It’s hard to believe that it’s been 55 years since Molly Maguire fever hit the coal regions.

That’s when Hollywood came to town to shoot a locally themed movie with big-name stars.

Paramount Studios arrived in 1967 to begin work on “The Molly Maguires,” a silver screen drama about the plight of coal miners, specifically a legendary reign of terror by a reputed clan of disgruntled Irish workers.

The movie featured Sean Connery, Richard Harris and Samantha Eggar.

Connery was a box-office draw. He’d just finished the action-packed series, James Bond, and was at the peak of his career. He was looking to expand his repertoire.

Harris and Eggar were also big names at the time.

News that Carbon, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties would be the site of production generated excitement.

Auditions and casting took place in 1967. Filming launched in 1968, post production in 1969 and premier in 1970.

Locals had an opportunity to be part of the project.

For instance, Paramount Studios was searching for a few youngsters to portray breaker boys. I auditioned for a chance.

However, they were looking for red-haired kids who looked Irish. I was too blond and blue. I didn’t make the cut.

But some local men did. Among them: Greg Portz, John Dallas, Ed Zatoris, Leo Dougherty, Ed Zelonis and Dale Kline.

Since that time, however, it’s been fun to collect Molly movie memorabilia. This includes movie photos, musical score, Eckley-related collectibles and other items.

For the sake of the film, a few local communities were returned to their 1860s visage.

Broadway in Jim Thorpe received an extensive face-lift and became an instant Hollywood-style movie set.

Eckley, a small coal-mining settlement near Hazleton, already looked that way. But film crews performed a makeover anyway, such as burying electrical and telephone lines.

Paramount Studios also constructed a coal breaker at Eckley. It wasn’t a working unit, but rather a large, temporary movie prop.

Miraculously, it still stands today. But barely.

A few other towns also hosted film segments, or interior scenes, including Bloomsburg and Llewellyn.

The movie itself had lots of drama and plenty of violence.

Rough-and-tumble scenes of a Tamaqua-versus-Eckley football game were particularly rough and still talked about.

Actually, it wasn’t football as we know it, more of a Gaelic version or more accurately a rugby match.

Here’s something rarely mentioned. Three people died during film production.

One was Elmer Rogers, chief of set construction. He suffered a heart attack at Gus Genetti Motor Inn, Hazleton.

Another, Robert McCrellis, property master, also died from a heart attack; and a third unidentified person who worked in the catering department also passed.

The film featured big names all the way around, not only with actors. It was directed by popular Martin Ritt with music by acclaimed Henry Mancini.

Yet the $11 million production grossed only $2 million at the box office.

Back then, some said the movie was too depressing, too much coal, dirt and grit, a social downer. Or maybe the timing wasn’t right.

They said labor unrest just wasn’t as appealing in subject matter as, say, a good love story.

But opinions might be changing. The film seems to be generating favorable commentary in recent years.

If you look online, you’ll find some very positive comments about the film as discussed in the news media and by art critics.

Amazon reviews of the DVD version give the movie a total 4.5 stars out of 5.

Maybe its time has finally come.