Encore, Encore – Restored Casablanca Returns to Theaters, April 26, 2012

Peter Lorre fans who missed the initial 70th anniversary showing of the restored Casablanca (1942) – or fans who want to catch Peter on the big screen again – will have another opportunity on Thursday, April 26, when Fathom Events and Turner Classic Movies present an encore of the event.

As with the previous showing on March 21, a new documentary on the making of Casablanca, hosted by TCM’s own Robert Osborne, will precede the film.

The program will begin at 7 pm, local time. Some theaters will also have matinee showings.

Participating movie theaters are listed by State and City on the Fathom Events website. Updates to the list are being made daily, and theater locations are subject to change.

Ticket prices are $12.50 for all seats, however, some cinemas may offer a discount for students, children, and seniors. Tickets may be purchased at the theater, as well as on-line through the Fathom Events website and Fandango.

Shelter Island Library Screens Arsenic and Old Lace on April 24

The Shelter Island Public Library series “Movies at the Library” will continue on Tuesday, April 24, 2012, with a screening of Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). However, while renovations to the library’s facilities on the lower level continue, the film will be shown at the Center Firehouse, which is generously providing their training room with its large screen and surround sound.

The program begins at 7 pm. Admission is free, and free bottled water and popcorn will be available.

The Center Firehouse is located at 49 North Ferry Road, in Shelter Island, NY.

Parking is located at the rear of the firehouse, with stairs and an elevator to the screening room.

Arsenic and Old Lace was Peter Lorre’s third movie at Warner Bros., following The Maltese Falcon and All Through the Night, shot in the fall of 1941, but not released until October of 1944. Not yet under contract to the studio, Peter would be called back to the studio for a few more movies before finally becoming a member of the Warners stock company.

In September 1978, Stephen Youngkin interviewed director Frank Capra for the authorized Lorre biography The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (University Press of Kentucky, 2005). The director discussed the making of Arsenic and Old Lace and working with Peter, who was Capra’s first choice for the role of the plastic surgeon Dr Einstein to Raymond Massey’s killer, Jonathan Brewster.

Years later, Peter Lorre would reprise the character for television’s The Best of Broadway (Jan. 5, 1955) – opposite Boris Karloff as Jonathan, who had created the role on Broadway in the early 1940s.

Black Angel, Three Strangers at L.A. Film Noir Fest

Peter Lorre fans attending the Noir City Film Festival at the Egyptian in Los Angeles will be in for a special treat – a showing of both Black Angel (1946) and the preserved print of Three Strangers (1945).

Hosted by Eddie Muller and Film Noir Foundation co-director Alan K. Rode, the 14th annual festival of film noir will run from Friday, April 20, to Sunday, May 6, 2012.

Black Angel (1946) will be shown on Sunday, April 22, in a triple feature of movies based on Cornell Woolrich novels beginning at 5 pm with Phantom Lady (1944).

And on Saturday, May 5, Three Strangers (1945) will begin at 7:30 pm, followed by Nobody Loves Forever (1946) in a double-feature tribute to actress Geraldine Fitzgerald. A discussion with the actress’ son, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, will follow Three Strangers.

Tickets for the triple feature with Black Angel are $15 for the general public, $12 for students and seniors, and $10 for American Cinemateque members.

Tickets for the double feature with Three Strangers are $12 for the general public, $10 for students and seniors, and $8 for American Cinemateque members.

Tickets may be purchased on the day or in advance at the Egyptian Theatre’s box-office, which opens 90 minutes before the first show of the day. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through Fandango. Fandango processing fees will apply. More information on tickets may be found on the cinema’s website.

The Egyptian is located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, between Las Palmas and McCadden, and just east of Highland Avenue, in Hollywood, CA. Directions to the cinema can be found on the Egyptian’s website.

Parking is available on the streets off Hollywood Blvd., as well as nearby parking garages, including the complex at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue. More information on parking can be found on the Egyptian Theatre website. Please note – the Egyptian no longer validates parking tickets.

For the past 14 years, Eddie Muller has been programming the film noir festival at the Egyptian Theater. Since the formation of the Film Noir Foundation, Eddie has made reclamation and restoration of lost noir films an official crusade. For this event, as well as two previous film noir fests in San Francisco and Seattle, the Film Noir Foundation went to the personal expense of producing a preservation print of Three Strangers.

With several U.S. cities holding film noir festivals this year, more Lorre fans may have an opportunity to see Three Strangers – before UCLA acquires this preserved print for their Film Archive.

Peter Lorre on Television This Spring

April, May, and June bring many Peter Lorre movies on 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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April, 2012

Apr. 13 (Fri.), 8 pm, Turner Classic Movies channel – Casablanca (1942). TCM salutes films celebrating a major anniversary in 2012, including Casablanca, which was released 70 years ago this November.

Apr. 14 (Sat.), 7:30 am, TCM – You”ll Find Out (1940). The only film Peter made with both “horror boys” Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi.

Apr. 19 (Thurs.), 10 pm, TCM – Muscle Beach Party (1964). TCM celebrates “Spring Break” week with an evening of American International Pictures’ Beach Party movies from the 1960s.

Apr. 30 (Mon.) – TCM salutes director Jean Negulesco with two Lorre movies: The Conspirators (1944) at 10 pm and The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) at 4:30 am

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May, 2012

May 15 (Tues.), 12 midnight, Antenna TV – Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "The Diplomatic Corpse", originally broadcast Dec. 8, 1957.

May 25 (Fri.), 12 midnight, TCM – Strange Cargo (1940).

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June, 2012

June 6 (Wed.), 3:30 pm, TCM – Mad Love (1935)

June 8 (Fri.), 8:30 am, TCM – The Constant Nymph (1943)

June 12 (Tues.), 1:30 am, TCM – The Mask of Dimitrios (1944). TCM presents an evening of movies with "Flashbacks in Noir", including The Mask of Dimitrios, in which the device is used to tell the backstory of the evil Dimitrios (played by Zachary Scott in his film debut).

June 13 (Wed.), 4:15 pm, Encore Westerns Channel – Wagon Train, "The Alexander Portlass Story", originally broadcast over NBC on Mar. 16, 1960.

June 16 (Sat.), 1:15 pm, TCM – All Through the Night (1942).

June 24 (Sun.), 8 am, TCM – Hollywood Canteen (1944).

June 24 (Sun.), 9:30 pm, TCM – The Big Circus (1959). TCM will "Send in the Clowns" with an evening of circus films, including Peter's turn as Skeeter the Clown in The Big Circus, his second Irwin Allen-directed film, as well as his second movie with Vincent Price.

June 30 (Sat.), 1:15 pm, TCM – Passage to Marseille (1944).

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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 to the DVD — VHS section of The Lost One website.

Happy viewing!

The Man Who Knew Too Much on April 11 in Fayetteville, GA

On Wednesday, April 11, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) will be the first feature in a months-long film series “Evenings with Sir Alfred: A Hitchcock Retrospective” at the Fayette County Public Library. The series will continue with two screenings each month through October.

The program begins at 6:30 p.m.  Admission is free – and free popcorn will also be provided.

Because the movies will be shown free of charge, the library is not permitted to publish the other titles in the “Evenings with Sir Alfred” series.  However, flyers with the complete schedule, plus descriptions of the movies, are available at the library.

Screening dates are:  April 11 and 25, May 9 and 23, June 6 and 20, July 11 and 25, Aug. 8 and 22, Sept. 5 and 19, and Oct. 3 and 17.  For more information, please call the library at (770) 461-8841.

The Fayette County Public Library is located at 1821 Heritage Parkway, behind the Fayette County administration complex in downtown Fayetteville, Georgia.  Directions to the library may be found on the library’s website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, the authorized biography of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin chronicles the making of The Man Who Knew Too Much – Peter’s first English-language movie and first film with Alfred Hitchcock.  It was a role that led Peter to a contract with Columbia Studios in Hollywood and passage to America for himself and his wife Celia Lovsky.

Peter would soon return to England to work with Hitchcock again on Secret Agent (1936) – a film that may also be included in the “Evenings with Sir Alfred” series.

M On-Screen in Savannah, GA, April 14, 2012

As part of their Cinema Circle Film Services, the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) will present M (1931) in the Trustees Theater on Saturday night, April 14, 2012.

The SCAD Cinema Circle features pre-show discussions highlighting the importance of the film – cultural, cinematic, and historic. Following the screening will be an in-depth review of the film. Moderating M will be Dr. Tracy Cox-Stanton, SCAD Cinema Studies professor, as well as Winoma Caesar and Meg Sneed, two of SCAD’s cinema studies graduate students.

The program begins at 7 p.m.

The Trustees Theater is located at 216 E. Broughton Street, in Savannah, Georgia. Directions can be found on the SCAD website.

The State Street parking garage, located at the intersection of Abercorn and State streets, is open daily until 1 a.m. The Bryan Street parking garage, located between Bay and Bryan streets, with entrances on Drayton and Abercorn streets, is open 24 hours a day. Both garages charge $1 for the first hour and 50 cents for each additional hour. Off-street parking is also available on Broughton Street and the surrounding streets.

Tickets are $8 for the general public and $6 for military, seniors, and students. Admission is free for anyone with a SCAD ID. Tickets may be purchased at the SCAD box-office or charged by phone at (912) 525-5050. The box-office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Trustees Theater.

Tickets may also be purchased through the Savannah Box Office website. A processing fee of $4 will also be charged.

Restored Casablanca in Theaters Mar. 21, 2012

On Wednesday, Mar. 21, Peter Lorre fans across the U.S. will have the opportunity to enjoy the restored print of Casablanca (1942) in movie theaters.

In celebration of the classic film’s 70th anniversary, Fathom Events, Warner Bros., and the Turner Classic Movies channel are joining together for the special showing – which includes a new documentary on the making of Casablanca, presented by TCM’s movie host Robert Osborne.

The program will begin at 7 pm, local time. Some theaters will also have matinee showings at 2 pm.

Participating movie theaters are listed by State and City on the Fathom Events website. Updates to the list are being made daily, and theater locations are subject to change.

Ticket prices are $12.50 for all seats, however, some cinemas may offer a discount for students, children, and seniors. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the theater, as well as on-line through the Fathom Events website and Fandango.

In the small but pivotal role of black marketeer Ugarte, Peter Lorre sets in motion the film’s events by acquiring – through murder – a pair of valuable exit visas that he intends to sell to Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) and his wife Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman). It was a part to which Peter attached no importance. He later claimed he made more money playing the roulette wheel on the “Café Americain” set than he did in the four days he worked before the camera.

Casablanca did, however, give Peter the opportunity to work with his pal Humphrey Bogart. Not yet a contract player at Warner Bros., Peter was hired back for his third Bogart-starring movie, as the studio considered how he might fit in with their stable of actors. By the time he joined Bogart on Passage to Marseille (1944) in late 1943, Peter had appeared in several Warner Bros. films as a member of the Warners stock company.

The making of Casablanca and the on- and off-screen friendship of Bogie and Peter is documented in the authorized Lorre biography The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (University Press of Kentucky, 2005), by Stephen D. Youngkin – now available on the Kindle and Nook, as well as paperback and hard-back.

Preserved Print of Three Strangers On-Screen in Seattle

Beginning Friday, Feb. 24, and running through Thursday, Mar. 1, Eddie Muller and the Seattle International Film Festival will host the annual film noir festival “Noir City” at the SIFF Cinema at the Uptown, and on the schedule will be the newly-preserved 35mm print of Three Strangers. Muller and the Film Noir Foundation recently went to the expense of producing the print for the “Noir City” festival at the Castro Theater in San Francisco.

On Sunday, Feb. 26, Three Strangers will be shown on a double-bill with The Great Gatsby (1949). The matinee begins at 2 pm with The Great Gatsby; Three Strangers follows at 4:30 pm. The evening show begins at 7 pm with The Great Gatsby, and Three Strangers begins at 9:30 pm.

Tickets for both matinee and evening are $12 for adults, $11 for Youth and Seniors (with valid ID), and $7 for SIFF Members. Purchase a ticket for The Great Gatsby at 4:30 or 7 pm, and the ticket stub is admission to Three Strangers at 4:30 or 9:30 pm.

Passes for the entire festival are also available – at $60 or $35 for SIFF members. To receive the discount on all tickets and passes, SIFF members must log into their account first and then order tickets.

Tickets may be purchased through the SIFF website or over the telephone at (206) 324-9996. An additional fee of $1.25 per ticket, up to $5, will be charged for web and phone orders. There is no fee to redeem Early Bird ticket packages, ticket vouchers, or for membership purchases.

Tickets purchased are available for pick-up at Will-Call at the Uptown on the day of the show. The box office and Will-Call open 30 minutes before the first show of the day and remain open during scheduled film screenings. Seating is guaranteed until 10 minutes prior to screening. Late seating is not available.

The SIFF Cinema at the Uptown is located at 511 Queen Anne Avenue North, Seattle, Washington. The Uptown may be reached by both bus and monorail. Public transportation information is available on the SIFF website.

For his book The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005), Stephen Youngkin interviewed Joan Lorring, who plays Peter Lorre's love interest in both Three Strangers and The Verdict a year later in 1946. Then-21-year-old Ms. Lorring developed a tremendous crush on Peter and began wearing short skirts to the studio rather than slacks. "I can't tell you how that looked," she commented.

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

Lorre Lovers, Spend Valentine’s Day with Peter and Casablanca

Peter Lorre fans around the world will have many opportunities to catch Casablanca (1942) in theaters this Valentine’s Day.

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SGC Dungarvan —

Casablanca begins a week-long run at this cinema in Waterford, Ireland, on Friday, Feb. 10, and ending on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012.

The film begins at 5:30 p.m. each day, with an additional showing at 11 a.m. on Valentine’s Day.

Ticket prices are 7 Euros for adults, 5.50 for children, and 6.50 for seniors. A family ticket pack is available at 4 tickets for 24 Euros. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the cinema’s website. Please note that a booking fee of 80 cents will be charged per on-line order.

The SGC Dungarvan is located beside the Dungarvan shopping center, in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. Directions to the cinema are available on the cinema’s website.

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The Screening Room —

The Screening Room, located in Amherst, NY, will also begin a week-long showing of Casablanca in celebration of the film’s 70th Anniversary.

Casablanca is scheduled for the following dates and times:

• Friday, Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.


• Saturday, Feb. 11 – 7 p.m.


• Monday, Feb. 13 – 7 p.m.


• Tuesday, Feb. 14 – 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9:15 p.m.


• Friday, Feb. 17 – 7:30 p.m.


• Saturday, Feb. 18 – 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for Casablanca are $6 and are available at the box-office on a first-come basis, beginning 30 minutes before the movie begins.

The Screening Room is located within the Northtown Plaza, in the Northtown Plaza Business Center, at 3131 Sheridan Drive, Amherst, NY. The Business Center faces N. Bailey Avenue, behind the Arthur Murray Dance Studio. Parking is available on the N. Bailey side of the building.

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Dearborn Public Library —

The Blockbusters Free Film Series this season will include Casablanca on Monday, Feb. 13.

The program begins at 7 p.m. in the Henry Ford Centennial Library Auditorium. Admission is free.

The Dearborn Public Library is located at 16301 Michigan Avenue, in Dearborn, Michigan.

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British Film Institute, Southbank —

On Saturday, Feb. 11, Casablanca begins an extended run until Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Southbank theater of the BFI in London, England.

Tickets may be purchased online through the BFI website or by calling the box-office at 020 7928 3232. The box-office is open daily between 11:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.

The BFI, Southbank, is located on Belvedere Road, near Waterloo Bridge. Directions and visitor information are available on the BFI website. Parking is available nearby under the Hayward Gallery, the Royal National Theatre, and Jubilee Gardens. Closest train and underground stations are Waterloo (South Bank exit), Embankment, and Charring Cross (cross over the Hungerford Bridge to South Bank).

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TCM Classic Film Festival —

Lorre fans attending the 3rd annual Turner Classic Movies Film Festival in Hollywood over April 12 to 15, 2012, will be treated to a showing of a restored print of Casablanca. The theme this year is “Style in Movies”, and Casablanca is among “The Essentials” on the program, including All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and Cabaret (1970).

Passes are available in four categories – The Matinee, The Classic, The Essential, and The Spotlight – but quantities are limited and may be purchased through the festival website. Individual tickets may also be available for most films.

Although the schedule has not yet been announced, venues for the various events include Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Chinese Six Theaters, The Egyptian Theater, and the Cinerama Dome – all within an easy walking distance along Hollywood Blvd.

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On May 28, 1942, Peter Lorre joined the cast of Casablanca for a total of four days shooting. It was his third film with his off-screen pal Humphrey Bogart, and it added up to about four minutes of screen-time. Between takes, Peter joined the others in playing the roulette wheel on the "Rick’s Café Américain" set. Later, he claimed he had won more at roulette than he earned before the cameras – his salary was $2,333.

And like his co-stars, he never thought the movie would amount to anything – certainly not the revered classic is has become since its release in November, 1942.

Stephen D. Youngkin details the making of Casablanca in his authorized Lorre biography The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005), now available in paperback and the Kindle and Nook, as well as hard-bound.

Three Strangers On-Screen in San Francisco, Jan. 28, 2012

In a recent interview with Sean Martinfield of the San Francisco Sentinal, Eddie Muller lamented the slow death of 35mm.

When the Film Noir Foundation decided to add Three Strangers to the schedule of this year’s Noir City film noir festival, they discovered that a viewable 35mm print of the 1945 Warner Bros. movie did not exist.

But they didn’t scratch it off the list.

They opened their wallets and funded the preservation effort themselves. “I want people to see that movie now,” says Muller; “I want that film back in circulation now.”

Peter Lorre fans attending the FNF’s Noir City festival at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre this week will get that chance – Three Strangers will be shown three times on Saturday, January 28, 2012.

The annual festival will run 10 days, beginning Friday, January 20, and ending with an all-day Dashiell Hammett Marathon, including the 1931 and 1941 versions of The Maltese Falcon, on Sunday, January 29. The complete schedule can be found on the Noir City website.

Lorre films will be shown on these dates and times:

Three Strangers:
Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 – 1 pm, 5 pm, and 9 pm

The Maltese Falcon:
Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 – 9 pm

Tickets may be purchased through the Brown Paper Tickets website. A Film Noir Passport is also available for $120. Perks for the Passport include a discount over buying all the individual double-feature tickets and a separate entrance to the Castro, as well as early admission.

The Castro Theatre is located at 429 Castro Street, at Market 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.

So what will be the fate of Three Strangers when the Noir City festival ends?

The Film Noir Foundation plans to donate the preserved print to the UCLA Film and Television Archive – where it will reside with many other Lorre films and television programs, such as Crime and Punishment, Casbah, and episodes of Climax! and Checkmate.

And if Three Strangers does well at Noir Fest, perhaps Warner Bros. will be encouraged to release it to DVD . . . In a Lorre & Greenstreet box-set?