February 28, 2015

Oregon Theaters Screen The Maltese Falcon

Peter Lorre fans near Portland and Salem, Oregon, will have an opportunity to catch Peter’s first Warner Bros. movie in cinemas when the Academy Theatre in Portland and the Elsinore Theatre in Salem screen The Maltese Falcon (1941) this week.

Academy Theater, Portland:
The historic Academy Theater, which opened in 1948, will show a 35mm print of The Maltese Falcon twice daily for a full week, beginning Friday, Feb. 27, and ending Thursday, Mar. 5, 2015.

Showtimes are 2 pm and 9:35 pm.

Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for seniors, as well as children age 12 and under. Anyone under 21 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times and are not admitted to any movie starting at or after 8 pm.

On Mondays, the Academy offers a special “double feature” price – any two movies for one admission price of $6; children and seniors pay $4. On Tuesdays, the Academy offers “Two For Tuesday” – purchase a ticket for one movie and get a second ticket for the movie free.

Tickets may be purchased at the Academy box office. Visa and MasterCard are also accepted.

The Academy Theater is located at 7818 SE Stark Street in Portland, Oregon.

Parking is available in a lot behind the cinema on SE Washington Street. Parking is also available on the streets nearby. The Academy Theater is also well served by bus transportation. Directions, as well as parking information, are available on the Academy website.

For more information, please call the Academy at (503) 252-0500.

Elsinore Theatre, Salem:
As part of their “Wednesday Evening Film Series”, the Elsinore Theatre will present The Maltese Falcon (1941) on Wednesday, March 4, 2015.

The movie will begin at 7 pm. The box office and doors open at 6:15 pm.

Admission is $5 for all seats.

Tickets are available at the cinema’s box office. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through Tickets West.

The “Wednesday Evening Film Series” is presented in partnership with the Chemeketa Community College Humanities Department and Film Studies Program. The full schedule is available on the Elsinore Theatre website.

The Elsinore Theatre is located at 170 High Street SE in Salem, Oregon.

Parking is available on the street in front of the cinema. Directions are available on the Elsinore website.

For more information, please call the Elsinore Theatre at (503) 375-3574.

February 23, 2015

Grand and Movie Tavern Cinemas Screen Casablanca, Feb. 24-25, 2015

As part of their “Retro Cinema” series, a number of movie theaters will present Casablanca (1942) on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 24 and 25, 2015.

Participating cinemas include:
At each cinema, Casablanca will be shown at 7:30 pm.

In addition to the usual movie munchies of popcorn, candy, and soda, the Theater at Canal Place and cinemas in the Movie Tavern chain also offer an array of menu items, as well as a wait staff to serve you at your seat.

Ticket information, parking information, and directions are all available on each theater’s website.

February 21, 2015

Skirball Cultural Center Ends Émigré Exhibit, Mar 1, 2015

The Skirball Cultural Center, in Los Angeles, California, will bring to an end its exhibition “Light and Noir: Exiles and Emigres in Hollywood, 1933-1950” on Sunday, March 1, 2015.

The exhibition 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.

These émigrés’ experiences, and Peter Lorre’s in particular, are discussed in detail in the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, written by Stephen D. Youngkin. Copies of The Lost One are available for purchase in the Skirball gift shop.

The exhibit “Light and Noir” began its run on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014.

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.

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.

February 20, 2015

The Maltese Falcon Onscreen in Seattle

If his part in The Maltese Falcon (1941) had been larger, Peter Lorre might have been nominated Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars that year. But although his character Joel Cairo is the bridge between the two halves of the story – the fabulous jeweled statuette of the title and the murder of detective Sam Spade’s partner Miles Archer – Sydney Greenstreet is the main villain, and as Kasper Gutman, he was nominated for the Academy Award.

However, Lorre fans in Seattle, Washington, can enjoy The Maltese Falcon onscreen this Oscar weekend at the Central Cinema, a dinner theater with tables in the main auditorium and a full menu of hot and cold dishes, alcoholic beverages, as well as typical movie fare of popcorn, candy, and sodas.

The Maltese Falcon will be shown on the following days and times:
  • Friday, Feb. 20 – 7 pm
  • Saturday, Feb. 21 – 3 pm and 7 pm
  • Monday, Feb. 23 – 7 pm
A short art film or cartoon will be shown before the movie. Patrons may give their food and drink orders to the wait staff before The Maltese Falcon begins.

Admission is $9 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased at the box office or online through the Central Cinema website.

The Central Cinema is located at 1411 21st Avenue, at the corner of 21st Avenue and E. Union Street, in the Central District neighborhood in Seattle, Washington.

Parking is available on E. Union Street, near the theater. Directions, as well as parking and public transportation options, are available on the Central Cinema website.

For more information, please contact the theater at 206-328-3230.

February 13, 2015

Lorre Lovers in Los Angeles, Spend Valentine’s Weekend with Peter

Lorre lovers in the Los Angeles area will have a chance to catch Peter in a movie theater this Valentine’s Day weekend when the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo presents The Maltese Falcon (1941) on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Feb. 13 to 15, 2015.

Each show will begin with music played on the cinema’s Mighty Wurlitzer 1925 wind-powered pipe organ, an audience sing-along, and a comedy short. The Maltese Falcon will begin after a 15-minute intermission.

Show times are scheduled for these days and times:
  • Friday – 8:15 pm
  • Saturday – 2:30 pm and 8:15 pm
  • Sunday – 2:30 pm
Admission is $10 for all seat, and $8 for seniors age 62 and over. Tickets may be purchased at the box office 30 minutes before the show begins.

The Old Town Music Hall is located at 140 Richmond Street in El Segundo, California.

Parking is available in the lot next door to the Old Town Music Hall. Directions are available on the theater’s website.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, author Stephen D. Youngkin recounts the making of The Maltese Falcon through interviews with director John Huston.

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

February 12, 2015

Lorre Lovers, Spend Valentine’s Day with Peter

Valentine’s Day falls on Saturday this year, and a number of movie theaters in the U.S. and U.K. will be showing Casablanca (1942) as part of the weekend’s festivities. Now considered one of the most romantic movies of all time, Casablanca was just another job to cast and crew during filming in 1942.

To Peter Lorre, who plays the pivotal character of Ugarte, holder of the letters of transit needed by Victor and Ilsa (Paul Henreid and Ingrid Bergman) to escape Casablanca for America, Casablanca was a chance to work again with his best friend Humphrey Bogart – and to earn extra money playing the roulette wheel on the “gambling room” set between takes.

The movie also led Peter to a contract with Warner Bros. and the busiest years of his career, with work on stage, on radio, and on screen.

Casablanca will be shown in these American venues this weekend:
  • Cambridge, Massachusetts – Brattle Theater – Feb. 13 and 14
  • Washington, DC – E Street Cinema – Feb. 13 and 14
  • Raleigh, North Carolina – North Carolina Symphony – Feb. 13 and 14
  • St. Louis, Missouri – Hi-Pointe Theater – Feb. 14
  • Austin, Texas – Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – Feb. 14
  • Santa Monica, California – Aero Theater – Feb. 14
  • Boise, Idaho – Egyptian Theatre – Feb. 14
  • Chicago, Illinois – Music Box Theatre – Feb. 14
  • Fort Smith, Arizona – Fort Smith Regional Art Museum – Feb. 14
  • Indianapolis, Indiana – Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra – Feb. 13-15
  • Goshen, Indiana – Art House – Feb. 13-15
And in these venues in the United Kingdom:
  • Newcastle Upon Tyne – Tyneside Cinema – Feb. 14
  • Portsmouth – No. 6 Cinema – Feb. 14
  • Hemel Hempstead – Old Town Cinema – Feb. 14



Brattle Theater – Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Brattle Theater has been showing Casablanca over Valentine’s Day for years now, and in the 1960s, audiences would often come dressed as the various characters, recite the movie’s classic lines back to the screen, and sing along with Dooley Wilson.

Casablanca will be shown both Friday, Feb. 13 and Valentine’s Day. Showtimes on both dates are 4:15 pm, 7 pm, and 9:45 pm. Valentine’s Day showings are already sold out.

Ticket prices are $11 for general evening admission, $9 for general matinee admission, students, and Brattle members, and $8 for seniors and children. Special tickets are also available for $25, including seating in a reserved section of the Brattle, unlimited popcorn and soda, and a special Valentine’s Day treat.

The Brattle is located at 40 Brattle Street, in Harvard Square, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.



E Street Cinema – Washington, DC

Lorre fans in Washington DC can catch an almost-midnight showing of Casablanca – 11:59 pm – at the E Street Cinema on both Feb. 13 and 14.

Tickets are $9 for general admission and $8.50 for seniors and children. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the cinema’s website.

The E Street Cinema is located in the Lincoln Square Building, at 555 11th Street, NW. The entrance is on E Street, between 10th and 11th streets, in Washington, DC. Directions, as well as public transportation and parking options, are available on the venue’s website.



North Carolina Symphony – Raleigh, North Carolina

Lorre fans in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area will have an opportunity to enjoy Casablanca with Max Steiner’s musical score performed live by the North Carolina Symphony on Feb. 13 and 14, as part of its 2014-15 Pops Series. Constantine Kitsopoulos will conduct.

On Feb. 13, the program will begin at 8 pm. On Feb. 14, the program will begin at 3 pm and 8 pm.

Ticket prices range from $30 to $75 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the Symphony website, as well as at the door one hour before the concert begins. Tickets purchased on-line will include a service charge.

The North Carolina Symphony will perform in the Meymandi Concert Hall in the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. The Duke Energy Center is located at 2 E. South Street, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Directions and parking options are available on the Symphony’s website.



Hi-Pointe Theater – St. Louis, Missouri

As part of its monthly Classic Film Series, the Hi-Pointe Theater will present Casablanca on Feb. 14 at 10:30 am.

Admission is $5 for everyone.

The Hi-Pointe is located at 1005 McCausland Avenue, in St. Louis, Missouri. Directions to the theater, as well as parking options, are available on the Hi-Pointe website.



Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – Austin, Texas

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas, will offer Casablanca goers a special 4-course Valentine’s Day Feast on Feb. 14. The menu is available on the cinema’s website.

The program begins at 6 pm.

Admission is $65 for all seats. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Children under 6 will not be admitted.

The “Food and Feast: Casablanca Valentine’s Day Feast” will be held at the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz, located at 320 East 6th Street, in Austin, Texas. Directions and parking options are available on the venue’s website.



Aero Theater – Santa Monica, California

The historic Aero Theater, originally built in 1940, will celebrate “Movie Valentines” with a showing of Casablanca on Feb. 14, as part of their series “Love on the Big Screen 2015”.

The program will begin 7:30 pm, with a special introduction by Monika Henreid, daughter of actor Paul Henreid.

Admission is $11 for all seats, and $7 for American Cinemateque members. Tickets may be purchased at the box office or on-line through Fandango. Tickets purchased on-line will include a service charge of $1.35.

The Aero Theatre is located at 13328 Montana Avenue, in Santa Monica, California.



Egyptian Theatre – Boise, Idaho

Boise Classic Movies offers a special Valentine’s Day showing of Casablanca at the historic Egyptian Theatre in downtown Boise, Idaho.

The program begins at 7 pm.

Ticket prices are $9 if purchased on-line through the Boise Classic Movies website. Tickets may also be purchased for $11 at the box office – if seats are still available.

The Egyptian Theatre is located at 700 West Main Street, at the corner of Capitol Boulevard and Main Street, in downtown Boise, Idaho. Directions and parking options are available through the Egyptian Theatre website.



Music Box Theatre – Chicago, Illinois

This year, the Music Box Theatre’s annual screening of Casablanca will include a special “Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Sing-Along”, featuring such love songs as “You Are My Sunshine”, “Bicycle Built for Two”, and “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” – with lyrics projected onto the screen and accompaniment by the Music Box organ.

The program begins at 1 pm.

Admission is $12 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, as well as on-line through the Music Box website. A booking fee of $1.25 will be added to tickets purchased on-line.

The Music Box Theatre is located at 733 North Southport Avenue, in Chicago, Illinois. Parking options are available on the venue’s website.



Fort Smith Regional Art Museum – Fort Smith, Arizona

“Rendezvous in Casablanca” will be the theme for the third annual fundraising event at the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum (FSRAM) on Valentine’s Day, including a showing of Casablanca.

Attendees must be 21 or older and are encouraged to wear black and white with a touch of red, or in Moroccan chic – or to dress as their favorite character from the movie.

The gala will include appetizers, specialty drinks from the open bar, dinner, desserts, and a candy buffet, in addition to prizes such as jewelry, restaurant and store gift certificates, a gift bag from the museum’s store, and museum memberships – and a number of surprises.

The event will begin at 7 pm.

Tickets are $75 for members of FSRAM and $100 for non-members. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the Art Museum website or by calling (479) 784-2787.

The Fort Smith Regional Art Museum is located at 1601 Rogers Avenue, in Fort Smith, Arizona. Directions are available through the museum’s website.



Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra – Indianapolis, Indiana

Over the Valentine’s weekend, Casablanca will be shown at the Hilbert Circle Theater, as the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performs the movie score live, on Feb. 13, 14, and 15. The 122-minute program will include a 20-minute intermission.

On Feb. 13 and 14, Casablanca will be shown at 8 pm. On Sunday, Feb. 15, the program will begin at 3 pm.

On Feb. 13 and 14, ticket prices for adults range from $15 to $66, depending on the seat location. On Feb. 15, adult tickets range from $15 to $46. Students pay $10 at all times. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the theater’s website.

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra will perform at the Hilbert Circle Theater, located at 45 Monument Circle, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Directions, as well as parking options, are available on the venue’s website.



Art House – Goshen, Indiana

Casablanca will also be on-screen throughout the Valentine’s weekend at the Art House, located in downtown Goshen.

The movie begins at 7 pm on Friday, Feb. 13, 6 pm on Saturday, and a matinee at 4 pm on Sunday.

Tickets are $8 for regular admission, and $6 for seniors and students with valid ID. Tickets may be purchased at the box office.

The Art House is located at 211 South Main Street, second floor, in Goshen, Indiana. Enter through the back entrance parking lot off Third Street or through the Gateway Cellar Winery on Main Street.



Tyneside Cinema – Newcastle Upon Tyne, England

For the seventh year, the Tyneside Cinema has invited the residents of Newcastle Upon Tyne to cast their votes for the most romantic movie, the movie they feel the historic cinema should screen on Valentine’s Day.

The votes are in and the winner is announced – Casablanca, which will be shown at 3:50 pm on Saturday.

Everyone attending the screening will receive complimentary luxury chocolates, courtesy of Hotel Chocolat, of 29 Buckett Street, in Newcastle upon Tyne. The Tyneside Bar and Café will also offer a special Valentine’s Day menu.

Tickets are £9 general admission, £7.50 for seniors, Benefit, Disabled, Active Newcastle, and Wheelchair Users, and £5.50 for students and anyone under 18 years of age. Carers accompanying patrons who are disabled or in wheelchairs are admitted free. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, as well as on-line. Tickets purchased on-line will be charged a booking fee of £1.30.

The Tyneside Cinema is located at 10 Pilgrim Street, in Newcastle upon Tyne, in England. Directions, as well as public transportation and parking options, are available on the venue’s website.



No. 6 Cinema – Portsmouth, England

The No. 6 Cinema, an independent theater located in Boathouse 6 (built in 1846) in the historic dockyard of Portsmouth, will screen Casablanca on Valentine’s Day.

The movie will begin at 7 pm.

Admission is £8 for adults and £6.50 for seniors age 60 and older, students, and Leisure Card holders. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, as well as on-line through the cinema’s website. A booking fee of 48 pence will be charged for each ticket booked on-line.

The No. 6 Cinema is located in Boathouse 6 in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, in Portsmouth, England.



Old Town Cinema – Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England

The Old Town Cinema, located in the Old Town Hall in Hemel Hempstead, will show Casablanca on Valentine’s Day.

The show will begin at 7:30 pm.

Admission is £3 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the venue’s website.

The Old Town Hall Arts Centre is located on High Street in Hemel Hempstead.



In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, author Stephen D. Youngkin discusses Peter’s three marriages through interviews with first wife Celia Lovsky and Barbara Sykes, second wife Karen Verne’s sister. While Peter remained friends with Celia to the end of his life, his marriage to Karen was considered a fairytale romance by the people who knew them. To friends and co-workers, Karen described Peter as a romantic who would often whisk her away for a weekend at the beach or Big Bear Lake.

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

February 3, 2015

Lorre Onscreen in Champaign’s Art Theater Co-Op

As part of their “Essential Cinema” series, Peter Lorre’s first sound film M (1931) will be presented twice this week at the Art Theater Co-Op, in Champaign, Illinois.

On Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, the movie will begin at 7:30 pm, followed by a question-and-answer discussion period with Professor Julie Tumock of the College of Media and Cinema Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).

On Thursday, Feb. 5, the movie will begin at 10 pm.

Admission is $9.50 for adults, $7 for seniors and children, and $8 for students with proper ID. Tickets may be purchased at the box office.

The Art Theater Co-Op is located at 125 West Church Street, between Neil and Randolph streets, in Champaign, Illinois.

The Art Theater recommends parking in the Hill Street Parking Deck, located at 123 West Hill Street, in Champaign, Illinois.

The Art Theater is also well-served by public transportation.

Bus information, parking information, and directions to the Art Theater Co-Op, are all available on the theater’s website.

In his book The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, author Stephen D. Youngkin describes the making of M, through interviews with director Fritz Lang and Peter’s brother Andrew, who visited the set during filming.

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