Roscoe Turner: Aviation's Master Showman

by Carroll V. Glines

His name was synonymous with speed, his flamboyant persona as carefully crafted as that of a Hollywood star. Born in Corinth, Mississippi, in 1895, Joe Turner was an aerial showman, an audacious risk taker, and a tireless self-promoter who focused America's attention well into the 1960s on the potential of aviation for the common good. With complete access to Turner's personal papers, photographs, and memorabilia, biographer Carroll V. Glines presents the first full account of the life of this American daredevil aviator.

Turner determined as a young man to make his way in the world at the forefront of the new, exciting, and risky technologies of speed in the air. After serving as a balloon pilot during World War I, Turner found his future in the 1920s as a stuntman, creator of his own flying circus, and a pilot in Howard Hughes's World War I feature, Hell's Angels, Hollywood's most expensive movie before Gone With the Wind. Turner glided smoothly into movie society, becoming good friends with fellow pilot and actor Wallace Beery and taking movie stars Clark Gable and Fred MacMurray for their first airplane rides.

Turner knew how to attract attention. To create a consistent image in the public's mind--of himself and of aviation--he always dressed in a military-type uniform of blue tunic, cavalry twill riding britches, polished boots, and a pin of diamond-studded wings. He was perhaps best known as the pilot who flew with the lion cub Gilmore as an oil company promotion. His place in flight history rests on his skill as a racing pilot--he is the only person ever to win the Thompson Trophy three times and, along with Jimmy Doolittle, to win both the Thompson and Bendix trophies. In 1934 he and his two-man crew were the only Americans to finish the grueling London-to-Melbourne race.

Genres: Aviation

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 17, 1995

About the author

Carroll Vane Glines, who retired from the United States Air Force as a colonel after twenty-seven years of service, is historian for the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders and curator of the Doolittle Library at the University of Texas at Dallas. He has been published in a number of publications and written and co-authored numerous books on military and aviation history.

Reviews

[Gary Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the true characters of aviation. Carroll Glines does his usual meticulous research.

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many individuals might feel that Roscoe was just a flamboyant pilot. Glines documents the pilot's enthusiasm for flying and the boost he gave to aviation during the Golden Age of Aviation. Yes, he was a colorful character but the reader will discover that he was one of the great pilots. He was a fierce competitor and earned his place in any aviation hall of fame. One story that Glines did not include was why Pancho Barnes and Roscoe didn't have much love for each other. Apparently Ramon Novarro gave Pancho a pair of beautiful kid boots which she adored. On an outing to the airport, she wore them. Running into Roscoe accompanied by his lion Gilmore, she was in for a surprise. Gilmore ruined the boots when he lifted his leg and emptied his bladder onto them. Roscoe and Pancho's acrimonious relationship could also be attributed to the fact that they both liked to be the center of attention at any event. Too much competition there!