55m; U.S.
Synopsis: The story of the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921, the largest armed labor conflict in American history. TV star Mike Connors narrates this classic story about the long and bloody history of coal in Appalachia.
Contact: Debbie Oleksa West Virginia; Public Broadcasting, Morgantown, 1- 888-596-9729.
27m; U.S.
Synopsis: Dr. Claude Frazier, M.D., is author of “Miners and Medicine: West Virginia Memories,” a personal account of growing up the son of a coal camp doctor and nurse. Frazier describes firsthand the horrific health problems in the coal camps, the resourcefulness of the doctors and nurses, and the struggle to raise health standards in and around the mines. Frazier recalls life in coal camps in Montgomery, Ansted, and Welch, WV. He describes the “ties that bind” in small WV communities. He also describes the responsibilities the coal camp doctor took on and the admiration the miners had for the company doctor.
Contact: WSWP-TV; WVLC
Australia
Director: Fabio Cavadini & Mandy King
Synopsis: globalization; villagers battle for self-determination against copper company & government
90m; U.S.
Synopsis: The history of America’s favorite pastime as it was played by the men who dug America’s coal in the 1930’s and 40’s. Practically every coal town in WV. had a baseball team and Sunday was spent at the ball diamond every Sunday. Some of the finest athletes that played professional ball starred as players in the coal leagues. Many other fine WV. athletes received offers to play professional ball, but decided to stay in the coal fields for a variety of reasons. Listen to some of the reasons and some fascinating memories of the games and times. A look back through extensive use of photographs from the turn of the century through the beginning of WW II.
13m; U.S.
Synopsis: Effect of black lung disease on coal miners
Contact: Steve Fesenmaier: fesenms@wvlc.lib.wv.us Anita L. Wolfe, (304) 285-6263, awolfe@cdc.gov
Synopsis: Profiles one of the lay representatives who have continued to help coal miners seeking black lung benefits in the face of overwhelming odds.
72m; U.S.
Director: Mike Fountain
Synopsis (IMDB): In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, a young coal miner toils a mile underground. Despite the harsh working conditions, Lucas Chaffin takes fierce pride in doing the job once done by the man he loves more than anything, his father. Lucas’ father, nicknamed “Bonecrusher,” was a strong, handsome man. Now he’s withered and sick; coal dust has ravaged his lungs. As life slips away, his greatest concern isn’t for himself; it is for Lucas’ safety. Bonecrusher is an intimate and moving account of the love between a father and son and the powerful bond they share, a bond that is put to the test.
Contact: WriteBrain Films 888-612-6224; info@writebrainfilms.com http://www.writebrainfilms.com
31m; U.S.
Director: Mimi Pickering
Synopsis: Appalshop filmmaker Mimi Pickering returns to Buffalo Creek, West Virginia to look at the recovery of the community after one of the worst coal mine-related disasters in history. Ken Hechler, then a U.S. Congressman from WV, but not that district, is interviewed in the office of WVLC Film Services. From the film’s website – Filmed ten years after the flood, Buffalo Creek Revisited looks at the second disaster on Buffalo Creek, in which the survivors’ efforts to rebuild the communities shattered by the flood are thwarted by government insensitivity and a century-old pattern of corporate control of the region’s land and resources. Through the statements of survivors, planners, politicians, psychologists, and community activists, the film explores the psychology of disaster, the importance of community, and the paradox of a poor people living in a rich land.
20m; U.S.
Synopsis: Recounts an infamous chapter in Colorado history when militia and striking coal miners clashed on the plains of south Colorado at Ludlow.
120m; U.S.
Director: Gilbert Cates
Synopsis: While coal fires burn beneath a depressed mining town a greedy businessman stops at nothing to buy up the mineral rights.
THE LABOR FILM DATABASE 