What’s Juicy?
While Canadians did come train in Fort Worth to escape the colder weather, the part about the origin of “snow bird” is made up.
Vernon and Irene were animal lovers and promoted a bunch of dances with animal names. They had several family pets and Irene eventually set up a pet adoption organization named Orphan’s of the Storm. She valued this above her dancing career.
Vernon did fly in 300 missions during WWI which is remarkable. It gained the recognition of the French and they awarded him the Croix de Guerre (War Cross). He trained pilots in Canada and was eventually sent to Benbrook.
He did indeed have a pet monkey named Jeffrey. He flew with him and is said to make cocktails for the airmen during leave. The Curtiss JN4 “Jenny” had a top speed of 75 mph and weighed less than a ton. The instructor would sit in the back (not the front). I am not sure if Jeffrey helped Vernon out or was just there for company.
Even though the instructor usually sits in back, Vernon chose to sit up front on the day of his death. The comment about not flying until you land was from a Todd Snider song.
The dramatic details of his crash were from the Star Telegram. I assume they are true although I did add the stuff about Jeffrey screaming. Vernon was the 5th person to die in a training accident that week.
The funeral pictures are pretty impressive. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a funeral that big. He is buried in New York, and Irene, although she married a few more times, is buried next to him.
The memorial in Benbrook is further south than the probable crash location. Although the airfield is not there anymore, it used to run along Mercedes Street between Winscott Road and US 377. Here is an overlay of the airfield over a current satellite photo.
The movie is real although I don’t think they thought that much about the title. Irene acted as an advisor and proved to be difficult to work with. The Worth theater no longer exists in downtown Fort Worth.
The story of Vernon Castle is fascinating. The life that this man led in such a short amount of time (he died at 30) is both humbling and impressive.