Lorre and Greenstreet Film Fest on TCM

On Wednesday, March 24, 2021, the Turner Classic Moves channel offers a very special treat for Peter Lorre fans – the primetime theme “Greenstreet and Lorre”.

Beginning at 8 pm Eastern Standard Time, The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) kicks off a marathon of eight of the nine movies Peter appeared in with Sydney Greenstreet.

Here’s the full line-up.

Wednesday, March 24 ~

• The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) – 8 pm
• The Verdict (1946) – 9:45 pm
• Three Strangers (1946) – 11:30 pm

Thursday, March 25 ~

• Passage to Marseille (1944) – 1:15 am
• The Conspirators (1944) – 3:15 am
• Background to Danger (1943) – 5 am
• The Maltese Falcon (1941) – 6:30 am
• Casablanca (1942) – 8:30 am

During the five years Peter Lorre worked at the Warner Bros. studio, he appeared in a total of nine movies with Sydney Greenstreet, beginning with The Maltese Falcon (1941), the first Warner Bros. movie for both actors, and ending with The Verdict (1946).

Lorre and Greenstreet frequently supported leading actors – Humphrey Bogart, Paul Henreid, and George Raft – but in The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), Three Strangers (1946), and The Verdict (1946), Lorre and Greenstreet took the main roles.

Historic Cinema Celebrates Birthday with Lorre Film

On Wednesday, March 18, 2021, the State Theatre, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, celebrates its 79th anniversary with a showing of Casablanca (1942).

The program begins at 7 pm.

The cinema remains under COVID-19 safety rules. Tickets must be purchased in advance through the State Theatre website or at the box office 30 minutes before the screening. The auditorium will be kept at 50% capacity, with seats blocked off. Masks must be worn at all times, including during the film. Concessions will not be sold. More information on COVID-19 safety requirements is available on the venue’s website.

Ticket prices are $10.50 for general admission; $8.fo for students with valid ID, U.S. veterans, senior citizens; and groups of 10 or more. Members of the Michigan Theater may purchase tickets for $8.00.

The State Theatre is located at 233 South State Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Parking is available at meters along South State Street, near the cinema. More information about parking is available on the cinema’s website.

The State Theatre opened on March 18, 1942, with the musical The Fleet’s In (1942), starring Dorothy Lamour and William Holden. With Casablanca opening in November 1942, the State Theatre very likely showed this classic film as well – as well as many other Peter Lorre movies.

Lorre Classic at Los Angeles Drive-In

During these days of COVID-19, many movie theaters offer limited schedules or have closed completely, but other cinemas have sprung up with some make-shift drive-in theaters held in business parking lots.

On Friday, March 12, 2021, Peter Lorre fans in the Los Angeles area can pull into the Hollywood Legion Theater and enjoy a showing of The Maltese Falcon (1941) in the Legion’s parking lot.

The program begins at 6 pm, with a special introduction by film historian and author Alan K. Rode.

Ticket prices begin at $65, depending on the type of car, and include unlimited popcorn, one soda, and one candy for each passenger.

Tickets must be purchased and spaces reserved online through the Hollywood Legion website. Dubbed the "first ever drive-in cinema in the heart of Hollywood", the venue can accommodate 30 cars. A “seating map” is available on the Legion’s website.

The Hollywood Legion Theater is located at 2035 North Highland Avenue in Los Angeles, California.

Spring into March 2021 with Lorre

March brings Peter Lorre films a’plenty on the Turner Classic Movies channel, as well as other channels – highlighted by a “Lorre and Greenstreet” film festival!

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.


March, 2021

Mar. 1 (Mon), 4:43 pm, Turner Classic Movies channel – Around the World in 80 Days (1956). TCM salutes the birthday of David Niven, who plays Philleas Fogg in this all-star extravaganza about a Victorian gentleman who makes a bet with his fellow Club members that he can travel around the world in 80 days.

Mar. 3 (Wed), 6 am, TCM – Quicksand (1950). “Growing Up On Screen” is the daytime theme on TCM, and the day opens with the only movie Mickey Rooney starred with Peter Lorre.

Mar. 5 (Fri), 1:30 am, MeTV – Alfred Hitchcock Presents, “The Diplomatic Corpse” (Dec. 8, 1957).

Mar. 6 (Sat), 12 noon, TCM – The Mask of Dimitrios (1944). Peter Lorre plays mystery writer Cornelius Latimer Leyden, who decides to research the life of an international criminal Dimitrios (Zachary Scott) for a novel and finds himself mixed up in a blackmail scheme with one of Dimitrios’ past associates (Sydney Greenstreet).

Mar. 10 (Wed), 11:20 am, Fox Movie channel – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).

Mar. 11 (Thurs), 4:30 am, Fox Movie channel – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).

Mar. 12 (Fri), 8 pm, TCM – The Maltese Falcon (1941). The primetime theme is "Movie MacGuffins, Part 2". TCM hosts Ben Mankiewicz and film noir expert Eddie Muller take a look at several movies dependent on this plot device, including a Lorre double-feature beginning with this classic mystery involving a fabulous jewel-encrusted statuette.

Mar. 12 (Fri), 10 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942). The "Movie MacGuffins" theme continues with this classic wartime drama involving a pair of letters of transit promising safe passage out of Casablanca.

Mar. 14 (Sun), 11:45 am, TCM – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). A Lorre double-feature begins with the only film Peter made with Cary Grant.

Mar. 14 (Sun), 2 pm, TCM – My Favorite Brunette (1947). The Lorre double-feature continues with the only film Peter made with Bob Hope.

Mar. 22 (Mon), 7:15 am, FXM – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).

Mar. 23 (Tues), 3:05 am, FXM – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).

Mar. 24 (Wed), 8 pm, TCM – The Mask of Dimitrios (1944). The primetime theme is "Greenstreet and Lorre" – a film fest of eight of the nine movies Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet appeared in together. The fest begins with three films in which they co-starred as the lead actors, followed by the movies in which they supported a lead actor, such as Humphrey Bogart, Paul Henreid, or George Raft. Running from Wednesday evening, through the wee hours of Thursday, to early Thursday morning, the schedule includes ~

• The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) – 8 pm, Mar. 24 (Wed)
• The Verdict (1944) – 9:45 pm, Mar. 24 (Wed)
• Three Strangers (1946) – 11:30 pm, Mar. 24 (Wed)
• Passage to Marseille (1944) – 1:15 am, Mar. 25 (Thurs)
• The Conspirators (1944) – 3:15 am, Mar. 25 (Thurs)
• Background to Danger (1943) – 5 am, Mar. 25 (Thurs)
• The Maltese Falcon (1941) – 6:30 am, Mar. 25 (Thurs)
• Casablanca (1942) – 8:30 am, Mar. 25 (Thurs)

Mar. 26 (Fri), 2:30 am, Movies! Network channel – Quicksand (1950).

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Sneak Peek at April, 2021

Because of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic this year, the Academy Awards were bumped from February to Sunday, April 25, 2021. And TCM holds its annual "31 Days of Oscar" film fest from April 1 to May 1, including a few Lorre films.

Apr. 2 (Fri), 6:45 pm, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956).

Apr. 16 (Fri), 6 pm, TCM – The Maltese Falcon (1941).

Apr. 17 (Sat), 6:30 am, TCM – Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956).

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Many of these and other Lorre movies and television programs are now available on DVD and Blu-Ray – many 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 and television credits is available in the book’s Appendix.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre may be purchased from many brick-and-mortar shops, as well as these online merchants ~

• Amazon U.S.
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon U.K

Happy viewing!