March 29, 2009

Der Verlorene in London

On Tuesday, April 7, Der Verlorene – the only movie Peter Lorre directed, co-wrote (as an original screenplay, not a novel), and co-produced – will be shown in London at the Goethe-Institut, as part of the film series After the War, Before the Wall: West German Cinema 1945-60.

The Goethe-Institut is located at 50 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2PH.

Admission is £3.

The show will begin at 7 p.m.

For booking information, call +44 20 75964000.

The troubled making of Der Verlorene is documented in Chapter 8, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre by Stephen Youngkin through interviews he took with many who worked on the film before and behind the cameras.

Peter would no doubt be pleased by the attention Der Verlorene (which he translated as The Lost One) has received since the 1980s.

March 28, 2009

Library Presents Arsenic and Old Lace

On Sunday, Mar. 29, the Elmwood Park Public Library will be showing Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) at 1:30 p.m. in the Ferrentino Meeting Room, first floor.

The library is located at 4 W Conti Pkwy, Elmwood Park, IL 60707.

For more information, call Adult Services at (708) 395-1219.

March 23, 2009

A Sad Anniversary

On this date, 45 years ago, Peter Lorre died – a few months before his birthday in June. He was 59.

He was found in his nightclothes, lying on the floor near the window of the bedroom in his small apartment off Hollywood Blvd. Apparently, he had got up to close or open the window and suffered a massive stroke.

He passed without a will or making his final wishes known. He was in the process of divorcing his third wife, Annemarie, the mother of his 10-year-old daughter Catharine.

Two days later, on Mar. 25, Peter was prepared for burial at Pierce Brothers, directly across the street from the Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. Vincent Price, then in rehearsal for a guest spot on Red Skelton's TV variety show, got an extra hour off at lunch to deliver the eulogy. Red Skelton closed his show, and he and his cast and crew were among the many attending the funeral.

Peter was cremated and inurned privately at Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery. His niche is in Corridor C of the Alcove of Reverence, in the Abbey of the Psalms, located in the corner of the cemetery closest to Paramount Studios, where he once worked on the 1947 film My Favorite Brunette, with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.

Several rumors about Peter's ashes have been floating around the internet for years. That his urn was stolen is one of them. That Annemarie Lorre, who died in 1971 and was cremated, has her ashes comingled with Peter's. I asked his authorized biographer Stephen Youngkin about that. His response: "I'm sure Peter and Annemarie are in separate urns. So many crazy rumors. No one in the family ever mentioned the ashes being stolen. Not even Cathy."

Stephen's book The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre contains the full text of Peter's eulogy, as delivered by Vincent Price. It's a beautiful testament not only to Peter, but to all actors.

Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery is now known as Hollywood Forever. Tours of the cemetery and the graves of its many famous residents are regularly given by Karie Bible; her website Cemetery Tour gives information about times and prices.

You can leave "virtual" flowers for Peter at his entry on the Find A Grave website.

Rest in peace, Peter Lorre. "In the hearts of those who love you, you will live on."

Cinema Retro Reviews Lorre Bio

Canadian writer Harvey Chartrand will be reviewing the Lorre biography The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005) for Cinema Retro, a website and magazine for films and TV programs of the 1960s and '70s.

Titled "Peter Lorre: The Lost One Is Found", the review will include an interview with the book's author, Stephen Youngkin.

Look for more information on the publication date right here – on The Peter Lorre News Blog!

March 12, 2009

New Lorre Fanlist

A new Lorre fanlist is now available on-line – Sinister: The Peter Lorre Fanlisting. The site includes a biographical sketch, a list of Peter's films, Lorre icons, Lorre desktop wallpaper, and a member roster.

To learn more or join the group, click on the button above.

March 10, 2009

Peter at the Midtown Cinema

If you live in the Harrisburg, PA, area – or within an easy drive to Harrisburg – the Midtown Cinema will be showing The Maltese Falcon beginning Friday, March 13, as part of their recent classic film program.

Admission is $6 for adults.

Yahoo Movies has information on showtimes. Enter the theater's zip code – 17102 – in the "Browse by Location" box.

March 8, 2009

Peter on TCM in March and April, 2009

The Turner Classic Movies channel will be showing the following Lorre movies in March:
  • Mar. 5, Thursday – The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), 6:30 p.m. EST
  • Mar. 10, Tuesday – The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), 12:15 p.m. EST
  • Mar. 24, Tuesday – The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), 7:30 a.m. EST


And in April:
  • Apr. 17, Friday – The Maltese Falcon (1941), 8:00 p.m. EST
Plus – Apr. 15, Wednesday – The Shaggy D.A. (1976), 6:15 p.m. EST. Not exactly a "Peter Lorre" film, but in the "dog pound" sequence, there's a Boston terrier who sounds very much like Peter.

Enjoy!

March 7, 2009

Introduction

I first became a fan of Peter Lorre's in 1973.

It was easy back then to be a Lorre fan. Independent TV channels ran his movies all the time – although they were frequently cut to fit a particular time slot. And in northern California, there were plenty of "art houses" showing classic films.

These days, it's still possible to catch Lorre films such as The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca in theaters. (In fact, The Maltese Falcon was chosen as the first installment in 2008 of The Big Read.)

The Turner Classic Movies channel now runs many of the Lorre films formerly shown on independent stations. And a number of Peter's movies are now on DVD -- remastered, with extras such as audio commentaries, documentary features, and original theatrical trailers.

In this blog, I hope to alert Lorre fans to showings of his movies, as well as any other "Lorre" news.

Stay tuned!