Happy Birthday: David Niven!

David Niven (1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983), was a British actor, who found that he needed a work permit, to work in the U.S. Niven, moved to Mexico and earned a living cleaning rifles. When he received his Resident Alien Visa from the American Consulate, he moved back to the U.S. where he was then accepted by Central Casting. He hired agent: Bill Hawks, who found him several small parts, including a non-speaking part in the film, Mutiny on the Bounty.

Niven, soon met film producer Samuel Goldwyn, who signed him to a contract. He had supporting roles in the films: Rose-Marie (1936), Dodsworth (1936), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), The Dawn Patrol (1938), Three Blind Mice (1938), and Wuthering Heights (1939). He co-starred with Ginger Rogers in the film, Bachelor Mother(1939) and starred as the safe-cracker in the film, Raffles(1939). Is one of several film adaptations of an 1899 novel by E. W. Hornung, Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman. The thief known as "The Amateur Cracksman", is really cricket star A. J. Raffles, who has to live a life of crime to support his life style. When Raffles falls in love with Gwen Manders, he hangs up his life of crime until Gwen's brother Bunny, tells him that he needs to pay back the money he embezzled and lost at gambling.

While staying at Crawshay's home Raffles, quickly learns that he, is making plans to steal Lady Melrose's emerald necklace. Raffles some how gets the necklace from Crawshay, who is arrested by the police. The next morning, Raffles leaves for London to sell the necklace and Gwen overhears the inspector setting a trap for him. She goes to warn Raffles, but is too late, the inspector springs his trap and arrests Raffles with the necklace. Will Raffles, get away with his crime?



After a small break, he resumed his career in 1946, now only in starring roles. A Matter of Life and Death (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), and Enchantment (1948). The widowed patriarch of the Dane family adopts a young girl named Larke, whose parents have been killed in a train wreck. As the sons of the family, grow into young men they find themselves in love with the same girl.



Niven had a complex relationship with Goldwyn, who gave him his first break. There was a period of time when Niven was barred from the Hollywood studios. In 1951 to 1956, he made 11 movies, of which two were MGM productions. However, Niven won a Golden Globe Award for his work in the film, The Moon Is Blue (1953).

Niven's film career took off in 1956, when he starred as Phileas Fogg in, Around the World in 80 Days.

Niven won a Academy Award for Best Actor for the film, Separate Tables(1958) he was also a co-host of the 30th, 31st and 46th Academy Awards ceremonies. After his Academy Award, Niven's career began to improve and Niven performed in the films: The Guns of Navarone (1961), The Pink Panther (1963), Murder By Death (1976), Death on the Nile (1978), and The Sea Wolves (1980).

Blake Edwards brought Niven back for cameo appearances in two final "Pink Panther" movies (Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther), reprising his role as Sir Charles Litton. By this time, Niven was having serious health problems. His voice was inaudible and his lines were dubbed by Rich Little. This was his last film performance.

List of David Niven movies I have seen:

Cleopatra (1934)
Barbary Coast (1935)
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)
The Dawn Patrol (1938)
Wuthering Heights (1939) Please click here to view Wuthering Heights movie review.
Bachelor Mother (1939)
Eternally Yours (1939)
The Bishop's Wife (1947)
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
My Man Godfrey (1957)
Separate Tables (1958)
Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960) Please click her to view Please Dont Eat the Daisies movie review.
The Guns of Navarone (1961)

Eternally Yours(1939)

Eternally Yours (1939). Director: Tay Garnett. Cast: Loretta Young, David Niven, Broderick Crawford, Billie Burke, Eve Arden, Hugh Herbert, C. Aubrey Smith, Virginia Field, Zasu Pitts, Raymond Walburn.

While Anita is making plans to marry Don, she meets Tony a magician and they fall in love and marry. Anita goes on the road with Tony’s act, even performing in his show with him. But his stunts become more and more dangerous and Anita can no longer take it. She divorces him, and to get over the heartache, she marries Don. But Anita can’t escape Tony for long, and not long after her wedding they’re stuck at the same party together.

The first half of the movie is very charming. Niven and Young have wonderful chemistry and the story of a magician who’s torn between his fans and his commitment to his wife makes for a very interesting love story.

Virginia Field (November 4, 1917 – January 2, 1992) was a British-born film actress who performed in over 40 films including: Ladies in Love (1936), Waterloo Bridge (1940), Repeat Performance (1947), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949) and Dial 1119 (1950).

She started her film career in England then was brought to the U.S. to perform in, Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936). In the late 1930s she performed in various parts in, Mr. Moto movie series.

Fields married three times, including a marriage to actor Paul Douglas and a marriage to actor Willard Parker.

My Man Godfrey (1957).

My Man Godfrey (1957) . Comedy. June Allyson and David Niven. It is a remake of Gregory La Cava's 1936 comedy of the same name.

Allyson played the role created by Carole Lombard  and Niven played the William Powell role. The plot begins as a scatterbrained heiress, who uses and then hires a man whom she believes to be homeless. She gives him a job as the family's butler. The family's  does not know  their new butler, is actually as wealthy as they are.

The supporting cast included Jessie Royce Landis, Robert Keith and Eva Gabor. It was adapted by Peter Berneis, William Bowers and Everett Freeman, and directed by Henry Koster.

Jessie Royce Landis (November 25, 1896 - February 2, 1972). In the 1950s, she began appearing in movies as a character actress, best known in, To Catch a Thief (1955), and North by Northwest (1959), both starring Cary Grant and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In North by Northwest she played Grant's character's mother, and in To Catch a Thief she played Grace Kelly's mother.

List of Jessie Royce Landis films:
1949 Mr. Belvedere Goes to College
It Happens Every Spring
My Foolish Heart
1955 To Catch a Thief
1956 The Swan
1957 My Man Godfrey
1958 I Married a Woman
1959 North by Northwest (pictured below)
1961 Goodbye Again
1962 Boys' Night Out
1963 Critic's Choice
Gidget Goes to Rome
1970 Airport