Hitchcock Festival Includes Lorre

Lorre fans in the area of Palo Alto, California, will have the opportunity to catch Peter in The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) and Secret Agent (1936) on the screen of an historic movie theater when the Stanford Theatre presents “Hitchcock, Master of Suspense” – a month-long salute to British director Alfred Hitchcock.

Secret Agent will be shown Wednesday and Thursday, March 27 and 28, on a double-bill with The 39 Steps (1935). Secret Agent will begin at 7:30 pm.

The Man Who Knew Too Much will be shown Wednesday and Thursday, April 3 and 4, on a double-bill with Sabotage (1936). The Man Who Knew Too Much will begin at 5:55 pm and 9:10 pm.

The Hitchcock festival runs from Friday, March 8, to Sunday, April 14, 2019. The complete schedule is available on the Stanford Theatre website.

Before and after the 7:30 pm showings of Secret Agent and Sabotage, 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.

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

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen Youngkin discusses the making of The Man Who Knew Too Much and Secret Agent, including interviews with director Alfred Hitchcock and executives at Gaumont-British, the studio producing the movies.

Although he spoke no English other than “yes” and “no”, Peter Lorre convinced Hitchcock he commanded the language by laughing uproariously at the director’s jokes when they first met. During the making of The Man Who Knew Too Much, Peter had the help of a tutor in English. He also translated all of his dialogue into German to understand the meaning.

And while filming The Man Who Knew Too Much, Peter sent for his long-time German girlfriend Celia Lovsky to come to England from France. They became husband and wife at Caxton Hall in London.

In addition to two movies directed by Hitchcock, Peter also made two appearances on the 1950s and 1960s anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

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.