all day: Movies

The New Beverly Cinema is serving up a quirky double bill of films by young Texas-born director Wes Anderson--”Bottle Rocket” (1996) and “Rushmore” (1998). “Bottle Rocket” was the director’s confident and eccentric debut film about a trio of shambling, guileless friends who become the Candides of crime. “Rushmore,” a black comedy about a prep-school kid who vies for the attention of a lovely teacher with his mentor, features an outstanding performance by Bill Murray, who won several critics’ awards. Owen Wilson, who stars in “Bottle Rocket” with real-life brothers Luke and Andrew, co-wrote both films with Anderson.

* “Bottle Rocket” and “Rushmore,” New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd. Sunday through Tuesday. $3 to $6. (323) 938-4038.

7 & 9 pm: Comedy

“The Tonight Show’s” original multitalented host--comedian, author, musician, composer Steve Allen--performs “An Evening With Steve Allen” as part of Parlor Performances’ new On a Humorous Note series.

* “An Evening With Steve Allen,” Beverly Hills Public Library, 2nd floor auditorium, 444 N. Rexford Drive, 7 p.m., $20; 9 p.m., $15 with RSVP or $20 at door. (310) 471-3979.

5 pm: Theater

Shirley Knight and Patrick Dempsey head the cast in Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a masterpiece of mistaken identity about two young men who create alternate identities for a lark and find that their deception leads to romantic complications.

* “The Importance of Being Earnest,” Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., 5 p.m. Regular schedule: Tuesdays to Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 5 and 9 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends June 20. $13.50 to $42.50. (800) 233-3123.

3 pm: Music

Just bring a blanket and take in the first of the free Symphony in the Glen concerts at Griffith Park. The theme to kick off the sixth season is Fantastic Creatures, including “Carnival of the Animals” by Saint-Saens, “The Bird” by Respighi and “The White Peacock” by Griffes. Preceding the concert, kids’ activities will focus on how music can spark the imagination.

* Symphony in the Glen, children’s activities 1:30-2:30 p.m. Concert, 3 p.m. Griffith Park, near the merry-go-round, 4800 Crystal Springs Drive. Free. (213) 955-6976.

11 am: Museums

Step back a century on MOTA Day. The five organizations that comprise the Museums of the Arroyo--or MOTA--open their doors free of charge once a year. Take in the Heritage Square Museum’s Victorian homes; the stone house and garden of Charles Lummis; L.A.’s first museum, the Southwest Museum; the Gamble House, a craftsman house designed by Charles and Henry Greene; and the Pasadena Historical Museum, located in the Fenyes mansion, built in 1905. And leave the driving to MOTA. A free shuttle runs between each place.

* MOTA Day, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free admission and shuttles between Heritage Square Museum (3800 Homer St., L.A.), Lummis Home and Garden (200 E. Avenue 43, L.A.), Southwest Museum (234 Museum Drive, L.A.), Gamble House (4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena) and Pasadena Historical Museum (470 W. Walnut St., Pasadena). (213) 740-8687.

3:30 pm: Family/Music

Like Dr. Seuss’ finicky character, you might not want to eat green eggs and ham, either, but “Green Eggs & Ham,” the comic family opera, is a tasty treat, a critically acclaimed musical romp by composer Robert Kapilow. It, and “Gertrude McFuzz,” another short work featuring Kapilow’s music and text by Theodor (Dr. Seuss) Geisel, are being served up by the L.A. Chamber Orchestra.

* “Two by Seuss: ‘Green Eggs & Ham’ and ‘Gertrude McFuzz,’ ” Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, 3:30 p.m. $15, adults; $7.50, children. (800) 300-4345; (562) 916-8500.

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FREEBIES:

Music, dance and theater performances are part of the Family Arts Festival at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (800) 300-4345.

The Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra closes its 44th season with a concert at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4401 W. 8th St., L.A., 4 p.m. (310) 859-7668.