Foxcroft Screens Documentary about Alumna Nancy Penn-Smith Hannum ’37
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Foxcroft Screens Documentary about Alumna Nancy Penn-Smith Hannum ’37
Students, faculty, and staff recently enjoyed a screening of Goodnight Ladies, a short documentary about Foxcroft alumna Nancy Penn-Smith Hannum ’37, who served as Hunt Master of the Chester County, PA, Cheshire Foxhounds for more than 50 years.
Winner of Best Film Historical Subject at the EQUUS Film Festival in 2017 and the Eastman Kodak award for cinematography and best short film in Palo Alto, CA, the film was created by Hannum's granddaughter Christianna Hannum Miller who worked for 10 years to make the short documentary using recorded interviews of Hannum and her staff, archive footage, photos, animation, and a delightful mix of music including versions of the song "Goodnight Ladies," which inspired the title.
According to the IMDB website, the documentary, "...tells the story of the world's most famous fox hunter, Nancy Penn-Smith Hannum, and the legacy she left behind. Breaking every bone in her body over a lifetime of fast horses and big fences, her granddaughter Christianna captures this wild huntress before she is gone. The only other filmmaker to film Nancy Hannum was Alfred Hitchcock who heard of this equestrienne when making Marnie and came to Pennsylvania to find her. Goodnight Ladies is the tale of a modern-day Artemis, an ancient sport, and the struggle to protect a kingdom she inherited."
Beyond her alumna affiliation, Nancy Penn-Smith Hannum's connections to Foxcroft remain strong to this day. Flora H. '25, who is Hannum's great-granddaughter, and Foxcroft Board of Trustees member John "Jeb" Hannum (Flora's father and Hannum's grandson), introduced the film and showed everyone Hannum's 1937 Tally-Ho! yearbook. They also provided insights into some of the history and fox hunt terminology mentioned in the film. Miller joined via Zoom after the screening to answer insightful questions from the audience and share more about making the film.