''Imagining America'' is a 1989 anthology film consisting of four shorts with the central theme being life in the United States. It was originally broadcast on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

television series ''

American Playhouse ''American Playhouse'' is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Overview It premiered on January 12, 1982, with ''The Shady Hill Kidnapping'', written and narrated by John Cheever an ...

''.

Overview

''Imagining America'' is an anthology of four short films by different directors. Ralph Bakshi's ''This Ain't Bebop'' is about a man's odyssey through surreal downtown Los Angeles as he tries to find the life he once had. Ed Lachman's ''Get Your Kicks on Route 66'' tells the story of America's famous highway. ''Tribe'' by Matt Mahurin examines myths in American society. ''Reflections of a Native Son'' by Mustapha Khan is a stylized portrait of the South Bronx district of New York City.

Style

The original TV series ''American Playhouse'' is produced by John H. Williams, and it is from this series the four pieces to this anthology comes. Together they give a personal view of America. Only one of the four, Ralph Bakshi's ''This Ain't Bebop'', is a narrative, while two others are documentaries: Ed Lachman's ''Get Your Kicks on Route 66'' is about the great American '50s highway and Mustapha Khan's ''Reflections of a Native Son'' is a vivid look at the teenage subculture of South Bronx. The fourth piece is Matt Mahurin's ''Tribe'', a cross between impressionist documentary, music video and live-action photo-essay.

Cast

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with ...

as himself **Craig Stark as Young Harvey Keitel * Ron Thompson as Beatnik Poet * Margaret Howell as Beat Poetess * Dean Hill as Neal Cassidy * Sean Heyman as Hipster * Kara "Chavez" Sachs as Street Walker * Rick Singer as Neal Cassady * John Nesci as The Narrator *

Mary Pat Gleason Mary Pat Gleason (February 23, 1950 – June 2, 2020) was an American film and television actress and an Emmy Award-winning writer. From 1983 to 1985, she appeared as "Jane Hogan" on the daytime soap opera '' Guiding Light'', for which she was a ...

References

External links

*
''This Ain't Bebop'' on YouTubeThe entire film on YouTube
{{Ralph Bakshi American anthology films 1989 films Films directed by Ralph Bakshi American television films American Playhouse 1980s English-language films

Overview

Style

Cast

See also

References

External links