Harlan County, U.S.A. (The Criterion Collection). Hollie Hunter overacts in the movie and it was just annoying. No further complaint. MINE TRIAL WITNESS TELLS OF WHIPPING: He Asserts Union Men Applied ..; New York Times; December 1, 1931; HARLAN MAN LASHED UNTIL HE COLLAPSED: Witness at Jones Trial Says ...New York Times (1923-Current file); November 27, 1931; pg. It was a nearly decade-long conflict, lasting from 1931 to 1939. The Harlan County Coal Miners, 1931–39 by John W. Hevener Pp. 42-45, Which Side Are You On? They found sympathy there with spurned politicians and business owners who wished to see the company stores vanish.[4]. Harlan County became nationally famous in 1931 as “Bloody Harlan” for a series of skirmishes between union organizers and coal operators that ended in a gunfight between deputized mine guards and miners. My grandfather took part in the actual strike this movie portrays.. things could be more accurate. Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2019, Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2020. Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2021. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. In response to the violence, the Kentucky National Guard was called in. New York Times; January 2, 1932; pg. Please try again. I have seen the documentary "Harlan County USA" and know the story based on those accounts. Wide World Photo. Harlan County, Kentucky's estimated population is 25,412 with a growth rate of -1.16% in the past year according to the most recent United States census data. Ted has graciously offered to field any more questions … The Harlan County Coal Miners, 1931–39 by John W. Hevener p. 128, Which Side Are You On? That was just one of the most obvious errors, others involved the use of a long "i" in words like "time." (Florence Reece appears in the film.) The troops promptly escorted the union men to the county line. Harlan County War - Wikipedia. The Harlan County War pitted the United Mine Workers of America against mine operators within Harlan County. Saved by ar Lo. "[7] The citizens of Harlan, for their part, lost any illusions they may have held about impartiality in law enforcement. The Hurricane Creek Massacre----By: Thomas N. Bethel 19. Harlan County War (2000) is a television film directed by Tony Bill and written by Peter Silverman. The second most serious, grievous mistake was the scenery. Harlan County War. Three company men and one striker were killed in the exchange of gunfire. 1. Patriots Of Kentucky---World War II-Names and photos all Kentucky 18. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2017. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 1931–39, by John W. Hevener pp.39,40, Which Side Are You On? Get unlimited DVD Movies & TV Shows delivered to your door with no … 130-131, TROOPS WATCH AS HARLAN VOTES: Turbulent County Ballots Heavily but ...New York Times; September 8, 1935; pg. Rent Harlan County War (2000) starring Holly Hunter and Stellan Skarsgård on DVD and Blu-ray. Just so everyone who is not from the southern Appalachian mountains knows, the accents in this movie are not accurate at all and they are painful to listen to in this movie; in fact, quite insulting that no one bothered to learn them and mimic them correctly. 3, LIMIT IN WAGE CUTS REACHED IN HARLAN: SCENE IN HARLAN COUNTY (KENTUCKY) INDUSTRIAL STRIFE. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 1931–39, by John W. Hevener pp. Harlan County War August 23, 2015 20th Century, Great Depression 1930s, history, strikes Some of us are familiar with the FX original series Justified, which stars Timothy Olyphant and a host of other talented actors and actresses. [25] Also, during the strike Florence Reece, wife of organizer Sam Reece, wrote the labor standard "Which Side Are You On? Harlan County, Kentucky is the null largest county in Kentucky. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Based somewhat loosely on a true story. The 1976 documentary film Harlan County, USA, winner of the 1977 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, focuses on similar labor violence of the 1970s but refers to the 1930s violence as context. Recommended for those of you who like films based on true events. By June 17, the last mine had returned to work. [20] While coal interests across the nation fell into step with the new legislation in 1935, Harlan was as resistant to federal meddling as it had ever been. New York Times September 29, 1931; pg. However, before long, most of the remaining workforce had gone on strike out of sympathy. The incidents involved coal miners and union organizers on one side, and coal firms and law enforcement officials on the other. The film was a fairly accurate account of the miners strike in Harlan County when everything was put in the way to stop them having a union. The smaller but more passionate NMU made greater relief efforts than the UMW had, opening several soup kitchens throughout the county. [2][3] Employees who were known by their bosses to be union members were initially fired and evicted from their company-owned homes. [5] Those who worked were protected by private mine guards with full county deputy privileges, who were legally able to exercise their powers with impunity outside the walls of their employers. 27, TROOPS AGAIN MOVE ON HARLAN COUNTY: Occupation of Kentucky Area ... New York Times; September 29, 1935; pg. 14. The real story is a good story and it deserved a level of respect for it not found in the directing, the acting, or the setting. Holly Hunter was very good, as was the beautiful Stellan Skarsgard! As of the 2010 census, the population was 29,278. Wages are poor and safety conditions are even worse, and, when union organizer Warren Jacopovich (Stellan Skarsgard) shows up, he's gradually able to convince the miners to strike. If you are interested in what happened, the documentary I mentioned earlier is worth a viewing. ", California labor activist Caroline Decker first became involved in union activities during the Harlan County War, when she and her sister participated in relief activities for striking miners.[26]. Not representative of eastern Kentucky -- inauthentic, Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2015. Mountain people pronounce their "r's," in fact, our "r's" are overly pronounced much like the Irish. The Harlan County War was based on the same strike portrayed in the Academy Award-winning documentary Harlan County, USA. [13], In the wake of the UMW failure, the openly Communist National Miners' Union (NMU) made a brief play for Harlan County. Blair, a man who made his allegiance to the business owners clear: "I did all in my power to aid the operators… there was no compromise when labor troubles swept the county and the 'Reds' came to Harlan County. Nearly everyone in Harlan County, Ky., works in the coal mines for Brookside Mining. New York Times; May 12, 1934 pg. At least three guards and one miner were killed, plus an undetermined number of dying and dead who were carried away into the mountains. [16], Under the auspices of the National Industrial Recovery Act, which promoted the right to organize one's workplace and outlawed discrimination and firing based on union membership, approximately half of Harlan's coal mines, those in the Harlan County Coal Operators' Association, were run as open shops from October 27, 1933 - March 31, 1935. Harlan County War (TV Movie 2000) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. In the throes of the Great Depression, Harlan County coal owners and operators, in an effort to expand national dependency on their fuel, chose to sell below cost. Most things aren't, and we often don't perceive truth clearly no matter how it's presented. What follows is one of the most violent, bitter and notorious union battles in history. : Sheriff of Harlan County, Ky,, in Mine Labor Difficulties. The 2010 Population was 29,222 and has seen a growth of -13.04% since this time. The Dreiser Committee also discovered the labor folk singer Aunt Molly Jackson and her younger half-brother Jim Garland, putting them on a tour of 38 states to raise funds for the strikers. She was the daughter of a Kentucky coal miner and married to Sam Reece, an organizer for the radical National Miners Union, then embroiled in the bloody 1931 Harlan County war. 6, Which Side Are You On? I don't know why they couldn't just come to KY to make the film but that additional lack of authenticity just sealed my poor opinion of the movie. It leaves a particular impression - and the knowledge that the bad guys don't *always* win! 2, Which Side Are You On? Please try again. Harlan High School 17. Multiple Formats, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Holly Hunter, Stellan Skarsgård, Ted Levine, Wayne Robson, Alex House, Chris Ciaffa, David Madden, Keri Selig, Kerry Zook, Mimi Rogers. Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2019, Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2018, Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2008. Honestly a good movie. It outlawed yellow-dog contracts, company unions, blacklists, and discrimination on basis of union activity, all tactics employed by coal companies. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 1931–39, by John W. Hevener, page 67, "Witnesses to the Struggle," Anne Loftis, University of Nevada Press, 1998, p. 46, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2017, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Murder of workers in labor disputes in the United States, List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States, "Prepare to Meet Thy God: War in the Harlan County Coal Fields", http://parallelnarratives.com/remembering-bloody-harlan/, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Harlan_County_War?oldid=4523892. Not bad, though. The roster gives all periods of service as 13 Oct 1862 to … N10, BOMB IN AUTO KILLS KENTUCKY OFFICIAL: Harlan County Attorney ... New York Times; September 5, 1935; pg. Special to The New York Times. For some reason, the director felt it was necessary to include a gratuitous sex scene, so it rules out showing it for educational purposes in school or church. A giant step for miners.Harlan County War tells the true story of 180 families fed up with surviving on $1.89 per hour, with no health and disability benefits. This is a fictionalized version of the documentary, Harlan County USA. After two senseless deaths, the union calls a strike against the mining company. [21] 1935 proved to be a turbulent year, even for Harlan; troops were deployed to maintain order in the county three times. There are not many wide open spaces except for a few valleys. Academy Award-winning actress Holly Hunter stars as Ruby, the wife of a coal miner in Harlan County, Kentucky. I don't where to begin on how repulsive this movie was to me. She is a talented actor and I have really enjoyed her in other performances but this ranks as one of her worst. [15] Ultimately, a combination of events broke the NMU's foothold: local labor organizers, many of them clergy, learned of the Communist leadership's animosity toward religion and denounced the organization, Young Communist League organizer Harry Simms was killed in Harlan, and the Red Cross and local charities, who had been unwilling to take sides in a labor dispute, began giving aid to blacklisted miners who were unemployable as the NMU's financial troubles necessitated the closing of its soup kitchens. At the peak of the first strike, 5800 miners were idle and only 900 working. ; September 28, 1931; pg. I also participated in a UMWA strike in 1989 (as a female student in high school) so I understand the nature of a sometimes violent strike that lasts for over a year. The portrayal of the accents and colloquialisms were so off-putting that I had a hard time taking the movie seriously (and finishing it). [1] The question at hand: the rights of Harlan County coal miners to organize their workplaces and better their wages and working conditions. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 1931–39, by John W. Hevener p.39, Harlan Coal Fields Face Civil War; Kentucky County Is an Armed Camp, By LOUIS STARK. During the early part of the century the county was known as bloody Harlan, though it has re-earned that name as pills have taken hold of much of the community over the past couple of decades. "[22][23] He protected the miners despite the fact that a car bomb had killed Harlan County Attorney Elmon Middleton several weeks prior. Though most workers felt disillusioned with organized labor structure, the NMU's radical ideology gained some traction: ten local lodges sprang up before the Harlan County NMU was officially chartered. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Black Diamond 1924 Year book. It began after the mine operators cut … I have given the film a four star rating because at times it was difficult to hear what they where saying. The coal miners, lean and tough from Kentucky mountain life, knew how to fight back. of L. Unionizing ... By LOUIS STARK. In the throes of the Great Depression, Harlan County coal owners and operators Harlan County War (2000) is a television film directed by Tony Bill and written by Peter Silverman. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 1931–39, by John W. Hevener p. 56-88, Strike Closes a Few Mines. 17 Kentucky (Harlan County), Partridge — Highest Point in Kentucky — Elevation 4,139 Feet — This plaque is in memory of William Risden (1914-1994) WW II Veteran An innovator and devotee of electronic technology, Risden was a pioneer in the cable TV industry credited with … I now live in Harlan. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 1931–39, by John W. Hevener p.47, Which Side Are You On? November 18, 1931; pg. I grew up in southwestern VA and northeast TN -- both place a little more than one hour from Harlan, KY. After a court order severely restricts the union members' protests, Ruby leads the wives into action, even allowing her arrest to be used as propaganda by union rep Warren Jakopovich (Skarsgard) to her husband's dismay. [12] On May 24 a union rally was tear-gassed, and Sheriff Blair rescinded county members' right to assemble. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. The Harlan County Battalion was on active duty from 13 Oct 1862 to 13 Jan 1863 and detachments were on duty up to Feb 28th. Harlan County Goes To War-- William D. Forester 15.The Shame that is Kentucky's--By: E. J Costello 16. A great film based on a true story - hard to believe these conditions still going on in the 70's! I thought the interchange between her and her husband after her violence was especially great - wish more entertainment would explore such moments of true struggle. [19], Where the NIRA had been toothless in Harlan, the Wagner Act of 1935 proved itself a far greater thorn in the side of Harlan County's mine operators. However, wages at these mines came into step with the rest of the nation. [4] Only three of Harlan's incorporated towns were not owned by mines, and hungry and evicted workers and their families sought refuge in them, primarily in the town of Evarts. This film was made in eastern Canada -- why?? New York Times (1923-Current file); October 3, 1931; pg. But this work does present a fascinating character, played by Holly, who starts off (I would say) passive and becomes activated by her situation, to the benefit of her community. There is no resemblance to the terrain of eastern KY. The soft "r's" that come out as "brutha" and "sista" are Deep South and not representative of Appalachian mountain accents. Barbara Kopple's Academy Award-winning Harlan County USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners' strike in a small Kentucky town. [citation needed] On February 16, 1931, in order to prevent operating at a loss, the Harlan County Coal Operators' Association cut miners' wages by 10%. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 1931–39, by John W. Hevener p.79, JOHN HENRY BLAIR. [17] The National Guard was once again called in on December 8, 1934, requested by UMW organizers who had been threatened by bosses and deputies. An open shop allows union membership but does not mandate it. [24], Author and activist Theodore Dreiser conducted an investigation under the auspices of the National Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners (NCDPP) of the American Communist Party. In "Bloody Harlan" in the 1930s, miners and union organizers faced bayonets and many died fighting the coal bosses, helping to fuel a national wave of organizing. http://dochouse.org/cinema/screenings/harlan-county-usaIn a small Kentucky town in 1976, a coal miners' strike is underway. Songwriter Florence Reece reported: Strikers exchanged gunshots with private guards and local law enforcement, and strikebreakers were set upon and beaten. [14] Ultimately, their attempts at strikes, while weak in surrounding counties, were utter failures in Harlan, where only a fraction of the workforce walked out in 1931 and 1932. 13, Which Side Are You On? Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2019. On May 5, 1931 the pot boiled over; in Harlan County Kentucky, heavily armed deputies and company men, called “gun thugs” by miners, confronted disgruntled union men on a road near Evarts. [5][6] They operated under sheriff J.H. Capitalizing on the general unrest created within Harlan's already-impoverished labor force, the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) attempted to organize the county's miners. Middleton, a candidate who ran on a pro-union platform, and who ultimately proved far more corrupt than Blair had been. No concessions were given by the mine operators, and UMW membership plummeted. Harlan Kentucky My Old Kentucky Home Appalachian People Appalachian Mountains Harlan County Coal Miners … Received 30 Jan 20. This has a very particular flavor. In “Harlan County War,” Holly Hunter plays Ruby Kincaid, whose husband Silas (Ted Levine) is so fed up with the dangerous conditions of the mines that he is helping to organize a union. On September 29, troops were dispatched on behalf of the miners for the first time in the Harlan County War, the governor referring to the beatings and harassment at the hands of the mine guards as "the worst reign of terror in the history of the county. 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