Bring on the Empty Horses [Illustrated] [Paperback]

David Niven (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 1975

David Niven is remembered as one of Britain's best-loved actors. The archetypal English gentleman, he starred in over ninety films. He is also one of Hollywood's finest chroniclers. In this second volume, David Niven turns his attention to 'The Great Days of Hollywood' between 1935 and 1960. These were times of legendary film stars and despotic producers, of tycoons, of oddballs, and of classic movies. Rich in anecdote, and written in his inimitable humorous style, BRING ON THE EMPTY HORSES is perhaps the most acclaimed sequel to an autobiography ever written.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Hilariously readable' -- Sunday Telegraph 'So bring on the empty horses and fill their saddles with shades of Cooper, Gable, Fairbanks and Flynn. This time David Niven is riding a winner' -- Irish Times 'He is nothing if not an individualist: a raconteur of style and sophistication and a writer with imagination and a sense of pace ... It adds to his stature' -- Coventry Evening Telegraph 'BRING ON THE EMPTY HORSES is a delight from start to finish. With shrewdness and warmth ... Niven brings us to Hollywood in its golden prime, from the early '30s to the age of TV. Above all, he brings us them - the outstanding stars, producers, directors, writers, tycoons and oddballs, many of whom were his friends ... An inspired mix of descriptions, impressions, and anecdotes.' -- Publishers Weekly 'Might easily be the best book ever written about Hollywood.' -- New York Times Book Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

David Niven was born in London in 1910. Following Sandhurst and a brief career in the Highland Light Infantry, he sailed to North America where he undertook a number of jobs before heading to Hollywood. He starred in many films, most famously The Prisoner of Zenda in 1937, before returning to Britain when war broke out, to join the Rifle Brigade. Following the war, he returned to Hollywood where he made many more films including Death on the Nile, Casino Royale and The Guns of Navarone.

Product Details

• Paperback: 362 pages
• Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd; illustrated edition edition (September 29, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0241892732
• ISBN-13: 978-0241892732
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,384,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Gold!, May 2, 2007

By 

Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bring on the Empty Horses (DNF-0824195) (Mass Market Paperback)

Looking for that excellent read which will make you or someone in your life laugh? Then look no further. Bring on the Empty Horses (and "The Moon's a Balloon!") are two of the funniest and most satisfying books I have ever read. There is something about the way in which David Niven writes about other people from which you just know they would approve of what he has said. As an actor, David Niven always seemed to play the good guy, the dashing hero, the sort of character to whom we would all wish to aspire. As an author, however, he writes about his fellow personalities from the Hollywood of yester-year with whom he worked and came into contact. Where others might expose drunkenness or sordid behaviour, Niven simply makes us laugh and, as I say, those of whom he writes would, therefore, approve.

In this book, Niven confirms his credentials as an ingenious writer as he pours his own brand of humour onto each and every encounter he describes. Not once does he stoop to the level of cheap gossip, not once does attack another person. Instead, we have a first hand account of that golden age of Hollywood written by a master wordsmith who has also mastered the art of writing humour. Only a writer who had also been a central part of that of that glorious cast of characters and people could possibly have produced this work.

Was it me, or did I detect a certain disappointment from within his own relationship? More likely it was that David Niven was far too much the perfect gentleman to mention such things.

If you are a fan of the olden days - the golden days of Hollywood, you will enjoy this book. If you simply want a damned good read, you will enjoy this book even more. Truth is, I cannot imagine anyone could not enjoy such an excellent product.

NM

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not only a great actor, but a great writer, too!, June 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Bring on the Empty Horses (Paperback)

This book is one of the best books about Hollywood I have ever read. Many books of this kind are written in a bitter, sometimes nasty voice as an attack on the people involved, but Niven does not stoop to that level. Not only do you get an excellent first-hand history of the golden studio days of filmmaking, but you get to see a more personal depiction of many of the stars of the era. His style is so charming, and dare I say "witty", that I couldn't help but laugh aloud at many of his observations. Finally, a book about Hollywood that doesn't leave a bad aftertaste!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Find this book and you'll read it more than once!, February 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bring on the Empty Horses (Paperback)

This book and the one preceding it("The Moon's a Balloon") just might be my two favorite books, EVER. I practically insist every friend I make read them. Niven had a very unique life, and had a rare gift for story-telling that makes these books real treasures. They are laugh-out-loud, effortlessly funny stories that tell us of his entry into Hollywood (an unusual career path, it involved prohibition, fish and polo) as well as his checkered career in the military in England. I guarantee you'll read these two books over and over again. I just wish he'd written more of them!