FILM SNEAK PEEK LACMA EXTOLS CARY GRANT.

Byline: - Valerie Kuklenski

He was the sultan of smooth, the duke of debonair and, occasionally, the count of comedy.

``Tall, Dark and Handsome: Cary Grant on Film'' opens tonight at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art with a double bill of the drawing room comedy ``The Awful Truth'' followed by the offbeat comedy classic ``Arsenic and Old Lace.''

The Saturday-night features blend comedy and thrills in ``Charade'' with Audrey Hepburn and ``To Catch a Thief'' with Grace Kelly. The series, continuing through July 7, includes some of Grant's best comedies (``His Girl Friday,'' ``Bringing Up Baby'' and ``Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House''), adventures (``Only Angels Have Wings'' and ``Gunga Din'') and thrillers (``Notorious,'' ``Suspicion'' and ``North by Northwest'').

Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for seniors, students and museum and AFI members, and may be purchased at the museum (5905 Wilshire Blvd.) or in advance by calling [phone]. Information: [phone].

SHHHHHHHH!: There's an all-you-can-watch fest this weekend for silent film buffs.

The Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills has opened its ``Sounds of Silents'' festival of restored films, this weekend featuring King Vidor's ``The Crowd,'' which captures a common man's struggle with life in the big city.

Upcoming titles include Lon Chaney's 1925 rendering of ``The Phantom of the Opera''; Max Shreck in ``Nosferatu,'' the inspiration behind last year's ``Shadow of the Vampire''; Greta Garbo and John Gilbert steaming up the screen in ``A Woman of Affairs''; and ``The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,'' which made Rudolph Valentino an international star.

The films will be projected from speed-corrected digital video elements, with orchestral scores commissioned for the restorations. Admission is free to the museum at 465 N. Beverly Drive. Information: [phone] or go to www.mtr.org.

On Saturday at UCLA's Royce Hall, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra hosts its 12th annual silent film gala, this year featuring Mary Pickford and Buddy Rogers in ``My Best Girl.'' It will be shown with a D.W. Griffith short titled ``The New York Hat'' and a war-bond pitch starring Pickford. Newly restored prints will make their premieres at the gala.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. gala are $25 for general admission, $60 for priority seating and $225 for the show and the supper party afterward. Information: [phone], Ext. 275.

The Silent Movie Theatre (611 N. Fairfax Ave.) has evening and matinees shows of ``The Thief of Bagdad,'' starring Douglas Fairbanks wearing what appears to be every costume bauble from his mother's jewelry box. Tickets are $9 for general admission and $6 for children, college students and seniors. Information: [phone] or www.silentmovietheatre.com.

SELLERS MARKET: Peter Sellers and his diverse range of characters - bumbling detective, president, rocket scientist, Indian actor, eccentric pianist - are showcased in Laemmle Theatres' summer-long tribute, ``The Worlds of Peter Sellers.''

The films get their first run at the Sunset 5 (8000 W. Sunset Blvd.), beginning Saturday morning with ``The Smallest Show on Earth.'' They repeat the following week at the Monica 4-Plex (1332 Second St., Santa Monica).

The program includes ``The Mouse That Roared,'' ``The Pink Panther,'' ``Dr. Strangelove,'' ``The World of Henry Orient,'' ``The Party'' and ``What's New, Pussycat?'' Information: [phone] for Sunset 5, [phone] for Monica 4-Plex or www.laemmle.com.

'PLEASANTVILLE' PLAYS: ``Pleasantville,'' the 1998 film that used a gradual transition from black and white to color to tell its story of present-day teen-agers trapped in a '50s sitcom, will be shown Sunday as part of a salute to production designer Jeannine Oppewall.

The presentation by the Art Directors Guild's Film Society is being held at 5 p.m. at the Directors Guild Theatre, 7920 Sunset Blvd. Admission is free but reservations are recommended. Information: [phone].

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Grace Kelly and Cary Grant star in ``To Catch a Thief,'' playing Saturday at LACMA as part of a month-long salute to Grant.