In 1978, Hollywood came to Opelika, and the old Opelika Manufacturing Company mill became the set of Norma Rae.
On April 3, 2007, nearly three decades after the cameras rolled, I wrote about a press kit for the movie that I had picked up on eBay. The photo here comes from that kit: Sally Field standing among the looms, surrounded by the cast and crew. She went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role.
At the time I wrote it, the mill sat empty and a developer was talking about turning it into condos and shopping. It’s a good reminder of how long our old mill buildings have been waiting on a second act, and how proud this town still is of its turn on the big screen.
I promised more photos from the movie back then, and I followed through. A few days later came The Filming of Norma Rae.
Read the original April 3, 2007 post: Twenty Nine Years Ago this Month – Norma Rae
