‘50s Film Series to Take Viewers on the Town

A city jumping with nervous energy and restless high spirits, a jungle for the lonely, a mean turf for the disenfranchised--Manhattan in the 1950s was the colorful setting for all sorts of feature films.

With a Thursday-evening series, beginning this week, of famous and lesser-known movies from the era, the Newport Harbor Art Museum is complementing its ongoing exhibition, “The Figurative ‘50s: New York Figurative Expressionism.”

Before each film, the museum will screen a short profile of one of the artists in the exhibit, or a lyrical impression of New York captured by one of the avant-garde film makers of the period.

All the programs start at 7 p.m. Admission is $3, with a dollar off for students and seniors. The museum is at 850 San Clemente Drive in Newport Beach.

The schedule:

-- July 21: “On the Town” (1949), the MGM musical about three sailors on a 24-hour leave, starring Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Vera Ellen and Ann Miller. Preceded by “De Kooning on de Kooning” (1954), a 60-minute color film about the painter, originally produced for TV.

-- July 28: Alfred Hitchcock’s suave mystery, “Rear Window” (1954) with James Stewart and Grace Kelly. Preceded by “The Wonder Ring” (1955), a four-minute visual poem by film maker Stan Brakhage about the late lamented elevated train, the 3rd Avenue El.

-- Aug. 4: “Marty” (1955), an adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky’s poignant television play about a shy butcher in the Bronx (Ernest Borgnine in an Oscar-winning portrayal) and his search for love. Preceded by “Larry Rivers” (1971-72), a biography narrated by the artist.

-- Aug. 11: “The Blackboard Jungle” (1955), a face-off between a young, inexperienced teacher (Glenn Ford) and a class of sullen juvenile delinquents. Preceded by “Jazz of Lights” (1954), a 16-minute rhapsody on Times Square, featuring blind poet Moondog and writer Anais Nin.

-- Sept. 8: “The World, the Flesh & the Devil” (1959), a tale of racism after the nuclear holocaust, set in the empty streets of Manhattan, with Harry Belafonte, Inger Stevens and Mel Ferrer. Preceded by “N.Y., N.Y.” (1951), 15 minutes of surreal urban images; and “Alex Katz Painting” (1978), a film by Rudy Burkhardt of the artist painting murals outdoors.

-- Sept. 15: “The Apartment” (1960), the Academy Award-winning Billy Wilder film about an insurance clerk (Jack Lemmon) who allows his bosses to use his apartment for romantic liaisons. Co-starring Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray and Edie Adams. Preceded by “Bridges-Go-Round” (1958), a filmic “dance” of New York bridges, with electronic and jazz sound tracks.

For more information, call (714) 759-1122.