Freewheeling series of bicycle shorts

Bike geeks and cineasts alert: "Bicycle Shorts," an eclectic collection of cycle-centric short films, will screen tonight at the Moore College of Art and Design, courtesy of Secret Cinema curator Jay Schwartz.

Schwartz, a collector who shows his rare celluloid on 16mm projectors - these are not DVDs or VHS or Blu-ray, please - has gathered educational films, an obscure animated Disney gem, a short 1960s narrative piece shot by Philly-raised cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (Zooey's dad), and other titles that celebrate the "wonderful invention" that is the bicycle.

That's Jiminy Cricket calling it wonderful, from "I'm No Fool With a Bicycle," a 1955 Technicolor ditty that combines a breezy history of the human-powered two-wheeler with important safety tips.

Safety also is the main concern of "The Day the Bicycles Disappeared," a 1967 mini-narrative in which a bunch of bikes boycott their kid riders until the youngsters learn how to be more responsible on the road.

A 1941 music video - er, "soundie" - of "A Bicycle Built for Two" has the Eton Boys crooning away in four-part harmony, riding tandems with their girlfriends as farmlands pass 'em by.

Schwartz, who rides a bike "for commuting and pleasure," will offer his own commentary. And Moore is launching a summer-long "Bicycle: people + ideas in motion" series of gallery exhibits. An opening reception for Ryan Humphrey's "Fast Forward" installation of more than 30 BMX bikes and Duchamp-inspired bicycle art precedes the Secret Cinema show.

Ryan Humphrey "Fast Forward" reception, 6 to 8 p.m. today. Free. "Bicycle Shorts" begins at 8 p.m. Admission: $7. Moore College of Art & Design, 20th and Race Streets. Phone: 215-965-4099. Secret Cinema Web site: www.thesecretcinema.com.EndText