Fan club searching for Kentucky residents who appeared in ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’
LETCHER COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — It’s almost been 45 years since the release of Loretta Lynn‘s biopic, “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
According to IMDb, the film starring Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones was released on March 7, 1980. In 2025, the film will reach another milestone since the country music star died in 2022.
Read more of the latest Lexington & central Kentucky news
Letcher County Tourism announced on Wednesday that there are plans to honor Lynn’s legacy and the 45th anniversary of the film with a special “project,” but they’ve asked for the community’s help in doing so.
Rick Cornett, president of the Loretta Lynn Fan Club, hopes to speak with residents who appeared in the film as extras or their families.
Letcher County Tourism said that Cornett is searching for information, stories, newspaper clippings, and photos from the making of “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” The following photos were shared in hopes they may jog someone’s memory.
Cornett hopes someone may be able to identify these women (Letcher County Tourism) The making of Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (Letcher County Tourism) The making of Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (Letcher County Tourism) The making of Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (Letcher County Tourism) The making of Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (Letcher County Tourism) Sissy Spacek, Levon Helm and Phyllis Boyen on the porch of their cabin with their kids in a scene from the film ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’, 1980. (Photo by Universal Studios/Getty Images)
According to IMDb, the movie was filmed in Letcher County and surrounding areas from Van Lear to Virginia, even Nashville, Tennessee. For a complete list of filming locations, click here.
LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:
Pulaski County Detention Center evacuated after laundry room fire
Frankfort police cancel Golden Alert after missing 83-year-old woman found
Lee Kiefer gets a warm welcome as she returns to Lexington after Paris Olympics
Families of those involved have already begun to chime in, one who said their “daddy” claimed to be in the movie but they “thought he was full of beans.”
One extra shared a screenshot of the scene he appeared in during filming in Blackey but said that they were told not to bring their cameras. Some recalled neighbors and family members appearing in the film driving cars that were reportedly provided by “Mr. Hunsaker at Payne Gap.”
However, some of the memories of filming can’t be revisited as buildings aged and were eventually torn down, residents said.
If you have any information to contribute, Cornett’s contact information is available here or you can comment on Letcher County Tourism’s post.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.
