December 26, 2016

Happy Birthday, Sydney Greenstreet – with Peter Lorre

Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, marks the 137th birthday of character actor Sydney Greenstreet – and the Turner Classic Movies channel will celebrate the occasion with a day of Greenstreet movies, beginning at 6 am EST.

And as Greenstreet's frequent co-star, Peter Lorre will appear in five of the eight movies, beginning at 9:15 am with The Conspirators (1944).

Here's the full schedule ~
  • 6 am – Across The Pacific (1942)
  • 7:45 am – That Way With Women (1947)
  • 9:15 am – The Conspirators (1944)
  • 11 am – The Woman in White (1948)
  • 1 pm – Passage to Marseille (1944)
  • 3 pm – Background to Danger (1943)
  • 4:30 pm – Casablanca (1942)
  • 6:15 pm – The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Although the Sydney G. marathon ends with The Maltese Falcon, Lorre fans will have one more opportunity to enjoy Peter's work, when TCM turns the Spotlight on "The Golden Years" with a showing of Arsenic and Old Lace at 8 pm.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen Youngkin discusses the on-screen partnership of Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet through their nine movies at Warner Bros., beginning with The Maltese Falcon in 1941 to The Verdict in 1946. Though they did not socialize outside of the studio, each appreciated the other actor's talent. Peter called Sydney G. "The Old Man". And Sydney called Peter L. "Puck".

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

December 24, 2016

Happy Holidays with Peter Lorre!

Holiday treats are in store for Lorre fans in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, area – special screenings of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) on Christmas Day and Casablanca (1942) over the New Year’s weekend at the Brattle Theatre.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea will be shown on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016, at 4:30 pm, 7 pm, and 9:30 pm, as the Brattle celebrates Kirk Douglas’ 100th birthday.

Casablanca will be shown on Friday, Dec. 30, at 4:30 pm, 7 pm, and 9:30 pm, and on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, at 1:30 pm, 4 pm, 6:30 pm, and 9 pm.

The Brattle will screen 35mm prints of both films.

General admission tickets are $9 for shows starting before 5 pm and $11 for evening shows. Admission for military personnel (with valid ID), students (with valid ID), and Brattle members is $9 for any showing. Admission for children age 12 and under and seniors is $8 for any showing. Admission for Brattle members is $9 for any showing.

Tickets may be purchased at the box office, which opens 30 minutes before the first show of the day. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the cinema’s website. From the “Calendar” drop-down menu or the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or Casablanca webpage, click the “Buy Tickets” button. A nominal fee be added to all on-line purchases.

The Brattle Theatre is located in Brattle Hall, at 40 Brattle Street, a block from Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Also located in the building are the Algiers Café and the Alden and Harlow Restaurant. The cinema’s entrance is on the left side of the building – look for the sidewalk poster case and the marquee.

Parking is available at meters around Harvard Square, as well as nearby parking garages. The Brattle Theatre box office will validate parking tickets at the Charles Square Garage and the University Place Garage.

The Brattle Theatre is well-served by public transportation – both MBTA bus routes and the subway.

More information about parking and public transportation, as well as directions, is available on the Brattle Theatre website.

For more information, please call the cinema at (617) 876-6837.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea through interviews with art director Harper Goff and actor Kirk Douglas, and the filming of Casablanca through interviews with actor Dan Seymour and scriptwriter Julius J. Epstein.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available for Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook, as well as hardcover and soft-bound editions.

December 12, 2016

Iowa Library Film Series Includes Lorre

The Storm Lake Public Library, in Storm Lake, Iowa, continues their “Great Directors” series with a showing of The Maltese Falcon (1941) on Monday, Dec. 12, 2016.

The movie begins at 1 pm. Light snacks will be served during the film.

Admission is free for everyone.

The Storm Lake Public Library is located at 609 Cayuga Street, in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Parking is available on Cayuga Street, in front of the library.

For more information, please call the library at 712-732-8026.