Peter Lorre fans, ring out the old year of 2010 with a viewing of
Arsenic and Old Lace on
Turner Classic Movies – Friday, Dec. 31, 1:45 pm EST.
And then get set for a new year of Lorre on television – and a number of rare Lorre films, as well as some special treats.
Peter Lorre's page on the
TV Guide Channel website lists the Lorre films scheduled on various television channels over a 2-week period.
January, 2011
Jan. 3 (Mon.), 9:30 am, Fox Movie Channel – I Was an Adventuress (1940): Peter’s contract with 20th Century-Fox had ended, but he went back to the studio for this picture, in which he plays a charming pickpocket and one-third of a trio of con artists operating in the French Riviera.
Jan. 3 (Mon), 11:15 pm, TCM – Crime and Punishment (1935): Peter’s second American film is shown in an evening of films directed by Josef von Sternberg.
Jan. 4 (Tues), 10:30 am, Hallmark Movie Channel – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).
Jan. 18 (Tues), 10 pm, TCM – Screen Director’s Playhouse, “No. 5 Checked Out” (1956): Turner Classic Movies’ salute to the Hal Roach Studios continues with a number of episodes from this NBC anthology TV series, including “No. 5 Checked Out”, directed by Ida Lupino, starring Peter Lorre, William Talman, Theresa Wright, and Ralph Moody and originally broadcast this date in 1956.
Jan. 21 (Fri), 9 am, TCM – The Beast With Five Fingers (1946).
February, 2011
Turner Classic Movies’ annual 31-day salute to the Academy Awards includes a couple of Peter Lorre staples . . .
Feb. 14 (Mon.), 10 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942). Tonight's theme is "All in the Family", referring to members of the same family participating in a film and winning (or receiving nominations for) the Academy Award. For Casablanca, it was the Epstein brothers, Julius J. and Philip G., winning the "Best Writing, Screenplay" Oscar, along with their co-writer, Howard Koch.
Feb. 26 (Sat.), 3:30 pm, TCM – The Maltese Falcon (1941). "On Second Thought" is the theme tonight – sometimes the second remake is the one that wins the Oscar. The Maltese Falcon was the third time the Dashiell Hammett novel had been filmed.
March, 2011
TCM ends their salute to Oscar into the first few days of March with another Lorre award-winner and includes a Lorre film new to the channel.
Mar. 2 (Wed.), 10 pm, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956): As a Japanese steward on a ship bound for Yokohama, Peter Lorre joined dozens of Hollywood actors in this all-star extravaganza filmed around the world. He also appeared in the animated closing credits – as a sword-wielding samurai warrior.
Mar. 4 (Fri.), 6 am, Hallmark Movie Channel – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Mar. 8 (Tues.), 7:30 am, Fox Movie Channel – I Was an Adventuress (1940)
Mar. 9 (Wed.), 8:30 am, Hallmark Movie Channel – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Mar. 10 (Thurs.), 4:15 pm, Flix East – The Patsy (1964): Peter's final movie. He died three days after completing work on the film.
Mar. 13 (Sun.), 3:15 am, TCM – The Story of Mankind (1957): As Mr. Scratch (Vincent Price) and the Spirit of Man (Ronald Colman) argue over mankind’s worth, Peter Lorre plays Emperor Nero, who fiddles while Rome burns.
Mar. 14 (Mon.), 9 am, TCM – The Cross of Lorraine (1943).
Mar. 16 (Wed.), 8 am, TCM – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944): The Museum of Modern Art's Film Archive includes more than 22,000 and regularly hosts screenings in New York City. This day-long salute to the Archive includes several classic films from the MoMA collection.
Mar. 16 (Wed.), 10:05 am, Flix East – The Patsy (1964).
Mar. 16 (Wed.), 4 am, TCM – Casablanca (1942).
Mar. 24 (Thurs.), 6 pm, TCM – Strange Cargo (1940).
These films and many other Lorre movies are now available on VHS and DVD – some remastered and packaged with extra features. For more information on the films of Peter Lorre released to home video, head to the
DVD — VHS section of
The Lost One website.
Happy viewing!