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.