Strand Theatre Screens Casablanca August 24

Casablanca (1942) represents the 1940s when the historic Strand Theatre in Rockland, Maine, celebrates 90 years with a nine-movie film festival, August 17 to September 22, 2013.

Each of the nine movies will represent a decade the Strand has been in operation, beginning with the 1923 silent classic Safety Last. The full schedule may be found on the Strand’s website.

Casablanca will be shown on Saturday, August 24, at 3 pm. Most movies shown at the Strand in the traditional format – 35mm film with side-by-side projectors, attended by a projectionist in the booth.

Admission is $7.50 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased at the box office 30 minutes prior to each screening. For more information, please call the Strand at (207) 594-0070.

The Strand Theatre is located at 345 Main Street, in Rockland, Maine.

Parking is available close to the cinema in the free Tillson Avenue / Winter Street public lot. Parking is also available on the streets near the Strand, however, street parking is limited to 2 hours before 6 pm.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen Youngkin discusses the making of Casablanca with screenwriter Julius J. Epstein and actor Dan Seymour, who played Abdul the doorman at Rick’s Café Americain.

The pivotal role of Ugarte, who initiates the movie’s action by leaving with Rick (Humphrey Bogart) a pair of letters of transit he plans to sell to freedom fighter Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), was one to which Peter attached little importance. Between takes, Peter played the “gambling room” set’s roulette wheel – and declared he won more money there than he earned while working on the film.

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

Stanford Theatre Screens Beat the Devil Aug. 17 to 20

The historic Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto, California, will show a Humphrey Bogart double-feature of Beat the Devil (1954) and The African Queen (1951) over this weekend, beginning Saturday, August 17, 2013, and ending Tuesday, August 20.

Beat the Devil will be shown at 5:50 and 9:25 pm. The African Queen will be shown at 7:30 pm, with additional showings at 3:55 pm on Saturday and Sunday, August 17 and 18. Before and after the 7:30 show, one of the Stanford’s “Masters of the Mighty Wurlitzer” will play the Wurlitzer theater organ during the intermission.

Admission is $7 for adults, and $5 for youth (18 and under) and seniors (65 and over). Tickets may be purchased at the box office on the day of the show.

The Stanford Theatre is located at 221 University Avenue in Palo Alto, California. Look for the cinema’s large neon marquee – a landmark along University Avenue in the downtown area. For more information, please call

Parking is available at meters along the street in front of the cinema, as well as two parking garages within two blocks of the Stanford. The Bryant / Lytton Parking Garage is located at 445 Bryant Avenue, one block north of University Avenue. The High Street Parking Garage is located at 528 High Street, one block south of University Avenue.

Opening in 1925, the Stanford Theatre was Palo Alto’s premier movie theater. Most of the classic films the Stanford now plays – including many Lorre movies – appeared in this cinema on their initial run, when the program changed two or three times a week. In 1987, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation purchased and restored the cinema.

Now owned by the Stanford Theatre Foundation, the cinema presents classic Hollywood movies. The full schedule is located on the theatre’s website.

In the pages of his book The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005), Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of Beat the Devil. Shot in location in Italy, it was the final on-screen collaboration of Peter, his long-time pal Humphrey Bogart, and John Huston, who directed the two actors in 1941 in their first film together, The Maltese Falcon.

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

Casablanca on Many Screens This Month

Peter Lorre fans across the U.S. and in England will have an opportunity this week and into early September to catch Casablanca (1942) in a variety of venues.

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Deutsches Haus – Metairie, Louisiana

On Wednesday, Aug. 14, the Deutsches Haus will present a unique print of Casablanca as part of their Wednesday night “Das Kino” (The Cinema) program – the German-dubbed release with English subtitles.

Admission is free and open to the public. Food will also be available.

The program will begin at 7 pm with a showing of “You Must Remember This”, a documentary starring Lauren Bacall on the making of Casablanca. The documentary is in English with German subtitles and will be shown again following Casablanca.

The Deutsches Haus is located at 1023 Ridgewood Drive, in Metairie, Louisiana. For more information, please call (504) 522-8014.

Parking is available at the Deutsches Haus and on surrounding streets.

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Texas Tech Museum – Lubbock, Texas

Beginning Tuesday, August 13, the Museum of Texas Tech will present a week of Humphrey Bogart matinees, ending with Casablanca on Friday, August 16.

The program begins at 2 pm in the Helen DeVitt Jones Auditorium.

Admission is free and open to the public.

The Museum of Texas Tech University is located at 3301 4th Street, on the southeast corner of 4th Street and Indiana Avenue, in Lubbock, Texas. For more information about the free screenings, please call (806) 742-2432.

Directions to the museum, as well as a map, may be found on the museum’s website. Scroll down to the “Location” section.

Free parking is available in the 4th Street and Indiana Avenue lots.

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Three Rivers Winery – Walla Walla, Washington

On Friday, August 23, the Three Rivers Winery will present Casablanca as part of their “Movie in the Vineyard” series. The theme for the evening is “Classics Night”.

All movies are shown on the winery’s large outdoor screen. Bring your own lawn chairs and blankets.

The program begins at dusk at approximately 8 pm. Doors open 30 minutes before the show.

Admission is free for everyone, and all ages may attend. No reservations are required, however, pets are not allowed.

Wine may be purchased by the glass or bottle, as well as an assortment of non-alcoholic beverages. Popcorn will be included with any wine purchase. Snacks available for purchase include cheese plates and sweets. No outside alcohol is permitted.

The Three Rivers Winery is located at 5641 Old Highway 12, in Walla Walla, Washington. Directions to the winery are available on the Three Rivers’ website.

For more information, please call the winery at (509) 526-9463, extension 1.

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Luna Cinema – England

Over the summer, the Luna Cinema has presented Casablanca on outdoor screens at a number of famous locations around England. On Saturday, September 7, the movie will make its final appearance of the season at Leeds Castle, near Maidstone, Kent.

The program begins at 7:45 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Admission is £15 for adults, and £12 for children age 5 to 15. Tickets may be purchased through the Luna website by clicking the “Buy Tickets” button. Capacity is limited.

Bring picnic chairs or blankets. Luna Inflatable Wedges and Luna Blankets will also be available for purchase.

Picnic dinners may also be brought. Häagen-Dazs will treat audience members with a free Secret Sensations mini-cup. Cock ‘N’ Bull Rotisserie is the official caterer for Luna Cinema events this year. Cock ‘N’ Bull will provide Spatchcock Chickens and Hickory Smoked Rump Beef.

Leeds Castle is located 7 miles east of Maidstone, just off Junction 8 of the M20, in Kent, England. Directions to the castle, as well as public transportation options, are available on the Leeds Castle website.

Free parking is available at the castle.

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In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen Youngkin discusses the making of Casablanca, as well as the off-screen friendship between Peter Lorre and Humphrey Bogart, through interviews with actors, writers, and behind-the-scenes crew on the picture.

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

Dallas Film Society Screens M on Aug. 15

Dallas Morning News film critic Chris Vognar will kick off his Screening Room series on Thursday, August 15, 2013, with a showing of M (1931) at the Angelika Film Center – Dallas. This year’s theme is “Around the World: Classics of International Cinema”.

Chris Vognar will introduce each movie in the series and host a post-screening discussion, presenting insights about the film and answering questions.

Each screening is free, but reservations are required. Registration for M is currently open and may be completed through the Dallas Film Society website by clicking on the image of Peter Lorre and the blind beggar. Once on the “Screening Room Reservations” screen, complete the information and click the “Send” button. When the reservation is accepted, a PDF pass may be downloaded to your mobile device or printed.

Each pass will admit two people. Seating is first come, first served. The Dallas Film Society recommends arriving at the Angelika Film Center by 6:15 pm.

The screening begins at 7:30 pm.

The Angelika Film Center & Café is located in Mockingbird Station at 5321 East Mockingbird Lane, in Dallas, Texas. Directions to the Angelika, including a map of Mockingbird Station, are available through the Film Center’s website.

Parking is available in the free parking garage adjacent to the Angelika. To access the garage, take the Northbound Central Expressway Service Road. The entrance to the Angelika is on the second floor across from Trinity Hall.

The Angelika may also be reached by train and bus. Information on public transportation may be located on the Angelika website.

Digitally-Restored M On-Screen in San Francisco

On Sunday, August 11, 2013, the Castro Theatre in San Francisco will present a double-feature of digitally-restored Fritz Lang masterpieces – M (1931) and Metropolis (1927).

M will be shown at 1 pm and 6 pm. Metropolis will be shown at 3:15 pm and 8:05 pm.

Admission is $11 for adults, $8.50 for seniors age 61 and older, and $8.50 for children 12 and under. More information about tickets may be found on the Castro Theatre website.

The Castro Theatre is located at 429 Castro Street, in San Francisco, California. Directions to the Castro, as well as public transportation options, can be found on the cinema’s website.

Parking is available in two small lots and on the street near the cinema. For more information, please call the cinema at (415) 621-6120.

As of this writing, additional screenings of the restored M, distributed through Kino Lorber, include the following dates and locations:

• Gene Siskel Film Center – Chicago, IL – Sept. 6 and 9, 2013
• SIFF Cinema – Seattle, WA – Sept. 6 through 12, 2013
• The Loft Cinema – Tucson, AZ – Oct. 25 and 27, 2013
• Winnipeg Film Group – Winnipeg, Manitoba – Oct. 25 through 27, 2013

More information about theaters and showings, including links to participating venues, 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 on what was to be the first sound movie for both Lorre and Lang.

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

Egyptian Theatre Screens 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

The American Cinematheque and the Art Directors Guild Film Society will salute Harper Goff, famed Hollywood production designer, with a special screening of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) on Sunday, July 28, 2013, at the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. For more information, please contact the theater at (323) 461-2020.

The program begins at 5:30 pm with a presentation by production designer Thomas A. Walsh on the movie’s art direction. Following 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Walsh will lead a discussion about Harper Goff’s accomplishments with Marty Sklar, Tony Baxter, Harrison Ellenshaw, and Stephen Berger, all of whom worked for the Disney studio in the Imagineering or creative effects departments.

Tickets are $11 for general admission and $7 for members of the American Cinematheque. Tickets may be purchased at the cinema box office or on-line through Fandango. Please note that Fandango will charge a fee for purchasing tickets More information about purchasing tickets may be found on the cinema’s website.

The Egyptian Theatre is located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, between Las Palmas and McCadden, in Hollywood, California. Directions are available on the cinema’s website.

Parking is available at several lots near the Egyptian, including the Hollywood & Highland complex. The Egyptian Theatre does not validate parking for any lot.

The Egyptian Theatre is also served by public transportation. The Metro Red Line’s Hollywood/Highland station is a short walk from the cinema. More information about parking, directions, and public transportation may be found on the theater’s website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, author Stephen Youngkin interviewed Harper Goff on the making of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, as well as the casting of Peter Lorre as Conseil, apprentice to Paul Lukas’ Prof. Arronax. Goff was inducted into the Art Directors Guild Hall of Fame in 2013. He was named a Disney Legend following his death in 1993 at the age of 81.

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

Harvard Film Archive Screens Two Lorre Hitchcock Films

The Harvard Film Archive’s summer film series “The Complete Alfred Hitchcock” will include two movies Peter Lorre made with the famed director – The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) and Secret Agent (1936).

The Man Who Knew Too Much will be shown Sunday, July 28, 2013, at 7 pm, followed by The Skin Game (1931).

Secret Agent will be shown the following Sunday, Aug. 4, at 7 pm, followed by Rich and Strange (1931).

Both films will be shown in 35mm film. The series will run from July 11 to September 28 and includes nine silent movies recently restored by the British Film Institute and accompanied by live piano. The full schedule may be found on the Harvard Film Archive’s website.

The Harvard Film Archive Cinematheque is located in the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts at 24 Quincy Street, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Directions to the HFA are available on the HFA website. For more information, please call the HFA at (617) 495-4700.

Tickets may be purchased at the Cinematheque on the lower level of the Carpenter Center 45 minutes before showtime. Members of the Harvard Film Archive may reserve tickets in advance for special event screenings.

Ticket prices are $9 for regular admission and $7 for Non-Harvard students, Harvard faculty and staff, and senior citizens. Special Event Ticket Prices are $12 for all patrons. Discounts are available for Harvard Film Archive members. More information about tickets may be found on the HFA website.

Parking is available at meters on Broadway and Harvard streets. The metered parking is free after 8 pm. The Harvard Film Archive is easily reached by public transportation, particularly the MBTA Red Line. More information about parking, including a map, is located on the HFA website.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005), Stephen D. Youngkin discusses Peter Lorre’s experiences working with Alfred Hitchcock at Gaumont-British in the early 1930s. During filming of The Man Who Knew Too Much, Peter was able to take a break and marry his long-time love Celia Lovsky. Still in scar make-up and frosted hair for the part of Abbott, leader of the anarchists in London, Peter exchanged marriage vows with Celia at Caxton Hall in the West End. Although the marriage ended in 1945 with Peter's marriage to second wife Karen Verne, Peter and Celia remained close friends to the end of Peter’s life on March 23, 1964.

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

Summer Film Series Includes Mr. Moto

For the 16th annual University of the Pacific Summer Film Series, organizer Tom Connor includes Peter Lorre as the Japanese detective Mr. Moto in Mr. Moto’s Last Warning (1938), the only one of the eight Moto films in the public domain.

The film will be shown on Saturday, July 6, in the Janet Leigh Theater at the University of the Pacific. The doors open at 6:30 pm. The program begins at 7 pm, and includes newsreels, trailers, and cartoons – the features moviegoers in 1938 would have enjoyed when Mr. Moto’s Last Warning was originally shown in cinemas.

Students, faculty, and staff of the University of the Pacific may attend for free. Admission is $3 for University alumni. General admission for adults and children is $5.

The University of the Pacific is located at 3601 Pacific Avenue, in Stockton, California. The Janet Leigh Theater in located in the McCaffrey Center complex in the center of the Stockton campus.

Parking lots 31 and 32 are located closest to the Janet Leigh Theatre. A campus map is available on the University website.

The Summer Film Series runs until August 17, 2013. The full schedule may be found on the University website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005), Stephen D. Youngkin details the making of the Mr. Moto series of movies at 20th Century-Fox from 1937 to 1939, including interviews with Norman Foster, who directed six of the eight films, co-stars Leon Ames and Chick Chandler, and stuntman Harvey Parry, who doubled Peter in all the judo and fight sequences.

Considering Moto a welcome change from the villain roles he was usually assigned, Peter initially loved playing the diminutive hero – but his interest disappeared as the series wore on, and he found himself appearing as Moto and no one else, including Moto sketches on several radio shows of the period.

All eight of the Mr. Moto movies have been remastered and released in two box-sets, which include several documentaries on the series, the Moto character, and Peter Lorre. More information about ordering the Moto films may be found in the DVD-VHS section of The Lost One website.

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

Lorre on TV This Summer

Summer is here, and with it, a number of Peter Lorre movies on television and Turner Classic Movies during July, August, and September. 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.

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July, 2013

Paul Henreid is TCM’s “Star of the Month” on Tuesdays in July, and a number of the films Henreid made with Peter Lorre are included on the schedule.

July 2 (Tues.), 4:30 am, Turner Classic Movies channel – Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956). Peter Lorre makes a cameo appearance in this musical starring Cyd Charrise and Dan Dailey, and co-starring Paul Henreid.

July 6 (Sat.), 2:20 pm, Retro TV channel – The Patsy (1964). Peter’s final movie was released several months after his death on Mar. 23, 1964.

July 16 (Tues.), 4 am, Retro TV channel – The Patsy (1964).

July 17 (Wed.), 10:55 am and 11:15 pm, Retro TV channel – The Patsy (1964).

July 23 (Tues.), 12 am, TCM – Hollywood Canteen (1944). Peter Lorre and Paul Henreid are just two of the many Warner Bros. contract players appearing in this salute to the Canteen frequented by servicemen and women during World War II.

July 25 (Thurs.), 12:40 pm and 8 pm, Retro TV channel – The Patsy (1964).

July 30 (Tues.), 3:45 pm, TCM – Silk Stockings (1957).

July 30 (Tues.), TCM – Paul Henreid Month ends with a Henreid / Lorre double-feature: The Conspirators (1944) at 8 pm, and Casablanca (1942) at 10 pm.

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August, 2013

August brings TCM’s annual “Summer Under the Stars” festival, and although Peter Lorre is not one of the “Stars”, a number of the Stars he worked with are featured.

Aug. 1 (Thurs.), TCM – On “Humphrey Bogart Day”, TCM presents the first and last movies Peter made with his old friend Bogie: The Maltese Falcon (1941) at 9 am, and Beat the Devil (1954) at 4:15 pm.

Aug. 2 (Fri.), 8:15 am and 4:05 pm, Retro TV channel – The Patsy (1964).

Aug. 6 (Tues.), 2:15 am, TCM – The Constant Nymph (1943). On “Joan Fontaine Day”, Peter Lorre plays the romantic Fritz Bercovy, who loves and marries one of the Sanger sisters.

Aug. 8 (Thurs.), 7:05 am, Encore Suspense channel – Tales of Terror (1962). Peter Lorre appears in "The Black Cat", the second tale of this trilogy.

Aug. 12 (Mon.), 5:20 am and 11:30 am, Encore Suspense channel – Tales of Terror (1962).

Aug. 13 (Tues.), 11:35 am and 4 am, Fox Movie Channel – Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962).

Aug. 13 (Tues.), 5 pm, TCM – Quicksand (1950). On “Mickey Rooney Day”, Peter co-stars with Rooney in an independent film made under their own production company.

Aug. 17 (Sat.), noon, Fox Movie Channel – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).

Aug. 21 (Wed.), 7:30 am, Encore Suspense channel – Tales of Terror (1962).

Aug. 22 (Thurs.), 11:30 am and 9:45 pm, Retro TV channel – The Patsy (1964).

Aug. 23 (Fri.), 6:30 am, Retro TV channel – The Patsy (1964).

Aug. 25 (Sun.), 12 am, TCM – Strange Cargo (1940). On “Clark Gable Day”, TCM presents the first of two movies Peter appeared in with Clark Gable.

Aug. 25 (Sun.), 3 am, Fox Movie Channel – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).

Aug. 26 (Mon.), 2 am, Antenna TV Channel – The Jack Benny Show, originally broadcast Jan. 22, 1963.

Aug. 28 (Wed.), 9 am and 4:40 pm, Retro TV channel – The Patsy (1964).

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September, 2013

Sept. 3 (Tues.), 4:15 pm, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956).

Sept. 26 (Thurs.), 3:35 am, Encore Suspense channel – Tales of Terror (1962).

Sept. 27 (Fri.), 9:35 pm, Encore Suspense channel – Tales of Terror (1962).

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Many of these and other Lorre movies are now available on DVD and VHS – some 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.

Happy viewing!

Happy Birthday, Peter Lorre! – from Sirius XM and Greg Bell

“Love for László” – Greg Bell has named his annual birthday salute to Peter Lorre on Sirius XM Radio’s Radio Classics channel. Though Peter was born June 26, the tribute runs a little early this year, as Greg Bell will be at sea on the first ever Radio Classics cruise next week.

For two hours, Lorre fans can enjoy four programs – an episode of Peter’s own series Mystery in the Air, “The Queen of Spades” (Sept. 11, 1947); Suspense, "Of Maestro and Man" (July 20, 1944); an episode of Peter’s series Mystery Playhouse, “Lady in the Morgue” (May 15, 1945), which originally aired on Mollé Mystery Theater; and finally an episode of Jack Benny’s series The Lucky Strike Program, “I Stand Condemned” (Mar. 24, 1946).

In addition, a brief telephone interview with actress Peggy Webber is included. Webber, who appears as “Lizavieta” in “The Queen of Spades”, recalls working with Peter on the episode and how he felt about seeing himself on film, whether in the daily rushes or in a cinema.

The Lorre tribute will air these dates and times:

Monday, June 17:
11 pm Pacific

Tuesday, June 18:
2 am Eastern
2 pm Eastern, 11 am Pacific

Friday, June 21:
4 am Eastern, 1 am Pacific
4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific

Saturday, June 30:
6 pm Eastern, 3 pm Pacific

Satellite radio providers XM and Sirius air Radio Classics over channel 82. Subscribers may also listen to the programs over the internet. Log-in with your User ID and password. Not a subscriber? A free 30-day trial is also available through the XM radio website.

A full schedule of the week’s programming may be found on Greg Bell’s website.

Stephen Youngkin discusses Peter’s extensive radio career in the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, including an interview with Harry Morgan, who worked with Peter as the narrator “The Voice of Mystery” on Mystery in the Air in the summer of 1947.

The Lorre radio programs airing this week in honor of Peter’s 109th birthday are available through many merchants, including Radio Showcase. The Appendix of The Lost One offers the most complete list available of Peter’s many radio credits – in addition to his appearances on stage, in movies, and on television.

Published in 2005 through University Press of Kentucky, The Lost One is now available in paperback, as well as Amazon’s Kindle, and Barnes and Noble’s Nook, and hard-cover.