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.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks to Cheryl Morris' notification, I visited the 'Light & Noir' exhibit at The Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles and would definitely recommend it to anyone in the area to go visit it if you can. It's an informative look at how much European émigrés heavily influenced the development of cinema during the Golden Age period. Highlights include their contribution to the comedy and film noir genres, as well as how the impact of Nazi Germany and later The House Committee on Un-American Activities affected their lives. There's a large section on Casablanca and it was really cool to see some costumes and props from the film. I was also REALLY excited to see Peter Lorre's original immigration papers on display!!! Lastly, it was also great to see 'The Lost One' available in the gift shop ;)

Cheryl Morris said...

Thanks so much for your comment, Deborah! I'm glad you enjoyed the exhibit. And it's very good to know The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, by Stephen Youngkin, is available in the Skirball gift shop.