Lorre Double-Feature at Palo Alto Cinema

Lorre fans in the area of Palo Alto, California, can celebrate Peter’s birthday with a Lorre double-feature at the historic Stanford Theatre, as part of their “Summer Film Festival” – The Maltese Falcon (1941), followed by Casablanca (1942).

The films will be shown on these days and times –

Friday, June 26 –
The Maltese Falcon – 5:40 pm and 9:25 pm
Casablanca – 7:30 pm

Saturday, June 27 –
Casablanca – 3:45 pm and 7:30 pm
The Maltese Falcon – 5:40 pm and 9:25 pm

Sunday, June 28 –
Casablanca – 3:45 pm and 7:30 pm
The Maltese Falcon – 5:40 pm and 9:25 pm

The “Summer Festival” began Wednesday, June 3, and will run until Sunday, September 6, 2026. The full schedule is available on the cinema’s website.

Before and after the 7:30 pm showings of Casablanca, one of the Stanford’s “Masters of the Mighty Wurlitzer” will play the Wurlitzer theater organ during the intermission.

Admission is $7 for adults, and $5 for youth (age 18 and younger) and seniors (age 65 and above). Tickets may be purchased at the box office the day of the screenings. Both cash and credit cards are accepted.

The Stanford Theatre is located at 221 University Avenue in Palo Alto, California. Look for the cinema’s large neon marquee – a landmark along University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto.

Parking is available at meters along the street in front of the cinema, as well as two parking garages within two blocks of the Stanford. The Bryant / Lytton Parking Garage is located at 445 Bryant Avenue, one block north of University Avenue. The High Street Parking Garage is located at 528 High Street, one block south of University Avenue.

More information about parking is available on the Stanford Theatre's website.

The Maltese Falcon was Peter Lorre’s first movie at Warner Bros., the studio he would later become most identified with and where he would find his professional success. However, unlike his Falcon co-star Sydney Greenstreet, he was not offered a contract. Unsure of how Peter would fit in with their stock company of players, Warner Bros. hired him back on a picture-to-picture basis – Arsenic and Old Lace, All Through the Night, and finally Casablanca.

By the time Arsenic and Old Lace was released in 1944 – after the Broadway play ended its run – Peter Lorre had signed a contract with Warners and appeared as lead actor or in support of leading actors such as Humphrey Bogart and Paul Henreid.

Happy 122nd birthday, Peter Lorre!