Start All Over Again Ginger Rogers

James David Graham Niven was a pop English role player and novelist. His many roles included Squadron Leader Peter Carter in A Affair of Life and Death, Phileas Fogg in Around the World in fourscore Days, and Sir Charles Lytton, ("the Phantom") in The Pinkish Panther. He won the Academy Accolade for Best Player for his performance in Separate Tables(1958).

Born in London, Niven attended Heatherdown Preparatory School and Stowe before gaining a identify at the Purple Military College, Sandhurst. After Sandhurst, he joined the British Army and was gazetted a second lieutenant in the Highland Light Infantry. Having developed an interest in acting, he left the Highland Calorie-free Infantry, traveled to Hollywood, and had several minor roles in films. He start appeared as an extra in the British film There Goes the Helpmate (1932). From there, he hired an amanuensis and had several pocket-sized parts in films from 1933 to 1935, including a not-speaking part in MGM's Mutiny on the Bounty. This brought him to wider attention within the movie industry and he was spotted by Samuel Goldwyn.

After Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, Niven returned dwelling house and rejoined the British Army. He was alone among British stars in Hollywood in doing so; the British Embassy advised most actors to stay. Niven was recommissioned as a lieutenant into the Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort'due south Own) on 25 February 1940, and was assigned to a motor training battalion. He wanted something more exciting, however, and transferred into the Commandos. He was assigned to a training base at Inverailort House in the Western Highlands. Niven afterwards claimed credit for bringing future Major General Sir Robert Eastward. Laycock to the Commandos. Niven commanded "A" Squadron GHQ Liaison Regiment, better known as "Phantom". He worked with the Ground forces Film Unit. He acted in ii films made during the war, The First of the Few (1942) and The Style Ahead (1944). Both were made with a view to winning support for the British war effort, especially in the United states of america. Niven's Picture show Unit of measurement piece of work included a small part in the deception operation that used minor histrion Grand.E. Clifton James to impersonate General Sir Bernard Montgomery. During his piece of work with the Film Unit of measurement, Peter Ustinov, though one of the script-writers, had to pose as Niven's batman (substantially his servant). Niven explained in his autobiography that at that place was no military way that he, as a lieutenant-colonel, and Ustinov, who was simply a private, could associate, other than as an officeholder and his subordinate, hence their strange "deed". Ustinov after appeared with Niven in Death on the Nile (1978).

Niven took office in the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944, although he was sent to French republic several days after D-Day. He served in the "Phantom Signals Unit," which located and reported enemy positions, and kept rear commanders informed on changing battle lines. Niven was posted at i time to Chilham in Kent. He remained close-mouthed virtually the war, despite public interest in celebrities in combat and a reputation for storytelling. He once said:

"I will, still, tell you only one thing almost the state of war, my first story and my terminal. I was asked by some American friends to search out the grave of their son near Bastogne. I found it where they told me I would, but it was among 27,000 others, and I told myself that here, Niven, were 27,000 reasons why yous should continue your mouth shut after the state of war."

He had particular scorn for those newspaper columnists covering the war who typed out self-glorifying and excessively florid prose about their meager wartime experiences. Niven stated, "Anyone who says a bullet sings past, hums by, flies, pings, or whines past, has never heard one — they get fissure!" He gave a few details of his war experience in his autobiography, The Moon's a Balloon: his private conversations with Winston Churchill, the bombing of London, and what it was like entering Germany with the occupation forces. Niven commencement met Churchill at a dinner political party in Feb 1940. Churchill singled him out from the crowd and stated, "Fellow, you did a fine thing to give up your film career to fight for your country. Mark you, had you non done so it would have been despicable."

Drawing of Niven commemorating his 1958 Oscar win for Dissever Tables. Source

A few stories have surfaced about David Niven's fourth dimension in the war: About to lead his men into activeness, Niven eased their nervousness past telling them, "Look, you chaps only accept to practise this once. Only I'll have to practice information technology all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!" Asked by suspicious American sentries during the Boxing of the Bulge who had won the World Series in 1943, he answered, "Haven't the foggiest idea … but I did co-star with Ginger Rogers in Available Mother!" On another occasion, asked how he felt nigh serving with the British Army in Europe, he allegedly said, "Well on the whole, I would rather be tickling Ginger Rogers' tits."

Niven ended the war as a lieutenant-colonel. On his render to Hollywood later the state of war, he received the Legion of Merit, an American military machine ornamentation. Presented past Eisenhower himself, it honored Niven's work in setting up the BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Plan, a radio news and amusement station for the Allied forces.

Niven in the 1948 film Enchantment Source

Niven resumed his career in 1946, now only in starring roles. His films A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Bishop'southward Wife (1947) with Cary Grant, and Enchantment (1948) are all highly regarded. In 1950, he starred in The Elusive Pimpernel, which was made in Britain and which was to be distributed by Samuel Goldwyn. Goldwyn pulled out, and the film did non appear in the The states for three years. Niven had a long, complex human relationship with Goldwyn, who gave him his kickoff start, but the dispute over The Elusive Pimpernel and Niven's demands for more than coin led to a long estrangement between the two in the 1950s.

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Source: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/08/18/david-niven-british-star-hollywood-enlist-world-war-2/

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