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Pancho Invited to Arlington Fly In ! |
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Written by Nick Spark
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Monday, 22 June 2009 21:20 |
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This just in, The Legend of Pancho Barnes will be screened at the Arlington, Washington Fly In. This prestigious aviation event is one of the nation's biggest and best, featuring an air show and ground displays that are second to none. During the evening hours, visitors and campers alike enjoy the "Runway Theater", and that's where Pancho will be screening on Friday, July 10th. Things should get started after 9:30 p.m. or thereabouts. Come one, come all, and bring your umbrella or at least a hat -- this is the Pacific NW after all. Make sure to bring a friend or two -- or three! For more information and directions, visit the official website here. 
This coming Saturday, June 27, in case you missed it, the film will be screening in Tucson, Arizona (see previous issue of the Production Journal). And with that said, it's time to recap the amazing "Celebration of Women's Aviation" event that we  attended this past weekend in Denver. Hosted by aviation artist and impresario Joe Jones, the Celebration featured a dazzling array of women aviators including Emily Howell Warner, the first woman pilot to be hired by a major U.S. airline. Many of the competitors in the all women's Air Race Classic were in attendance, including author / pilot Gene Nora Jessen. Gene Nora, who is the author of the definitive history of the 1929 women's air race, Powder Puff Derby of 1929, gave a stirring speech connecting the '29 race with the '09 model. It was one of many amazing moments. (Incidentally, not all of the attention went to the ladies. Several original Tuskeegee Airmen were in attendance, and they all dazzled with their modesty. Their personal stories of accomplishment against the odds, and unparalleled bravery in combat were something to hear first hand.) Photo: Emily Howell Warner (l) and Gene Nora Jessen (second from l) are honored at the Celebration of Women's Aviation. Photo courtesy Paul Gordon. While I sit here typing away, it strikes my mind that the Air Race Classic officially gets underway tomorrow the 23rd. So as I write this I imagine that the pilots are going over their check lists, looking over their maps, and trying to clear their minds and get one last full night of sleep before getting underway. Oh to be in their shoes -- it's going to be quite an exciting race! Not only will there be a terrific competition, but the comraderie of the participants is absolutely real. I honestly wish the race was being covered by ESPN or one of the  other networks -- Oxygen where are you when we need you? By definition it's going to be an exciting race, and the personalities, interests, and spirit of these competitors is without equal. Every single one of them whom we spoke with, had a terrific story about how they ended up in the cockpit, and a few had touching stories about what inspired them to enter the race. Check out the official website for more information here, or if you're interested in a closer-in view, follow the race from "Team Wild Mama's" perspective in their blog here. May all the fliers have safe journeys, and as Marvel Crosson says a bit of historic newsreel footage from 1929 that we used in our film, "May your landings all be low and slow." Special thanks for an amazing day at a mile high, are owed to Joe Jones, International Jet Aviation, the Centennial Airport and the dozens of volunteers who made the event a reality. Thanks also to our friend Russ McDaniel, who came all the way from Indiana just to be there. Yes it was a long way, but I know Russ came away feeling like we all did at the end of the day-- it was worth the trip! Photo: Race fan Janine Conklin joins director Amanda Pope, Pancho Barnes, and Nick Spark at the Celebration of Women's Aviation. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 22 June 2009 22:10 |
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Pancho Barnstorms Tucson ! |
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Written by Nick Spark
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Thursday, 11 June 2009 12:54 |
June is turning out to be a very busy month for “Pancho”. This past weekend, we had our big world premiere in New York City as part of the NewFest Film Festival. It was an exciting event, made all the more special by the fact that the sophisticated Manhattan crowd – who didn’t have much of a clue who Pancho was or what she accomplished – absolutely loved her and the movie! Next Sunday, June 21, we’ll be bowing in front of an aviation crowd in Centennial, Colorado. That will be when we present the film as part of the inaugural “Celebration of Women’s Aviation”. See airmailgreetingspresents.com for more information about how to obtain tickets to this wonderful event, and learn about the special guests who will be there.
Now we have another fund raising screening to crow about, coming up on Saturday June 27th in Tucson, Arizona. The venue is The Loft movie theater, and the event is hosted by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Yes, you've heard correctly, a member of the United States Congress has endorsed “Pancho”. It’s not the first time she’s gotten a boost of this type – if you’ve read earlier entries in the Production Journal then you know Pancho ran for L.A. County Supervisor back in the day, and received endorsements from the likes of actor Ramon Novarro and fellow aviatrix Amelia Earhart. But this time Pancho’s actually getting notice from someone with real political chops.
Congresswoman Giffords is a friend, supporter, and a fan of the project going back several years. Her enthusiasm likely springs from the fact that, like Pancho, she’s a dynamo who has risen to the top through diligent effort, a woman who never quits. She's also a horsewoman (that's her in the saddle at right) and a person who knows a lot about ranching. But there’s also a more important connection. Like Barnes, Giffords has always had an enormous interest in aviation, and is the Chair of the Science Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. She is also, get this, married to astronaut Mark Kelly and was the first sitting member of Congress to have a spouse in orbit.
Simply put, Pancho would have loved Gabrielle Giffords, and so we’re proud to be showing the film to her friends and supporters. But you don’t have to be a Democrat to come see the film -- everyone is invited!
Tickets for the show will be sold through the website GiffordsforCongress.com/tickets
(N.B.: as of this writing, the link is not yet active but stay tuned).
Hope to see you there! |
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Written by Nick Spark
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Thursday, 11 June 2009 12:40 |
Rumor has it that we’ll be doing a very big premiere event for the film here in Los Angeles on September 10th. You may want to mark your calendar!
While we expect to see a lot of good friends at our premiere, we know for a fact that two of the most important people won’t be there. We learned back in February that Pancho’s ranch manager Tony King, passed away at age 92. And just last month, Pancho’s piano player and head hostess Dallas Morley, moved on to the big dance hall in the sky. Both of these people appear in the film, and will be sadly missed. They were two of our favorite people, and audience favorites to boot, because they told it like it was and didn’t mince words about Pancho and their tempestuous friendships with her.
 Interviewing both of these crusty, time-worn individuals was memorable in and of itself. Tony King lived out on a ranch out in the Mojave with his wife Betty, not that far from where Pancho’d lived and, in the end, where she’d died. Surrounded by cactus, sage, Chihuahuas and his beloved horses, Tony lived the life of a rancher, as he’d done his whole time on earth. We interviewed him in his kitchen, where he sat wearing a cowboy hat and boots, and a grin a mile wide – an appearance produced by the fact that he had just a few permanent teeth left in his mouth and his dentures were out on order. He had us in stitches as he described some of the things he witnessed at Pancho’s ranch, but he was also reflective as well. Pancho’d pretty much raised Tony from the time he was a boy, and probably was the person most responsible for teaching him to read and write. (See October 24, 2007 Production Journal). He said he owed her nearly everything he had.
While Tony was happy to share his life story with us, Dallas Morley was another matter. The self proclaimed “Bitch of the Red Dog” – the Red  Dog Saloon was where she headlined as a piano player – Dallas had an attitude thick as gravy and about as dark. We caught up with her at her house in Pioneertown, where she was holed up in bed after a nasty fall. That might have put some people in a poor mood, but not Dallas. Despite barely being able to walk, she dressed up for our interview in her best duds, and put on her performer’s make-up and her special hat as well. But while she invited various questions, and was happy to reflect on her life at Pancho’s ranch, she made no secret of the fact that some things she’d rather not discuss. Old, dead and gone test pilot boy friends was one, and scandal was another. At a couple of moments, she just about beat up Amanda with her retorts to these questions, although in a way that let you know she was just having fun. “Pancho used to cuss me out, and I’d just throw it back at her,” Dallas said in our interview. “I’d cuss her out like she’d cuss me, and she’d laugh. That’s why I was head hostess.” Indeed! (See December 16, 2007 Production Journal).
While we can’t help the disappointing fact we finished the film after these two people are gone, there is one item we can take solace in. Which is that our editor, Monique Zavistovski, was able to use some of the material from Dallas and Tony’s interviews to make a memorial segment for the two of them that will show up on our DVD.
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New Fest Screening Time and Date Announced |
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Written by Nick Spark
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Wednesday, 27 May 2009 20:26 |
If you live in the New York City area, or have friends who do, then please help us get the word out: Pancho is playing in Manhattan! We just finally got the word the other day from NewFest, that we'll be screening at the School of Visual Arts Theater on Saturday, June 6th at 3:15 pm. We're not sure of the venue -- there are two movie screens in the building -- but we understand one theater has 350 seats, and the other 500. Well, we'd love to sell out all those seats for our screening and let Pancho do what she does best -- make a big impression! So help us accomplish this task. To purchase tickets and read more about the festival, visit this link.
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A Celebration of Women's Aviation -- and Pancho Barnes! |
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Written by Nick Spark
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Wednesday, 27 May 2009 19:56 |
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 It's extremely exciting to announce that The Legend of Pancho Barnes will be the centerpiece of a wonderful event, held on June 21st at the Centennial Airport near Denver, Colorado. "A Celebration of Women's Aviation" is the inaugural event for Air Mail Greetings Presents, a new promotional entity formed by famed aviation artist (and designer of our poster), impresario Joe Jones. The Celebration will consist of a whole afternoon of events, including a special fund raising screening of Pancho. Famed pilot, author and former president of the Ninety-Nines Gene Nora Jessen will be in attendance, along with Amanda Pope and myself, and a whole host of famous pilots including original Tuskeegee airman Lt. Col. James H. Harvey.
 What's even more thrilling, is that the Celebration coincides with the Air Race Classic. This all-women's air racing event takes place from June 23-26th, as daring aviatrixes fly from Denver to Atlantic, Iowa. In doing so, they are not only having a terrific competition, but commemorating the 80th anniversary of the original "Powder Puff Derby" women's air race, which featured Louise Thaden, Amelia Earhart, Marvel Crosson, and yes -- Florence "Pancho" Barnes! The pilots and crews of the modern-day air racers will be in attendance at the Celebration, and available to sign autographs, discuss the race, and do what they do best -- inspire young men and women to earn their wings.
We're honored to be part of this amazing event, and to show the film at a special private screening on the 30th for the race participants, because this event resonates with our project like a well-hit tuning fork. So thanks are due in advance not only to Joe Jones for having the vision to put together the event, but also to the sponsors of the Air Race Classic which include the EAA and Ninety-Nines. Did I mention, by the way, that author Gene Nora Jessen who is going to be in attendance, also appears in our film? Well yes, she does! Did I also mention she is one of the so-called Mercury 13 group of women astronaut candidates? Well, I just did! And as it happens, she's also the author of The Powder Puff Derby of 1929, the definitive history of the race that Pancho could have won -- if only fate hadn't intervened (see earlier issues of the Production Journal). Anyway, those who attend will therefore have an opportunity to meet a real legend in women's aviation, and buy a copy of Gene Nora's book. (Although, you may be torn if you have a bank account that's low on currency, as Gene Nora also has a new book that's just been printed, The Fabulous Flight of the Three Musketeers. This memoir is about a flying tour Gene Nora did back in 1962 to introduce the Beech Musketeer.) To read more about the Air Race Classic, click here. To learn more about the Celebration of Women's Aviation, and purchase tickets, click here. The event is by the way in need of additional sponsors. If you want to help support something truly worthwhile, please use the contact buttons on the Celebration of Women's Aviation website. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 28 May 2009 09:17 |
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Winner of the 2010 
