American Cinematheque slates Jacques Tati retrospective

France’s beloved filmmaker Jacques Tati is being feted this weekend at the American Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre. The tall, lanky actor-writer-director created a series of slapstick delights that relied more on sight gags than dialogue. His cinematic alter ego, the endearingly bumbling Mr. Hulot, is one of the greatest comedy creations.

The fun starts Thursday with a 70-millimeter print of his 1967 “Playtime,” in which Hulot is in Paris trying to contact a U.S. official.

On tap for Friday is 1958’s charming “Mon Oncle,” which won the Oscar for best foreign-language film and marked his first film in color. Following the screening is the L.A. premiere of the 2009 documentary “The Magnificent Tati,” as well as three short films starring Tati that he either co-wrote or directed, including 1936’s “Soigne Ton Gauche.”

Saturday’s double bill opens with the restored print of 1953’s “Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday,” Tati’s first film featuring Mr. Hulot, which finds the Frenchman causing chaos when he goes on vacation at a beach resort town. The second film is his first feature film, 1949’s “Jour de Fete,” in which he plays a mailman who is attempting to modernize delivery in his small town.

The festival ends Sunday with 1971’s “Traffic,” his last film as Hulot, and 1974’s rarely seen “Parade,” in which he plays a music-hall star. www.aerotheatre.com

Judy Holliday bill

The late great film comedian Judy Holliday didn’t make many movies, but those she did were choice. This Friday and Saturday, the New Beverly is showing two of her best, 1950’s “Born Yesterday,” for which she won the lead actress Oscar as Billie Dawn, the not-so-dumb-blond mistress of an uncouth and crooked tycoon (Broderick Crawford), and 1954’s “It Should Happen to You,” in which she plays a struggling actress who advertises herself on a billboard. Jack Lemmon made his film debut in the comedy. www.newbevcinema.com

susan.king@latimes.com