December 26, 2014

Hitchcock Double Feature Includes Lorre in Raleigh, NC

Specializing in foreign and independent movies, the Colony Theater in Raleigh, North Carolina, presents an Alfred Hitchcock double feature of Peter Lorre’s The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) and Robert Donat’s The 39 Steps (1935) on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014.

The program begins at 7 pm.

Admission is $5 for all seats and includes both movies. Tickets may be purchased at the Colony box-office. Online ticketing is not available for the Colony.

The Colony is located in the Colony Shopping Center at 5438 Six Forks Road, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Parking is available in front of the theater in the shopping center’s parking lot.

For more information, please contact the cinema at (919) 847-5677.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin chronicles the making of The Man Who Knew Too Much through interviews with director Alfred Hitchcock and producer Michael Balcon. The British film kicked off Peter’s transition to English-language movies and led to a contract with Columbia Pictures, a transatlantic ocean voyage with new wife Celia Lovsky, and a long career in American movies, radio, and television.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available on both the Kindle and Nook, as well as hard-bound and soft-bound editions.

December 15, 2014

“Back for Christmas” with Peter Lorre on XM Radio

Merry Christmas from Sirius XM Radio – and Peter Lorre!

The Radio Classics channel, Channel 82 on the XM Radio dial, celebrates Christmas week with a number of Christmas-themed old-time radio shows – including Peter Lorre’s Suspense episode “Back for Christmas”.

“Back for Christmas” will air several times during the week of Dec. 21 to 27, 2014, including the following:

Sunday, Dec. 21, 2014:
  • 7:30 am Pacific, 10:30 am Eastern
  • 7:30 pm Pacific, 10:30 pm Eastern
Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014:
  • 9:30 pm Pacific, 12:30 am Eastern
Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014:
  • 7:30 am Pacific, 10:30 am Eastern
A full schedule of the week’s programming is available on host Greg Bell’s website.

“Back for Christmas” originally aired over CBS on Dec. 23, 1943. Peter plays Hubert Schumacher, a professor of botany who digs a Devil’s Garden as a bed for rare orchids in his cellar. While his overbearing wife Hermione plans their trip to America, Hubert makes plans of his own – involving a new Mrs. Schumacher and the disposal of Hermione.

Plans go awry . . . . on all fronts.

XM and Sirius radio subscribers may also listen to Suspense, “Back for Christmas”, over the internet. Log-in with your User ID and password. Not a subscriber? A free 30-day trial is also available through the XM radio website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the radio career of Peter Lorre. A complete-to-date list of Peter’s radio credits may be found in the book’s appendix.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available on both the Kindle and Nook, as well as hard-bound and soft-bound editions.

November 18, 2014

Peter Lorre on TV in November and December, 2014

In the final months of 2014, Peter Lorre fans have many movies to look forward to on television and Turner Classic Movies.

All times shown are Eastern Standard.

Peter Lorre's page on the TV Guide Channel website lists the Lorre films scheduled on various television channels over a 2-week period.



November, 2014
The highlight of November is the "There's No Place Like Hollywood" auction at Bonham's in New York City, featuring a number of famous props from Casablanca (1942) – including the letters of transit Ugarte (Peter Lorre) plans to sell to freedom-fighter Victor Lazlo (Paul Henreid) and the piano in Rick's Cafe Americain where Rick (Humphrey Bogart) hides the documents Ugarte leaves with Rick for safekeeping until his clients arrive.

Nov. 4 (Tues), 11 pm, Turner Classic Movies channel – My Favorite Brunette (1947). An evening of Bob Hope movies includes Hope as a baby photographer who dreams of being a hard-boiled detective like his neighbor Sam McCloud (Alan Ladd). Published in November is Richard Zoglin's book Hope: Entertainer of the Century (Nov. 4, 2014).

Nov. 8 (Sat), 8:15 am, TCM – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

Nov. 18 (Tues), 6 am, MGM channel – The Raven (1963).

Nov. 18 (Tues), 8 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942). A salute to Bonham's upcoming auction of movie props and costumes begins with Casablanca. Joining Robert Osborne in introducing the movie will be Dr. Gary Milan, current owner of the letters of transit and Sam's piano, two of the many items featured in the auction. Dr. Milan is also the former owner of the Maltese Falcon prop statuette, consigned in the November 2013 Hollywood auction at Bonham's.

Nov. 19 (Wed), 2:15 am, MGM channel – The Comedy of Terrors (1964).

Nov. 22 (Sat), 8:15 am, Encore Classic channel – The Patsy (1964).

Nov. 29 (Sat), 4:50 am, Encore Classic channel – The Patsy (1964).



December, 2014
December brings a variety of Lorre movies – horror, comedy, adventure.

Dec. 13 (Sat), 4:15 am, TCM – The Beast With Five Fingers (1946). One of Peter's final movies at Warner Bros. was a horror movie about a murderous severed hand on the loose in an isolated Italian villa.

Dec. 16 (Tues), 2:15 pm, TCM – The Constant Nymph (1943). "May / December Romance" is the daytime theme, as Joan Fontaine romances the older Charles Boyer – and Peter Lorre romances Brenda Marshall.

Dec. 30 (Tues), 8:30 am, TCM – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). Cary Grant is the December "Star of the Month" on the Turner Classic Movies channel, including this comedy classic as theater critic Grant discovers his two charming aunts have been carrying out mercy killings in their Brooklyn mansion – and burying their victims in the cellar.

Dec. 31 (Wed), 2:15 pm, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956). "Jules Verne Journeys" is the daytime theme and includes this all-star extravaganza as star David Niven travels around the Victorian world to win a bet. Ring out the old year with Peter as a Japanese steward – and a sword-wielding samurai warrior in the movie’s animated closing credits.



Many of these and other Lorre movies are now available on DVD and VHS – some remastered and packaged with extra features. For more information on the films of Peter Lorre released to home video, head on over to the DVD — VHS section of The Lost One website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of Peter’s movies, including interviews with many of the directors, writers, actors, and crew who worked with Peter. A complete list of Peter’s movies is available in the book’s Appendix. For more information on The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, please visit the book’s official website.

Happy viewing!

November 17, 2014

Peter Lorre at Los Angeles’ Skirball Cultural Center

The Skirball Cultural Center, in Los Angeles, California, features Lorre films Casablanca (1942) items on display and The Conspirators (1944) on-screen.

The exhibition “Light and Noir: Exiles and Emigres in Hollywood, 1933-1950” discusses those European actors, directors, writers, cinematographers, and more who escaped Adolf Hitler and the Nazis when they came to power and journeyed to Hollywood.

A major feature of the exhibit is Casablanca, whose cast is largely comprised of émigré actors – Peter Lorre, Paul Henreid, Conrad Veidt, Helmut Dantine, S.Z. Sakall, Marcel Dalio, and Madeleine LeBeau, among many others – as well as the director, Hungarian-born Michael Curtiz. Included are a variety of costumes, props from Rick’s Café Americain, film clips, and lobby cards and reviews published on the film’s release in November, 1942.

The exhibit runs from Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014, to Sunday, Mar. 1, 2015.

Complimenting the “Light and Noir” exhibit will be lectures, seminars, courses, and salons. From November, 2014, to February, 2015, the Skirball’s free “Classic Film” series will feature the work of emigres.

On the Skirball schedule will be The Conspirators (1944), Peter’s sixth movie with Sydney Greenstreet, and starring Paul Henreid, Hedy Lamarr, and Victor Francen. The Conspirators will be shown on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, at 1:30 pm.

Admission to the Skirball, including the exhibit “Light and Noir”, is $10 for adults; $7 for seniors 65 and older, as well as full-time students; and $5 for children ages 2 to 12. Admission is free for Skirball members, as well as children younger than 2 years old. On Thursdays, the Skirball is free for everyone.

Admission to The Conspirators, as well as any movie in the "Classic Film" series, is free for everyone.

The Skirball Cultural Center is located at 2701 North Sepulveda Boulevard, in Los Angeles, California.

Parking is available on-site in the North Lot, the northern underground parking garage located at the end of the Skirball’s main driveway. Parking is also available nearby in the East Lot, the eastern underground parking garage, located across Sepulveda Boulevard.

More information about parking and ticket prices, as well as directions, may be found on the Skirball website.

The Skirball Cultural Center may also be reached at (310) 440-4500.

November 14, 2014

Goethe-Institut Presents Lorre’s Der Verlorene

Peter Lorre’s first and only directorial effort Der Verlorene (1951) will be on-screen at the Anthology Film Archives in New York City on Friday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014. The screening is co-presented by the Goethe-Institut New York as part of the series “The Climate of Vienna – The Austrian Film Museum at Fifty”.

Der Verlorene will be shown at 9 pm on Friday, Nov. 14, and at 3 pm, on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014.

Der Verlorene will be preceded by These Are the Men (1943) an 11-minute film by Alan Osbiston and Dylan Thomas; and Eigruber-Audienz 1940 (1940), a 3-minute movie.

The “Climate of Vienna – The Austrian Film Museum at Fifty” will run from Nov. 12 to Nov. 16, 2014. Other films on the schedule are available on the Anthology Film Archives website.

Tickets are $10 for general admission, and $8 for students and seniors.

The Anthology Film Archives is located at 32 Second Avenue, in New York City, New York.

The archive is served by both subways and buses. Directions, as well as public transportation information, may be found on the archive’s website.

For more information, please call (212) 439-8700.

More information parking and ticket prices, as well as hours, may be found on the Goethe-Institut website.

In his book The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the troubled making of Der Verlorene (1951) in a full chapter, including interviews with actors and crew before and behind the cameras.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available for the Kindle and Nook, in addition to hard-bound and soft-bound editions.

October 31, 2014

Lorre Lovers, Spend Halloween with Peter

Peter Lorre fans will have an opportunity to catch Lorre comedy-horror films on screens large and small this Halloween season.




Tales of Terror at Richmond’s Poe Museum

The Poe Museum, in Richmond, Virginia, will kick off a Vincent Price weekend on Halloween night with a showing of Tales of Terror (1962).

Hosted by the actor’s daughter Victoria Price, “Pop Goes to the Movies” begins at 6 pm with a costume contest and a Poe Look-Alike Contest, both judged by Ms. Price and a panel of special guests. Tales of Terror will follow the contests, introduced by Ms. Price.

Admission for the evening is $20. The proceeds will benefit the Poe Museum’s education programming.

The Poe Museum is located at 1914-16 East Main Street, in the Shockoe Bottom district of Richmond, Virginia. Opened in The Old Stone House in 1922, the museum is just blocks from Edgar Allan Poe’s first home in Richmond, as well as his first job, the Southern Literary Messenger.

Free parking is available in the museum’s lot, as well as surrounding neighborhood streets.




Vincent Price Marathon on MGM-HD Television Channel

On Halloween, the cable TV channel MGM-HD will present “The Price of Fear”, a marathon of nine Vincent Price horror movies, including two films co-starring Peter Lorre and more comedy than horror – The Raven (1963) and The Comedy of Terrors (1964).

The festival begins at 11 am on Oct. 31 and includes the following movies:
  • 11 am – Theater of Blood
  • 1 pm – The Abominable Dr. Phibes
  • 3 pm – Dr. Phibes Rises Again
  • 4:50 pm – The Raven
  • 6:35 pm – The Pit and the Pendulum
  • 8:15 pm – The Haunted Palace
  • 10 pm – The Fall of the House of Usher
  • Midnight – The Masque of the Red Death
  • 2 am – The Comedy of Terrors



The cable television channel ME-TV will show Peter Lorre’s Route 66 episode, “Lizard’s Leg and Owlet’s Wing” at 3 am (EST) on Oct. 31.

Playing himself, Peter joined Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr in the episode.




When Peter Lorre died suddenly at age 59 on Mar. 23, 1964, Vincent Price was asked to deliver the eulogy at Peter’s memorial service, held at the Pierce Brothers Mortuary two days later on Mar. 25. As co-star with Peter on a total of five movies, beginning in the late 1950s, Price agreed.

The eulogy is printed in full in the final chapter of the Lorre biography The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, written by Stephen D. Youngkin.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available on the Kindle and Nook, as well as paperback and hard-cover editions.

October 29, 2014

M Onscreen at Houston’s 14 Pews

The independent venue 14 Pews, located in Houston, Texas, will present Peter Lorre and director Fritz Lang’s first sound movie M on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014.

The film will begin at 7:30 pm.

General admission to 14 Pews is $10 for all seats. Admission is free for all 14 Pews members.

14 Pews is located at 800 Aurora Street, in the East Sunset Heights area of Houston, Texas.

The venue is dedicated to the tradition of storytelling, as expressed through film, theater, music, dance, and the arts.

For more information, please call the venue at (281) 888-9677.

October 9, 2014

Aberdeen Cinema Presents M Oct 10-16, 2014

The Belmont Filmhouse in Aberdeen, Scotland, begins a week-long showing of Peter Lorre’s first sound movie M (1931) on Friday, Oct. 10, 2014, and ending Thursday, Oct. 16.

M will be shown on the following days and times.
  • Friday, Oct. 10 – 11 am
  • Saturday, Oct. 11 – 8:40 pm
  • Monday, Oct. 13 – 11 am
  • Tuesday, Oct. 14 – 8:40 pm
  • Wednesday, Oct. 15 – 3:15 pm
  • Thursday, Oct. 16 – 11 am
Admission for evenings and weekends is £9 for adults, £6 for concessions, and £5 for children 15 and under. For Belmont Filmhouse members, admission is £7.50 for adults and £4.50 for concessions.

Matinee prices are £7.50 for adults, £5.50 for concessions, and £5 for children 15 and under. For Belmont Filmhouse members, matinees are £6 for adults and £4 for concessions.

Admission to 11 am showings are £3.50 for all seats, and £1.50 for Belmont Filmhouse members.

More information about tickets is available on the cinema’s website.

Tickets may be purchased through the Belmont Filmhouse website or by calling the cinema at 01224 343 500. No booking fees are added to any online order.

The Belmont Filmhouse is located at 49 Belmont Street in Aberdeen, Scotland.

The cinema is well-served by public transportation. Parking is limited near the cinema. More information about public transportation may be found on the Belmont’s website.

October 2, 2014

The Maltese Falcon Kicks off N. Carolina Film Noir Fest

The North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina, will begin their film noir festival “Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know: The Unreliable Men of Film Noir” with a screening of Peter Lorre’s first Warner Bros. movie The Maltese Falcon (1941) on Friday, Oct. 3, 2014.

The Maltese Falcon begins at 8 pm in the Museum Auditorium, located in the East Building of the Art Museum. NCMA film curator Laura Boyes will introduce each film.

Admission for each movie is $7 for adults, and $5 for MCMA members, children age 7 to 18, and college students with ID. Series tickets are not available.

Tickets may be purchased through the North Carolina Museum of Art website. Click the green “Buy Tickets” button. Tickets purchased online may be printed at home or left for will-call at the auditorium. A fee will be added to each online order.

The festival will run from Friday, Oct. 3 to Friday, Nov. 21, 2014. The full schedule is available on the North Carolina Museum of Art website. All films will be shown in 35mm prints.

The North Carolina Museum of Art is located at 2110 Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Parking is available in the Blue Ridge Lot, on the right after entering the Museum complex. Additional parking is available behind the West Building, on the left after entering the Museum complex. More information about parking may be found on the museum website.

For more information, please contact the museum at (919) 839-6262.

September 29, 2014

Penn Cinema Monday Film Series Includes Casablanca

As part of their annual “Monday Night Movie” series at the Penn Cinema in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware, Casablanca (1942) will be shown Monday, Sept. 29, 2014.

The film begins at 7 pm in both locations, with an encore at 10 am on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at the Lititz theater.

Tickets are $10 for adults, and $8 for seniors and children.

Tickets may be purchased at each cinema’s box office before the show, as well as online through the Penn Cinema website, which opens to the Fandango site. A processing fee of $1.25 will be added to each online purchase.

The Penn Cinema in Lititz is located at 541 Airport Road, in Lititz, Pennsylvania. For more information, please call (717) 626-7720

The Penn Cinema in Wilmington is located at 401 S. Madison Street, in Wilmington, Delaware. For more information, please call (302) 656-4314.

The full schedule at the Lititz and Wilmington cinemas are available through each theater’s website.

Parking is available in each theater’s parking lot.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen Youngkin describes the making of Casablanca, Peter’s third movie with Humphrey Bogart and his fourth at the Warner Bros. studio. Not yet under contract with the studio, Peter claimed he made more money playing roulette on the “gambling room” set between takes than he did working before the cameras. But it was his performance in Casablanca that finally sold the Warner brothers on the idea of signing him to a contract.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available in both soft-bound and hardback editions, as well as the Kindle and Nook.

September 25, 2014

The Maltese Falcon Kicks off Seattle Film Noir Fest

Peter Lorre’s first Warner Bros. movie The Maltese Falcon (1941) kicks off the 37th annual film noir series “Live By Night” at the Seattle Art Museum on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014.

The movie begins at 7:30 pm in the Plestcheeff Auditorium.

Admission for the entire series is $68 for adults, and $63 for Seattle Art Museum members, as well as Film School, SIFF, SFI, and NWFF members.

A limited number of single-film tickets may be available on a first-come, first-served basis at 7:25 pm on the day of the show – for $8 cash or check at the auditorium door.

Tickets may be purchased through the Seattle Art Museum website. Tickets may be sent by eMail or left for will-call at the auditorium.

The festival ends Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014. The full schedule of nine movies is available on the Seattle Art Museum website. All films will be shown in 35mm prints.

The Seattle Art Museum is located at 1300 First Avenue, at the corner of First Avenue and Union Street, in Seattle, Washington.

Parking is available at the Russell Investment Center Garage, located at 1301 Second Avenue, in Seattle, Washington. Request a discount voucher for the garage at the Seattle Art Museum ticketing desk. More information about parking, as well as directions to the museum, may be found on the museum website.

For more information, please contact the museum at (206) 654-3100.

September 23, 2014

M Onscreen at ArcLight Cinemas

As part of their “International” series of movies made in Italy, France, Japan, New Zealand, Brazil, Germany, and China, the ArcLight Cinemas chain in southern California shines the spotlight on Peter Lorre’s first sound movie, the German classic M (1931), this week at the Beach Cities and La Jolla theaters.

Beach Cities will show M on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, at 7:45 pm.

La Jolla will show M on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 7:05 pm.

Admission is $15.50 for adults, $10.75 for children ages 1 to 12, and $12.50 for seniors age 60 and up. Infants under the age of 1 must be charged the full adult price of $15.50.

ArcLight members receive a discount on each ticket and may also use their free “ArcLight Presents” tickets for any film in the series.

Tickets may be purchased at the ArcLight Cinemas box office or through the automated ticket kiosks located in the cinema lobby. Tickets may also be purchased online through the ArcLight website. The ticket will be sent to you by eMail, or you can also retrieve the ticket from the ticket kiosk in the theater, using the same credit card used to purchase the ticket online.

The Beach Cities ArcLight is located at 831 S. Nash Street, in El Segundo, California. For more information, please call the cinema at (310) 607-9630.

The La Jolla ArcLight is located at 4425 La Jolla Village Drive, in San Diego, California. For more information, please call the cinema at (858) 768-7770.

Parking at both locations is available in the cinemas’ parking lots.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of M through interviews with director Fritz Lang. The Lost One is available in both hard-bound and soft-bound editions, as well as eBooks on the Kindle and Nook.

September 18, 2014

Film Noir Fest in Portland Includes Three Strangers

Peter Lorre fans attending the “Noir City Portland” festival this weekend at the Hollywood Theatre will have an opportunity to catch a 35mm print of Three Strangers on the screen of a classic 1920s movie theater on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014.

The festival will run from Friday, Sept. 19, to Sunday, Sept. 20. Eddie Muller, founder of the Film Noir Foundation, will host each movie in the festival. The complete schedule is available on the Hollywood Theatre website. "Noir City Portland" is sponsored by the Portland State University School of Theatre and Film.

Three Strangers will begin at 3 pm.

Admission is $8 for all seats. Discounted admission is available to all members of the Hollywood Theatre.

Tickets may be purchased at the box office, as well as on-line through the cinema’s website. To receive their discount on-line, Hollywood Theatre members must first log into their account.

The Hollywood Theatre is located at 4122 NE Sandy Boulevard, between NE Sandy Boulevard and NE 41st Place, in Portland, Oregon.

Parking is available on the streets near the cinema. Parking is also available nights and weekends in the lot at the Broadway Medical Clinic, located at 4212 NE Broadway Street in Portland.

The Hollywood Theatre is also well-served by public transportation. Directions to the theater, as well as information about parking and buses, may be found on the cinema’s website.

For film and event information, please contact the Hollywood Theatre at (503) 281-4215. For theater information, please call (503) 493-1128.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin describes the making of Three Strangers through interviews with director Jean Negulesco and Peter’s co-stars Geraldine Fitzgerald and Joan Lorring.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available in eBook editions for the Kindle and Nook, as well as hardbound and paperback.

September 15, 2014

Showcase Cinemas Present The Chase, Monday, September 15

The Showcase Cinemas chain kicks off their “Silver Screen Classics” series with The Chase (1946), on Monday, Sept. 15, 2014.

The movie begins at 1 pm.

Admission is $2 for all seats and at all locations. Included in the ticket price are a small popcorn and soda.

Cinemas participating in the Silver Screen Classics festival are located in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Ohio. A complete list of cinemas is available on the Showcase Cinemas website.

The film festival will run every Monday afternoon, from Sept. 15 to Oct. 27, except for the Columbus Day holiday on Oct. 13. The complete schedule is available on the Showcase Cinemas website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of The Chase, including an interview with Robert Cummings, who recounts his experiences working with Peter on the film.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available in hardbound and softbound editions, as well as the Nook and Kindle.

September 13, 2014

National Media Museum Screens M on Sept. 14

As part of their Film Extra series “Sunday School”, the National Media Museum in Bradford, England, will present Peter Lorre and director Fritz Lang’s first sound movie M on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014.

The program will begin at 10:30 am with film lecturer Keith Withall leading a discussion of Lang and Lorre. Refreshments will be provided.

Admission is £19.50, with £16 for concessions, including children under 15, seniors over 60, students, and adults receiving income support or disability benefits. Museum Members can receive a discount of 10%.

Tickets may be booked by telephoning the box office at 0844-856-3797 during the regular business hours of 8:30 am to 8:30 pm. Tickets may also be booked through the National Media Museum website. A fee of £1 will be charged for any on-line bookings.

The National Media Museum is located on Prince’s Way, in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in England. Directions and maps, as well as information on public transportation, are available on the museum’s website.

Parking is available on Sharpe Street and Radwell Drive, behind the museum. More information on parking is available on the museum’s website.

September 5, 2014

Restored M on Tour in Great Britain, September to December, 2014

Peter Lorre fans in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland will have an opportunity to catch a restored print of M (1931), making its way around Great Britain beginning Friday, Sept. 5 until December, 2014.

TLEFilms Film Restoration and Preservation Services (Berlin) has been involved in the restoration, in association with CNC – Archives francaises du film.

Participating venues include:

British Film Institute Southbank – Friday, Sept. 5, to Tuesday, Oct. 7.
The BFI in London, England, will show M as part of a 22-film Peter Lorre festival, noting the 50th anniversary of Peter’s death on Mar. 23, 1964. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the BFI website. The BFI is located on Belvedere Road on the South Bank of the Thames and is well-served by public transportation. Directions to the BFI are available on the BFI website.

Curzon Mayfair – Friday, Sept. 5, to Thursday, Sept. 11.
The Curzon cinema in the Mayfair borough of London will present matinee showings of M at 11:15 am and 12:15 pm. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the Curzon website. The Curzon Mayfair is located at 38 Curzon Street. The nearest underground stations are Green Park and Hyde Park Corner (exit 3).

Rio Dalston – Friday, Sept. 5 to Wednesday, Sept. 10.
The Rio Cinema, a classic movie theater outside central London, will present matinee and evening showings of M. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the Rio website. The Rio Cinema is located at 107 Kingsland High Street, at the corner of John Campbell Road, in London E8. Directions to the Rio, as well as public transportation options, may be found on the Rio website. Click the menu option “information”.

Irish Film Institute – Friday, Sept. 5, to Thursday, Sept. 11.
The IFI in Dublin, Ireland, will present late afternoon and early evening showings of M. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the IFI website. On Tuesday, Sept. 23, M will be featured in The Critical Take, the IFI’s free film club. On the panel will be IFI Film Shop manager Gerard Sweeney; Le Cool Dublin’s Amy O’Connor; and Eilieen Culloty, Film studies PhD Student at Dublin City University. The program will begin at 6:30 pm. The Critical Take event is free and open to everyone, but tickets must be booked in advance through the IFI box office at 01 679 3477 or by eMail to boxoffice@irishfilm.ie. The IFI is located at 6 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, in Dublin, Ireland. More information may be found on the IFI website.

Glasgow Film Theatre – Sunday, Sept. 7 to Tuesday, Sept. 9.
The Glasgow Film Theatre, in Glasgow, Scotland, will present afternoon and evening showings of M. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the GFT website. The Glasgow Film Theatre is located at 12 Rose Street, just off Sauchiehall Street in the center of Glasgow. Information about public transportation may be found on the GFT website.

New Park Chichester – Sunday, Sept. 14 only.
The Chichester Cinema, in Chichester, West Sussex, will present M at 8:15 pm. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the cinema’s website. The Chichester Cinema at New Park is located in the New Park Road, in Chichester, West Sussex, England. Directions may be found on the cinema’s website.

Errol Flynn Filmhouse – Sunday, Sept. 21 only.
The Errol Flynn Filmhouse, in Northampton, England, will present M at 2 pm. Tickets may be purchased through the Errol Flynn website. Named after the famous American swashbuckling star Errol Flynn, the cinema features leather seats and side tables from Norway and a variety of upscale snacks and drinks, such as marbled chocolate almonds and loose-leaf tea, in addition to wine and spirits. The Errol Flynn Filmhouse is located off Derngate, in Northampton, England. Directions and information about parking may be found on the Errol Flynn website.

Stamford Arts Centre – Sunday, Oct. 5 only.
The Stamford Arts Centre, in Stamford, England, will present M at 1 pm. Tickets may be purchased through the theater’s website. The historic Stamford dates back to the 1700s and presents live stage shows as well as film. The Tourist Information Centre is also located in the Stamford, providing information on local restaurants, lodging, and sightseeing, as well as a gift shop. The Stamford Arts Centre is located at 27 St. Mary’s Street, in Stamford, England. Maps and directions may be found on the theater’s website.

Clwyd Theatr Cymru – Thursday, Oct. 16 only.
The Clwyd Theatr Cymru, in Mold, North East Wales, will present M at 8 pm. Tickets may be purchased through the theater’s website. The Clwyd Theatre Cymru is located on Raikes Lane, in Mold, Flintshire, Wales. Directions, as well as information about public transportation, are available on the theater website.

Filmhouse Edinburgh – Friday, Oct. 17 to Monday, Oct. 20.
The Filmhouse Edinburgh , in Edinburgh, Scotland, will present M. Tickets may be purchased through the theater’s website. The Filmhouse Edinburgh is located at 88 Lothian Road, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The building once housed a church and was taken over in 1978 and adapted to a three-screen theater. Directions, as well as information about public transportation, are available on the theater website.

Cornerhouse Manchester – Sunday, Nov. 30, and Wednesday, Dec. 3.
The Cornerhouse, in Manchester, has scheduled M for two showings only. As of this writing, information about the film is not available on the venue’s website. The Cornerhouse is located at 70 Oxford Street, next door to the Oxford Road Railway Station, in Manchester, England. Directions and information about public transportation are available on the Cornerhouse website.

Several cinemas in Great Britain, including many in the Picture House chain, will present a one-day only showing of M on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014:
In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of M, including an interview with director Fritz Lang. The Lost One is available in both hard-back and soft-bound, as well as the Kindle and Nook.

September 2, 2014

Buffalo Film Seminar Screens M on Sept. 2, 2014

As part of the Buffalo Film Seminars series, Peter Lorre’s first sound movie M will be shown at the Amherst Theatre in Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014.

Presented by the University at Buffalo, the program will begin at 7 pm with an introduction by Diane Christian and Bruce Jackson, who also lead a discussion with the audience following the movie.

Handouts with production details, anecdotes and critical comments about each week's film on goldenrod paper are available in the theatre lobby 45 minutes before each session. The Goldenrod handouts are posted online one day before the screening.

Tickets are $9.50 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $7.50 for students and children.

Tickets may be purchased on-line through the Amherst website. Click the “Buy Tickets” button. Tickets may also be purchased at the theater’s box office.

The Amherst Theatre is located at 3500 Main Street, in the Tops University Plaza, in Buffalo, New York. Directions may be found on the cinema’s website.

Ample parking is available near the theater in the Tops University Plaza.

August 30, 2014

Around the World in 80 Days in Silver Spring Aug. 31

Peter Lorre fans in the Silver Spring, Maryland, area will have an opportunity for a unique experience this weekend – Around the World in 80 Days (1956) as an original 70mm print, bringing to a close Part 3 of a special series “70mm Spectacular” at the AFI Silver Theatre on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014.

The movie will begin at 1 pm.

Tickets are $12 for general admission; $10 for seniors 65 years and older, students, and the military (with proper ID); and $7 for children 12 and under. For AFI members Two-Star level and higher, admission is $8.50. AFI Member Passes will also be accepted.

Tickets for may be reserved on-line through the AFI Silver website. Click the “Buy Tickets” button, then ensure the title Around the World in 80 Days appears at the top of the page. Click the show date and time. Tickets reserved on-line must be claimed at the box office with the same credit card used to make the reservation. The AFI Silver accepts American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards.

Tickets may also be purchased at the AFI Silver box office, which opens 30 minutes before the first film of the day.

The AFI Silver Theatre is located at 8633 Colesville Road, at the intersection of Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue, in Silver Spring, Maryland. Directions to the cinema may be found on the AFI Silver website.

Parking is available in several public parking decks close to the theater. Most convenient is the Wayne Avenue garage, located at 921 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. Parking at the Wayne Avenue garage is free on weekends and after 8 pm on weekdays. More information on parking can be found on the AFI Silver website, under Parking.

Peter Lorre was among the dozens of Hollywood stars appearing in cameos throughout Around the World in 80 Days. Peter enters the story about 90 minutes into the film, as a Japanese steward aboard a steamship bound for Yokohama. An animated Peter also appears in the movie’s closing credits, as a samurai wielding a sword.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of Around the World in 80 Days. The Lost One is available in soft-bound and hard-back editions as well as the Nook and Kindle.

August 17, 2014

Peter Lorre Film Festival at the BFI

Fifty years ago this year, Peter Lorre passed away on Mar. 23, 1964, just a few months shy of his 60th birthday.

The British Film Institute Southbank, in London, England, plans to remember the anniversary with a Peter Lorre Film Festival of 22 movies, over five weeks, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 2 and ending on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014.

The films to be shown include M, F.P. 1 antwortet nicht, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Mad Love, Crime and Punishment, Secret Agent, Think Fast, Mr. Moto, Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation, Strange Cargo, Stranger on the Third Floor, The Face Behind the Mask, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Mask of Dimitrios, Arsenic and Old Lace, Black Angel, The Verdict, The Beast with Five Fingers, My Favorite Brunette, Der Verlorene, Beat the Devil, Silk Stockings, and The Raven.

The BFI will present a print of M restored by TLEFilms Film Restoration and Preservation Services, in association with CNC – Archives françaises du film.

On Friday, Sept. 12, a special paid Seniors’ matinee of M will be shown at 2 pm. The screening will be introduced and discussed by filmmaker and former head of BFI Production Mamoun Hassan, whose article on director Fritz Lang is available through the BFI website.

Movies in the Lorre festival will be shown more than once, and the restored M will be shown throughout the festival.

The schedule:
  • Sept. 2, Tues – F.P. 1 antwortet nicht, 8:40 pm

  • Sept. 3, Wed – Double feature: Mad Love and The Face Behind the Mask, 6 pm
  • Sept. 3, Wed – The Man Who Knew Too Much, 8:50 pm

  • Sept. 5, Fri – Crime and Punishment, 6:10 pm
  • Sept. 5, Fri – M, 6:20 pm and 8:40 pm
  • Sept. 5, Fri – Secret Agent, 8:45 pm

  • Sept. 6, Sat – M, 3:50 pm and 6:20 pm
  • Sept. 6, Sat – F. P. 1 antwortet nicht, 4 pm
  • Sept. 6, Sat – The Man Who Knew Too Much, 6:10 pm
  • Sept. 6, Sat – Casablanca, 8:45 pm

  • Sept. 7, Sun – Mr. Moto double feature: Think Fast, Mr. Moto and Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation, 3 pm
  • Sept. 7, Sun – M, 4 pm and 6:30 pm
  • Sept. 7, Sun – Double feature: Mad Love and The Face Behind the Mask, 5:30 pm
  • Sept. 7, Sun – Stranger on the Third Floor, 8:45 pm

  • Sept. 8, Mon – M, 6:20 pm and 8:40 pm

  • Sept. 9, Tues – M, 6 pm and 8:40 pm
  • Sept. 9, Tues – Strange Cargo, 6:30 pm

  • Sept. 10, Wed – M, 6:20 pm and 8:40 pm
  • Sept. 10, Wed – Crime and Punishment, 8:30 pm

  • Sept. 11, Thurs – M, 6:20 pm and 8:30 pm
  • Sept. 11, Thurs – Secret Agent, 6:30 pm
  • Sept. 11, Thurs – The Maltese Falcon, 8:45 pm

  • Sept. 12, Fri – Mr. Moto double feature: Think Fast, Mr. Moto and Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation, 8:20 pm

  • Sept. 13, Sat – M, 3:45 pm, 6:10 pm, and 8:30 pm
  • Sept. 13, Sat – The Mask of Dimitrios, 4 pm
  • Sept. 13, Sat – Stranger on the Third Floor, 6:20 pm

  • Sept. 14, Sun – M, 4 pm
  • Sept. 14, Sun – Strange Cargo, 8:20 pm

  • Sept. 15, Mon – M, 6:20 pm
  • Sept. 15, Mon. – Arsenic and Old Lace, 8:40 pm

  • Sept. 16, Tues – M, 6:10 pm

  • Sept. 17, Wed – Arsenic and Old Lace, 8:40 pm
  • Sept. 17, Wed – M, 8:45 pm

  • Sept. 18, Thurs – M, 6:10 pm
  • Sept. 18, Thurs – Black Angel, 6:30 pm
  • Sept. 18, Thurs – The Mask of Dimitrios, 8:45 pm

  • Sept. 19, Fri – The Maltese Falcon, 6:30 pm

  • Sept. 20, Sat – Casablanca, 4 pm
  • Sept. 20, Sat – M, 8:40 pm

  • Sept. 21, Sun – M, 8:45 pm

  • Sept. 22, Mon – M, 6:20 pm and 8:40 pm

  • Sept. 23, Tues – M, 6:20 pm
  • Sept. 23, Tues – Black Angel, 8:45 pm

  • Sept. 24, Wed – M, 6:20 pm
  • Sept. 24, Wed – The Verdict, 8:45 pm

  • Sept. 26, Fri – M, 6:20 pm and 8:40 pm

  • Sept. 27, Sat – M, 3:50 pm

  • Sept. 28, Sun – M, 3:50 pm
  • Sept. 28, Sun – The Verdict, 6:30 pm

  • Sept. 29, Mon – The Beast with Five Fingers, 8:40 pm

  • Sept. 30, Tues – M, 8:45 pm

  • Oct. 1, Wed – My Favorite Brunette, 6:30 pm
  • Oct. 1, Wed – M, 8:45 pm

  • Oct. 2, Thurs – Silk Stockings, 8:40 pm

  • Oct. 3, Fri – Der Verlorene (The Lost One), 6:30 pm
  • Oct. 3, Fri – The Beast with Five Fingers, 8:40 pm
  • Oct. 3, Fri – Silk Stockings, 8:40 pm

  • Oct. 4, Sat – Beat the Devil, 4:30 pm
  • Oct. 4, Sat – The Raven, 6:30 pm
  • Oct. 4, Sat – M, 8:40 pm
  • Oct. 4, Sat – Der Verlorene, 8:45 pm

  • Oct. 5, Sun – M, 3:50 pm
  • Oct. 5, Sun – My Favorite Brunette, 6:30 pm
  • Oct. 5, Sun – Silk Stockings, 6:20 pm

  • Oct. 6, Mon – Beat the Devil, 8:45 pm

  • Oct. 7, Tues – Silk Stockings, 6:20 pm
  • Oct. 7, Tues – The Raven, 8:45 pm
  • Oct. 7, Tues – M, 8:50 pm
Admission is open to non-members of the BFI, as well as members. Non-members will be charged a per-ticket booking fee of £1 for each ticket sold, to a maximum of £3 per transaction.

Weekday matinee (before 5 pm) prices are £6.60 for BFI members, £8.25 for non-members, and £6 for children 16 and under.

Evening and weekend prices are £10.45 for BFI members, £12.10 for non-members, and £6 for children 16 and under. For senior citizens, students, unwaged and disabled visitors who are also BFI members, admission is £7.70, and for non-members £9.35.

More information about ticket prices may be found on the BFI website.

Tickets may be purchased through the BFI box office, located in the main foyer. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the BFI website. From the Peter Lorre festival page, click the “Buy” button. A Booking Fee will be added to all on-line purchases.

The BFI is located on Belvedere Road, on the South Bank of the Thames in London, England. Directions to the BFI are available on the cinema’s website.

Parking is available at the Hayward Gallery, National Theatre, and Jubilee Gardens. The BFI is also well served by public transportation. The closest underground station is Waterloo. Exit Waterloo by the South Bank exit. More information about public transportation is available on the cinema’s website.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin recounts the life and career of Peter Lorre through the recollections of family members, friends, directors, fellow actors, and crew on film, stage, radio, and television – recollections that shed light on Lorre’s childhood, his early days in theater, his career on film, radio and television, and his sad final days.

The Lost One is available in hard-back, soft-bound, and eBook editions for the Kindle and Nook.

August 13, 2014

Lorre Co-Star Lauren Bacall Passes

Lauren Bacall passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2014. She was 89 years old. She is the most recent of Peter Lorre’s fellow actors to reach the end of life. But if not for Peter Lorre, Ms. Bacall might never have married Humphrey Bogart, the leading man of her life and her first movie, To Have and Have Not (1944).

Bogie was one of Peter’s two closest friends (the other was German playwright Bertolt Brecht), and he was worried about the 25-year age difference between himself and the woman he was falling in love with. “She’s just a kid,” Bogie told Peter. “It will never last.”

Said Peter, “So what’s the difference? Five good years is better than none.”

Bogie took the advice. In 1945, Bogie and Bacall married, had two children, and a very happy life to Bogart’s death in 1957.

The new Mrs. Humphrey Bogart then worked with Peter in the spy thriller Confidential Agent (1945), starring Charles Boyer. It was Lauren Bacall’s third movie, her second released.

In an interview with film historian Leonard Maltin, Ms. Bacall said of Peter, “Funny, very analytical. A very complicated, fascinating man.”




Other Peter Lorre Co-Stars . . .

Robin Williams – Actor-comedian Robin Williams passed on Aug. 11, 2014. He never worked with Peter Lorre, but as he revealed in a TV Guide interview during his Mork and Mindy days in the late 1970s and early ‘80s, Peter was one of his favorite actors. An imitation of Peter was part of Williams’ comedy act. In the animated film Aladdin (1992), Williams as the genie uses Lorre’s voice to explain to Aladdin one of the rules about making wishes – “I can’t bring back the dead.”

Joan Lorring – Actress Joan Lorring passed on May 30, 2014. Ms. Lorring was unique among Peter’s co-stars. In two movies for Warner Bros. – Three Strangers (1945) and The Verdict (1946) – she played Peter’s love interest.

Peter was not considered a leading man in Hollywood. Standing only five feet, five inches, he had large eyes and a soft, nasal voice, not the attributes of a typical Hollywood lover in films of the 1930s and 1940s. where Clark Gable and Cary Grant set audience expectations. And though he was more than capable of carrying a movie on his own, he was usually cast in a secondary role.

But like several of the actresses who worked with Peter, Joan Lorring found she was not immune to his charms. Admitting in interviews she developed a crush on the actor and started wearing short skirts more often to the studio, slacks less often, she added, “I can’t tell you how that looked!”

Mickey Rooney – Child star and long-time movie favorite Mickey Rooney passed on Apr. 6, 2014. Rooney co-starred with Peter in the independent movie Quicksand (1950).

Oswald Morris – Award-winning British cinematographer Oswald Morris passed on Mar. 17, 2014. Morris was the cinematographer on Beat the Devil (1954), Peter Lorre’s final movie with his old friend Humphrey Bogart and his first Warner Bros. director John Huston.

Joan Fontaine – Actress Joan Fontaine passed on Dec. 15, 2013. She first appeared with Peter Lorre in the Warner Bros movie The Constant Nymph (1943), playing the younger sister of Brenda Marshall, who loves and marries Peter’s character, Fritz Bercovy. Long tied up in legal problems, The Constant Nymph now plays regularly on the Turner Classic Movies channel. Years later, in the early 1960s, Ms. Fontaine co-starred with Peter in the 20th Century-Fox film Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).

Richard Matheson – Screenwriter and author of numerous mystery and suspense works, Richard Matheson passed on June 23, 2013. Matheson wrote the scripts for several of Peter’s movies at American International Pictures in the early 1960s: Tales of Terror (1962), The Raven (1963), and The Comedy of Terrors (1964).

Annette Funicello – Mouseketeer, singer, and co-star with Frankie Avalon in the “Beach Party” movie series at American International Pictures, Annette Funicello passed on April 8, 2013. The second entry in her popular “Beach” movies was one of Peter’s final films. Muscle Beach Party (1964) was playing in theaters the day newspapers carried Peter’s obituary on Mar. 23, 1964.

Turhan Bey – Actor Turhan Bey passed on Sept. 30, 2012. In Background to Danger (1943), he had only one scene with Peter, as George Raft’s associate who joins Raft at the Zaleshoffs’ hide-out.

Andy Williams – Singer Andy Williams passed on Sept. 25, 2012. He and his three older brothers formed a quartet called the Williams Brothers and, in the late 1940s, began working in nightclubs with singer Kay Thompson. Billed as “Kay Thompson and the Williams Brothers”, the group appeared on Bing Crosby’s radio show, Philco Radio Time, on Nov. 12, 1947. Peter Lorre was Bing’s special guest that week.

Tony Martin – Singer and actor Tony Martin passed on July 27, 2012. Martin played thief Pepe Le Moko to Peter’s Inspector Slimane in the Universal Studio musical Casbah (1948).

His beloved wife, dancer Cyd Charisse, passed years earlier on June 17, 2008. She appeared with Peter in his only singing-and-dancing role in the Fred Astaire musical Silk Stockings (1957) for MGM.

Mike Wallace – Reporter Mike Wallace passed on April 7, 2012. Host of the 30-minute TV show The Mike Wallace Interview, Wallace interviewed Peter on March 8, 1960.




In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, author Stephen D. Youngkin interviewed many of people who knew and worked with Peter. Joan Lorring, Tony Martin, Oswald Morris, and Richard Matheson all shared their memories of Peter on-set.

The Lost One is available in soft-bound and hard-back editions, as well as the Kindle and Nook.

August 12, 2014

Arsenic and Old Lace On-Screen in El Paso, Texas

Peter Lorre fans attending the Plaza Classic Film Festival, in El Paso, Texas, will have the opportunity to enjoy Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014, at the Kendle Kidd Performance Hall.

The movie will begin at 4 pm, with a musical selection on the restored Mighty Wurlitzer organ by one of the talented volunteer organists. Doors will open 20 to 30 minutes before show time.

Admission for Arsenic and Old Lace is $6. All seats are General Admission. Tickets may be purchased at the Plaza Theatre box office, located right outside the Plaza Theatre. Tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster or through the festival website, which also links to Ticketmaster. Click on the “BUY TICKETS” button on the Arsenic and Old Lace page. Please note – Ticketmaster will add a service fee to the price of the ticket.

Festival Passes are also available for $200. Festival Passes includes admission to every movie shown during the film festival, as well as Festival special events and discounts to nearby restaurants. Passes may be purchased at the box office, as well as online through Ticketmaster.

The Kendle Kidd Performance Hall is located inside the historic Plaza Theatre. The Plaza Theatre, which opened in 1930, is located at 125 Pioneer Plaza, in El Paso, Texas.

Parking is available at several parking garages close to the Plaza Theatre. The closest is the Mills Plaza Parking Garage, located at 445 N. Oregon Street.

Now in its seventh year, the Plaza Classic Film Festival runs from Thursday, Aug. 7, to Sunday, Aug. 17. The full schedule is available on the festival website.

Special guests at the festival include classic film and television actors Shirley Jones and Robert Wagner, as well as other filmmakers, writers, and directors. The complete guest list may be found on the festival website.

Can’t make it to El Paso? Arsenic and Old Lace will also be shown on Wednesday, Aug. 13 – on the small screen, as the Turner Classic Movies channel presents “Cary Grant Day” during its annual “Summer Under the Stars” film festival. The movie begins at 2:45 pm, Eastern Standard Time.

August 3, 2014

Peter Lorre on TV This Fall

As summer turns to fall, Peter Lorre fans have much to look forward to on television and Turner Classic Movies, including the annual "Summer Under the Stars" festival and Halloween.

All times shown are Eastern Standard.

Peter Lorre's page on the TV Guide Channel website lists the Lorre films scheduled on various television channels over a 2-week period.



August, 2014

August brings TCM’s annual “Summer Under the Stars” festival – a full day of movies featuring a particular actor. Although Peter Lorre is not one of the Stars this year, some of his co-workers are so honored.

Aug. 2 (Sat), 10 pm, Turner Classic Movies channel – Around the World in 80 Days (1956). “David Niven Day” includes this Best Picture Oscar winner about a Victorian gentleman (Niven) and his gentlemen’s gentleman (Cantinflas) and their trip around the world to win a wager. Peter plays a Japanese steward – and he is also a delight in the film’s closing animated credits.

Aug. 12 (Tues), midnight, TCM – The Constant Nymph (1943). On “Alexis Smith Day”, Alexis Smith romances star Charles Boyer – and Peter Lorre romances Brenda Marshall.

Aug. 13 (Wed), 2:45 pm, TCM – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). “Cary Grant Day” includes this dark comedy involving two sweet little old ladies and their “charity” of helping lonely old gentlemen to find peace – by serving them a glass of very poisonous elderberry wine. Among their house guests – a murderer (Raymond Massey) on the run from police, and his personal plastic surgeon, Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre).

Aug. 20 (Wed), 2:30 am, Antenna TV channel – Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "Man From the South" (Mar. 30, 1960).

Aug. 24 (Sun), 8 pm, TCM – The Maltese Falcon (1941). “Gladys George Day” includes this Humphrey Bogart film noir classic, with Gladys George as Iva Archer, Bogart’s lover and wife of his partner Miles Archer. Many “firsts” for Peter Lrore – first movie at Warner Bros., first of five movies with pal Bogart, and first of nine movies with Sydney Greenstreet.



September, 2014

September brings a a couple of Lorre movies – a musical and an adventure. Two other Lorre films originally on the schedule – Background to Danger (1943) and Confidential Agent – have been removed for a day-long tribute to Lauren Bacall, who passed on Aug. 12, 2014, at the age of 89.

Sept. 3 (Wed), noon, TCM – Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956). The daytime theme is “September Romance”, and in this romance between a ballerina (Cyd Charisse) and a rancher (Dan Dailey), Peter has a cameo role as a blackjack player.

Sept. 8 (Mon), 4 am, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956). A day of Beatrice Lillie movies ends with her cameo as the leader of a group of London Revivalists in this all-star extravaganza, which includes Peter as a Japanese steward.

Sept. 19 (Fri), 11:40 am and 9:35 pm, Retro Channel – Tales of Terror (1962).

Sept. 20 (Sat), 9:50 am and 4:35 pm, Multiplex Channel – The Patsy (1964).



October, 2014

October means Halloween – and although Peter Lorre made only two straight horror movies in his career, one of them will be shown this month, along with several other Lorre movies, including four of the five films he made with Humphrey Bogart.

Oct. 3 (Fri), TCM – Turner Classic Movies shines the Friday Night Spotlight on movies set in Africa with this "sub-theme" – Bogart in Africa – and a Bogart-Lorre double-feature of Beat the Devil (1953) at midnight, followed by Casablanca (1942) at 2 am.

Oct. 6 (Mon), 3 am, ME-TV – Route 66, "Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing" (Oct. 26, 1962). A Halloween episode with Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and Lon Chaney playing themselves.

Oct. 7 (Tues), 7:30 am, TCM – The Maltese Falcon (1941). The Bogart-Lorre fest continues with their first movie together, directed by John Huston, who also directed their final movie together, Beat the Devil. The daytime theme is "Fatal Attractions".

Oct. 11 (Sat), 11 am, Antenna TV channel – The Jack Benny Program (Jan. 22, 1963). In the 1940s, Peter guest-starred several times on Jack Benny's radio show, but this is his first and only appearance on Jack's TV show.

Oct. 14 (Tues), 2:20 pm, Retro channel – The Patsy (1964).

Oct. 15 (Wed), 7:15 am, Retro channel – The Patsy (1964).

Oct. 23 (Thurs), 9 am, TCM – All Through the Night (1942). Bogie and Peter team up again, though working against each other, in this comic spy film from Warner Bros – in a daytime theme of "Spies Like Us".

Oct. 24 (Fri), 7:45 am, TCM – The Constant Nymph (1943). "May-December Romance" is the daytime theme, with this story of Joan Fontaine in love with Charles Boyer – while her sister Brenda Marshall is loved and romanced by Peter Lorre.

Oct. 25 (Sat), 4:30 pm, TCM – Mad Love (1935). Peter Lorre made his American film debut with this horror movie from MGM about a brilliant surgeon driven made by the unrequited love he feels for a theater actress (Frances Drake) married to a concert pianist and composer (Colin Clive).



Many of these and other Lorre movies are now available on DVD and VHS – some remastered and packaged with extra features. For more information on the films of Peter Lorre released to home video, head on over to the DVD — VHS section of The Lost One website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of Peter’s movies, including interviews with many of the directors, writers, actors, and crew who worked with Peter. A complete list of Peter’s movies is available in the book’s Appendix. For more information on The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, please visit the book’s official website.

Happy viewing!

August 2, 2014

Casablanca at the Paramount

The annual classic film festival at the Paramount Theatre has been an Austin, Texas, tradition for 39 years, and this weekend, the historic cinema presents two Summer Series favorites – Casablanca (1942) and The Philadelphia Story (1940). The theme – “The 1940s: Rounding Up the Usual Suspects”.

Casablanca will be shown on Saturday, August 2, at 7 pm, with The Philadelphia Story following at 9 pm. On Sunday, August 3, The Philadelphia Story will be shown at 2 pm, with Casablanca following at 4:15 pm. Both films will be presented in 35mm prints.

Ticket prices are $12 for Regular admission, with a $1 preservation fee included; and $7 for Film Fans. Tickets may be purchased at the Paramount box office on the day of the show.

Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the Paramount website. Ticket prices are $12, including a $1 preservation fee.

The Paramount Theatre is located at 712 Congress Avenue, in Austin, Texas. Directions to the cinema re available on the Paramount website.

Parking is available at the One American Center parking garage, located at 600 Congress Avenue, one block from the Paramount. A parking pass may be purchased for $6, cash only, from the parking attendant at the garage entrance. Parking is also available at meters throughout downtown Austin. Meters are free all day Sunday, and after midnight on Saturdays. More information about parking may be found on the Paramount Theatre website.

Built in 1915, the Paramount Theatre has been a fixture on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The site of the classic cinema was once the location of Sam Houston’s office and the Wear Department of the Republic of Texas, and later, the Avenue Hotel.

No doubt Austin residents have enjoyed other Peter Lorre films at the Paramount throughout its history – including Casablanca on its original run in 1942. . . .

July 25, 2014

Harvard Film Archive Includes M in Lang Fest

As part of their series “The Complete Fritz Lang”, the Harvard Film Archive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will show M (1931) on Friday, July 25, 2014. M was the first sound film of both the lead actor, Peter Lorre, and the director Fritz Lang.

The movie begins at 7 pm. The print is courtesy of Kino International, which has in circulation a restored print of M.

Ticket prices are $9 for regular admission; $7 for Non-Harvard students, Harvard faculty and staff, and Senior Citizens; and $12 for special events. Harvard students with a valid photo ID may be admitted free to all regular HFA screenings. Discounts are available for HFA members.

Tickets may be purchased 45 minutes before showtime at the cinematheque on the lower level of the Carpenter Center. The HFA does not sell tickets in advance. More information about tickets may be found on the HFA website.

The Harvard Film Archive is located at 24 Quincy Street, in the lower level of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Parking is available at meters on Broadway and Harvard streets, as well as Harvard Square. Parking is free after 8 pm. HFA is also well-served by public transportation, particularly the MBTA Red Line. Directions to HFA, as well as parking information, are available on HFA website.

The “Complete Fritz Lang” film festival runs from Friday, July 18, to Monday, Sept. 1. The complete schedule is available on the HFA website. On Sept. 1, the final day of the festival, an encore showing of M will be presented at 7 pm.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of M, including an interview with director Fritz Lang. The Lost One is available in soft-bound and hard-bound editions, as well as the Kindle and Nook.

Peter Lorre Fest on GetTV, July 25

Lorre fans who have the new channel GetTV on their cable or satellite system can tune in tonight, Friday, July 25, for a Peter Lorre triple feature, beginning at 7 pm EST.

The Lorre fest gets underway with Crime and Punishment (1935) at 7 pm, followed by Island of Doomed Men (1940) at 9 pm, and ending with The Face Behind the Mask (1941) at 10:30 pm.

As “Icon of the Week”, Peter Lorre also gets a special page on the GetTV site.

And there’s a fun “Peter Lorre Trivia Quiz”, too – although among the 15 questions are a couple of questionable items, considering that Peter did not “intern” anywhere upon arriving in Hollywood in 1934 and neither did he study under Sigmund Freud.

GetTV is the latest home for classic Hollywood movies, shown 24 hours a day. Not sure if the channel is available in your area? A list of markets, organized by State, is available on the GetTV website.

Miss any of the films in the Lorre mini-fest? Crime and Punishment will also be shown on Tuesday, July 29, at 5:20 am EST.