May 19 - Matewan

Today’s movie is a drama with a scene that happens on May 19. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

MATEWAN         

In Mingo County, West Virginia in 1920 after the Stone Mountain Coal company reduces wages and raises prices in the company store in the same week, the miners vote to form a union and go on strike. The company brings in African-Americans and recent immigrants to work as scabs, relying on racism and xenophobia to divide the miners.  Joe Kenehan, a union organizer arrives in Matewan and stays at the boarding house of widow Elma Radnor and her son Danny, a miner and preacher. Kenehan meets with the local union at the restaurant of C.E. Lively. The unofficial leader of the African–American miners, "Few Clothes" Johnson comes to the meeting and Kenehan says to succeed the union must accept African-Americans and immigrants as members so there will be no one left to work in the mines. Mrs. Radnor is forced to allow two hired thugs of the company from the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency to stay in the boardinghouse. When they try to illegally evict a mining family from company housing, the town marshall, Sid Hatfield stops them after deputizing the miners.  Kenehan and the local union leader Sephus eventually persuade the African-Americans and immigrants join the strike. The miners are forced to live in tents, but when Baldwin-Felts men try to pressure them, some hill people drive them off. The company tries to ‘buy’ Sid Hatfield and the mayor,  Cabell Testerman, but fail. There is a nighttime shootout with the Baldwin-Felts men. Sephus is wounded and taken in by some hill people, but he sees that Lively is actually a company spy. Lively convinces a young widow, Bridey Mae Tolliver, that  Kenehan, instead of responding positively to a love letter she addressed to him, has been saying derogatory things about her. She tells a story that Kenehan raped her and Livley produces a fake letter from Baldwin-Felts to Kenehan that says Joe is the spy. The miners draw straws to decide who will kill Kenehan. Danny learns of the companies plot to get rid of Kenehan, but the Baldwin-Felts men threaten him into staying silent. However, at a prayer meeting that night Danny tells the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, but alters it sufficiently to alert the miners present (but not the Baldwin-Felts men) that Kenehan is innocent and his murder is called off. Sephus returns and after Lively’s restaurant is burned down, he flees town. While Danny and another miner, Hillard are stealing coal, Hillard is caught. After being threatened with death Hillard gives the names of five other union men (which turn out to be the names of men who died in a coal accident years ago), but is killed anyway, while Danny watches. On May 19, 1920 [2:01:00 to 2:07:36] more Baldwin-Felts  men arrive to complete the evictions but Sid Hatfield and the mayor stand in their way. Kenehan tries to stop it but a gun fight begins with the miners assisting Hatfield. The mayor and Kenehan are killed as well as seven of the Baldwin-Felts men.       

This is a very interesting little movie about a forgotten episode in American history. Shines a spotlight on two American heroes, Sid Hatfield and Cabell Testerman, who refused to be bought and stood up to the big money for the little man. Everybody who works should watch this movie. Corporate America has only changed its methods, not its goals since the time of Matewan.

West Virginia by John A. Williams (W.W. Norton & Co., New York, 1976) at page 147 gives the date of the “battle”

Director - John Sayles

Producer - Peggy Rajski and Maggie Renzi

Screenplay - John Sayles

Released - August 28, 1987

Runtime – 1 hour 12 minutes

Starring –

Chris Cooper as Joe Kenehan

James Earl Jones as "Few Clothes" Johnson

Mary McDonnell as Elma Radnor

Will Oldham as Danny Radnor

David Strathairn as Police Chief Sid Hatfield

Ken Jenkins as Sephus Purcell

Gordon Clapp as Griggs

Kevin Tighe as Hickey

John Sayles as Hardshell Preacher

Bob Gunton as C.E. Lively

Josh Mostel as Mayor Cabell Testerman

Nancy Mette as Bridey Mae Tolliver

Jace Alexander as Hillard Elkins

Joe Grifasi as Fausto

Maggie Renzi as Rosaria

Jo Henderson as Mrs. Elkins

Gary McCleery as Ludi

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.