I enjoyed his metaphor - motif, even - of a wind (a Chinese wind, I think, you could say that then) blowing weeds into his garden whenever things go wrong.
I found the first half of the book, which deals with his schooling and the military, good fun. But the second half is a cavalcade of movie stars I know nothing about - I barely know who David Niven is, to be honest - so I lost interest. I expect if you have seen more than three films made before 1970 you will have a different experience.
I enjoyed his metaphor - motif, even - of a wind (a Chinese wind, I think, you could say that then) blowing weeds into his garden whenever things go wrong.
April 17, 2020
The Hollywood Bio
Impossible to put down. Could have done with some more information about his work, his acting style, films he liked etc etc, but hey, this is the lead from A Matter of Life and Death, so who’s going to argue!
Would have been five stars had he revealed the names of some of the starlets he slept with (scared of being libelled probably), and if a lot of it were true. Or rather, had a lot to it actually happened to him, rather than to a friend and then passed off as him. Love the guy anyway, a must read for everyone.
Impossible to put down. Could have done with some more information about his work, his acting style, films he liked etc etc, but hey, this is the lead from A Matter of Life and Death, so who’s going to argue!
Would have been five stars had he revealed the names of some of the starlets he slept with (scared of being libelled probably), and if a lot of it were true. Or rather, had a lot to it actually happened to him, rather than to a friend and then passed off as him. Love the guy anyway, a must read for everyone.
February 11, 2022
Very few books make me laugh out loud in front of strangers, but this one gave me the giggles in public over and over. Whether it's hiding in a closet to escape the wrath of a sailor whose wife David is seducing or violating the Mann Act by trafficking Rita Hayworth across US state lines Niven always manages to be outrageously funny. He makes no apologies for name-dropping, from Howard Hughes to Noel Coward: "When Chairman Mao is sitting down to dinner with you it hardly makes sense to talk about the butler."
January 6, 2020
A hugely popular memoir of a man I admired far more before I actually read it. A pretty straightforward run down of his life and career, it suffers from dated attitudes and a probable skating over of some very bad behaviour. Strangely it retains a gruesome, voyeuristic interest. How many names can one man drop? I lost count...
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