HOME ENTERTAINMENT : Ideas for Going Western on Father’s Day

Father’s Day, which is June 18, is boom time for Western tapes, which have become popular gifts for dads.

Retailers begin to showcase them this weekend, often at bargain prices. You can find the following classics in the $10-$20 range:

* “Shane” (Paramount, 1953): Director George Stevens makes an epic out of a simple story--gunfighter (Alan Ladd) helps ranchers fight bad guys, including a memorable villain played by Jack Palance.

* “High Noon” (Republic, 1952): Suspenseful tale of an ex-sheriff (Gary Cooper) who’s sworn off gunfighting being stalked by a gang of vengeful killers. Grace Kelly plays his wife.

* “The Searchers” (Warner, 1956): Thrilling, often-imitated tale of an embittered man (John Wayne) tracking down his kidnaped niece. Director John Ford’s greatest achievement and, many of his fans contend, Wayne’s best performance.

* “The Wild Bunch” (Warner, 1969): The adventures of an early-century gang of roving outlaws, including characters played by William Holden and Ernest Borgnine, who are becoming relics as the sun sets on the Old West. Directed by Sam Peckinpah, it’s among the best Westerns ever made and a pioneer in the graphic depiction of violence.

* “Rio Bravo” (Warner, 1959): Appealing characters turn a tired old story--the one about lawmen (John Wayne and Dean Martin) defending a town under siege by outlaws--into something special. Howard Hawks directed.

* “The Professionals” (RCA/Columbia, 1966): Director Richard Brooks’ star-studded (Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Jack Palance) action-adventure gem about a gang of specialists hired to find a rancher’s kidnaped wife.

Worthwhile but lesser-known Westerns:

* “The Man Without a Star” (MCA/Universal, 1955): Features Kirk Douglas, in one of his best Westerns, as a gunslinger battling baddies while romancing two women (Jeanne Crain and Claire Trevor).

* “Virginia City” (MGM/UA, 1940): The story about Civil War spying is secondary in this expensive Western. The fun is watching the performances of a stellar cast, including Errol Flynn and Randolph Scott, and relishing Humphrey Bogart overacting as a Latino bandit.

* “Man of the West” (MGM/UA, 1958): One of the best Westerns of the 1950s, with Gary Cooper portraying an ex-outlaw forced back into his old lifestyle.

* “San Antonio” (MGM/UA, 1945): A tough cattleman (Errol Flynn) romances a dance-hall girl (Alexis Smith) while chasing rustlers. Familiar plot uplifted by strong production values.

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Batman Serials: Whenever a new Batman movie comes out (“Batman Forever” is due next week), there’s renewed interest in the old Batman serials, which are great campy fun, with all that sterile, bloodless violence. There are two serials: “The Original Serial Adventures of Batman” (1943) and “Batman and Robin” (1949). You can find these 15-chapter, two-tape sets for as low as $10 in some stores.

In the 1943 serial, Lewis Wilson stars as Batman. The positive is all the high-energy action sequences. The negative is the vicious Japan-bashing, a staple in movies made during World War II. The 1949 serial, with Robert Lowery in the title role, is better, offering higher production values and a faster pace. It’s a thrill-a-minute adventure, with Batman slipping out of tight scrape after tight scrape. After watching the lavish new Batman movie, it’s fun to see how they presented Batman in the ‘40s on a very low budget.

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B-Movies: The racy “Attack of the 60-Foot Centerfold” is an enjoyable schlock comedy with J.J. North playing a Centerfold of the Year candidate who gulps down so much of a beauty potion that she grows into a giant. In the wacky finale, she battles with another giant centerfold candidate.

Also worth a look: You’ll get some chuckles from the bargain-basement special effects in Hemdale’s “Mosquito,” about a plague of giant bugs; LIVE’s “Bad Blood” is OK if you like lots of well-orchestrated fighting and killing. Lorenzo Lamas is a passable macho hero.

Skip Atlantic Group’s “Deadly Past,” another “Fatal Attraction” clone, with Carol Alt playing the evil woman, and Hollywood’s “The Puppet Masters,” starring Donald Sutherland, about an alien invasion.

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Special Interest: If you want to keep your youthful-looking face or keep the lines and wrinkles at a minimum, Meredith MacRae’s “The Fifteen-Minute Facelift” presents a series of invigorating facial exercises that may help. From Goldhil at $20. Information: (805) 495-0735.

A good way for chess-oriented parents to interest their youngsters in chess is to have them watch the half-hour “Chess for Kids.” Not a polished production, but it instructs very effectively. Though geared to kids in the 8-to-early-teens range, it’s fine for anyone who wants to learn the basics of chess. From Tapeworm at $15. Information: (805) 257-4904.

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What’s New on Video: “Interview With the Vampire” (Warner): Based on a popular 1976 novel by Anne Rice, who also wrote the screenplay, this movie humanizes vampires, showing them to be more than blood-sucking monsters. It’s the adventures of veteran vampire Lestat (Tom Cruise), who loves his work, and two fledging vampires (Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst), who are much less enthusiastic. Slow-moving with not much plot but still marvelously atmospheric, with terrific sets, color and cinematography.

“Junior” (MCA/Universal): The joke is that a man gets pregnant--a real he-man (Arnold Schwarzenegger) no less. In this so-so comedy, directed by Ivan Reitman, Schwarzenegger plays a scientist who makes himself pregnant. The premise is stretched very thin and doesn’t result in many funny jokes. With Danny DeVito and Emma Thompson.

“Safe Passage” (New Line): In this contrived family drama, Susan Sarandon plays a mother of seven boys. Stressed out by a new job and the possible death of one son in a military bombing, she plunges into self-doubt and self-evaluation. Excellent performance by Sarandon but not much else. Co-starring Sam Shepard.

“Woman’s World” (FoxVideo): In this 1954 melodrama, three executives (Fred MacMurray, Van Heflin and Cornel Wilde) vie for the top position in an auto-manufacturing firm. The man who’s making the choice (Clifton Webb) is also evaluating the wives (Lauren Bacall, Arlene Dahl and June Allyson). The movie is about how these three competing couples handle this pressure-cooker situation. Absorbing entertainment but, by today’s standards, very sexist.