Excerpts from:
THE FLYING KEY BROTHERS AND
THEIR FLIGHT TO REMEMBER
by
Stephen Owen
PHOTO: Mississippi Speed Pilot, Roscoe Turner, and his Lion Cub
Gilmore (National Air and Space Museum)
....In addition to an international hero like Lindbergh, role
models for Al and Fred were found much closer in several of Mississippi's
native sons. Perhaps the ultimate dandy of the air was Corinth native
Roscoe Turner. He could sniff out a camera or reporter better than a
prize blue-tick hound. He never flew airplanes during World War I, nor
achieved a rank higher than first lieutenant; yet, when he left the
service, he became the proverbial mustached colonel dressed in a
self-designed Army uniform. As a speed pilot he was tops, but his
Hollywood-styled antics were mainly what got him through the Depression.
TIME magazine said of him: "His rivals sneer at his clothes, at his
brash statements that he is 'a bit of a hero to the boys of the country,'
at his public swagger, but there is no sneering at the flying records
that he has won in the stiffest competition." [3.4]
Turner was best known for flying with a lion cub named Gilmore as
a publicity stunt. The Commercial Appeal commented: "Turner and Gilmore
made a No.1 publicity team, putting up at the plushest hotels, signing
registers simply as 'Roscoe and Gilmore'.... "The article continues to
record an episode when Roscoe and Gilmore got into bad flying weather
over New Mexico. "Once...the Corinth flier and his lion-bearing plane
ran into rough weather and Gilmore, lonesome or afraid, tried to crawl
into his master-pilot's lap while the latter battled the elements.
Gilmore was wearing his own harness and parachute, and for a while Roscoe
thought they'd both have to jump, but he decided to wait it out, fearful
of what some New Mexico rancher would think and do if he saw a lion
parachuting into his herd of cattle or flock of sheep." [3.5] When Gilmore
reached 500 pounds, Turner finally retired the animal from flying
engagements. It was of little surprise that when Al and Fred did begin
receiving publicity for their endurance flights, Roscoe Turner was there
by their side soaking up accolades. Last accounts of Gilmore indicate
that after he died, the famous lion was stuffed and placed in the
Smithsonian Institution's Silver Hill Museum....[p.23,25]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
....The crowd stared skyward as the Meridian Boys' Band took its
place just outside the hangar. The announcer over the public address
system shouted "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,--- they've broken the
record!" The Boys' band struck up "Praise God from Whom All Blessings
Flow" and Claire Chenault's convoy of stunt planes along with the "Ole
Miss" dipped low over the airport. Al stood on the fuel tank, waving his
arms through the opened canopy in the roof. Thunderous cheers shook the
silence. Horns, cheers, rebel yells, factory whistles blew, and hats
were tossed in the air.
It was a time for show-offs. Louise Key distinctly remembers
that as Fred dipped the "Ole Miss" and wiggled its wings over the
cheering crowd, good old Oscar the mascot "flew to the top of the
administration building and started crowing like he had broken a record!"
And wouldn't you know it? With his uncanny nose for publicity, none
other than speed pilot Roscoe Turner shot over the treetops in time to
join Chennault and the Keys in the victory flyover. He had calculated
when the record would be broken, hopped in his speed plane in California,
and zoomed for Meridian, arriving at the precise time to share in the
accolades..... [p.90-91]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
....Worthy of note also in the newspapers was an editorial in the
MERIDIAN STAR commenting on Roscoe Turner's "gallant" effort to join the
Keys just in the nick of time. The editor wrote: "Why should we worry
over Will Rogers and Lindbergh ignoring our invitation to drop in and see
us? Of course, a four-bit telegram wouldn't have hurt either of them to
have acknowledged our invitation. We had a bigger man than either of
them in Roscoe Turner, a native son, one of the greatest if not the
greatest flyers of all times. Think of it, left Los Angeles at 7 a.m.
Wired us he would be here on time and just five seconds before the record
was broken slipped over the trees from the West like a bullet, right on
time. You can't beat that." [12.3]
Many of the ground crew thought differently of the cocky little
self-made colonel, calling him a "band wagon returnee." But all had to
hand it to him. He had a perfect nose for publicity and strong yearning
to survive in aviation in a day when flying was costly. Once Turner
overheard some men snickering about him behind his back. He turned
sharply, winked, gave his elfish grin, and calmly said, "You boys may be
laughing, but I'm eating well. Are you?" And eat well he did. Nearly
every time he arrived in Meridian someone managed to cook his favorite
dish--catfish.... [p.96]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PICTURE: Al, Roscoe Turner, Fred (Scrapbook, Mrs. Fred Key)
....While they were a hot item, the Keys hired an agent to manage
their affairs. Floyd Pigford made an attempt at generating engagements
for them. Regretfully, Al and Fred were simply not the entertainment
types. Their sojurn got them booked at Loew's State Theatre in Memphis.
Good buddy Roscoe Turner gave them a lift to Memphis in his plane. These
sessions proved to be quite successful since public interest in them was
at an all-time high after the flight. They appeared in Memphis before
sell-out crowds "with thousands jamming the theatre entrance....A large
portion of the Memphis police personnel was called out to curb the unruly
crowds who were literally fighting for a chance to see the famous
Meridian pilots." [13.6]
By the weekend they arrived back in Meridian and appeared at the
Temple Theatre before another packed house. After a Paramount newsreel
of their flight was shown, they answered questions and performed their
memphis vaudeville routine. Dressed in clownish derby hats and dark
suits, looking faintly like Laurel and Hardy, the two stiff and nervous
endurance flyers sand most appropriately "It Ain't Goin' to Rain No More"
while Al tickled the ivories on a stage piano.
Their vaudeville routine included a skit involving an office boy
and a manager of the fictitious Colossal Airline Company. The president
of the company (acting as straight man) had just contracted with the
state's governor to hire two pilots to drop messages of goodwill by air
to every nation. Thus, a non-stop, endurance flight was called for which
would require pilots to stay aloft a month.
"What about Lindbergh?" asked the manager in great desperation.
"Col. Roscoe Turner? No, I don't believe I could get him. He is too
busy setting speed records."
To the rescue came the office boy as he ushered in two pilots
from Mississippi. "These two young men say they have heard of your
undertaking and they hold the 'KEY' to the situation."
Jubilantly the manager responds, after much punning and
bafoonery, playing on the word "Key," "THE KEY-- MISSISSIPPI--
MERIDIAN-- THAT'S THEM-- THE KEY BROTHERS- AL AND FRED- undisputed
holders of the world's record endurance flight. BOY OH BOY! THAT IS
THE 'KEY' TO THE SITUATION." [13.7]
In truth, according to people who heard them, their singing and
stage presence did not hold the "key" to the entertainment world. After
the Temple Theatre appearance, their other engagements related directly
to aviation.... [p.104-106]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PICTURE: "The Three Champions"-- (left to right) Roscoe Turner, Fred and
Lou Meyer (Scrapbook, Mrs. Fred Key)
...As the fall of 1935 passed into winter, life began to settle down
for Al. He returned to his duties at the airport and attended to his WPA
responsibilities. Fred continued to travel. Billing themselves as the
"Three Champions" he, Roscoe Turner, and three-time Indy 500 winner, Lou
Meyer, made guest appearances for the National Safety Council and spoke
to various civic groups about transportation safety. McMillan Oil
Company footed the bill for their treks through the South and Mid-West.
Fred and Roscoe promoted air safety while Lou stressed auto safety. They
were indeed an impressive team as they made their guest appearances:
Meyer in his latest Indy race car, Fred in the "Ole Miss" and Turner in
his tri-motor passenger plane (which incidentally had a six-columned list
of every speed record he ever set printed on its side!). The tour lasted
into the fall of 1936 when Fred joined Al at Key Field where they
co-managed the airport and flying school.... [p.106]
[NOTE: Photograph shows tri-motor plane with caption "Famous People
Who Have Flown with Col. Roscoe Turner" and six-column list
of famous personalities of Roscoe Turner's time period- many
were Hollywood personalities of the late 20's and early 30's.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...No time and effort was spared in making the 20th Anniversary a
memorable event. A three-day celebration began on Thursday, June 29,
1955, and lasted until July 1, the day Al and Fred landed twenty years
before. An old flyers' reunion was held at Weidmann's Restaurant on June
29th. Guests included notable pilots such as the Keys, James Keeton,
Bill Ward, General Claire Chennault (who had gained international
publicity in WWII as commander of the famous "Flying Tiger" Squadron in
China), and, of course, Roscoe Turner.... [p.116]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's footnotes:
[3.4] "Mendehall to Melborn," TIME, October 29, 1934, p.49.
[3.5] Paul Flowers, "Paul Flowers' Greenhouse," COMMERCIAL APPEAL,
May 29, 1964, Sec.B, p.6.
[12.3] "Birdmen Reach All Objectives," MERIDIAN STAR, July 1,
1935, p.1.
[13.6] "Keys Return During Day," MERIDIAN STAR, July 6, 1935, p.1.
[13.7] "Office of Airways Concern," Unpublished Vaudeville Skit, July
1935, found in Mrs. Fred (Louise) Key's collection of
endurance flight memorabilia.
Source: Stephen Owen. THE FLYING KEY BROTHERS AND THEIR FLIGHT TO
REMEMBER. Meridian, Mississippi: Southeastern Printing
Co., 1985.
[NOTES: Professor Owen has made a significant contribution to
documenting aviation history in Mississippi by his excellent account of
the Key brothers historic flight in Meridian. He does seem to suffer,
however, from an "attitude" problem in regard to Roscoe Turner. As a
native Mississippian, I take great pride in the accomplishments of both
the Key brothers and Roscoe Turner. To deride or imply something about
Roscoe Turner not supported by good historic research detracts from
Professor Owen's work.
Roscoe Turner was at the peak of his career at the time of his
visit to Meridian on June 27, 1935. He had been on the cover of TIME
magazine on October 29, 1934 after the London to Melbourne race and had
been touring the country, lecturing and showing films of the race since
his return. He had promised his mother he would be home for Christmas
but the demands of his schedule delayed that visit home until late
February of 1935. Later that year,in September, Roscoe Turner turned
in the fastest qualifying speed in the Thompson Trophy Race and was
far out in front on the way to his second consecutive Thompson
victory when his engine blew up and he miraculously landed without
injury.
Roscoe Turner was invited to Meridian by the Chamber
of Commerce to participate in a Victory Day Celebration honoring the
Keys held on Friday, June 28, 1935. A reception committee was
appointed by the Meridian Chamber of Commerce to honor and welcome
"the distinguished son of the state." A banquet of catfish was
planned in his honor-- they didn't just "manage" to find him some
catfish.
The comments on July 1, 1935, in the MERIDIAN STAR regarding
Roscoe Turner's flight and "You can't beat that" were attributed to Joe
Smith, Sr., a local businessman. Apparently local people at the time
took no slight at Roscoe Turner's prominence or arrival, they took it as
an honor to the Keys and Roscoe's flying skills.
That Roscoe Turner enjoyed and took advantage of publicity is
hardly any surprise- it was the defining trademark of his career. It
served him well in the endorsements and commercial support he received
for his ventures. The only commercial sponsorship support the Key
brothers received from Macmillan Oil Company came directly from Roscoe
Turner's contacts and influence.
Roscoe Turner had announced his plans for a "round-the-world-
at-the-equator" flight with in-air refueling as early as January, 1935.
It was obvious from the Friday, June 28, 1935, MERIDIAN STAR account and
the front page picture on July 1, that Roscoe was closely observing the
refueling techniques developed and tested by the Key brothers.
The Key brothers first public appearance after they landed was on
Tuesday night at a local wrestling match- a fitting tribute to
Mississippians taste in entertainment at the time. Al made a joke about
not being there to wrestle Colonel Roscoe Turner who was obviously in
attendance with them.
Roscoe Turner did not immediately assume the title of
Colonel after leaving the military. His career had advanced quite well
before he became "Colonel" Roscoe Turner. The pedigree of the title is
of little significance during this era, however, as the MERIDIAN STAR
consistently referred to the Keys as the Colonel Keys which I did not see
referenced in Professor Owen's account. This was, of course, before
the Keys had any military experience, whatsoever, and was an honorary
designation by the Governor of Mississippi.
Roscoe Turner's uniform was not a "self-designed" Army
uniform. It was a "self-designed" aviator's uniform- at a time when
the entire terminology of aviation was evolving. Many of Turner's
contemporaries gave the appearance of glorified grease monkeys who
also happened to be able to fly aeroplanes. There is little question
that Turner contributed to aviation "style" in the late 1920's and
early 1930's by his adoption of his uniform.
I never saw an in depth explanation of the derivation of the name
of the Key plane "Ole Miss". Most people in the state of Mississippi
know "Ole Miss" as the University of Mississippi and graduates of that
University are usually arch rivals of the nearby Mississippi State
University. The MERIDIAN STAR, Vol 39, #68, Friday, June 28, 1935,
p.1, c.7 says "Floyd K. Pigford, local business man, who named the plane
'Ole Miss' for the state of Mississippi, was mentioned during the special
radio contacts for his 'fine spirit and loyalty to the Keys'." If this
were the case and the plane had been christened "Ole Miss" in 1934, then
Floyd K.Pigford was an old business friend of the Keys and who booked
them along with Roscoe Turner into the ORPHEUM Theater in Memphis on July
4th and 5th, 1935. Floyd K.Pigford was probably aware of the
inexperience of the Key brothers and was wise enough to "balance the act"
by teaming them with the polished and experienced Col. Roscoe Turner.
The ORPHEUM Theater in Memphis is a rare, grand theater
dating from the 1890's which burned in 1923 and was rebuilt in 1927
and 1928. Fortunately this theater has been preserved and recently
restored to the grandeur as it probably existed in 1935. The ORPHEUM
Theater is at the corner of Main and historic Beale Street and
the Keys along with Roscoe Turner stayed a block away in luxury at the
Peabody Hotel watching the ducks parade through the lobby. One can
visit today and imagine the thrill of the two small town Key brothers
as they stepped upon the beautiful stage in front of a large and
enthusiastic audience. In 1916 before the War, Roscoe lived
just a few blocks away with an elderly widowed cousin at 272 S
Wellington and while in Memphis would have probably recalled memories
of some of his carefree younger days.
Roscoe Turner had flown to Meridian as early as 1923.
He had taken Scottish Rite degrees in the Masonic order in Meridian
on May 13 and 14th about 3 weeks before the Key brothers flight.
It was obvious he was well liked, had numerous friends and contacts
in the area. In the 1939 movie which Roscoe Turner starred in, FLIGHT
AT MIDNIGHT, the name of one of the airfields mentioned several times
is Bonita. It is an obvious reference to Meridian and the airfield
renamed in honor of the Keys in 1935. Milton Sandy, Jr. ]
Data transcription by: Milton Sandy, Jr. April 27, 1993.