Details
Movie Description
The story of Loretta Lynn, COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER charts the rise of the queen of country music from her upbringing in backwoods Appalachia to stardom at the Grand Ole Opry. One of eight children, she married at age 13 and was a mother of four at age 20. Shy and naive, she was pushed into music by her husband, Doolittle, who gave her a guitar instead of a ring for their wedding, in what was to be a career that also tracked her complicated relationship with this man. His strengths helped her create numerous hit singles, but his weaknesses inspired such immortal songs as "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man." Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for her virtuoso performance, mimicking Lynn's voice nearly perfectly, while Beverly D'Angelo solidly impersonates Patsy Cline; unlike other music biographies, this film features both actors using their own voices in the singing scenes. Country music legend Ernest Tubb also makes a cameo. For director Michael Apted, COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER is one in a series of films--AGATHA, GORILLAS IN THE MIST, and NELL--he has made about strong, eccentric women.
Synopsis
This biographical drama of Loretta Lynn, country music's grand dame, traces the highs and lows of her career from rustic Appalachia to stardom. The film, directed by the English director Michael Apted (NELL), stars Sissy Spacek in an Oscar-winning performance as Lynn. Tommy Lee Jones plays her husband, Doolittle, and Beverly D'Angelo appears as Patsy Cline.
Film Notes
Theatrical release: February 22, 1980.
Shot on location in Kentucky and Tennessee.
COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER grossed about $35 million at the domestic box office, making it the seventh highest grossing film in 1979.
Although some crew members thought that Apted grew up in a community of coal miners in northern England, he actually grew up in London, the son of an insurance inspector.
Lynn's first single, "I'm A Honky Tonk Girl," debuted on June 13, 1960. She has since had a total of 77 singles chart in the 20th century.
Lynn's 100-acre house in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee (which was depicted in the film), became a tourist attraction in the 1970s. The complex includes a replica of the cabin she grew up in, an RV park, a course for dirt bikes, a gigantic wooden Indian, riding trails, a hayride wagon, and a concert hall. She is planning to build a museum on the complex, to include props from the film and a bottle of the last pint of whiskey she hid from her husband.
Doolittle developed diabetes and lost the use of his legs, sight, and hearing. He passed away in 1996.
Beverly D'Angelo did the voice of Lurleen Lumpkin in a spoof of COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER on THE SIMPSONS. In the episode, Homer becomes a country music manager. Lumpkin's songs include "Your Wife Doesn't Understand You," "Bunk With Me Tonight," and "Stand By Your Manager."
Academy Award Nominations: 7, including Best Picture, Best (Adapted) Screenplay.
Academy Awards: Best Actress--Sissy Spacek.
Industry Reviews
"...Four extraordinary performances....Spacek is luminous..."
New York Times - Janet Maslin (03/07/1980)
Quotations
"If you born in the mountains, you got three choices: coal mine, moonshine, or moving on down the line."--Lee (William Sanderson) to Doolittle (Tommy Lee Jones)
"This pie ain't the only thing salty about you."--Doolittle to Loretta (Sissy Spacek)
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