Attorney F. Charles Petrillo spoke about the 1948 movie, "The Miracle of the Bells" and its relation to Glen Lyon, a section of Newport Twp. in Luzerne County, during a presentation Saturday at the Anthracite Heritage Museum.
The film is the fictional story of Olga Treskoff, a real-life silent movie actress, Broadway producer and Glen Lyon native who died young in 1938, said Chester Kulesa, museum site administrator.
The movie is set in a place called "Coal Town," Mr. Petrillo said, and is based on Glen Lyon with a handful of scenes actually being shot in the town using local residents who were paid $10 to act as stand-ins.
Mr. Petrillo is a former board member of the Anthracite Heritage Museum and Iron Furnaces Associates and the author of five books on regional history.
"Standing around on an extraordinarily hot summer day cured most of Glen Lyon of the movies," Mr. Petrillo said to laughs from the audience of dozens.
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