Excellent documentary about the county and the miners. There are rich people, there are miners and the rest are on relief.
I worked in Southern Appalachia at the time and the issues were familiar.

Yes, an excellent documentary. Some documentaries, you see them once and that's enough, but Harlan County, USA is such a rich film, it's worthy of repeated viewings.

Here's one of the main subjects of the documentary pulling a Smith&Wesson Chief's Special from her ample bosom.

Jock Yablonski shows up in the film and, man, he projects power. Yablonski angered a political opponent so badly, that even after Yablonski lost an election to him, the opponent hired three hit men, who murdered Yablonski, his wife and daughter on New Year's Eve 1969.

Shot in 16mm. I don't know which camera she used. Probably a Bolex, maybe an Arriflex.

The film style is cinema verite but the film maker does break the fourth wall at least once in the film (the "Show me your credentials. No, show me yours" exchange.)

"Take to shelter if you can and lay the lead to 'em."

Hot damn!

It's available to watch on Watch TCM, through June 23.

Yep its pretty good viewing. I keep it DVR'd and its airing last night on TCM inspired me to watch it again last night. I am good for watching it once or twice a year.
and that gal that Para references with the S&W is pretty tough. She gives the "gun Thug", striking men and the sheriff plenty of hell.

Wow, HRK, I have never heard that song, and Patty Loveless is one of my favorites. Powerful stuff.

If you’ll indulge me, Chris Knight is from Slaughters, KY. He graduated from Western Kentucky University and worked for 10 years as a mine reclamation inspector. This song mentions a family from Logan, West Virginia, a coal mining area just NE of Harlan County, KY.



I’ve seen video clips from the documentary on YT, but never the entire thing. Thanks, I’ll be sure to watch.

"Which Side Are You On" @ 56"

Satisfying my own curiousity, it looks as if filmmaker Kopple used an Eclair NPR.

Behind the scenes, The Making of Harlan County USA
A good interview and discussion on the movie.

Harlan County USA on YouTube

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
Wow, HRK, I have never heard that song, and Patty Loveless is one of my favorites. Powerful stuff.

You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive is kind of a coda for the show Justified, often referenced on this forum. One of the greatest TV shows to ever air, imo. It is played during the last scenes of the last episode of each season. It is originally by Darrell Scott and they used his version for one season, but they used versions by Brad Paisley, Ruby Friedman, and Dave Alvin, as well.

But Patty is a treasure. I can listen to her Mountain Soul records all day long.

Yes they did use it in Justified, Dave Alvin appeared early in the series, when Raylan and Wynonna went to a bar to see him.

Season 2 Episode 3 - The I of the Storm

They also used "Harlan County Line" from Alvin, he wrote the song for the show.

My favorites are (order varies on my mood) are Patty Loveless, Darrell Scott, Brad Paisley, & Dave Alvin.

Darrell Scott has a song, "Down to the River", in which he paid homage to his mentor, Guy Clark, as well as Woody Guthrie, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Bob Dylan, & Townes Van Zandt. At the end of the track is a recording of Guy Clark speaking,

quote:

There were two crows that built a nest in a windmill dairy
Windmill wasn’t much but about halfway up in the dairy
Was a crow's nest it was like this big around and it’s
Made out of barbwire only takes two to make a murder
Of crows well the crows they go in there and catch baby rattle snakes
They had motor for lunch they are lying there just skin and bones
Just skin and bones skin and bones far out
And I’ve been trying to write a song about it ever since

Darrell Scott Interview

Too bad Billy G Williams didn’t have the juevos to slap the cuffs on Basil Collins and leave his Blazer to the pickets.

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
Wow, HRK, I have never heard that song, and Patty Loveless is one of my favorites. Powerful stuff.

You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive is kind of a coda for the show Justified, often referenced on this forum. One of the greatest TV shows to ever air, imo. It is played during the last scenes of the last episode of each season. It is originally by Darrell Scott and they used his version for one season, but they used versions by Brad Paisley, Ruby Friedman, and Dave Alvin, as well.

But Patty is a treasure. I can listen to her Mountain Soul records all day long.

Just to clarify, when I said “that song” I just meant Patty Loveless’ cover. Justified is among my top 3 series ever.

Haven't seen this but it sounds excellent. Thanks...

I sat in a house in Harlan while one of the local cops smoked dope with several of the folks in the room. It was a interesting place for a somewhat "city boy" to visit. Went up there for a weekend with a friend from college who grew up there...

We've been binge watching Justified which is based in Harlan county. Decent show, particularly without the commercials. Basically the lead, Timothy Olyphant is a US Marshal who was a former firearms instructor at Glynco (ie FLETC) and a ultrakool pistolero. Some good one-liners.

$.02 worth,
Boss

I've never watched Justified. Someday, maybe. One thing, though- HBO's compromised, could-have-been-so-much-better Deadwood movie in 2019- Timothy Olyphant came back to Deadwood in that movie with an uneven Southern twang in some of his scenes, and I couldn't understand it. If you watch the original series, you'll find that Olyphant affects very little accent in his characterization of Seth Bullock. But, now I understand what happened: Justified happened. He should have reviewed those old episodes of Deadwood.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I've never watched Justified. Someday, maybe.

As good as the writing and characters are in Justified, the missing element is the monochrome claustrophobia seen in Harlan County USA. Maybe pretty people and bleak aren't the best mix for commercial appeal. Still two great and different shows.