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+--- Thread: Actor David Niven - Rebel, whiskey salesman, Commando (/Thread-Actor-David-Niven-Rebel-whiskey-salesman-Commando)
Actor David Niven - Rebel, whiskey salesman, Commando - Byrd - 01-29-2024
https://www.wwiidogtags.com/ww2-history/david-niven-celebrity-soldier/
“Look, you chaps only have to do this once. But I’ll have to do it all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!”
So today I learned that David Niven has a pretty wild history. He was always cool and suave in his roles, so I would have suspected that he came from minor aristocracy. As it turns out, he was from an upper class family and his father and grandfather died as war heroes... but that's not the end of the tale by any means.
The "Dogtags" website has some interesting tidbits, including the bit where he was arrested for mouthing off and then shared some whiskey in jail with his guard, leading to his doing a jailbreak: https://www.wwiidogtags.com/ww2-history/david-niven-celebrity-soldier/ He left for America and resigned his commission enroute.
In spite of this mark, when WWII came around, he went back to England to serve, got commando training, and ended up in a Special Forces unit called "Phantom." He was awarded the Legion of Merit.
Wikipedia also has some juicy tidbits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Niven
RE: Actor David Niven - Rebel, whiskey salesman, Commando - DontTreadOnMe - 01-29-2024
(01-29-2024, 08:41 PM)Byrd Wrote: https://www.wwiidogtags.com/ww2-history/david-niven-celebrity-soldier/Thanks for sharing that, Byrd. His screen persona is a lot different from his real life....quite the life he had.
“Look, you chaps only have to do this once. But I’ll have to do it all over again in Hollywood with Errol Flynn!”
So today I learned that David Niven has a pretty wild history. He was always cool and suave in his roles, so I would have suspected that he came from minor aristocracy. As it turns out, he was from an upper class family and his father and grandfather died as war heroes... but that's not the end of the tale by any means.
Wikipedia also has some juicy tidbits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Niven
Loved this quote from your wiki link:
"His ultimate decision to resign came after a lengthy lecture on machine guns, which was interfering with his plans for dinner with a particularly attractive young lady."
People led such different lives in the early 20th century, compared to later 20th century to today. Perhaps the dividing line should be 1960 or so.
RE: Actor David Niven - Rebel, whiskey salesman, Commando - Byrd - 01-30-2024
(01-29-2024, 11:42 PM)DontTreadOnMe Wrote: Thanks for sharing that, Byrd. His screen persona is a lot different from his real life....quite the life he had.
Loved this quote from your wiki link:
"His ultimate decision to resign came after a lengthy lecture on machine guns, which was interfering with his plans for dinner with a particularly attractive young lady."
People led such different lives in the early 20th century, compared to later 20th century to today. Perhaps the dividing line should be 1960 or so.
It's interesting figuring out where the dividing line occurs.
I'm currently working on a paper about the dividing line in a particular fandom; how it changed from pre-Internet to post-Internet and why those who joined pre-Internet feel as if they've been disenfranchised.
But Niven was a scamp (to use a term familiar with them) and a troublemaker -the perfect combination for a Phantom leader (because scamps and troublemakers often have unique ways of dealing with obstacles.)
RE: Actor David Niven - Rebel, whiskey salesman, Commando - DontTreadOnMe - 02-01-2024
(01-30-2024, 01:16 AM)Byrd Wrote: It's interesting figuring out where the dividing line occurs.Indeed. You can pick events and look at all the cultural, economic, etc. changes pre- and post-.
In the 20th Century:
Like the Birth Control Pill.
The Kennedy Assassination.
The World Wars, especially WWII.
