Hard-Boiled Noir Fans Get Trilogy Treat

This Tuesday, Kino on Video takes a walk on Hollywood’s dark side with three delicious vintage film noirs ($30 each) from director Anthony Mann and Oscar-winning cinematographer John Alton (“Elmer Gantry”).

The hard-boiled, low-budget trilogy consists of 1948’s “Raw Deal” and “T-Men” and 1949’s “He Walked by Night.” Films don’t get much more noir than these classics of the genre.

The men who inhabit these movies are tough and cynical. They don’t look like fools in hats. The women are all dames. Everyone smokes excessively and drinks cups and cups of java.

Grittily directed by Mann, each thriller is such a breathtaking work of art that one almost pays more attention to cinematographer Alton’s bold use of shadows, darkness and light than to the plot.

The underrated Dennis O’Keefe is a terrific rumpled antihero in “Raw Deal,” a juicy melodrama about a regular Joe (O’Keefe) framed by the mob, who is broken out of prison by his tough-as-nails moll of a girlfriend (Claire Trevor). Trouble ensues when they take a demure secretary (Marsha Hunt) as hostage and she and O’Keefe fall in love. A young Raymond Burr is perfection as the sadistic mobster kingpin who loves to torture women.

O’Keefe also stars in “T-Men,” a gripping underworld thriller revolving around a sting operation led by two U.S. Treasury agents (O’Keefe and Alfred Ryder) who go undercover in Detroit and Los Angeles to infiltrate a powerful crime family’s counterfeiting ring. June Lockhart also stars.

Though Alfred L. Werker is credited as the director of “He Walked by Night,” much of the film was shot by an uncredited Mann. Done in half-documentary style, this riveting thriller follows the Los Angeles Police Department’s efforts to track down an enigmatic, brilliant scientist and thief (a super Richard Basehart) who kills a police officer during a botched burglary attempt. The highlight is the enthralling chase sequence, which takes place at the Los Angeles Flood Control System--a network of 700 miles of underground tunnels. The movie also was the inspiration for co-star Jack Webb’s “Dragnet” series.

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Oldies but Goodies: Peter O’Toole received an Oscar nomination for his outlandish performance in the 1972 black comedy “The Ruling Class” (Water Bearer, $40), as the heir to a British lordship who thinks he’s Jesus Christ. Great supporting turn by Alastair Sim. Water Bearer is presenting the uncut version on video for the first time.

Back in 1968, perky British pop star Petula Clark hosted her first American TV special for NBC, “Petula Clark Spectacular!” Laserlight ($10) has dusted off this blast from the past, which features Clark, in a succession of ghastly mini-mini dresses and gowns, performing such hits as “Don’t Sleep in the Subway” and “Downtown.” Clark’s “The Beat Goes On” commercials for Plymouth are also included. Harry Belafonte is Pet’s special guest who performs a rather unique version of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”

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Batter Up!: New York Yankees fans can relive their World Series victory over the Atlanta Braves with Major League Baseball Home Video’s “The Official 1996 World Series Video” (Orion, $20). The one-hour tape features interviews with Yankees Manager Joe Torre and pitcher David Cone and shortstop Derek Jeter, footage of the celebration and parade and clips not seen on TV.

Travel: “Road Rules Travel Guide: Tripping the Americas” (Sony Music, $12.98) offers some fun, colorful vacation alternatives, like gliding above the treetops in a Costa Rican cloud forest or bike riding in the desert. It’s hosted by Kit Hoover and Mark Long, who were 1995 cast members of MTV’s “Road Rules” series. Unfortunately, the couple are so insufferably cute and perky you may want to scream.

Killer B: Arriving Tuesday is “Wasp Woman” ( New Horizons), a relatively faithful remake of the ‘50s Roger Corman camp horror classic. This version stars Jennifer Rubin and Daniel J. Travanti.

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Coming Next Week: Demi Moore, Burt Reynolds and Armand Assante star in the poorly received comedy “Striptease” (Columbia TriStar).

Shaquille O’Neal plays a genie in the family film “Kazaam” (Touchstone).

Billy Zane and Treat Williams star in the action-thriller “The Phantom” (Paramount).

Mary Stuart Masterson stars in Horton Foote’s drama “Lily Dale” (Evergreen).

Rita Rudner, Jack Lemmon and Richard Lewis star in the romantic comedy “Weekend in the Country” (Evergreen).

Omar Epps stars in HBO’s thriller “Deadly Voyage” (HBO Video). . . . Also new: “Yesterday’s Target” (Republic).