Americana (film)

Americana is a 1983 American drama film starring, produced, edited and directed by David Carradine. The screenplay and story, written by Richard Carr, was based on a portion of the 1947 novel, The Perfect Round, by Henry Morton Robinson. The novels setting was originally postWorld War II, but the screenplay involved the postwar experiences of a Vietnam War veteran, obsessed with restoring an abandoned carousel.

A down on his luck, former Green Beret captain Carradine, freshly discharged from the Vietnam War, drifts into Drury, Kansas. There he finds a derelict merrygoround that he decides to restore. The symbolism of a man wanting to build something joyful after being part of the carnage and destruction of war, surmised film critic, Charles Champlin. The people of the town have mixed reactions some support his efforts while others hinder them. Among his supporters are two local business men a hardware store owner, played by Barbara Hersheys father, Arnold Herzstein, and Mike, a gas station proprietor played by Michael Greene, who had gueststarred on two episodes of Carradines television series, Kung Fu. Both men supply employment to the veteran as well as parts and tools for his endeavour.Another helpful character is a young local girl, who watches the reconstruction efforts from afar, and scampers off when she is seen. The girl, played by Carradines real life domestic partner, Barbara Hershey, provides a tool box and some food. Detractors of the veterans efforts include a band of local teenagers, one of whom is played by John Blyth Barrymore, a personal friend of Carradines and a frequent guest star on Kung Fu. The protagonist is also harassed by the towns sheriff, played by Carradines brother, Bruce. ........

Source: Wikipedia