Hitchcock Fest Includes Lorre

A showing of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), Peter Lorre’s first role in an English-speaking film, kicks off TRYLON’s annual Minneapolis Hitchcock Festival on Thursday, March 29, 2018, in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area.

The Hitchcock festival will be shown every Thursday night from March 29 to May 21, 2018. Participating cinemas include the Heights Theater in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, and the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis. The complete schedule is available on the TRYLON website.

The Man Who Knew Too Much will be shown in a 35mm print, courtesy of the Library of Congress, at the Heights Theater. The program begins at 7:30 pm.

Admission is $10 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased at the Heights box-office. Tickets may also be purchased through the Heights website.

The Heights Theatre is located at 3951 Central Avenue NE, at the corner of Central Avenue NE and Gould Avenue NE, in Columbia Heights, Minnesota.

Parking is available in the lot behind and beside the cinema. More information on parking, as well as directions to the cinema, is available on the venue’s website.

For more information, please contact the Heights Theater at 763-788-0979.

Casablanca at the AFI Silver Theatre

Lorre fans in the Silver Spring, Maryland, area will have two opportunities in March 2018 to catch Casablanca at the AFI Silver Theatre, in Silver Spring, Maryland.

On Saturday, March 17, Margaret Talbot, daughter of Warner Bros. actor Lyle Talbot, will moderate a panel of authors Alan K. Rode, Meredith Hindley, and Noah Isenberg and a discussion of Casablanca, following a showing of the 1942 movie.

Rode’s book Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film, Hindley’s Destination Casablanca: Exile, Espionage, and the Battle for North Africa in World War II, and Isenberg’s We’ll Always Have Casablanca: The Life, Legend, and Afterlife of Hollywood's Most Beloved Movie will all be available for purchase and autographs.

The program will begin at 2 pm.

Tickets for the event are $15 General Admission and $13 for AFI members. Tickets may be purchased at the box office or through the AFI Silver website.

Casablanca will also be shown on Tuesday, March 20, and Thursday, March 22, as part of the AFI Silver series “Directed by Michael Curtiz”. Alan Rode will introduce Casablanca, as well some of the other movies in the series.

Both showings of Casablanca will begin at 7:20 pm.

Admission is $13 General Admission, $10 for seniors, $8 for children, and $9.50 for AFI Members, 2 star and up. Tickets may be purchased at the box-office, as well as through the venue’s website.

The series “Directed by Michael Curtiz” will run from Saturday, March 17, to Sunday, March 25. The complete schedule is available on the AFI Silver website.

The AFI Silver Theatre is located at 8633 Colesville Road, at the intersection of Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue, in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Parking is available in several public parking decks close to the theater. Most convenient is the Wayne Avenue garage, located at 921 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland. Parking at the Wayne Avenue garage is free on weekends and after 8 pm on weekdays.

Directions to the cinema, as well as information about parking and public transportation, may be found on the AFI Silver website.

Spring into Spring With Lorre on TV

Winter becomes spring, and Peter's fans can enjoy many Lorre films on television and Turner Classic Movies.

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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February, 2018

Throughout February and into March, the Turner Classic Movies channel holds its annual “30 Days of Oscar” festival – with several Lorre Oscar winners and nominees included.

Feb 21 (Wed), 7:30 am, Antenna TV channel – The Jack Benny Program (originally broadcast over CBS, Jan. 22, 1963). Jack welcomes guest Peter Lorre and recounts the nightmare he had involving Peter as a wanted killer.

Feb. 26 (Sun), 8 am, Turner Classic Movies channel – The Maltese Falcon (1941). Today’s daytime theme on TCM is “Best Picture Nominees”, including Peter Lorre’s first movie for Warner Bros. – and his first movie with Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet.

Feb. 27 (Tues), 2:45 am, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956). “30 Days of Oscar” continues with “Best Picture Winners”. Peter Lorre is one of many cameos in this all-star extravaganza about the Victorian London gentleman (David Niven) who bets he can circle the globe in 80 days.

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March, 2018

The “30 Days of Oscar” festival concludes on March 3, but March has plenty of other Lorre movies.

Mar. 1 (Thurs), 4:15 am, TCM – Casablanca (1943). March begins in the “30 Days of Oscar” fest with more “Best Picture Winners” – and the role that won Peter Lorre a contract with the Warner Bros. studio.

Mar. 10 (Sat), 12 midnight, TCM – Stranger on the Third Floor (1940). TCM's "Noir Alley" moves to Saturday nights at midnight (EST), 9 pm (PST), and tonight, host Eddie Muller presents the movie considered by many to be the first true noir film.

Mar. 11 (Sun), 10 am, TCM – Stranger on the Third Floor (1940). Missed the midnight showing of the "Noir Alley" feature? Fear not! The "Czar of Noir" Eddie Muller presents an encore showing of Peter as "the Stranger".

Mar. 12 (Mon), 2:45 pm, TCM – Mad Love (1935). The daytime theme is "30s Horror", including Peter Lorre”s first American movie.

Mar. 19 (Mon), 10:45 pm, TCM – Strange Cargo (1940). The daytime theme is "Prison Escapes". Peter Lorre plays Monsieur Cochon ("The Pig"), who earns a living in the French penal colony of Guiana by reporting escaped convicts (such as Clark Gable's Verne) to the authorities.

Mar. 20 (Tues), 1:30 am, MeTV – Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "Man From the South" (CBS, Mar. 13, 1960)

Mar. 22 (Thurs), 2 am, TCM – Casablanca (1942). A week of "Great Movie Endings" continues with a night of movies with "Famous Last Words".

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April, 2018

April brings several Lorre movies infrequently shown on TCM.

Apr. 12 (Thurs), 10 pm, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956). Every Thursday in April, the TCM primetime theme is "The Victorian Era in Film", and tonight's sub-theme is "Victorian Science and Exploration".

Apr. 18 (Wed), 6 pm, TCM – Passage to Marseille (1944). Every Wednesday in April, TCM turns the spotlight on director Michael Curtiz, including the wartime film that paired Peter Lorre with Humphrey Bogart for a final time at Warner Bros.

Apr. 18 (Wed), 8 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942). The Curtiz Spotlight continues with the movie that won Peter a contract with Warner Bros.

Apr. 19 (Thurs), 6 am, TCM – Muscle Beach Party (1963). The daytime theme is "Swinging '60s", as TCM includes one of Peter's final films – the movie that was in release as newspapers ran stories of Peter's passing and funeral.

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Many of these and other Lorre movies 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.

Purchase The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre from Amazon.

Happy viewing!

Lorre Film Kicks off Seattle Noir Fest

Hosted by the “Czar of Noir” Eddie Muller, the annual Noir City festival of film noir movies will kick off with a showing of The Maltese Falcon (1941) on Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian in Seattle, Washington.

The program begins at 6:30 pm with live music by the Casey MacGill Trio and a cider tasting, courtesy of Capitol Cider. Attendees are encouraged to dress in 1940s era and test their Noir knowledge with “Shadow Play”, the game of noir trivia.

The Maltese Falcon will begin at 7 pm. A second showing of the movie is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 19, at 12:30 pm at the Egyptian.

Admission is $15 for adults, $14 for seniors 65 and older, and $10 for SIFF members. Passes for the entire festival are also available for $150 for adults and $100 for SIFF members.

Tickets may be purchased at the Egyptian box office, which opens 30 minutes before the first show of the day, or by calling 206-324-9996, Monday through Friday, between 10 am and 5 pm. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the SIFF website. SIFF members must log-in first to get their discount. A nominal service fee will be added to all tickets purchased on-line.

The SIFF Cinema Egyptian is located at 805 E. Pine Street, between Harvard Avenue and Broadway Street, in Seattle, Washington.

Parking is available in the Seattle Central College Harvard Parking Garage, located across the street from the Egyptian at 1609 Harvard Avenue, in Seattle.

The Egyptian is also served by public transportation. More information on bus lines, as well as parking, is available on the venue’s website.

Noir City 2018 will run from Friday, Feb. 16, to Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. The complete schedule is available on the SIFF website.

And in addition to hosting Seattle’s Noir City fest, Eddie Muller appears on SIFFcast’s 100th episode, discussing with Siffcast host Jeremy Cropf the 18 classic movies on this year’s schedule. The podcast is available on the SIFF website.

Lorre Lovers, Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Peter

Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, falls on a Wednesday in 2018 – and many cinemas across the United States will show Casablanca (1942), considered by many film fans as one of the most romantic movies in cinema history.

And although limited to only a few scenes – in the pivotal role of Ugarte, the black market dealer in exit visas – Peter Lorre is always a treat to watch in a movie theater, including these ~

• Old Town Music Hall – El Segundo, California
• Redford Theatre – Detroit, Michigan
• Amherst Screening Room – Amherst, New York
• Movie Tavern chain – various US states
• Brattle Theatre – Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Skylight Cinema – Bentonville, Arkansas

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Old Town Music Hall ~ The Old Town Music Hall, in El Segundo, California, will present Casablanca on the following dates and times ~

• Feb. 9, Friday – 8:15 pm
• Feb. 10, Saturday – 2:30 pm and 8:15 pm
• Feb. 11, Sunday – 2:30 pm

It’s a step back in time at this cinema, where every program begins with music on the mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ, an audience sing-along, and a comedy short. After a 15-minute intermission, the main feature will begin.

Admission is $10 for adults, and $8 for seniors age 62 and over. Tickets may be purchased at the cinema’s box office 30 minutes before each show time. Tickets are not available on-line.

The Old Town Music Hall is located at 140 Richmond Street, in El Segundo, California. For more information, please call the cinema at 310-322-2592.

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Redford Theatre ~ The Redford Theatre, in Detroit, Michigan, will show a 35mm film print of Casablanca on the following dates and times ~

• Feb. 9, Friday – 8 pm
• Feb. 10, Saturday – 2 pm and 8 pm

For 30 minutes before each show, the Barton organ will be played, followed by a 15-minute intermission.

Admission is $5 for everyone. Tickets may be purchased at the box office an hour before the movie begins. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the venue's website. A nominal processing fee will be added for all tickets purchased on-line.

The Redford Theatre is located at 17360 Lahser Road, just north of Grand River Avenue, in Detroit, Michigan.

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Amherst Screening Room ~ The Amherst Screening Room, in Amherst, New York, will show Casablanca throughout the Valentine’s Day holiday ~

• Feb. 10, Saturday – 7:30 pm
• Feb. 11, Sunday – 6 pm
• Feb. 13, Tuesday – 7:30 pm
• Feb. 14, Wednesday – 7:30 pm
• Feb. 16, Friday – 7:30 pm
• Feb. 17, Saturday – 7:30 pm

On Valentine’s Day, Casablanca will be shown on a double-feature with The Princess Bride (1987). Admission for Casablanca only is $7, and $10 for both films. Admission is $6 for all other showings of Casablanca.

The Amherst Screening Room is located at 880 Alberta Drive, in Suite 207 of the Boulevard Mall, in Amherst, New York. For more information, please call the theater at 716-837-0376.

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Movie Tavern ~ Many cinemas in the Movie Tavern chain will present Casablanca on Sunday, Feb. 11 and Wednesday, Feb. 14, as part of their “Flashback Cinema” series.

Dates and times vary by participating cinema, with some cinemas showing Casablanca on Valentine’s Day only.

Cinemas in the Movie Tavern chain are located in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.

Ticket prices vary by theater.

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Brattle Theatre ~ The Brattle Theatre, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, continues its popular Valentine’s Day tradition of Casablanca screenings with a 35mm print of the movie ~

• Feb. 13, Tuesday – 4 pm available only; 7 pm show is sold out
• Feb. 14, Wednesday – 4 pm available only; 7 pm show is sold out

Tickets for the 4 pm matinee showing are $9 for adults, students, and members of the Brattle; $8 for seniors age 65 and older, as well as children under age 12. Special Premium tickets are also available for $20 and include seating in a reserved section and unlimited popcorn and soda. Tickets may be purchased at the box-office, as well as on-line through the Brattle website.

The Brattle Theatre is located at 40 Brattle Street, in Brattle Hall, one block from Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, please call the Brattle at 617-876-6837.

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Skylight Cinema ~ Lorre fans attending Casablanca at the Skylight Cinema, in Bentonville, Arkansas, can enjoy reserved seating in rocker or reclining seats, as the theater presents the film as a Valentine treat at 6:30 pm and 9:05 pm.

Admission is $11 for adults, and $8 for children ages 2 to 12, seniors age 60 and older, and military personnel. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, as well as on-line through the cinema website. Seats are selected and reserved when tickets are purchased.

The Skylight Cinema is located at 350 SW A Street, in Bentonville, Arkansas. For more information, please call the theater at 479-367-7629.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Buffalo Film Seminars Includes Casablanca

As part of the Buffalo Film Seminars series, Casablanca (1942) will be shown at the Dipson Amherst Theatre in Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018.

Presented by the University at Buffalo, the program will begin at 7 pm with an introduction by Diane Christian and Bruce Jackson, who also lead a discussion with the audience following the movie and a brief break.

Handouts with production details, anecdotes, and critical comments about each week's film are available on goldenrod paper in the theater lobby 45 minutes before each session. The Goldenrod handouts, including the handout for Casablanca, are also available online.

The complete schedule for the 2018 seminar is available on-line.

Tickets are $9.50 for adults, $7.25 for seniors, and $8 for students, military, and children. Although the film seminar is primarily for students in the University at Buffalo film class, all are welcome to attend and participate in the discussion.

Tickets may be purchased at the cinema’s box office. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the venue’s website. A nominal fee of $1 will be added for each ticket purchased on-line. Season tickets for the seminar are also available.

The Dipson Amherst Theatre is located at 3500 Main Street, in the Tops University Plaza, in Buffalo, New York. Directions may be found on the cinema’s website.

Ample parking is available near the theater in the Tops University Plaza.

San Diego Film Geeks Include Lorre in Film Series

On Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, Film Geeks SD kick off their year-long film series “Noir on the Boulevard” with a showing of The Maltese Falcon (1941) at the Digital Gym Cinema in San Diego, California.

The program will begin at 1 pm, hosted by Beth Accomando, Arts and Culture reporter for San Diego's KPBS News.

Tickets are $11 general admission, $8.50 for students and seniors, and $7.50 for Digital Gym Cinema members. Tickets may be purchased at the box office or on-line through the venue’s website. Tickets may also be ordered over the telephone by calling 619-230-1938.

The Digital Gym Cinema is located at 2921 El Cajon Boulevard, on the corner of 30th Street and El Cajon Boulevard off the 805 Freeway, in the North Park area of San Diego, California.

Parking is available at meters along El Cajon Boulevard. Street parking is available on Kansas and 30th streets.

From January to December, 2018, the Film Geeks SD’s “Noir on the Boulevard” series will include 19 classic noir and neo-noir movies, adapted from novels or screenplays written by acclaimed novelists.

In addition to the noir film series, a Noir Book of the Month Club will also launch, with the KPBS Cinema Junkie introducing readers to the books that inspired the movies. D.A. Kolodenko begins the blog series with a discussion of The Maltese Falcon novel and movie.

The complete film schedule is available on the Digital Gym Cinema website.

For more information, please the venue at 619-230-1938.

Arsenic and Old Lace at Illinois Cinema

The Virginia Theatre, located in Champaign, Illinois, continues its News-Gazette Film Series with Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018.

The film will be shown at 1 pm and 7 pm. Before the 7 pm show, the cinema’s organist David Schroeder will play the Wurlitzer Pipe Organ and lead the audience in a short sing-along, with the lyrics shown on historic glass slides projected onto the screen.

Tickets are $6 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased at the Virginia Theatre box-office. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the venue’s website. A nominal processing fee of $1 will be added to each set of tickets purchased on-line.

The historic Virginia Theatre, opened in 1921, is located at 203 West Park Avenue, in the Champaign Park area of Champaign, Illinois.

Metered parking is available on the streets near the cinema. Parking is also available at the Hill Street Parking Deck, located at 125 at West Hill Street, in Champaign, Illinois. More information about parking is available on the venue’s website.

For more information, please call the Virginia Theatre at 217-356-9063.

Casablanca Included in Michael Curtiz Fest at UCLA

On Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, in association with the Hugh M. Hefner Classic American Film Program, will kick off a salute to director Michael Curtiz with a showing of one of his most famous movies, Casablanca (1942), on a double-bill with Kid Galahad (1937) in the Billy Wilder Theater.

Film noir expert Alan K. Rode will curate the series and introduce each film. Mr. Rode will also sign copies of his new book Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film (University Press of Kentucky, 2017) before and between each screening, with the exception of Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018.

The program begins at 6:30 pm with the book-signing. Casablanca will be shown at 7:30 pm, with Kid Galahad (1937) to follow.

The festival will run from Friday, Jan. 5 to Saturday, Mar. 17, 2018. The complete schedule is available on the UCLA Film and Television Archive website.

Tickets for the Casablanca / Kid Galahad double-feature are $9 general admission and $8 for non-UCLA students, seniors, and UCLA Alumni Association members. ID is required for students and Alumni Association members. Current UCLA students with ID are eligible for one free ticket to any Archive show.

General admission tickets may also be purchased on-line through the Festival website for $10 each. Tickets may be called for at the Billy Wilder Theater box office, which opens one hour before the first show.

The Billy Wilder Theater is located at the Courtyard Level of the Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Boulevard, at the intersection of Wilshire and Westwood boulevards in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, California.

For more information, please call the theater at 310-206-8013.

Parking is available in the lot under the Billy Wilder Theater. Enter the lot from Westwood Boulevard, just north of Wilshire Boulevard. Parking for the disabled is provided on levels P1 and P3. On Saturdays and Sundays, the fee is a flat rate of $3.

The venue is also well-served by public transportation.

More information about parking and public transportation, as well as directions, may be found on the venue’s website.

Casablanca was the first of two movies in which Peter Lorre worked with Michael Curtiz. In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (University Press of Kentucky, 2005), Stephen Youngkin describes a story Peter told to a Humphrey Bogart biographer about the time Peter and Bogie “blackmailed” Michael Curtiz into a sense of humor.

The film was Passage to Marseille (1944), and the two pranksters began telling long stories – and if Curtiz did not laugh, they deliberate fluffed their lines. Peter reported it took the director a couple days to figure out that if he laughed, he got the scene in one take.

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

Conspirators at the Normal Theater

The historic Normal Theater, located in Normal, Illinois, turns the spotlight on actress Hedy Lamarr with the documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017), Ziegfeld Girl (1941), and the only movie in which she co-starred with Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet – the Warner Bros. spy drama The Conspirators (1944).

The Conspirators will be shown at 7 pm on Thursday, Jan. 4, and Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018.

Ticket prices are $7 for general admission and $5 for children age 13 and under, as well as students. Tickets may be purchased at the Normal Theater box office, which opens 30 minutes before the start of the show. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the venue’s website.

The Normal Theater is located at 209 W. North Street, in the Uptown Normal area of Normal, Illinois.

Parking is available at several lots and garages near the theater, as well as on the streets near the Normal. Most convenient is the parking garage located at 122 W. Beaufort Street. After 6 pm every night and all day Sunday, parking is free. More information about parking, as well as directions to the theater, is available on the cinema’s website.

For more information, please contact the Normal Theater at 309-454-9720.

The Conspirators was the sixth of nine movies Peter Lorre made with Sydney Greenstreet. Their working relationship is chronicled in Stephen Youngkin’s Book The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005). Although they rarely socialized away from the studio, they had great respect for each other’s talents – and in addition to their nine movies, also appeared together several times on radio. A complete list of Peter’s radio credits is included in the book’s Appendix.

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