"Well, I put my ears back, and I put Sam Goldwyn's back, too, and we had it out, and he suspended my contract for the war, and we parted the best of friends. The only thing he hasn't forgiven me is that I spoilt a preview for him just before I left. It was The Real Glory—I don't think you've seen it here yet—and there was one close-up of me dead—an, enormous hunk of Niven, all stuck through with darts, like a vast por-cumine. When I saw it at the preview I roared with laughter and "Look at not I just couldn't help it, but Im afraid it spoilt the show for Sam.
"I wish I could tell you about all my exciting adventures coming home. But actually I didn't have any. 1 sailed on the Rex, and all we passed on the way was one little outgoing ramp steamer painted battle-ship grey. The trouble began when I got to Italy. I hadn't any permit to cross France, and I waited for hours in a queue outside the French passport office in Rome. At last I lost my patience, and I began to march up and down the queue and storm.in y best best Goldwyn French, west-ce-que chest que ca! Jo suis an Anglais qui vent rejoinder son regiment vite?"
"Pour Faire La Guerre"
"That seemed to do the trick. They ye me an extra large passport with pour faire la guerre' written across ity and I got to Paris waving my passport, and then they flew me down R.A.F. headquarters."
David Niven arrived an England without a gas-mask, without an identity card, his one idea to get into one of the services quickly. He hopes, if he can, to join the R.A.F. He has always had a passion for flying—which is one reason, perhaps, why his part in "The Dawn Patrol" is amongst his first favourites.
"I loved that part so much," he says, "that I used to drive to the studios every day in second gear, in a blue funk in case I had an accident and lost it. And yet, you know, one of my worst moments was when I got out of the plane in France at R.AF. headquarters and found myself surrounded by íellows straight out of "The Dawn Patrol' I remembered the sort of things we used io say at Sandhurst about actors in war pictures, and I thought to myself, Hell, what must these boys think of a ham actor who pretended to be a marvellous pilot. But they were grand—they all came up and shook hands, and when I told them I wanted to get home and join the Air Force, they -couldn't have been nicer. at 230, 530 and 9 pin. The Most Dramatic, Thrilling Spectacular Chinese Picture LI-LI of PEIPING in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.