Radio Series Airs Lorre Episode

On Thursday, March 16, 2023, Lorre fans can turn back their radio dials and tune into an episode of Peter’s series Mystery in the Air when the syndicated old-time radio series “When Radio Was” airs “The Horla”.

Host Greg Bell will present Mystery in the Air, “The Horla” (August 21, 1947), followed by Chandu, the Magician, “Black Magic Strikes” (November 18, 1948).

On SiriusXM, this edition of “When Radio Was” will air over the Radio Classics channel, channel 148, at 12 noon Eastern Standard Time, and 9 am Pacific.

Many local stations throughout the United States also air “When Radio Was”. Local stations are listed on the When Radio Was website. To find a local station, select a state from the drop-down list under “Find a Local Station” (in the third column of the home page) and click the “Find” button. A list of stations will open on the Radio Spirits page.

Happy listening!

TCM Salutes Warner Bros 100th Anniversary

In 1923, the four Warner brothers – Albert, Sam, Jack, and Harry – established a motion picture studio they called Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc.

In 2023, the Turner Classic Movies channel, beloved by fans of classic film, salutes Warner Bros. with a celebration featuring the work of their directors and contract players, from the silent days of the 1920s, through the Golden Age of the 1930s and 1940s, to the movies of the 1950s and later years. Documentaries about the Warners and their studio. plus cartoons and short subjects, are also on the schedule.

Throughout the month of April, 2023, Lorre fans can enjoy a number of Peter’s Warner Bros. movies and cartoons featuring his likeness, including ~

April 1, Saturday ~
Primetime theme – “How It Started and the Dawn of Sound”
8 pm – Hollywood Steps Out (1941) – In this Warner Bros. cartoon, an animated Peter Lorre joins other stars at a popular nightspot.

April 2, Sunday ~
Daytime theme – “Warner Joins a Gang”
4 pm – Key Largo (1948) and Racketeer Rabbit (1946) – The Warner Bros. cartoon follows the Bogart, Bacall, and Edward G. Robinson classic. Bugs Bunny encounters an animated Robinson and Peter Lorre, on the run from the police.

April 8, Saturday ~
Primetime theme – “Warner at War”
8 pm – Carrotblanca (1995) and Casablanca (1942) – TCM salutes the wartime movies made by Warner Bros, beginning with an animated version of Casablanca, with Tweety taking the role of Ugarte, followed by the classic romance between an ex-patriot American (Humphrey Bogart) and the woman (Ingrid Bergman) he loved in Paris set in the North African city filled with desperate refugees in search of passage to America.

April 10, Monday ~
Daytime theme – “Produced by Hammer, Distributed by Warner”
2:45 pm – Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1970) and Hair-Raising Hare (1946) – Following the horror classic, Bugs Bunny encounters an animated Peter Lorre and his monster henchman in an eerie castle.

April 11, Tuesday ~
Daytime theme – “Studio Contract Players”
10:15 am – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) – TCM salutes Priscilla Lane, who as Mortimer Brewster’s (Cary Grant) new bride Elaine Harper, is kept in the dark about the bodies buried in the cellar of Mortimer’s aunts’ house.

April 12, Wednesday ~
Daytime theme – “Studio Contract Players”
3:15 pm – Passage to Marseille (1944) – TCM salutes Claude Rains, who as Capt. Freycinet, finds out the truth about the five men (Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Philip Dorn, George Tobias, and Helmut Dantine) picked up by the tramp steamer bound for Marseille, France.

April 12, Wednesday ~
Theme continues – “Studio Contract Players”
6:45 am – Background to Danger (1943) TCM salutes George Raft, who as Joe Barton encounters Nazi agent Sydney Greenstreet and Russian operative Peter Lorre in war-time Ankara, Turkey.

April 17, Monday ~
Primetime theme – “Great Directors at Warner Brothers”
5 am – All Through the Night (1942) – TCM salutes Vincent Sherman, who directed Peter Lorre, Humphrey Bogart, Kaaren Verne, and a cast of Warners stock players in a comedy-drama about Nazi spies working in New York City.

April 19, Wednesday ~
Daytime theme – “Studio Contract Players”
TCM salutes Sydney Greenstreet, who worked with Peter in nine movies from 1941 to 1946, including these ~
8 am – The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) – A mystery writer (Lorre) researching the life of a dead international criminal (Zachary Scott) encounters several people who also crossed the criminal’s path, including a drug smuggler turned blackmailer (Greenstreet).
10 am – Three Strangers (1945) – Two men (Lorre and Greenstreet) become partners with a woman (Geraldine Fitzgerald) on a sweepstakes ticket, with tragic results.

April 19, Wednesday ~
Primetime theme – “Studio Contract Players”
10 pm – The Maltese Falcon (1941) – TCM salutes Humphrey Bogart, on-screen and off-screen pal of Peter Lorre’s, with this showing of their first movie together: the classic mystery about the hard-boiled detective (Bogart) and the valuable statuette coveted by many nefarious characters (Lorre, Greenstreet, and Mary Astor).

April 19, Wednesday ~
Primetime theme – “Studio Contract Players”
TCM salutes Peter Lorre, who appeared in many mystery and suspense films between 1941 and 1946, including these ~
4:30 am – The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) – A meek librarian (Lorre) to a reclusive concert pianist (Victor Francen) is slowly driven mad in the pianist’s Italian villa by a hand that only he can see.
6 am – The Verdict (1946) – Best friends and neighbors (Lorre and Greenstreet) team up to solve a murder committed in a locked room.

April 22, Saturday ~
Daytime theme – “Warner Seeks Adventure”
2:45 pm – Around the World in 80 Days (1956) – TCM salutes a day of adventure at the cinema, including this all-star extravaganza about the proper British Victorian gentleman (David Niven) who makes a bet with his club members that he can travel around the world in eighty days.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the years Peter Lorre worked at Warner Bros, the studio he is most associated with, as well as the classic films he appeared in, including The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and Arsenic and Old Lace.

Warners first hired Peter on a picture-to-picture basis in 1941, beginning with The Maltese Falcon (1941), where he met and became best friends with Humphrey Bogart, and continuing through Arsenic and Old Lace (filmed in 1941, released in 1944), All Through the Night (1942), and Casablanca (1942). In 1943, Peter was put under contract with yearly options.

According to the many directors and actors who worked with him, Peter was “happily unhappy” at Warner Bros. Happy to be under contract, which meant regular paychecks and regular work. Unhappy with the types of parts he was assigned and the quality of the movies he appeared in.

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

• Amazon U.S.
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon U.K

Happy 100th birthday, Warner Brothers!

Casablanca at TCM Film Fest 2023

This year’s TCM Classic Film Festival celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Warner Bros studio and the theme “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet: Celebrating Film Legacies“ with a number of movies from the studio’s vault, including Casablanca (1942).

The festival will run from Thursday, April 13, to Sunday, April 16, 2023.

As of March 8, 2023, the full schedule for the festival has not been announced, however, venues for the film showings include Grauman’s Chinese (now known as TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX), TCL Chinese 6 Theatres Multiplex, and the Hollywood Legion Theater at Post 43. More information about these venues, as well as a map of their locations, is available on the film festival website.

Festival passes include the Spotlight, the Essential, the Classic, and the Palace, and provide entry into the various film programs, parties, and “Meet and Greet” events with the special guests. Passes are available for purchase through the festival website.

Tickets for individual movies may also be purchased on a first come, first served, stand-by basis at the individual venue box offices, just prior to the individual program start time. Individual tickets are $20 for most screenings and events. If available, tickets to the Official Closing Night presentation will be $30. Students with valid student ID will receive a 50% discount on all individual tickets.

Parking is available in several lots near Hollywood Boulevard. One of the largest in the area is the Hollywood and Highland lot, located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, with entrances on Highland Avenue and Orange Drive.

Fathom Events Screens Casablanca

As part of its series “Big Screen Classics”, Fathom Events will present a special showing of Casablanca (1942) at cinemas throughout the United States on Sunday, March 5, 2023 – with an encore showing on Wednesday, March 8.

The program will begin with an introduction by film historian Leonard Maltin.

Show-times will vary, with some cinemas screening Casablanca at 7 pm with a matinee at 1 pm.

To locate a participating theater, enter a city or zip code on the Casablanca page and choose either March 5 or March 8.

Ticket prices are $12.50 for adults and $10 for children. Tickets may be purchased at each cinema’s box office, or in advance at the theater, as well as online through the Fathom Events website and Fandango. A nominal convenience fee will be added to tickets purchased online through either Fathom Events or Fandango.

In celebration of the movie’s 80th anniversary, Warner Bros and Fathom Events will screen a newly-restored and remastered copy of Casablanca in 4k digital, taken from nitrate fine grain film elements, cleaned and repaired to deliver an ultra-high resolution presentation.

Can’t make it to a cinema to catch Casablanca? The Turner Classic Movies channel will show the film on Sunday, March 5, 2023, at 5 pm Pacific, 6 pm Mountain, 7 pm Central, and 8 pm Eastern as part of their “31 Days of Oscar” salute throughout the month of March.

In the small but pivotal role of black marketeer Ugarte, Peter Lorre sets in motion the film’s events by acquiring – through murder – a pair of valuable exit visas that he intends to sell to freedom fighter Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) and his wife Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman).

It was a part to which Peter attached no importance. He later claimed he made more money playing the roulette wheel on the “Café Americain” set than he did in the four days he worked before the camera.

Casablanca did, however, give Peter the opportunity to work with his pal Humphrey Bogart. Not yet a contract player at Warner Bros., Peter was hired back for his third Bogart-starring movie – the second was All Through the Night (1942), filmed in late 1941 – as the studio considered how he might fit in with their stable of actors. By the time he joined Bogart on Passage to Marseille (1944) in late 1943, Peter had appeared in several Warner Bros. films as a member of the Warners stock company.

The making of Casablanca and the on- and off-screen friendship of Bogie and Peter are discussed in the authorized Lorre biography The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (University Press of Kentucky, 2005), by Stephen D. Youngkin – now available in paperback, eBook, and hard cover.

Spring into Spring with Lorre on TV

March brings the annual "31 Days of Oscar" festival on the Turner Classic Movies channel, as well as Lorre films on Talking Pictures TV.

American 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.


March, 2023

TCM salutes "31 Days of Oscar", including several Peter Lorre films that have won or been nominated for an Academy Award.

Mar. 2 (Thurs), 2:30 am, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956). The primetime theme is "Literary Adaptations", ncluding this winner of the "Best Picture" Oscar, adapted from the novel by Jules Verne.

Mar. 5 (Sun), 8 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942). "31 Days of Oscar" salutes "Romance", including this winner of the Oscar for "Best Picture of 1943", the year Casablanca went into general release.

Mar. 7 (Tues), 4 pm, MeTV channel – Wagon Train, "The Alexander Portlass Story" (March 16, 1960).

Mar. 7 (Tues), 10:55 pm, Talking Pictures TV – The Comedy of Terrors (1964).

Mar. 10 (Fri), 2 am, Inspire TV channel – Wagon Train, "The Alexander Portlass Story" (March 16, 1960).

Mar. 15 (Wed), 11:30 am, Fox Movie channel – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1960).

Mar. 16 (Thurs), 7:30 am, Antenna TV channel – The Jack Benny Program (Jan. 22, 1963).

Mar. 19 (Sun), 6 am, Talking Pictures TV – Casbah (1948). Peter Lorre plays Inspector Slimane, who tracks down and arrests the notorious thief Pepe le Moko (Tony Martin), using the love of a French tourist (Marta Toren).

Mar. 19 (Sun), 8:30 am, TCM – The Maltese Falcon (1941). "31 Days of Oscar" takes a look at "Mystery and Suspense", including this classic film nominated for the "Best Picture" Oscar.

Mar. 19 (Sun), 11:05 am, Talking Pictures TV – Double Confession (1950).

Mar. 22 (Wed), 5:25 am, Talking Pictures TV – Mrs. G Goes to College, "The Trouble with Crayton" (Dec. 6, 1961). Peter Lorre made his second appearance as Dr. Kestner.

Mar. 24 (Fri), 11:30 am, Fox Movie channel – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1960).

Mar. 26 (Sun), 4 am, Movies! Network channel – The Chase (1946).

Mar. 29 (Wed), 11 am, TCM – Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956). 31 Days of Oscar" salutes "Dance" with a daytime series of musicals, including this musical nominated for the "Best Scoring of a Musical Picture" Oscar.

Mar. 30 (Thurs), 1:15 pm, TCM – Hollywood Canteen (1944). "31 Days of Oscar" salutes "Military Life", including this all-star musical comedy nominated for the "Best Sound", "Best Music, Original Song", and "Best Scoring" Oscars. In a scene they wrote themselves, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet play off their menacing screen image.


Sneak Peek at April, 2023

In April, TCM celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Warner Bros. studio, featuring many special programs and themed movie days and nights.

Apr. 8 (Sat), 8 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942). The primetime theme is "Warner at War", including this wartime classic set in the famous North African town.

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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 ~

• Amazon U.S.
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon U.K

Happy viewing!