June 20, 2022

Happy Birthday, Peter Lorre!


Broadcast over channel 148 on the SiriusXM radio dial, the Radio Classics channel presents its annual birthday tribute to Peter Lorre with special 2-hour programming blocks. And for a fourth year, since June 2017, Peter gets a double dose of “Happy Birthday” wishes from host Greg Bell with two different blocks of Lorre radio programs.

“Peter Lorre Birthday (1)” 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 Mysteries, “The Black Seagull” (Mar. 7, 1943); and finally, an episode of Suspense, “Of Maestro and Man” (July 20, 1944).

“Peter Lorre Birthday (2)” includes two episodes from Peter’s own 13-week summer series Mystery in the Air, “The Marvelous Barastro” (August 7, 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).

And in between the programs, Greg Bell offers tidbits of information about Peter's life and career.

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

Monday, June 20 ~
Peter Lorre Birthday (1) ~
9 pm Pacific
The Texaco Star Theater
Duffy’s Tavern
Inner Sanctum Mysteries, “The Black Seagull”
Suspense, “Of Maestro and Man”


Tuesday, June 21 ~
Peter Lorre Birthday (1) ~
12 midnight Eastern
The Texaco Star Theater
Duffy’s Tavern
Inner Sanctum Mysteries, “The Black Seagull”
Suspense, “Of Maestro and Man”


Wednesday, June 22 ~
Peter Lorre Birthday (2) ~
11 am Pacific, 2 pm Eastern
Mystery in the Air, “The Marvelous Barastro”
Mystery in the Air, “Crime and Punishment”
Suspense, “Nobody Loves Me”
The Lucky Strike Program


Thursday, June 23 ~
Peter Lorre Birthday (1) ~
7 am Pacific, 10 am Eastern
The Texaco Star Theater
Duffy’s Tavern
Inner Sanctum Mysteries, “The Black Seagull”
Suspense, “Of Maestro and Man”


Peter Lorre Birthday (2) ~
11 pm Pacific
Mystery in the Air, “The Marvelous Barastro”
Mystery in the Air, “Crime and Punishment”
Suspense, “Nobody Loves Me”
The Lucky Strike Program


Friday, June 24 ~
Peter Lorre Birthday (2) ~
2 am Eastern
Mystery in the Air, “The Marvelous Barastro”
Mystery in the Air, “Crime and Punishment”
Suspense, “Nobody Loves Me”
The Lucky Strike Program


Sunday, June 26 ~
Peter Lorre Birthday (1) ~
1 pm Pacific, 4 pm Eastern
The Texaco Star Theater
Duffy’s Tavern
Inner Sanctum Mysteries, “The Black Seagull”
Suspense, “Of Maestro and Man”


Peter Lorre Birthday (2) ~
7 pm Pacific, 10 pm Eastern
Mystery in the Air, “The Marvelous Barastro”
Mystery in the Air, “Crime and Punishment”
Suspense, “Nobody Loves Me”
The Lucky Strike Program

The full schedule for the week of Monday, June 20, to Sunday, June 26, 2022, is available on Greg Bell’s website.

Satellite radio provider SiriusXM airs Radio Classics over channel 148. Subscribers may also listen to the programs over the internet or through the SiriusXM app on a Smart Phone or Smart Speaker. Not a subscriber? A free 30-day trial is also available through 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 birth on June 26, 1904, his 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 Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre may be purchased from many brick-and-mortar shops, as well as these online merchants ~

June 17, 2022

George Eastman House Screens Disney Classic


On Saturday, June 18, 2022, the George Eastman House will screen in 35mm the Walt Disney classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), co-starring Peter Lorre with Kirk Douglas, James Mason, and Paul Lukas.

The program begins at 7:30 pm in the Dryden Theatre.

Admission is $10 for adults; $7 for Museum members; and $5 for children, as well as students with ID. Admission is free for active-duty military and their families, and SNAP and EBT card-holders and their families. Tickets may be purchased at the theater box-office, which opens 45 minutes before a given screening.

Tickets may also be purchased online through the theater website. Click the “Buy Tickets” button on the website, then scroll to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and click the “Purchase” button. A nominal fee to benefit the George Eastman House will be charged for each online ticket order.

As per CDC and New York State guidelines, N95, KN95, or KF94 masks are required in the Dryden Theatre. More information about requirements is available on the George Eastman website.

The Dryden Theatre is located at 900 East Avenue, within the George Eastman House, in Rochester, New York. The George Eastman House is served by public transportation. A PDF map of the theater’s location is available at the George Eastman House website.

Free parking is available at the George Eastman House. Visitors may enter the museum grounds by the East Avenue entrance adjoining the parking lot.

June 12, 2022

Seniors Movie Day Features Lorre Comedy


The Bob Hope / Peter Lorre comedy classic My Favorite Brunette (1947) is the Movie Club feature at the Crossville, Tennessee, senior center on Tuesday, June 13, 2022.

The program begins at 2 pm.

Movie Day is held on the second Monday of every month at the Senior Citizens of Cumberland County, also known as the 127 Senior Center. Movie suggestions are welcome!

The Senior Citizens of Cumberland County, also known as the 127 Senior Center, is located at 1460 South Main Street (Highway 127) in Crossville, Tennessee. Parking is available in the senior center’s parking lot.

For more information, please call the Senior Citizens of Cumberland County at 931-484-2547.

June 6, 2022

Lorre Movies in June 2022

June 26 is the 118th anniversary of Peter Lorre's birthday in 1904, but this month, no Lorre movies will be shown on the Turner Classic Movies channel. As other channels schedule Peter's movies, they will be posted here.

All times shown are Eastern Standard.

Peter Lorre’s page on the TV Guide Channel website lists the Lorre films scheduled on various television channels over a 2-week period.


June, 2022

It's a rare month that the Turner Classic Movies channel does not run at least one Lorre film. Other channels have scheduled some.

June 7 (Tues), 9:50 am, Fox Movie Channel – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)

June 8 (Wed), 7:15 am, Fox Movie Channel – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)

June 15 (Thurs), 3:40 pm, Movies! Network – The Chase (1946). Peter plays Gino, bodyguard to a ganster (Steve Cochran) whose beautiful wife (Michele Morgans) escapes to Cuba with the chauffeur (Bob Cummings).

June 16 (Thurs), 1:35 am, MeTV channel – Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "The Diplomatic Corpse" (CBS, Dec. 8, 1957).

June 28 (Tues), 7:20 am, Talking Pictures TVCasbah (1947). Peter Lorre plays Inspector Slimane, who pursues the infamous Pepe Le Moko (Tony Martin) in the Casbah. Shown on the British television channel Talking Pictures TV.

June 28 (Tues), 10 am, Talking Pictures TVDouble Confession (1950). Shown on the British television channel Talking Pictures TV.


Sneak Peek at July, 2022

A quick look at Lorre movies in July on TCM.

July 3 (Sun), 8 am, TCM – The Constant Nymph (1943).

July 3 (Sun), 2 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942).

July 15 (Fri), 4 pm, TCM – The Big Circus (1959).

July 17 (Sun), 8 am, TCM – Strange Cargo (1940).

July 19 (Tues), 4:45 pm, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956).

July 26 (Tues), 12:15 pm, TCM – Stranger on the Third Floor (1940).





Many of these and other Lorre movies and television programs are now available on DVD and Blu-Ray – many remastered and packaged with extra features. For more information on the films of Peter Lorre released to home video, head on over to the DVD – VHS section of The Lost One website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of Peter’s movies, including interviews with many of the directors, writers, actors, and crew who worked with Peter.

A complete list of Peter’s movies and television credits is available in the book’s Appendix.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre may be purchased from many brick-and-mortar shops, as well as these online merchants ~
Happy viewing!

June 1, 2022

Summer Film Fests Feature Casablanca

Beginning in the month of June, many movie theaters add classic movies to their schedules, and this month, Casablanca (1942) will kick off many of these festivals.

In the pivotal role of Ugarte, provider of exit visas to those desperate to leave Casablanca – and 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).

And although limited to only a few scenes, Peter is always a treat to watch in a movie theater, including these ~
  • Lafayette Library – Lafayette, California
  • Redford Theatre – Detroit, Michigan
  • Castro Theater – San Francisco, California
  • Old Town Music Hall – El Segundo, California


Lafayette Library ~ The Lafayette Library, located in Lafayette, California, is the venue for the series “From Europe With Film”, which honors three Jewish directors who immigrated from Europe.

On Wednesday, June 1, 2022, the program begins with a showing of Casablanca, hosted by historian Lynne Thorner and Erik Preminger, the son of director Otto Preminger.

The film will be begin at 1 pm in the Lafayette Library, located in the Don Tatzin Community Hall.

Admission is $5 for everyone. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online through the East Bay Jewish Film website. Masks are required inside the library.

The library is located at 3491 Mt. Diablo Boulevard in Lafayette, California. Parking is available in the lot adjoining the library.

On Tuesday, June 7, Lynne Thorner will present a “deconstruction” of Casablanca, discussing what makes the film work. The program begins at 2 pm and will be conducted online through Zoom.

Tickets are $5 and may be purchased online through the East Bay Jewish Film website. An hour before the program begins, the link to the Zoom event will be eMailed to all participants.

More information is available on the East Bay Jewish Film website.



Redford Theatre ~ Originally built in the 1920s for silent movies, the Redford Theatre, located in Detroit, Michigan, will screen Casablanca over their “Love is Forever Weekend”, June 3 and 4, 2022.

On Saturday, June 3, the movie will be shown at 8 pm. On Sunday, June 4, Casablanca will be shown at 2 pm. Masks are recommended, but not required.

Tickets are $5 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased at the box-office, as well as online through the cinema’s website. A nominal fee will be added to each ticket purchased online.

The Redford Theatre is located at 17360 Lahser Road, just north of Grand River Avenue, in Detroit, Michigan. For more information, please call the cinema at 313-537-2560.



Castro Theatre ~ The historic Castro Theatre, located in San Francisco, California, will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a decade-by-decade selection of movies. The festival will run from Saturday, June 3, to Sunday, June 12, 2022. Most shows will be preceded by a live performance by the cinema’s own David Hegarty on the Castro’s organ.

Casablanca will be shown at 9:30 pm on Sunday, June 5, during the “Decade of the 1940s”.

Admission to Casablanca is $18 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased at the box-office or online through the venue’s website. A nominal fee will be added to each ticket purchased online.

The Castro Theatre is located at 429 Castro Street in San Francisco, California. More information, including the full schedule, is available on the cinema’s website.



Old Town Music Hall ~ The Old Town Music Hall, located in El Segundo, California, will screen Casablanca over the weekend of June 11 and 12, 2022.

On Saturday, June 11, show times are 2:30 pm and 7 pm. On Sunday, June 12, show time is 2:30 pm only.

Admission is $12 for regular tickets, $10 for seniors (62 and older). Tickets and seat selection may be purchased online through the Music Hall website.

The Old Town Music Hall is located at 140 Richmond Street in El Segundo, California, near the Los Angeles International Airport. More information is available on the cinema’s website.



Happy summer!