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Barbara Kopple’s Academy Award–winning Harlan County USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. Featuring a haunting soundtrack—with legendary country and bluegrass artists Hazel Dickens, Merle Travis, Sarah Gunning, and Florence Reece—the film is a heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.
Original Release
01/23/1977
US Release
01/23/1977
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Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| John L. Lewis | Self - Pres., UMW, 1920-1960 |
| Carl Horn | Self - Pres., Duke Power Co. |
| Norman Yarborough | Himself - Eastover Mining President / Self - Pres., Eastover Mining Co. (Owned by Duke Power) |
| Logan Patterson | Self - Chief Negotiator |
| Houston Elmore | Himself - UMW organizer / Self - UMW Organizer |
| Phil Sparks | Himself - UMW staff / Self - UMW Staff |
| John Corcoran | Self - Pres., Consolidated Coal |
| John O'Leary | Self - Former Dir., Bureau of Mines |
| Donald Rasmussen | Self - Black Ling Clinic., W. Va |
| Hawley Wells Jr. | Self |
Directors
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| John L. Lewis | Self - Pres., UMW, 1920-1960 |
| Carl Horn | Self - Pres., Duke Power Co. |
| Norman Yarborough | Himself - Eastover Mining President / Self - Pres., Eastover Mining Co. (Owned by Duke Power) |
| Logan Patterson | Self - Chief Negotiator |
| Houston Elmore | Himself - UMW organizer / Self - UMW Organizer |
| Phil Sparks | Himself - UMW staff / Self - UMW Staff |
| John Corcoran | Self - Pres., Consolidated Coal |
| John O'Leary | Self - Former Dir., Bureau of Mines |
| Donald Rasmussen | Self - Black Ling Clinic., W. Va |
| Hawley Wells Jr. | Self |
| W.A. 'Tony' Boyle | Self - Pres., UMW, 1962-1972 |
| Joseph Yablonski | Self |
| Chip Yablonski | Self |
| Ken Yablonski | Self |
| Arnold Miller | Self - Miners for Democracy Candidate |
| Florence Reece | Herself / Self |
| Bazel Collins | Himself - mine foreman / Self - Mine Foreman |
| Sudie Crusenberry | Herself / Self |
| Dorothy Johnson | Self |
| Mary Lou Fergerson | Herself / Self |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Barbara Kopple | Producer |
Editors
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 1977 | Oscar | Best Documentary, Features | Won |
