‘Mann of the Shadows’ tribute to director Anthony Mann

Cinematheque’s “Mann of the Shadows” series will continue as a tribute to director Anthony Mann.

At 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, see Mann’s only 78-minute-long film “Raw Deal” (1948), then at 8:25 p.m. will be “T-Men” (1947).

In “Raw Deal,” Joe Sullivan, serving time for armed robbery, is torn between two women: the beautiful lawyer’s assistant, Ann, and his girlfriend, Pat. Broken out of prison and pursued by the sadistic Rick Coyle (Raymond Burr at his best), Joe flees west with both Ann and Pat in tow, his love for the one waxing as his love for the other wanes.

In “T-Men,” Treasury men Dennis O’Brien and Tony Genaro go undercover to root out the murderer of a fellow T-man. Their guide through the Los Angeles counterfeit underworld is The Schemer (Wally Ford), a pathetic figure possessed of a strange magnetism who meets his untimely demise in one of the most memorable death scenes in the history of cinema. For many, T-Men is the canonical Mann noir—and with good reason.

At 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, see “Border Incident,” which follows the semi-documentary and violent fictional narrative pattern of “T-Men.” Immigration officials Pablo Rodriguez (Ricardo Montalban) and Jack Bearnes (George Murphy) team up to investigate theft and violence in illegal border crossings. Rodriguez goes undercover, posing as a bracero, while Bearnes tracks his movements through the dark underworld of the U.S.-Mexican border — but both risk losing their lives when bracero-broker Owen Parkson takes the American agent prisoner.

At 8:40 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, “He Walked by Night” will be screened. A cop is killed in a robbery gone bad. Another is paralyzed when he tries to capture the killer. Many armed robberies and one chase through L.A.’s labyrinthine system of storm drains later, and the police are still no closer to capturing their man.

Films screen at UW Cinematheque 4070 Vilas Hall. Admission is free, and seating is limited.