NICOLAS RIDLEY - GODFREY'S GHOST

REVIEWED BY MAGGIE ON SHOW 15TH JULY 2010
AS A GREAT FAN OF DADS ARMY I AM ALWAYS INTERESTED IN ANYTHING TO DO WITH ANYONE INVOLVED IN THE SERIES AND DEAR OLD GODFREY WHO HAD A WEAK BLADDER WAS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE FUNNIEST.
HOWEVER THIS IS A PORTRAIT AS THE MAN BEHIND THE ACTOR WHO WAS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR WRITING THE 'GHOST TRAIN' WHICH WAS A GREAT SUCCESS IN THE FORTIES NOT ON THE OPENING NIGHT AS THE AUTHOR OVERHEARD 2 IMPRESARIOS DISMISSING IT AS 'NOT LIKELY TO LAST A WEEK'.
THIS IS BILLED AS A TENDER PORTRAIT OF A PARENT BUT I FOUND IT A LITTLE CONFUSING AS THE AUTHOR TENDS TO DISCUSS HIS FATHERS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS PARENTS AND AGAIN HIS OWN RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS FATHER.
WHAT IS INTERESTING IS ARNOLD RIDLEY'S WAR EXPERIENCES IN THE 1914-1918 WAR WHERE HE WAS WOUNDED QUITE BADLY BUT SURVIVED, HE AND HIS PARTY WERE ALL RECOMMENDED FOR THE MILITARY CROSS AFTER MANAGING TO REJOIN THEIR RANKS BUT AS HE WAS A LANCE CORPORAL WAS INSTEAD RECOMMENDED FOR THE DCM BUT THAT WAS TURNED DOWN AS WELL. HIS SON TELLS OF HIS DISAPPOINTMENT AND OF HIS LATER NIGHTMARES FROM THE WAR WHERE HE WAS AT ONE TIME IN A SHELL HOLE WITH A MAN WHO HAD BEEN BLOWN TO PIECES AND OTHER DISTURBING TIMES FROM WHICH HE NEVER RECOVERED BUT WENT ON TO SERVE IN THE 1939-45 AFFAIR.
HE NEVER MANAGED TO WRITE ANOTHER BESTSELLER AND DUE TO HIS WAR WOUND FOND HIS LONG HAND SCRIPT DIFFICULT TO CONTINUE WITH. HE DIDN'T LIKE TYPING. HE ALSO ACTED IN ANY AND ALL PARTS THAT BROUGHT IN MONEY TO SUPPORT HIS WIFE AND CHILD..
I DON'T THINK THIS IS WELL WRITTEN, IN DEFENCE OF THE AUTHOR HE HAS TAKEN A SORT OF DIARY HIS FATHER STARTED AND NEVER COMPLETED SO IT IS MORE ANECDOTES THAN A COMPLETE BIOGRAPHY.
IT OCCURS TO ME THAT THE ACTOR WHO PLAYED GODFREY FOR WHICH HE RECEIVED AN OBE WAS VERY SIMILAR TO THE GENTLE OLD CHAP WHO WAS DETERMINED TO DEFEND HIS COUNTRY EVEN THOUGH HE BORE NO MALICE TO THE GERMAN PEOPLE AS A WHOLE.
AN INTERESTING IF A LITTLE UNSATISFACTORY BOOK.
REVIEW BY MAGS