Celebrate the Fourth of July with Lorre

In November, 1944, Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) opened at the Stanford Theatre, Palo Alto’s premiere cinema in Northern California, for a 4-day run, beginning Sunday, November 5.

Beginning Tuesday, July 3, 2018, and ending Thursday, July 5, Lorre fans in Palo Alto can once again enjoy Arsenic and Old Lace on the big screen at the historic Stanford as part of the venue’s series “Summer 2018”.

On a double-bill with Talk of the Town (1942), Arsenic and Old Lace will be shown at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, July 3, 4, and 5.

Before and after the 7:30 show, one of the Stanford’s “Masters of the Mighty Wurlitzer” will play the Wurlitzer theater organ during the intermission.

Admission is $7 for adults, and $5 for youth (18 and under) and seniors (65 and over). Tickets may be purchased at the box office on the day of the show.

The Stanford Theatre is located at 221 University Avenue in Palo Alto, California. Look for the cinema’s large neon marquee – a landmark along University Avenue in the downtown area.

Parking is available at meters along the street in front of the cinema, as well as two parking garages within two blocks of the Stanford. The Bryant / Lytton Parking Garage is located at 445 Bryant Avenue, one block north of University Avenue. The High Street Parking Garage is located at 528 High Street, one block south of University Avenue.

More information about parking is available on the Stanford's website.

For more information, please call the Stanford Theatre at 650-324-3700.

The Stanford Theatre opened in 1925. Most of the classic films now playing – including many Lorre movies – appeared in this cinema on their initial run, when the program changed two or three times a week. On the venue’s website are the original weekly schedules from 1925 through to 1961.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005), Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of Arsenic and Old Lace, originally filmed in the fall of 1941. Having completed work on The Maltese Falcon (1941), Peter Lorre was called back to the Warner Bros studio to play Dr. Einstein, personal plastic surgeon to the international killer Jonathan Brewster (Raymond Massey).

By the time Arsenic and Old Lace went into release in the fall of 1944, Peter was under contract with Warner Bros. and well on his way to the most productive period of his career.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre may be purchased from Amazon U.S., Amazon Canada, and Amazon U.K, as well as other booksellers.