Happy Birthday, Peter Lorre! – From SiriusXM and TCM

Special programming blocks celebrating actors’ birthdays are a tradition on the Radio Classics channel, broadcast over channel 148 on the SiriusXM radio dial.

But this year, Peter Lorre gets a double dose of Happy Birthday wishes from host Greg Bell with two different blocks of Lorre radio programs.

Beginning Tuesday, June 26, 2018 – Peter’s 114th birthday – and continuing throughout the week, Lorre fans can enjoy eight of Peter’s old-time radio performances.

“Peter Lorre Special” includes two episodes from Peter’s own 13-week summer series Mystery in the Air, “The Mask of Medusa” (Sept. 4, 1947) and “Crime and Punishment” (Sept. 25, 1947); an episode of the anthology series Suspense, “Nobody Loves Me” (Aug. 30, 1945); and finally a guest appearance on Jack Benny’s show The Lucky Strike Program, “I Stand Condemned” (Mar. 24, 1946).

“More Peter Lorre B-Day” includes guest appearances on Fred Allen’s show The Texaco Star Theater (Jan. 3, 1943) and Duffy’s Tavern (Oct. 19, 1943), an episode of the anthology series Inner Sanctum, “The Black Seagull” (Mar. 7, 1943), and finally, an episode of Peter’s Armed Forces Radio Services series Mystery Playhouse, “Lady in the Morgue” (Mollé Mystery Theater, May 15, 1945).

And included in the regular block When Radio Was is Peter Lorre’s Suspense episode, “The Devil’s Saint”, originally airing on Jan. 19, 1943.

The Lorre programs and tributes will air on these dates and times ~

Sunday, June 24 ~
When Radio Was
4:30 pm Pacific, 7:30 pm Eastern

Tuesday, June 26 ~
Peter Lorre Special
5 pm Pacific, 8 pm Eastern

More Peter Lorre B-Day
9 pm Pacific

Wednesday, June 27 ~
More Peter Lorre B-Day
12 midnight Eastern

Thursday, July 28 ~
Peter Lorre Special
11 am Pacific, 2 pm Eastern

Friday, June 29 ~
More Peter Lorre B-Day
11 am Pacific, 2 pm Eastern

Saturday, July 30 ~
Peter Lorre Special
9 am Pacific, 12 noon Eastern

Sunday, July 1 ~
More Peter Lorre B-Day
1 am Pacific, 4 am Eastern

And on Friday, June 29, 2018 – three days after Peter’s birthday – the party continues on the Turner Classic Movies channel as TCM salutes Peter’s birthday with a morning and afternoon of Lorre films, beginning at 9 am Eastern and ending at 8 pm, including ~

• 9 am – M (1931)
• 11 am – The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
• 12:30 pm – Mad Love (1935)
• 1:45 pm – Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)
• 3 pm – The Maltese Falcon (1941)
• 4:45 pm – The Conspirators (1944)
• 6:30 pm – The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)

Satellite radio provider SiriusXM airs Radio Classics over channel 148. 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 Sirius XM radio website.

The full schedule for the week of June 24 to July 1, 2018, is available on the SiriusXM Radio website.

The life and career of Peter Lorre is chronicled in the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre by Stephen D. Youngkin, who began his research in the 1970s and interviewed Peter’s brothers Andrew and Francis, his first wife Celia Lovsky, his sister-in-law Barbara through his second wife Karen Verne, his daughter Catherine Lorre, friends, fellow actors, and the directors, producers, and crew who worked with him throughout his career.

These interviews shed light on Peter’s childhood, his early days in theater, his career on film, radio, and television, and his sad final days.

The Appendix of The Lost One includes the most complete list available of Peter’s credits – radio, film, stage, and television.

The Lorre radio programs airing this week in honor of Peter’s birthday are available through many merchants. Many of Peter’s movies, as well as some of his television appearances, are available on DVD.

Published in 2005 through University Press of Kentucky, The Lost One may be purchased from Amazon U.S., Amazon Canada, and Amazon U.K, as well as other booksellers.