Harlan County U.S.A.
This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. Eastovers refusal to sign a contract (when the miners joined with the United Mine Workers of America) led to the strike, which lasted more than a year and included violent battles between gun-toting company thugs/scabs and the picketing miners and their supportive women-folk. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into perspective by giving us some background on the historical plight of the miners and some history of the UMWA.
Director: Barbara Kopple
Genre: Documentary
Cast: Norman Yarborough, Houston Elmore, Phil Sparks, Bessie Lou Cornett Parker, Sudie Crusenberry, Mary Lou Fergerson, Basil Collins, Florence Reece, Lois Scott