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!