The Molly Maguires

In 1968, when I was just a wee lad, Hollywood descended on the coal fields of northeastern Pennsylvania. Director and producer Martin Ritt had come with his entourage to film a movie about Irish coal miners called "The Molly Maguires". Few people have seen this movie, fewer still have ever heard of it, but it truly is a fine movie. Starring such luminaries as Sean Connery, Richard Harris and Samantha Eggar, this movie had been the biggest thing to hit this area in decades. Filmed in various locations throughout the anthracite region, it pretty much put this region on the proverbial map. We're still feeling the effects of this project, even more than 40 years later. Hell, we even got a state historical site out of the deal. The movie itself is loosely based on real historical events, i.e. Sean Connery's character is named Jack Keogh, who was a real person, who was a real Molly, who was really hanged in the 1870's. A Richard Harris plays a Pinkerton detective hired by the coal company to bring the Mollies to justice; again, based on a real person. The story itself is an amalgam of events that took place over several years, mainly in Schuylkill county, but still makes for great cinema. Most of the people who live in this area don't know the actual story anyway. Being from this area, I still feel a twinge of pride about it, especially since my own father worked on building the sets, some of which still stand. Go and rent it, you won't be disappointed.