May 31, 2014

The Maltese Falcon in Columbus, IN, May 31

Peter Lorre fans in Columbus, Indiana, can turn back time to October 1941 this Saturday, May 31, 2014, when the YES Cinema and Conference Center shows The Maltese Falcon (1941) as part of a typical night at the movies in the 1940s.

The Maltese Falcon will begin at 7:01 pm. In addition to the movie, the program will include a newsreel, short subject, and a cartoon.

Movie theater candy will be on sale – Turkish Taffy, Mallo Cups, Bun Candy Bars, and Necco Wafers, among others.

And to round out the experience, the cinema will include “Dish Night”. Lucky patrons will have a chance to win a dish or piece of chinaware, just as they would have in the early 1940s.

Admission for the evening program is $5 for all seats. More information about ticket prices may be found on the YES Cinema website.

The YES Cinema and Conference Center is located at 328 Jackson Street in Columbus, Indiana, at the west end of the Commons Centre. Directions to the theater are available on the YES Cinema website.

For more information, please contact the theater at (812) 378-4937. The making of The Maltese Falcon is chronicled in the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, by Stephen D. Youngkin. The Lost One is available in hard-back and soft-bound editions, as well as the Nook and Kindle.

May 29, 2014

Actor Dave Bresnahan Cast as Peter Lorre for Bogart/Bacall Film

Peter Lorre played a significant part in the early-1940s romance between his closest friend Humphrey Bogart and a young actress named Lauren Bacall, with whom Bogart co-starred in the Warner Bros. film To Have and Have Not (1944).

Bogart was concerned about the age difference – when they began work on her film debut, he was 44, and she was 19. It won’t last, he told Peter; she’s just a kid.

Said Peter, “What’s the difference? It’s better to have five good years than none at all.”

The advice was taken.

Bogie and Bacall eventually married, had a son and a daughter, and remained very happy together to the end of Bogart’s life.

So in a film version of this Hollywood romance, Peter Lorre could hardly be left on the cutting-room floor. Dave Bresnahan has been tapped to portray Peter in the upcoming movie Bogie and Bacall.

Says the multi-talented Bresnahan, "Peter Lorre is without question the finest character actor of all time, and it is an honor to portray him in this film. His friendship with Humphrey Bogart led to his appearance in the classic films The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. There is always more to learn about acting, and I am learning as I study Peter Lorre's films to prepare for this role. He was a great actor, a master of the craft."

In addition to his work as an actor, Bresnahan has a quite-varied background in the fields of journalism, sports, and broadcasting. He also served one term in the Utah House of Representatives. His complete biography may be found on his page on IMDB.com.

Filming on Bogie and Bacall is scheduled to begin in August, 2014, with a release date in 2015, according to IMDB.com. Also in the cast are Rosanne Barr as columnist Louella Parsons; Tracy Reiner as Bogart’s third wife, Mayo Methot; Charles Wesley, as Howard Hawks, who directed Bogie and Bacall in To Have and Have Not; Paul Moreno as Bogie’s favorite restaurant owner “Prince” Michael Romanoff; and Jason Leal as Truman Capote, who wrote the screenplay for Beat the Devil (1954), the final movie Peter and Bogart made together.

Although the part of Humphrey Bogart has not been cast as of this writing, Roxana Condurache will portray Lauren Bacall.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, author Stephen Youngkin recounts the on-screen and off-screen friendship between Peter and Bogie, through interviews with their friends and co-workers, such as directors John Huston and Vincent Sherman, and actor Dan Seymour.

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

May 17, 2014

Digitally-Restored M at the Charles in Baltimore

Beginning Saturday, May 17, 2014, the historic Charles Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland, will present three showings of the digitally-restored M (1931), Fritz Lang and Peter Lorre’s first sound movie.

M will be shown on the following dates and times:
  • May 17, Saturday – 11:30 am
  • May 19, Monday – 7 pm
  • May 22, Thursday – 9 pm
Admission is $7.50 for all shows before 6 pm, $9.50 for all evening shows, and $8.50 for seniors. More information about tickets be found on the Charles Theatre website.

The Charles Theatre is located at 1711 North Charles Street, in the Station North neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Directions to the Charles can be found on the cinema’s website.

A limited number of parking spaces are available on the streets near the Yellow Sign Theatre. A parking garage is located on North Charles Street, close to the theater.

For more information, please call the cinema at (410) 727-3464.

The Charles Theatre is located across the street from the Yellow Sign Theatre, where a Lorre film festival – “Peter Lorre: The Facemaker” – is currently in full-swing. More information on the Lorre festival may be found here, in the Peter Lorre News blog.

The digitally-restored M is distributed through Kino Lorber. Additional information about the print, as well as any upcoming screenings, may be found on the Kino Lorber website.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen Youngkin discusses the making of M and Peter Lorre’s experiences working with Fritz Lang, including interviews with director Lang and Peter’s brother Andrew, who visited the set during production.

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

May 16, 2014

Stranger on the Third Floor at the Roxie, San Francisco

Peter Lorre fans attending the “I Wake Up Dreamingfilm noir festival at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco will have the opportunity to catch Peter’s classic Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) on Friday, May 16, 2014.

Organized by Elliot Lavine, the festival runs from Friday, May 16, to Sunday, May 25. This year’s festival will be comprised entirely of digital prints, shown on the Roxie’s digital projection system.

Stranger on the Third Floor will be shown on Friday, May 16, at 6:30 pm and 9:50 pm. A second feature, The Unsuspected (1947), will be shown at 8 pm only.

Tickets may be purchased at the Roxie box office on the day of the show. The box opens 30 minutes before the first show of the day.

Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the Roxie website. Click on a film title and scroll to the bottom of the screen, then click on the “Tickets” button. The TicketWeb site will open.

Tickets are $12 for all seats and include the double or triple bill. A $2 service fee will be added for all tickets purchased on-line. Tickets may be picked up at the Roxie box office.

The Roxie Theater is located at 3117 16th Street, between Valencia and Guerrero streets, in San Francisco, California. For more information, please call the Roxie at (415) 863-1087.

Public transportation includes several MUNI bus-lines – 22, 53, 33, 14, and 49. The closest BART station is located at 16th and Mission streets.

Public parking is available at the 16th and Hoff Garage, located at 42 Hoff Street, off 16th Street, between Valencia and Mission streets. Times and hourly rates are listed on the garage website. For more information about parking, please call the garage at (415) 861-4048.

More information about ticket prices and parking may be found on the Roxie website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin recounts the making of Stranger on the Third Floor, including an interview with lead actress Margaret Tallichett.

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

May 8, 2014

Peter Lorre Film Festival in Baltimore, MD, May to June

The Yellow Sign Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland, will present Peter Lorre: The Facemaker, a series of five movies starring Peter Lorre, each Thursday night, beginning May 8 and ending June 12, 2014.

Shelly Burke, staff writer at the Yellow Sign Theatre, will host the event.

The schedule includes:
  • The Maltese Falcon (1941) – May 8
  • The Verdict (1946) – May 15
  • Mad Love (1935) – May 22
  • The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942) – May 29
  • Crime and Punishment (1935) – June 12
Each movie will begin at 9 pm.

Admission is free for all seats.

The Yellow Sign Theatre is located at 1726 North Charles Street, in the Station North neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland.

A limited number of parking spaces are available on the streets near the Yellow Sign Theatre. A parking garage is located on North Charles Street, close to the theater.

For more information, please refer to the theater’s Facebook and Tumblr pages.

On May 14, 2014, the Baltimore Post Examiner reported on the festival, including an interview with Ms. Burke and her interest in Peter. The article is available on the Post Examiner website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin recounts the making of all of Peter’s movies, through interviews with the many directors, actors, and crew who worked with him. The Maltese Falcon, filmed in the summer of 1941 and released in the fall of that year, led to a lifelong friendship between Peter Lorre Humphrey Bogart and eventually a contract with Warner Bros. Mad Love (1935) was the first movie Peter made in the United States, while he considered Crime and Punishment one of his favorites, even to writing an essay on it for The Saturday Evening Post. The Verdict (1946) was the last film Peter made with Sydney Greenstreet, who co-starred with him in a total of 9 movies, beginning with The Maltese Falcon.

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