“Summer Music & Movies: A Bit Wilder”

What better way to spend your Monday nights than in the dark with Billy Wilder? This summer’s Walker Art Center-run outdoor series gives due props to the Austrian expatriate, who died in March leaving behind one of Hollywood’s richest legacies. The six films here barely scratch the surface of his filmography. Besides familiar classics Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, and Double Indemnity, there’s also the Jimmy Cagney-led One, Two, Three, Wilder’s wry parody of Cold War capitalism. For a date movie, try Sabrina, which runs rings around the recent remake, despite the creepy age difference between Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn. In Kiss Me, Stupid, Dean Martin mocks his own celebrity image (on purpose this time, unlike much of the rest of his career) as a star stuck in a podunk town and besieged by would-be songwriter Ray Walston (My Favorite Martian). As for the music half of “Music & Movies,” the Walker’s winning equation couldn’t stretch any wider. The Twin Town’s contingent includes metalboyz Likehell, hip-hoppers Heiruspecs, and jazzbos Happy Apple. Black-Eyed Snakes (a side project of Low main man Alan Sparhawk) slithers though a Jon Spencer-style fuzzbox blues sound, while Kentucky natives Freakwater add a dash of alt-country to a traditional Appalachian folk set. Nabbing the prize for longest trek to Loring Park is West Africa’s Super Rail Band, led by Malian guitar god Djelimady Tounkara. Check the Walker website for specific acts, movies, and dates. Walker Art Center, (612) 375-7622, walkerart.org