DOCUTAH screens “The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club” at The Electric Theater
By Della Lowe
On April 27 at 7 p.m., DOCUTAH will present a screening of the documentary “The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club” at the Electric Theater in St. George. The screening will be hosted by producer and writer Nick Sparks.
A charismatic figure featured in Tom Wolfe’s book “The Right Stuff,” Florence “Pancho” Barnes was one of the most important women in 20th Century aviation. A tough and fearless aviatrix, Pancho was a rival of Amelia Earhart who made a name for herself as Hollywood’s first female stunt pilot.
Just before World War II, she opened a ranch near Edwards Air Force Base that became a famous — some would say notorious — hangout for test pilots and movie stars. Known as the “Happy Bottom Riding Club,” it became the epicenter of the aviation world during the early jet age.
Chuck Yeager celebrated breaking the sound barrier there in 1947, and Howard Hughes and Jimmy Doolittle caroused in the bar.
The club’s destruction by fire in 1953 is seen by many to mark the end of a golden era in post-World War II aviation. In the same fashion, Pancho herself has become something of a legend — a fascinating yet enigmatic icon whose swagger is often celebrated but whose story has been largely unknown.
“The Legend of Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club” features interviews with test pilots Bob Cardenas, Bob Hoover, and Chuck Yeager as well as astronaut Buzz Aldrin and biographers Barbara Schultz and Lauren Kessler. It is narrated by Tom Skerritt with Kathy Bates as the voice of Pancho Barnes.
Tickets are available at docutah.com.
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