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The Happy Bottom Riding Club: The Life and Times of Pancho Barnes

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Florence "Pancho" Leontine Lowe Barnes may have been to the manor born and bred, but she chafed at her parent's prim and proper society and decided to be true to the one person she could count on -- herself.

Until I read this book, I only knew of Pancho Barnes and her Happy Bottom Riding Club from the movie THE RIGHT STUFF. She was the proprietor of the saloon/motel/dude ranch where all the test pilots from nearby Edwards Air Force Base hung out. Her character didn't get much footage in the movie, but she was compelling enough to warrant further investigation.

Author Lauren Kessler offers an insider's view into the life of this enigmatic woman, from her privileged childhood to her poverty-stricken death. This is no mere biography...it's a tour de force of the woman behind all the legends.

Pancho Barnes was raised by wealthy parents. Her grandfather had made his fortune with patents and in real estate in the early part of the 20th century. Her grandfather died broke, but he lived large. Her grandfather and father doted on her and indulged her every wish. She was puzzled by her mother's world of socials, needlework and fancy dresses. She was dazzled by horses, the outdoors and demanding physical activity.

Early on, it was clear that Florence was not going to be a beauty, nor was she the shy and retiring kind. She rode horses, played outside and generally behaved as a young boy. School bored her. Afternoon teas and the

idea of running a house set her teeth on edge. Even though she obeyed her family's wishes and married an Episcopalian minister and had one child, she was never a conventional wife or mother, in any form, shape or fashion.

As a diversion from her unhappy marriage, she found work as a horse wrangler in the fledgling movie industry. She worked as a stunt person in some of the films she provided horses for. She discovered flying and it became her life-long passion. She found love in the arms of many men, including her four subsequent husbands. She cussed like a sailor, drank whiskey with the best of them, and rubbed elbows with Hollywood elite. She could hold an audience captive with her storytelling acumen. She ran a dairy farm, a pig breeding business, a boisterous resort and maintained a stable full of fabulous horses. She spent three fortunes and died broke, but she lived life to the fullest and made the most of every moment.

I read this book in one sitting and dare anyone who starts it to try and put it down.

Pancho Barnes was one of a kind. What a dame! I wish I had known her.

Enjoy!

This book is MUST READ for anyone interested in the histories of aviation, of the 1920s, of Los Angeles, of the California desert, and of Edwards Air Force Base in particular. Pancho Barnes is a larger-than-life character. A slightly sad one, in a way, since she spent her way out of fortune into poverty; but, wow, if you are going to burn the candle at both ends, this is the way to do it. Flying booze in from Mexico during probihition, stunt riding for Hollywood movies (and the Foursquare Gospel), barnstorming the country, giving daily parties for the earliest movie stars, and then providing round-the-clock R&R for all the Right Stuff pilots in the earliest days of experimental jet and rocket flight. Pancho knew how to live it up, tell a story, and deliver a line, and fortunately was appreciated and looked after in her declining years by the pilots she had entertained in the 40s and 50s. This story has hardly even been told (one TV movie was ridiculous) and is still largely esoteric knowledge to the fraternity of pilots.

I saw the author one evening on BookTV and I immediatly went out and got the book. If you like aviation history, stories about wild parties, riches to rags stories, or tales about oversexed, hard drinking, foul mouthed women then this is a must read! I give credit to the author for her detail and for her ability to tell the story of a charater like Poncho Barnes and keep the content at a PG-13 level (for the most part). This story is a great lesson on what can happen to a rich child who is not tought the value of a dollar. For those of us who can only read about the rich and wonder what it would be like to be rich and have a good time; well, let me say you will not be disappointed in this read. Pancho is one of those people that you would like to know but (hopefully) not be like. I also learned alot about the early history of Edwards AFB (even how the name was changed to Edwards). I had read Chuck Yeager's Biography years ago and this book ties in and gives the reader a view of life off the base. Read it, you'll have fun.

Having been a pilot for nearly 30 years I had heard many stories about Pancho Barnes and her famous Happy Bottom Riding Club. Any pilot would love this book and it would make a great gift. A friend of mine gave it to me for my birthday and I could hardly put it down. I had also heard of Thaddeus Lowe, her grandfather and pioneer hot air balloon pilot in the Civil War and enjoyed learning more about this fabulous man who had a great influence on Pancho. Someone should make a movie about the life of Pancho Barnes because she is one of the most daring and gutsy women who ever took to the skies. This book is very well written and extremely interesting, especially for anyone who loves aviation. The details of Pancho's private life are sometimes shocking but brutally honest. I can heartily recommend this book!

What a great book! I've read about Pancho in other books but I had no idea that she was such an adventurer and entrepeneur (for lack of a better word). It's obvious that Kessler did a great job of researching Pancho and an equally great job of tell her story. A must read!

I had a hard time putting this book down. It offeres a well researched glimpse into the unconventional life of a most unusal woman. A great read for anyone that is into the history of early American aviation and a must read for women's herstory.

The only thing you can say to yourself when you finish "The Happy Bottom Riding Club" is Wow, what a life!

This book takes you into the fantasy like life of Florence "Pancho" Barnes. She had one heck of a life and it is certainly fun to read about it. From the cross country flying races to the rowdy parties packed with Hollywood celebrities and flying aces, Pancho Barnes did it all.

How many women are considered among the pioneers of aviation? How many women got to hang out with Jimmy Doolittle? How many women had direst access to military brass? How many women as influential as Pancho Barnes could get away with what amounted to a brothel in the middle of the desert?

Throughout her entire life, Pancho seemed to be in the right place at the right time. She had her share of defeats and problems (she was not much of a looker), but she remains a very interesting woman, and the stories of her experiences are even better.

I am not an aviation or history buff, but I do enjoy a good book. This is a good book and I definitely enjoyed it. I think most people will too.

A thoroughly enjoyable biography about a wild and adventurous woman. I have heard so much about Pancho in my flying career and my aviation studies. It was nice to know the whole story. I would have loved to have met Pancho. Perhaps, I'm glad I didn't. I know I'm glad I read this book! Enjoy! CAVU! Dash

What I want to know is how I have made it this long without knowing who Pancho Barnes is? I am so happy this book fell into my lap. From page one I was riveted by the extraordinary tales of a woman who outflew Amelia Earhart, partied with the likes of Jimmy Doolittle and Chuck Yeager, and put John Wayne in his place. She lived hard and fast and when it comes to wild women, Pancho was the best. She grew up rich, live her life with her own rules and disappeared in to obscurity for years. What happened to Pancho? Read and find out!

An old friend who knows I'm an avid reader called one day just to tell me he had seen a PBS film on Pancho Barnes and figured there must be a book out there about her. There was and gosh, what a book! What an amazing woman! I'll wear out the exclamation point on my computer trying to describe it, and her, to you. The story of her life reads like fiction so even if you aren't a non fiction reader, pick this one up. It's amazing!