Happy Birthday, Peter Lorre, from SiriusXM and TCM!

Lorre fans with access to satellite radio service SiriusXM and cable TV channel Turner Classic Movies will have many opportunities to enjoy Peter’s work on radio and film the week of June 24, 2024, as the two services celebrate the 120th birthday of the classic Hollywood actor.

The celebration begins on the Radio Classics channel, broadcast over channel 148 on SiriusXM. From Monday, June 24, to Sunday, June 30, host Greg Bell shows his "Love for Laszlo" – referring to Peter's real name Laszlo Lowenstein – with two separate blocks of Lorre radio programs.

“Peter Lorre Birthday (1)” includes two episodes from Peter’s own 13-week summer series Mystery in the Air, “The Marvelous Barastro” (August 7, 1947) and “The Mask of Medusa” (September 4, 1947); an episode of the anthology series Suspense, “Nobody Loves Me” (August 30, 1945); and finally an episode of Peter’s series Mystery Playhouse, “The Dilemma”, originally broadcast over Mollé Mystery Theater (November 21, 1944).

“Peter Lorre Birthday (2)” includes guest appearances on Fred Allen’s show The Texaco Star Theater (January 3, 1943) and Duffy’s Tavern (October 19, 1943); an episode of the anthology series Inner Sanctum Mysteries, “The Black Seagull” (March 7, 1943); and finally, an episode of Suspense, “Of Maestro and Man” (July 20, 1944).

The birthday blocks will air these dates and times ~

Monday, June 24 ~
5 am Pacific, 8 am Eastern
Peter Lorre Birthday (1)

Wednesday, June 26 ~
1 pm Pacific, 4 pm Eastern
Peter Lorre Birthday (2)

Wednesday, June 26 ~
7 pm Pacific, 10 pm Eastern
Peter Lorre Birthday (1)

Friday, June 28 ~
11 pm Pacific
Peter Lorre Birthday (1)

Saturday, June 29 ~
2 am Eastern
Peter Lorre Birthday (1)

Saturday, June 29 ~
11 pm Pacific
Peter Lorre Birthday (2)

Sunday, June 30 ~
2 am Eastern
Peter Lorre Birthday (2)

The party continues on the Turner Classic Movies channel on Wednesday, June 26, as TCM celebrates Peter’s birthday with a morning and afternoon of movies starring or featuring Peter Lorre. including ~

• 6 am – The Story of Mankind (1957)
• 8 am – Three Strangers (1946)
• 9:45 am – Hotel Berlin (1945)
• 11:30 am – They Met in Bombay (1941)
• 1:15 pm – The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
• 2:45 pm – The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)
• 4:15 pm – You'll Find Out (1940)
• 6 pm – M (1931)

Times shown are Eastern Standard.

The full schedule for the week of Monday, June 24, 2024, 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 3-month trial is available for one dollar through the SiriusXM radio website.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the life and career of Peter Lorre. Beginning his research in the 1970s, he 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 ~

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

Happy 120th birthday, Peter Lorre!

Syracuse Film Society Features Lorre Film

On Monday, June 17, 2024, the Warner Bros all-star musical extravaganza Hollywood Canteen ends the summer film festival at the Syracuse Cinephile Society, located in Syracuse, New York.

The program, including one or more short subjects as well as the feature film, begins at 7 pm in a special screening room at the Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurant, located at 689 North Clinton Street in Syracuse, New York. Parking is available in the lot beside the restaurant.

Directions to the Spaghetti Warehouse Restaurant are available on the Cinephile Society's website.

Admission to the Syracuse Cinephile Society event is $3.50 for Cinephile members, and $4 for non-members. Annual membership in the Syracuse Cinephile Society may be purchased for $5.

Film fans attending the movie are invited to come to the restaurant by 6 pm to enjoy dinner before the program.

“What would you be comfortable doing?” director Delmer Daves asked Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet.

The answer? A minute-and-a-half sketch in which the pair, playing off their menacing screen images, rescue singer Patty Andrews of the Andrews Sisters from her G.I. dance partner (James Flavin).

It’s considered a highlight in this star-studded tribute to the famous Hollywood Canteen, which served anyone in uniform during World War II.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, author Stephen D. Youngkin describes Peter’s participation in the real Hollywood Canteen, as recalled by a young G.I. named William Campbell, who later became an actor appearing in many movies and TV shows, notably as Trelane in the Star Trek episode, “The Squire of Gothos” (January 12, 1967).

Besides serving the visiting soldiers and bussing tables, Peter also joined in on the sing-alongs.

In 2013, authors Lisa Mitchel and Bruce Torrence recounted the history of the Canteen in their book Hollywood Canteen: Where the Greatest Generation Danced With the Most Beautiful Girls in the World. The book may be purchased through BearManor Media and Amazon.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre may also be purchased through Amazon and other online booksellers.

And the Syracuse Cinephile Society will return in the fall with another schedule of classic movies and short subjects. Happy summer!

Summer Class with Lorre in Amherst

On Monday, June 10, 2024, local filmmaker and film expert Nina Kleinberg returns to the Amherst Cinema in Amherst, Massachusetts, to teach a class on the making of Casablanca (1942).

Using raw footage, film clips, and production stills, Ms. Kleinberg will discuss the making of Casablanca, with special attention to the work of the director, cameraman, editors, and the cast.

The seminar will begin at 6:30 pm. A screening of Casablanca will follow at approximately 8 pm.

Tickets are $18.50 for general admission; $16.75 for students and seniors (age 65 and older); and $13.50 for Amherst Cinema Members. Tickets may be purchased online through the Amherst Cinema website. A nominal processing fee will be added to each ticket purchased online.

The Amherst Cinema is located at 28 Amity Street in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Parking is available in the Bank of America lot during non-banking hours. Cinemagoers may park on 5 pm on Mondays, as well as other days of the week. Bank of America is located at 1 South Pleasant Street in Amherst, Massachusetts. More information about parking is available on the Amherst Cinema website.

Working as a film editor in the 1970s, after graduating film school at the University of Southern California (USC), Ms. Kleinberg has a long-term interest in movies and their history, presenting several programs at Amherst Cinema. Her seminar on Casablanca is a popular favorite at the Amherst Cinema.

Lorre fans in the Amherst area have a chance to enjoy her program again.

For more information, contact the cinema at (413) 253-2547.

New Lorre Documentary Screens in Paris

Peter Lorre fans in the area of Paris, France, will enjoy a screening of the new documentary Peter Lorre – Derrière le masque du maudit (2024), which translates as Peter Lorre – Behind the Mask of the Accursed, on Friday, June 7, 2024, at the Goethe-Institut Paris.

Evelyn Schels, the director of the documentary, will be present at the screening.

The program begins at 7 pm and includes a showing of Fritz Lang’s M le maudit (M, the Damned, 1931) following the documentary.

Admission is free. Tickets are available through EventBrite.

Goethe-Institut Paris is located at 17 Avenue d'Léna in Paris, France.

“Peter Lorre, icon of 20th century cinema, experienced the horrors of Nazism before going into exile in Hollywood. His cinematic journey, rich in collaborations with legends like Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang and Marlene Dietrich, reflects his personal and professional struggles. This film draws the contours of his complex personality, reveals his tumultuous relationships and his fight against addictions, offering a captivating look at the man behind the mask. Made famous by his character as a child killer in M Le Maudit, this master of double-dealing has always only taken on villain roles. All his life he tried, without success, to erase the image of an assassin that stuck to him.”

Stephen D. Youngkin, author of the biography The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005), was involved in the documentary, supplying photos from his Lorre collection, as well as information about Peter’s life and career.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available through these online booksellers ~

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

June with Lorre Movies on TV

June brings the 120th anniversary of Peter Lorre's birth, and fans will find many Lorre movies on the Turner Classic Movies channel, as well as Talking Pictures TV.

American times shown are Eastern Standard.

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June, 2024

TCM celebrates Peter's birthday with a morning of Lorre movies on June 26!

June 12 (Wed), 9:30 am, Turner Classic Movies – Stranger on the Third Floor (1940). "The Scene of the Crime" is the daytime theme on TCM, including this tale of murder on the third floor of a rooming house.

June 17 (Mon), 9:15 am, TCM – The Mask of Dimitrios (1944). TCM turns the daytime spotlight on "Film Composers", including Adolph Deutsch, who composed the music for many Warner Bros movies, among them this mystery suspense film starring Peter as a professor of economics turned mystery writer tracing the career of an international criminal whose body has washed ashore.

June 26 (Wed), 6 am, TCM – The Story of Mankind (1957). Happy birthday, Peter Lorre! TCM salutes Peter's birthday with a morning of his films, including ~

• 6 am – The Story of Mankind (1957)
• 8 am – Three Strangers (1946)
• 9:45 am – Hotel Berlin (1945)
• 11:30 am – They Met in Bombay (1941)
• 1:15 pm – The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
• 2:45 pm – The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)
• 4:15 pm – You'll Find Out (1940)
• 6 pm – M (1931)

June 28 (Fri), 10:15 am, TCM – The Conspirators (1944). "Foreign Adventures" is the daytime theme on TCM, including two of Peter's movies set abroad. First up – The Conspirators, a espionage intrigue film taking place in the WW2 neutral city of Lisbon, Portugal.

June 28 (Fri), 6:15 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942). The daytime theme "Foreign Adventures" ends with the romantic suspense classic set in North Africa.

June 30 (Sun), 1:30 am, Movies! Network – Casbah (1948).

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Sneak Peek at July, 2024

A busy June for Lorre fans leads to a quiet month for Lorre fans with just a handful of Peter's movies on television.

July 14 (Sun), 4:45 pm, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956).

July 19 (Fri), 8:15 am, TCM – They Met in Bombay (1941). The daytime theme is "Romantic Comedies", including this MGM movie starring Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell as jewel thieves competing for a fabulous pendant "The Star of Asia" in Bombay, India, and then teaming up – and encountering Peter Lorre as Captain Chang on a freighter bound for Hong Kong.

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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!