Producer and writer Nicholas Spark and Director Amanda Pope will personally present their 2009 documentary film The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club on September 2 at 8:00 p.m. in the Library Community Room. The film explores the life of Florence Lowe “Pancho” Barnes (1901-1975), a daredevil tomboy who grew up to become one of the most important women in 20th Century aviation. Born into a wealthy Pasadena family in 1901, Florence Lowe’s father was a millionaire sportsman and her mother an aristocrat from a prominent Philadelphia family. To appease her high-society mother, at age 19 Florence married the highly respectable Rev. C. Rankin Barnes of St. James Church in South Pasadena, but she had little interest in being a minister’s wife.
In 1928, Barnes decided to become a pilot for the thrill of it. Aviation soon became her profession. She was hired as a test pilot by Lockheed and flew in the first Women’s Transcontinental Air Race in 1929. After emerging from a Mexican adventure where she gained the name of Pancho, she soon humiliated her husband by deliberately flying past his church during a Sunday service. She later broke Amelia Earhart’s Air Speed Record, and was Hollywood’s first female stunt pilot –for Howard Hughes!
The Great Depression put a halt on Pancho’s flying career and extravagant lifestyle. In 1935 she ended up in the Mojave Desert, near an Army Air Corps bombing range called Muroc, later to be known as Edwards Air Force Base. Barnes’ own “The Happy Bottom Riding Club” became its social center and notorious as the boisterous oasis visited by some of the most important fliers of the time. A few years later, things began to go downhill. Edwards Air Force Base had become home to secret military programs and top security. At the same time, allegations circled that the Happy Bottom Riding Club was a house of ill repute. The FBI launched an investigation, and as legal proceedings began, a mysterious fire destroyed the Club’s ranch.
The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club features interviews with many of those who knew her best including Buzz Aldrin and Chuck Yeager. The voice of Pancho is that of Kathy Bates who won an Academy Award for her performance in Misery. Narration is provided by Tom Skeritt, known for roles in M*A*S*H and Alien, as an Emmy winner for Picket Fences, and as a fighter pilot in Top Gun. The film also features rare photographs, footage, and documents, many shown for the first time.
Nicholas Spark has produced or directed a number of award-winning documentary films. He holds a master’s in Film Production from USC and is a two-time winner of the student Emmy in non-fiction filmmaking. Amanda Pope has an extensive background in producing and directing documentaries and dramas. Her previous experience includes directing and writing Jackson Pollock Portrait for PBS and co-producing the 90-minute film Wilbur and Orville about the Wright Brothers.
The event is presented by the South Pasadena Public Library and the Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library. The version of the film that will be shown is the “Film Festival Edition” that is 7 minutes longer than the one shown on PBS. Some of the language may not be appropriate for young children. The Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro Street. No tickets or reservations are necessary. Refreshments will be provided. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. |
