February 14, 2021

Valentine's Day for Lorre Lovers


In 2021, Valentine’s Day falls on Sunday, February 14, and in spite of COVID-19 lock-downs and shut-downs, many cinemas in the United States have scheduled special showings of Casablanca (1942), long considered one of the most romantic movies ever made.

In the small but important role of Ugarte, who provides exit visits to refugees desperate to leave Casablanca – and the murderer of two German couriers – Peter Lorre gets the action going by leaving with his friend Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) two valuable letters of transit he intends to sell to escaping freedom fighter Victor Lazlo (Paul Henreid) and his wife Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman).

But no matter the size of his part, Peter is always a treat to watch in a movie theater, including these ~
  • Garden Theater – Winter Garden, Florida
  • Byrd Theatre – Richmond, Virginia
  • Glendale Sears Parking Lot – Glendale, California
  • Hollywood Roosevelt – Los Angeles, California
  • Tivoli Theatre – Spencer, Indiana
  • Utah Theatre – Logan, Utah
  • Magic Lantern Cinema – Ketchum, Idaho
  • Brattle Theatre – Cambridge, Massachusetts



Garden Theatre – The Garden Theatre, in Winter Garden, Florida, will show Casablanca on Valentine’s Day at 6:30 pm.

Tickets may be purchased at the cinema’s box office.

The Garden Theatre is located at 160 West Plant Street, in downtown historic Winter Garden, Florida. For more information, please call the theater at 406-877-4736.



Byrd Theatre – The Byrd Theatre, in Richmond, Virginia, will show Casablanca on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at 3 pm. The program includes a selection of songs played by Bob Gulledge on the cinema’s Mighty Wurlitzer Organ.

Tickets may be purchased online only and are limited to 50 attendees. No concessions will be sold. Mask-wearing and social distancing are required.

The Byrd Theatre is located at 2908 West Cary Street, in the Carytown district of Richmond, Virginia. For more information, please call the theater at 804-358-3056.



Pop-Up Cinema, Glendale Sears Parking Lot – The top of the Sears parking garage in Glendale, California, is the location of a pop-up cinema presented by the Electric Dusk Drive-In and Secret Movie Club. A double-feature of Casablanca and When Harry Met Sally (1989) will be shown on Valentine’s Day, beginning at dusk.

Tickets may be purchased online.

The Glendale Sears is located at 211 West California Avenue in Glendale, California.



Drive-In Theatre at the Hollywood Roosevelt – The famous Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, in Los Angeles, California, offers a drive-in movie experience on Valentine’s Day with a double-feature of Casablanca and The Notebook (2004). The program begins at 5:30 pm.

Tickets may be purchased online. Refreshments will be available from a converted Airstream trailer bar.

The Hollywood Roosevelt is located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, in Los Angeles, California.



Tivoli Theatre – The Tivoli Theatre, in Spencer, Indiana, will show Casablanca on Thursday, February 18, 2021, at 2:30 pm and 6:30 pm. The program is sponsored by the International Student Exchange.

Tickets may be purchased online.

The Tivoli Theatre is located at 24 North Washington Street in Spencer, Indiana. For more information, please call the theater at 812-714-8069.



Utah Theatre – The Utah Theatre, in Logan, Utah, will show Casablanca at 7 pm on Friday and Saturday, February 26 and 27, 2021.

Fridays and Saturdays are “Date Night” at the Utah Theatre, and the $14 ticket price includes two movie tickets, a large popcorn, and a box of candy. Tickets may be purchased online.

The Utah Theatre is located at 18 West Center Street in Logan, Utah.



Magic Lantern Cinema – Lorre fans in the area of Ketchum, Idaho, are in for a special treat over the Valentine’s Day holiday week, when Rick Kessler presents a full week of free screenings of Casablanca at the Magic Lantern Cinema.

Rick Kessler has been waiting 47 years to offer free showings of Casablanca. Says Kessler, “There’s a difference between seeing a movie in a theater and watching it on your TV, no matter how good your TV is. There is, perhaps, no better movie to amplify the difference between watching a movie on TV or seeing it in a movie theater.”

Beginning on Friday, February 12, and every day until Thursday, February 18, 2021, Casablanca will be shown at 4:30 pm and 7 pm.

The Magic Lantern Cinema is located at 100 East 2nd Street in Ketchum, Idaho. For more information, please call the cinema at 208-726-3308.



Brattle Theatre – The Brattle Theatre, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, continues its popular Valentine’s Day tradition of Casablanca with a virtual screening.

Admission is available on the Brattle Theatre website. A $12 ticket buys the right to view the film for 28 hours over the weekend.

Following the movie, the Brattle hosts a post-screening discussion with author Leslie Epstein, whose father Philip G. Epstein and uncle Julius J. Epstein co-write the Casablanca screenplay.



Happy Valentine’s Day!

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