The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania is a 2005 documentary film
directed by David Hunt
and Jody Eldred about the fiftieth annual "Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Queen" beauty pageant in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania
. The film is produced by Hunt's wife Patricia Heaton
, and prominently features actress Sarah Rush
, who was herself a Coal Queen in her youth. Heaton describes the film as "an homage to small town America".
The film follows the past and present contestants and winners of the annual beauty pageant sponsored by the bituminous coal
industry of Greene County, Pennsylvania
.
A memorable character is the pageant's stage manager, who is easily offended when the contestants make requests and suggestions. He has since been fired.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by David Hunt
David Hunt (actor)
David Hunt is a British actor who has worked in both the United Kingdom and the United States.His best known U.S. film role is Harlan Rook, the murderer in the 1988 action film The Dead Pool, the fifth installment in the Dirty Harry series...
and Jody Eldred about the fiftieth annual "Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Queen" beauty pageant in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania
Carmichaels, Pennsylvania
Carmichaels is a borough in Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 556 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Carmichaels is located at ....
. The film is produced by Hunt's wife Patricia Heaton
Patricia Heaton
Patricia Helen Heaton is an American actress, comedienne, producer and model, best known for portraying Debra Barone on the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996 to 2005, for which she won two Emmy Awards....
, and prominently features actress Sarah Rush
Sarah Rush
Sarah Rush is an American actress, best known in television for her work in the original Battlestar Galactica. She narrated and starred in the 2005 documentary The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania produced by Patricia Heaton and directed by David Hunt, which won the 2006 Heartland Film...
, who was herself a Coal Queen in her youth. Heaton describes the film as "an homage to small town America".
The film follows the past and present contestants and winners of the annual beauty pageant sponsored by the bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
industry of Greene County, Pennsylvania
Greene County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 40,672 people, 15,060 households, and 10,587 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile . There were 16,678 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...
.
A memorable character is the pageant's stage manager, who is easily offended when the contestants make requests and suggestions. He has since been fired.