The 1983 film "Local Hero" is a comedy about an American oil company executive headquartered in Houston Texas who is sent to Western Scotland to purchase an entire town for conversion to an oil refinery. The executive becomes involved with the townspeople and his experiences change his life. The town has limited communication facilities and to telephone people one must use a pay telephone. Every time the American has to call Texas he asks residents for coins to pay for the calls. A local man who owns a boat and is expecting money gives a numismatic name to his boat.

Mac MacIntyre (Peter Riegert) is an up and coming employee of the Knox Oil and Gas Company located in Houston Texas. He is summoned to meet with the company president.

The receptionist sends him to the office.

Felix Happer (Burt Lancaster) is the president of the company. He is sending Mac to Scotland to arrange for the purchase of the town of Ferness for conversion to an oil refinery. Mr. Happer believes that Mac is Scottish and can relate to the natives (Mac is actually Hungarian). Mr. Happer is also an amateur astronomer and he asks Mac to "watch the skies" and to telephone him if he sees anything unusual. Mac arrives in Scotland and is met by Danny Oldsen (Peter Capaldi), a local company employee, who takes him to the Scottish town of Ferness.

Mac and Danny check into the only hotel and Mac decides to call Texas. He learns that the only outside telephone is a pay telephone in an outdoor booth which takes English ten pence coins. Mac goes into the pub and asks for change.

Danny holds a currency note and some coins are stacked on a table. Many people in the town are looking forward to the sale as they expect to get rich. One man decides to celebrate by painting a new name on his boat.

The "Silver Dollar" is an American coin never used in England or Scotland. Danny and Mac visit an oceanographic laboratory and meet Marina (Jenny Seagrove), a young woman working there as a diver and ocean expert. One man states that "she has five degrees."

Danny is not impressed by her academic achievements but for more traditional reasons. He starts arranging his schedule to be near her.

The town is far enough north for the "Northern Lights" to appear.

Mac is watching the light show and remembers Mr. Happer's request. He vists the pub to get the necessary change for the telephone.

Pub patrons open a cash box and hand him the coins.

And more coins are handed to Mac.

Mac describes the lights to Mr. Happer.

Mac also tells Mr. Happer that one town resident, Ben Knox, owns the beach and refuses to sell it to the oil company. Mr. Happer flies to Scotland and to the town.

The two men become friends and Mr. Happer decides not to build the refinery but to finance an astronomical observatory and an oceanographic laboratory (something Marina wanted).

Peter Riegert as "Mac" MacIntyre
Burt Lancaster as Felix Happer
Jenny Seagrove as Marina
Fulton Mackay as Ben Knox
Peter Capaldi as Danny Oldsen
Director: Bill Forsyth
Writers: Bill Forsyth