Films from the 1930s will be screened in the next edition of Flicks Cafe at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library.

The six films in the series approach the era in different ways. Some evade the poverty issues in comedies about wealthy sophisticates. One drama offers an unflinching adult view of a broken relationship. Another explores an abusive household from the perspective of a child. Two address social upheaval and dehumanizing treatment with humor and class.

Titles have been handpicked by library director David Clapp, who has reviewed more than 2,500 films for an Internet thread over the last seven years and has a collection exceeding 2,000 DVDs.

"Flick's Café is a great way to raise funds and awareness for the library's film collection," he said. "I am delighted to share my passion for the art of motion pictures for the enrichment of the library."

The downtown library auditorium, a.k.a. Flicks Café, will be accessed from the library's 11th Street entrance on Tuesday nights during the film series. The café setting allows movie patrons a relaxed comfortable seating arrangement.

Doors open at 6 p.m. for coffee and desserts. Films will begin at 6:30 p.m. after Clapp gives the audience a film review and the reasons he selected the film for inclusion in the Director's Cuts series.

Admission is a suggested $1 donation. Coffee and desserts will be priced separately. All proceeds will be used to buy new materials for the library's fine-arts collection.

For more information, call 757-5310.

SCHEDULE

* Tuesday: "Bringing Up Baby." Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, a brontosaurus skeleton, Asta the dog and a pet leopard are featured in this Howard Hawks comedy.

* July 28: "Dodsworth." An executive taking early retirement and his wife find new desires pulling them in different directions in this sophisticated international drama.

* Aug. 4: "Gold Diggers." Busby Berkeley addresses social change and the Depression with laughter, singing and dancing in this musical.

* Aug. 18: "The Childhood of Maxim Gorky." This Russian drama examines a famous writer's abusive family and the few loving adults who offered a path to freedom.

* Aug. 25: "Liberty for Us." Years before Chaplin made his comedy about industrialization, Rene Clair offered this lyrical tribute to the bounty of an unfettered life.

* Sept. 1: "Shall We Dance?" George Gershwin wrote the music for this grand Astaire & Rogers comedy about a ballet master who loves to tap and his pursuit of a musical comedy star.