Spring moves into summer, and with the change of seasons come many Peter 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.
May, 2016
In 1934, Peter Lorre and his first wife Celia Lovsky became one of many European refugees from Hitler’s Germany to escape to America and continue their trade in motion pictures in Hollywood. In May, the
Turner Classic Movies channel salutes the actors, directors, writers, and musicians who brought their talents to American movies.
May 2 (Mon), 8 pm, Turner Classic Movies channel –
Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood (2009). Peter Lorre is one of the many Europeans featured in this documentary on the professionals in Berlin’s film industry during the 1920s and their immigration to Hollywood.
May 2 (Mon), 10:15 pm, TCM –
Casablanca (1942). The prime-time theme this week is “Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood”, and following the documentary by that name is this war-time classic (and winner of the “Best Picture” Oscar of 1943) whose supporting cast included many of the performers mentioned in the documentary.
May 3 (Tues), 11:30 pm, TCM –
Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood (2009). An encore showing of the 2009 documentary is included in the theme for the evening, "Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood", followed by a Peter Lorre double-feature.
May 3 (Tues), 1:45 am, TCM –
Mad Love (1935). In his first Hollywood movie, Peter worked with fellow German exile, director Karl Freund.
May 3 (Tues), 3 am, TCM –
All Through the Night (1942). An evening of films featuring refugees of Hitler’s Germany continues with Peter Lorre and Conrad Veidt playing German spies working in WW2 New York City and facing off against Humphrey Bogart and his cronies.
May 9 (Mon), 1:15 am, TCM –
Hollywood Canteen (1944). "Meet Your Favorite Stars" is TCM’s Primetime Theme, and in this all-star extravaganza from Warner Bros., Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet play themselves, rescuing singer Patty Andrews from a hopeless dance partner.
May 10 (Tues), 6 pm, TCM –
Silk Stockings (1957). TCM salutes Fred Astaire on his birthday with an MGM musical featuring a singing and dancing Peter Lorre as the Russian commissar Brankov, sent to Paris with two of his comrades (Jules Munshin and Joseph Buloff) to retrieve a famous Russian composer.
May 10 (Tues), 10:15 pm, TCM –
The Maltese Falcon (1941). TCM wishes a "Happy 75th Anniversary!" to several movies released in 1941, including this classic mystery film – the first film Peter made at Warner Bros. and the first he made with both Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet, with whom he would co-star in several other films in the 1940s.
May 12 (Thurs), 2:30 am, TCM –
The Comedy of Terrors (1964). Director Roger Corman joins TCM host Ben Mankiewicz each Thursday in May when TCM turns the spotlight on American International Pictures. Tonight's topic is "'60s Horror and Sci-Fi", including this horror-comedy in which Peter Lorre helps undertaker Vincent Price "dig up" customers for their failing funeral business. Roger Corman directed Lorre and Price in
Tales of Terror (1962) and
The Raven (1963) at AIP;
The Comedy of Terrors, directed by Jacques Tourneur, was the last AIP movie the two actors made together.
May 15 (Sun), 1:15 pm, Fox Movie Channel –
Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962).
May 16 (Mon), 9:45 am, Fox Movie Channel –
Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962).
May 19 (Thurs), 11:45 am, TCM –
Arsenic and Old Lace (1941). "Cary Grant / Paula Raymond" is the Daytime Theme, and murder is played for laughs in the only movie Peter Lorre made with Cary Grant.
May 20 (Fri), 5:10 pm, Encore Westerns –
Wagon Train, "The Alexander Portlass Story" (NBC, Mar. 16, 1960). Peter guest-stars on this Western TV series as Alexander Portlass, in search of Aztec treasure.
May 21 (Sat), 11:35 am, Fox Movie Channel –
Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962).
May 22 (Sun), 10 am, Fox Movie Channel –
Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962).
May 24 (Tues), 1:10 pm, Fox Movie Channel –
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).
May 25 (Wed), 11:30 am, Fox Movie Channel –
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).
May 30 (Mon), 6 pm, MGM Channel –
Muscle Beach Party (1964).
May 31 (Tues), 10 am, TCM –
Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956). "Let's Go to Las Vegas" is the Daytime Theme. Watch for Peter in a cameo as a blackjack player.
June, 2016
June 26 is Peter Lorre’s birthday, but while there will be no celebration of the event on the
Turner Classic Movies channel, several classic Lorre films are scheduled for the month.
June 5 (Sun), 10 am, TCM –
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).
June 6 (Mon), 6:16 pm, TCM –
The Maltese Falcon (1941). "Complicated Men" is TCM's daytime theme, including Dashiell Hammett's classic mystery story about a San Francisco detective (Humphrey Bogart), a dark-eyed "knockout" (Mary Astor), a jewel-covered statuette, and a number of nefarious characters (Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet) eager to get their hands on it.
June 15 (Wed), 7:30 am, TCM –
My Favorite Brunette (1947). "Photographers" is TCM's daytime theme, and Bob Hope is the photographer (posing as a San Francisco detective) in this comedy-mystery involving a dark-eyed "dreamboat" (Dorothy Lamour), a map to a uranium mine, and a gang of nefarious characters (Peter Lorre, Charles Dingle, John Hoyt, and Frank Puglia) anxious to get their hands on it.
June 19 (Sun), 3 am, Antenna TV channel –
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "The Diplomatic Corpse" (CBS, Dec. 8, 1957).
June 23 (Thurs), 11:30 am, Fox Movie channel –
Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962).
June 24 (Fri), 6 am, Fox Movie channel –
Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962).
July, 2016
Mid-summer – and
Turner Classic Movies heads to the beach with Peter Lorre.
July 14 (Thurs), 2 pm, TCM –
Muscle Beach Party (1963). "Let's Go to the Beach" is TCM's daytime theme, including this entry in the popular "Frankie and Annette" series of the 1960s. Peter takes his turn as an American International Pictures player in the second installment. Ironically,
Muscle Beach Party played in theaters on the very day newspapers announced Peter's death of a stroke on Mar. 23, 1963.
July 18 (Mon), 1:10 pm, Fox Movie channel –
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).
July 19 (Tues), 11:20 am, Fox Movie channel –
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).
July 22 (Fri), 4 am, Fox Movie channel –
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).
July 23 (Sat), 1:10 pm, Fox Movie channel –
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).
July 23 (Sat), 10 pm or 11 pm, MeTV –
Invisible Agent (1942).
Svengoolie hosts a showing of this entry in the Universal horror series, with Peter as the Japanese Baron Ikito. Times can vary for Svengoolie's program. Check local listings.
July 24 (Sun), 4 am, Fox Movie channel –
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).
July 24 (Sun), 4 am, Fox Movie channel –
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961).
July 29 (Fri), 1:30 pm, MGM channel –
The Comedy of Terrors (1964).
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 is available in the book’s Appendix.
The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available in hard-back and soft-bound editions, as well as the Kindle and Nook.
Happy viewing!
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