television

FRIDAY

9 p.m.- The Cincinnati Kid. Norman Jewison's favorite of his own films, and quite likely his finest. Steve McQueen is the kid who forsakes love and security to challenge Edward G. Robinson's supremacy at five-card stud. This film is for poker what The Hustler was for pool, and powerful performances by McQueen, Robinson, Karl Malden, Joan Blondell, and Tuesday Weld overcome some weaknesses in the script. Despite this glittering cast, however, the entire show is stolen by a cameo appearance by the Jack of Diamonds. Channel 7.

9 p.m.-For those who like baseball better than poker, our Sox take on their Sox in Chicago. For those who may be unfamiliar with the Bosox broadcasting team, stay that way. Turn off the sound and just watch the game, as Dick Allen is a joy to watch even in silence. Channel 4.

SATURDAY

12:30 p.m.-Despite the fact that the world's finest male tennis players are embroiled in a labor dispute, Wimbledon tennis should bear watching, as the likes of Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, and Chrissie Evert battle it out. Take that, Bobby Riggs. Channel 4.

4 p.m.-The Informer. Victor McLaglen gives his Oscar-winning performance as the bumbling drunkard who has no place in the revolutionary schemes of the IRA. The strong visual compositions of John Ford are very much in evidence, and the sole disconcerting fact is that McLaglen reminds one of a combination of John Dean and Bart Porter, torn between their own stupidity and a misplaced sense of duty. Channel 56.

8 p.m. - Fred Wiseman Festival, showcasing the works of the Emmywinning cinema verite filmmaker. The first offering is Basic Training, a brutal examination of the life of an enlistee. The sound track consists primarily of grunts and groans, without narration. Channel 2.

SUNDAY

12 noon - The Last Angry Man. Paul Muni's last angry film, in which he gives a stirring portrayal of a doctor in a Brooklyn slum. Channel 12. if your set gets it.

1:30 p.m. - Funny Face. The incomparable Fred Astaire gliding through the world of high fashion photography with the effortless ease he made famous. Audrey Hepburn is his lovely leading lady, and George and Ira Gershwin set the musical mood as they did for Gene Kelly in American in Paris, which is slated for telecasting on Monday. Channel 10.

6 p.m. - The Mouse that Roared, classic Peter Sellers in three roles, classic British humor that ranges from the understated to the totally absurd. The scene of Sellers' army marching into an empty New York is not only very striking, but it makes one wonder if the right side won the American revolutionary war. Channel 56.

8 p.m. - Petrified Forest. Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, and Humphrey Bogart stuck in a cafe in the desert of Arizona, trying to steal scenes. A gripping, almost exhausting drama, with fine performances by all three. Channel 56.

9 p.m. - The Taming of the Shrew. Burton and Taylor in happier, if fatter, times. Franco Zefferelli directed this lush adaptation of the Shakespeare comedy, and the transition from stage to screen is a ribald, rousing success. The still beautiful Taylor and the seething, brutal Burton swagger through the film with consummate ease, and one suspects this is because they have played the same roles for real. Channel 5.

10:30 p.m. - Sherlock Holmes and The Voice of Terror. Holmes and Watson pursue Nazi spies and saboteurs across the face of Mother England. One of the better efforts in a good series of films, considering the fact that the producers generally took a few days to churn one out. Rathbone and Nigel Bruce have created excellent likenesses of the fabled duo, and despite the nonexistence of a Martha Hudson, the mysteries tend to work. Channel 56.

11:30 p.m. - Reverend Ike. Ike doesn't promise pie in the sky when you die. He gives it to you now, with ice cream on top. You can also get his address so you can get the success idea of the week. But if everybody has the same idea, you have to wonder about getting the pie at all. Channel 9.

MONDAY

10 p.m. - An American Family. Craig Gilbert and his camera crew were given permission to film the Loud family, sort of "Californian Kennedys", and the results are fascinating and controversial. According to the filmmakers, the footage was edited with no bias in mind, and it has been the reviewer's experience that the program brings out the worst in the viewer rather than in the subjects. Most of the episodes are dull when viewed separately, but the cumulative effects are devastating. This is a second chance to catch a truly experimental work, for what that is worth, but if you hated it the first time, miss it. Channel 2.

11:30 p.m. - An American in Paris. Gene Kelly doing his best to live up to the great Fred Astaire image, as he hoofs his way through Paris to the beat of George Gershwin. Leslie Caron, dark-haired version of Jeanne Moreau, made her debut in this highly honored film directed by Liza Minelli's daddy, Vincente. Channel 7.