Music, Aviation on Smithsonian Menu

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., is opening exhibits on entertainment and aviation at two of its museums.

“Red, Hot & Blue: A Salute to American Musicals,” featuring about 400 items, opens Friday and runs through July 6, 1997, at the National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F streets NW. The exhibit follows the musical from its 19th century roots through Broadway and Hollywood and into the 1990s.

Highlights include Fred Astaire’s dance shoes from “Top Hat,” Judy Garland’s velvet dress from “Meet Me in St. Louis,” self-portraits by composers Ira and George Gershwin and film clips of Hollywood production numbers.

Also at the Smithsonian, a permanent gallery called “How Things Fly” opened last month at the National Air and Space Museum, 6th Street and Independence Avenue SW. Highlights include a cutaway section of a Boeing 757 fuselage and a visitor-operated supersonic wind tunnel. Hours for both museums are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily except Christmas. Admission is free. Information: (202) 357-2700.