Dallas Sunset Movie Series Includes The Maltese Falcon

The Dallas Film Society, partnering with the ATandT Performing Arts Center, will present The Maltese Falcon (1941) as the penultimate feature in their annual “Sunset Screenings” film series, which this year takes a look at classic 1940s directors. The movie will be shown at the Dallas City Performance Hall on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015.

The Maltese Falcon will begin at 3 pm.

Admission is free, but reservations are requested. Tickets may be reserved online through the ATandT Performing Arts Center website. To reserve tickets, click the button “RSVP” on the Sunset Screenings page. Parking in the Lexus Silver Parking Facility may be purchased at the same time. The self-parking fee for one car is $15.

The Dallas City Performance Hall is located at 2520 Flora Street, in Dallas, Texas.

Parking at the Hall is available in the Lexus Silver Parking facility, located below the Dallas City Performance Hall. Parking may be purchased online through the ATandT Performing Arts Center website when movie tickets are reserved. To enter the Lexus Silver, take Ross Avenue to Jack Evans Street. More information on parking is available through the Center’s website.

For more information, please contact the venue at (214) 880-0202.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the making of The Maltese Falcon through interviews with the film’s director John Huston. Working on the movie in the summer of 1941 introduced Peter Lorre to the Warner Bros. studio, Sydney Greenstreet (with whom Peter would work in eight more movies), and Humphrey Bogart, who became one of Peter’s two closest friends.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available in eBook format, as well as hard-bound and soft-bound editions.

Peter Lorre on TV in Fall 2015

Summer becomes fall – and many Peter Lorre movies on television and Turner Classic Movies.

All 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.

---

August, 2015

August brings the TCM’s annual “Summer Under the Stars” festival – a full day devoted to the movies of one particular actor or actress. Although Peter Lorre does not have a “Day” of his own this year, many of his co-stars do. In addition, more Mr. Moto films on the Movies! Network and another classic Lorre from the Fox Movie Channel.

Aug. 5 (Wed), 2 am, Turner Classic Movies channel – Silk Stockings (1957). It’s “Fred Astaire Day”, and TCM includes the only time Peter joined Fred in singing and dancing in this musical remake of Ninotchka.

Aug. 8 (Sat), 6:20 am, Movies! Network – Mr. Moto’s Last Warning (1939). The Japanese detective stops conspirators from starting a war between France and England.

Aug. 8 (Sat), 5:45 pm, TCM – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). “Raymond Massey Day” includes the first of two movies Peter made with Raymond Massey.

Aug. 10 (Mon), 6 pm, TCM – Strange Cargo (1940). In this entry on “Joan Crawford Day”, Peter plays the stool pigeon M’sieu Pig, who loves Julie (Crawford) and tries to help her leave the French prison colony.

Aug. 13 (Thurs), 6:25 am, Movies! Network – Mr. Moto’s Gamble (1938). Mr. Moto gets involved in the murder of a boxer in this series entry that originally began as Charlie Chan at the Ringside.

Aug. 14 (Fri), 4 am, TCM – The Story of Mankind (1957). It’s “Groucho Marx Day”, and Groucho and Peter are among the many cameos in this star-studded journey through man’s history.

Aug. 16 (Sun), 6 am, Fox Movie Channel – I Was an Adventuress (1940). Peter Lorre plays Polo, the kleptomaniac partner of a trio of jewel thieves operating on the French Riviera.

Aug. 22 (Sat), 6 am, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1957). It’s “Marlene Dietrich Day”, and Marlene and Peter are among the many cameos in this star-studded journey around the world of the 1800s.

Aug. 28 (Fri), 8 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942). On “Ingrid Bergman Day”, Peter plays Ugarte, a black marketer plans to sell two valuable exit visas to Ilsa (Bergman) and her freedom-fighter husband Victor (Paul Henreid). Aug. 29 is the 100th anniversary of Bergman’s birth.

---

September, 2015

In September, summer becomes fall, with currently only one Lorre movie on the schedule.

Sept. 28 (Mon), 6 am, TCM – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). In this dark comedy about two sweet little old ladies who consider one of their charities as helping lonely old men to find happiness by serving them a glass of poison-laced elderberry wine, Peter Lorre plays Dr. Einstein, personal plastic surgeon to an international serial killer.

---

October, 2015

October means Halloween and horror movies, including a double-feature of Peter Lorre’s only two horror films on TCM.

Oct. 9 (Fri), TCM – A Lorre double-feature of Mad Love (1936), Peter’s first American movie, at 8 pm, and The Beast with Five Fingers (1946), Peter’s final movie at Warner Bros. under his mid-1940s contract.

Oct. 18 (Sun), 8 am, TCM – Silk Stockings (1957).

Oct. 19 (Mon), 8 pm, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956).

---

Many of these and other Lorre movies are now available on DVD and VHS – some 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 is available in the book’s Appendix. The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available in hard-back and soft-bound editions, as well as the Kindle and Nook.

Happy viewing!

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at the Prytania, New Orleans

New Orelans’ historic cinema the Prytania Theatre will present Walt Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) on August 7, 8, 9, and 12, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday, as part of the “Prytania Kids Series”.

The movie will begin at 10 am each morning, introduced by Rene Brunet, owner of the historic Prytania. Brunet is acknowledged as an expert on film, as well as a New Orleans theater historian – and instantly recognizable in his "movie necktie".

Ticket prices are $5.75 for all ages for the matinee screening. Tickets may be purchased at the cinema box office. Tickets may also be purchased online through the Prytania website. A nominal fee will be charged for online purchases.

The Prytania Theatre is located at 5339 Prytania Street, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Parking is available on the streets near the cinema.

For more information, please call (504) 891-2787.

In late 1944, Peter Lorre went on a “house act” tour of the east coast. For two months, he appeared on the stages of the largest downtown movie theaters and performed a dramatic spot titled “The Man with the Head of Glass”, written specially for him by Frank Wilson. During the week of Oct. 12, the St. Charles in New Orleans was his penultimate stop.

In the lobby of the Prytania, which opened in 1914 and recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, are photos of many New Orleans movie theaters. The St. Charles may be among them. And if not, perhaps Mr. Brunet has a story or two to tell about that cinema. . . .

Casablanca in Durham, NC, Aug. 7

Lorre fans in the Durham, N. Carolina, area will have a chance to catch Peter on the big screen when the Carolina Theatre presents Casablanca (1942) on Friday, August 7, 2015, as part of their RetroClassics Film Series.

The evening salute to Ingrid Bergman begins at 7 pm with Casablanca, followed by The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945). Both movies will be shown in Cinema One.

Tickets are $9 for all seats and may be purchased at the Cinema Box Office 30 minutes before the first movie of the day. Tickets may also be purchased online from TicketMaster through the Carolina Theatre website. On the Casablanca and Bells of St. Mary's screen, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Buy Now" button. TicketMaster charges a small fee for online purchases.

The Carolina Theatre is located at 309 W. Morgan Street in Durham, N. Carolina.

Parking is available at the Durham Center Parking Garage, located directly across the street from the Carolina Theatre. More information about parking is available on the cinema’s website.

For more information, please contact the Carolina Theatre at (919) 560-3030.

And Lorre fans, mark your calendars! Peter returns on Friday, Nov. 6, 2015, when the Carolina Theatre presents a double bill of Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) and Murder, He Says (1945). It’s “Murder and a Cup of Tea” at the RetroClassics Film Series. The show begins at 7 pm, and all seats are $9. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the Carolina Theatre website.

Christmas in July with Lorre

The Radio Classics channel, airing over Channel 82 on the Sirius XM dial, celebrates Christmas in July the week of July 13, 2015, with a number of Christmas-themed episodes from various old-time radio series – including Peter Lorre’s Suspense episode, “Back for Christmas”.

The full schedule is available on the Radio Classics channel website.

“Back for Christmas” will air these dates and times:

Monday, July 13:
1 pm Eastern, 11 am Pacific

Wednesday, July 15:
1 pm Eastern, 11 am Pacific

Friday, July 17:
1 pm Eastern, 11 am Pacific

Maggie Linton, whose The Maggie Linton Show airs on Sirius XM’s Urban View channel, fills in for Greg Bell, taking his Radio Classics hosting duties to the high seas of Alaska the week of July 10 aboard the Jewel of the Seas for the annual Radio Spirits cruise.

This version of the John Collier story originally aired Dec. 23, 1943. “Back for Christmas” was Peter’s fourth of six appearances before the microphone of the anthology series, airing over CBS every Thursday night.

XM and Sirius radio subscribers may also listen to Suspense, “Back for Christmas”, over the internet. Log-in with your User ID and password. Not a subscriber? A free 30-day trial is also available through the XM radio website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the radio career of Peter Lorre. A complete-to-date list of Peter’s radio credits may be found in the book’s appendix.

“Back for Christmas” is available for purchase in the Radio section of the Lost One website.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available on both the Kindle and Nook, as well as hard-bound and soft-bound editions.

Ingrid Bergman Centennial Includes Lorre

Peter Lorre fans in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, will have an opportunity to catch Casablanca (1942) on the big screen when the American Film Institute and the Brattle Theatre celebrate the 100th anniversary of star Ingrid Bergman’s birth.

---

Beginning Thursday, July 2, and ending Sunday, Sept. 13, the AFI Silver will present an extensive retrospective of Ingrid Bergman’s work. The complete schedule is available on the venue’s website.

Casablanca will be shown on the following dates and times:

Thursday, July 2 – 11:30 am and 1:45 pm
Friday, July 3 – 1:45 pm
Saturday, July 4 – 1:45 pm
Sunday, July 5 – 1:45 pm
Monday, July 6 – 3:20 pm
Tuesday, July 7 – 3:20 pm
Wednesday, July 8 – 3:20 pm and 7:15 pm
Thursday, July 9 – 3:20 pm

Admission for all matinee shows is $9 for general admission, $7 for children age 12 and under, and $8.50 for AFI members Two-star level and higher. Admission for evening shows is $12 for general admission, $10 for seniors, military and students $7 for children age 12 and under, and $8.50 for AFI members Two-star level and higher.

Tickets may be purchased on-line through the AFI Silver Theatre website. Click a show day and time. Tickets purchased on-line must be claimed at the box office with the same credit card used to make the purchase. The AFI Silver accepts American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit cards.

Tickets may also be purchased at the AFI Silver box office, which opens 30 minutes before the first film of the day.

The AFI Silver Theatre is located at 8633 Colesville Road, at the intersection of Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue, in Silver Spring, Maryland. Directions to the cinema may be found on the AFI Silver website.

Parking is available in several public parking decks close to the theater. Most convenient is the Wayne Avenue garage, located at 921 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring, MD. Parking at the Wayne Avenue garage is free on weekends and after 8 pm on weekdays. More information on parking can be found on the AFI Silver website.

For more information, please call the cinema at (301) 495-6700.

---

On Monday, July 13, and Tuesday, July 14, the Brattle Theatre will present a special Ingrid Bergman double-feature – Casablanca and Gaslight (1944).

Both films will be shown in 35mm prints on the following dates and times.

Monday, July 13:
Casablanca – 4:45 pm
Gaslight – 7 pm

Tuesday, July 14:
Casablanca – 7 pm
Gaslight – 4:30 pm and 9:15 pm

Matinee prices are $9 for general admission, students, and Brattle members; and $8 for children and seniors. Evening prices are $11 for general admission; $9 for students and Brattle members; and $8 for children and seniors. Double-feature tickets are also available – click the earliest consecutive show time and select the Multi-Feature ticket option.

Tickets may be purchased on-line through the Brattle Theatre website. From the “Calendar” drop-down menu, or the Casablanca webpage, click the “Buy Tickets” button. A nominal fee will be added to all on-line purchases. The Brattle Theatre is located in Brattle Hall at 40 Brattle Street, a block from Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Also located in Brattle Hall are Algiers Cafe, Casablanca Restaurant, and Harvard Square Optical. The cinema’s entrance is on the left side of the building – look for the sidewalk poster case and marquee.

The cinema is well-served by public transportation – MBTA bus routes and the subway.

Parking is available at meters around Harvard Square, as well as both validated and non-validated parking garages. The Brattle Theatre box office will validate parking tickets at the Charles Square Garage and the University Place Garage. More information on getting to the Brattle, as well as parking, is available on the cinema’s website.

For more information, please call the cinema at (617) 876-6837.

---

Ingrid Bergman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on August 29, 1915. As Ilsa Lund, wife of escaping freedom-fighter Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), she had no scenes in Casablanca with Peter Lorre, who played the black-market racketeer Ugarte, selling the exit visas they’ll need to travel to Lisbon and then America. Casablanca was a movie neither actor considered very important. In fact, Peter said he made more money playing the roulette wheel on the “Rick’s Gambling Room” set between takes than he did working before the cameras.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen Youngkin recounts the making of Casablanca through interviews with writer Julius J. Epstein and actor Dan Seymour.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available for the Kindle and Nook, as well as hard-back and soft-bound editions.

Happy Birthday, Peter Lorre!

Friday, June 26, 2015, is Peter Lorre’s 111th birthday, and the celebration begins on Sunday, June 21, as Radio Classics channel host Greg Bell salutes “Love for Lorre”, his annual birthday tribute to Peter.

For two hours, Lorre fans can enjoy four of Peter’s old-time radio performances – two episodes from Peter’s own 13-week summer series Mystery in the Air, “The Mask of Medusa” (Sept. 4, 1947) and “The Queen of Spades” (Sept. 11, 1947); an episode of the anthology series Suspense, “Of Maestro and Man” (July 20, 1944), and finally, a guest appearance on Jack Benny’s show The Lucky Strike Program, “I Stand Condemned” (Mar. 24, 1946).

The Lorre tribute will air these dates and times:

Sunday, June 21:
9 am Pacific, 12 noon Eastern

Wednesday, June 24:
3 am Pacific, 6 am Eastern

Friday, June 26:
7 pm Pacific, 10 pm Eastern

Satellite radio providers XM and Sirius air Radio Classics over channel 82. Subscribers may also listen to the programs over the internet. Log-in with your User ID and password. Not a subscriber? A free 30-day trial is also available through the XM radio website.

The party continues on television where two cable TV channels will show Lorre movies on Friday, June 26.

On the Turner Classic Movies channel, the “Summer of Darkness” film noir festival continues with The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) at 8 pm, hosted by Eddie Muller, who presents the “Noir City” film festivals in various U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

The GetTV channel presents a Lorre triple feature – Beat the Devil (1954) at 7 pm; The Face Behind the Mask (1941) at 9:05 pm; and finally Island of Doomed Men (1940) at 10:40 pm.

The life and career of Peter Lorre is chronicled in the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre by Stephen D. Youngkin, who interviewed two of Peter’s brothers, his first wife Celia Lovsky, his sister-in-law 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.

The Appendix of The Lost One includes the most complete list available of Peter’s credits – radio, film, stage, and television.

The Lorre radio programs airing this week in honor of Peter’s birthday are available through many merchants, including Radio Showcase. Many of Peter’s movies, as well as some of his television appearances, are available on DVD.

Published in 2005 through University Press of Kentucky, The Lost One is available in hard-cover, soft-cover, Amazon’s Kindle, and Barnes and Noble’s Nook.

Summer Classic Film Fests Include Casablanca

Summer months bring festivals of classic movies to many historic movie theaters, and this year, Peter Lorre fans can enjoy Casablanca (1942) on the big screen.

Take a look at these!

Kentucky Theater; Lexington, Kentucky – Wednesday, June 10
Orpheum Theater; Memphis, Tennessee – Friday, June 12
Indianapolis Museum of Art; Indianapolis, Indiana – Friday, June 19

---

Kentucky Theater – Lexington, Kentucky

Opening in 1922, the landmark Kentucky Theater will present Casablanca as the “Classic of the Week” on Wednesday, June 10, 2015.

Show times are at 1:30 pm and 7:15 pm.

Before 6 pm, all tickets are $6. After 6 pm, tickets are $8 for general admission, $6 for children 13 and under, and $6 for seniors age 60 and over. Tickets may be purchased on-line through the Kentucky Theater website, as well as at the cinema’s box office.

The Kentucky Theater is located at 214 East Main Street, in Lexington, Kentucky. Directions, as well as parking information may be found on the theater’s website.

For more information, please contact the cinema at (859) 231-7924.

---

Orpheum Theater – Memphis, Tennessee

As part of their annual Summer Movie Series, the Orpheum Theater will present Casablanca on Friday, June 12, 2015. Now in its 4th year, the series is hosted the Orion Federal Credit Union, and will run from Thursday, June 4, to Friday, August 28. The full schedule is available on the cinema’s website.

Casablanca will begin at 7 pm. Doors at the Orpheum open at 6 pm, with on-stage trivia, drink specials, and pre-movie activities in the lobby before the show.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Tickets may be purchased at the Orpheum box office or on-line through the cinema’s website for a nominal fee.

The Orpheum Theater is located at 203 South Main Street, in Memphis, Tennessee. Directions to the cinema, as well as information about parking, is available on the Orpheum’s website.

For more information, please contact the Orpheum at (901) 525-3000.

---

National Bank of Indianapolis – Indianapolis, Indiana

The National Bank of Indianapolis marks its 40th season of “Summer Nights Film Series” with a showing of Casablanca at the outdoor amphitheater at the Indianapolis Museum of Art on Friday, June 19. The series will run every Friday evening from June 5 to August 28.

The movie will begin at dusk, but come at 7 pm for the special pre-show fun, including Humphrey Bogart impressions and classic movie trivia.

Tickets are $12 for the public and $6 for members of the IMA. And IMA members who show their National Bank of Indianapolis ATM, Debit, or Credit Card may receive an additional $1 off admission.

Tickets may be purchased on-line through the IMA website. Tickets may also be reserved by calling the ticket line at (317) 955-2339.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art is located at 4000 Michigan Road, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Directions to the IMA, as well as parking information, is available on the IMA website.

---

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin recounts the making of Casablanca, from its beginnings as a stage play to classic movie. Working only two days, with a total of eight minutes on-screen, Peter Lorre did not consider Casablanca an important movie and said later he made more money playing the roulette wheel on the “Gambling Room” set than he did before the cameras.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available in both hard-back and soft-bound editions, as well as for the Kindle and Nook.

Students! Free Film Noir Class Online

Every Friday in June, 2015, the Turner Classic Movies channel turns their Friday Night Spotlight on the world of film noir with “Summer of Darkness” – a series of noir movies hosted by Eddie Muller, who presents the “Noir City” film festivals in various U.S. cities, such as Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Washington D.C.

This year, in conjunction with TCM’s “Summer of Darkness”, Ball State University presents a free, flexible on-line course on the film noir genre through the Canvas Network.

The online class will begin on Monday, June 1, and run for nine weeks until Tuesday, August 4, 2015. Enrollment is open until Sunday, July 19, 2015.

The class will be taught by film noir expert Richard Edwards and includes a special video series “The Case of Film Noir”, podcasts, and other materials, as well as opportunities for social sharing. On Tuesday, August 4, the course will conclude with a live video conference with Richard Edwards and Eddie Muller. Class participants who complete all assignments will receive a customized certificate of completion.

The intent of the course is to deepen viewers’ “understanding of the film nor phenomenon – from the earliest noir precursors to recent experiments in neo-noir”, as well as to post their opinions online and test their knowledge of film with an international community of film noir fans.

A description of the class, including “Course Outcomes” and “Frequently Asked Questions”, is available on the Canvas Network website.

To enroll in the free class, click on the blue “Enroll” button, located on the webpage “TCM Presents Into the Darkness: Investigating Film Noir”.

Peter Lorre fans attending the annual “Noir City” film festivals are frequently treated to screenings of Three Strangers (1945), The Chase (1946), Black Angel (1947), among other Lorre films.

Peter’s Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) is considered the first true film noir.

TCM’s “Summer of Darkness” festival will kick off on Friday, June 5, with a showing of M (1931) at 6 am, Eastern Standard Time, and will continue with Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) at 11:30 am and The Maltese Falcon (1941) at 2:30 pm.

On Friday, June 26, Peter’s 111th birthday, “Summer of Darkness” continues with The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) at 8 pm.

Although no textbook has been selected for the class, an excellent choice would be The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, for which author Stephen D. Youngkin interviewed many of the actors and directors who worked with Peter – Fritz Lang, John Huston, Jean Negulesco, Margaret Tallichet, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Robert Cummings, among others.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre is available for the Kindle and Nook, as well as hard-back and soft-bound editions.

See you in class!

Austin Noir Fest Includes Lorre

For a second year, the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz will host the Noir City film noir festival in Austin, Texas, the weekend of May 8-10, 2015 – and this year, the festival will highlight movies adapted from the work of suspense writer Cornell Woolrich, including Peter Lorre’s Black Angel (1946) on Saturday, May 9.

The festival is in cooperation with the Film Noir Foundation, which hosts annual Noir City festivals all across the United States.

Black Angel will begin at 3:30 pm in Theater 1.

Tickets are $8.25 for Reserved and $36.50 for the Balcony Package. The Balcony Package includes two tickets in the balcony section, plus a free parking voucher for the St. David’s parking garage, located at 710 Trinity Street, near 8th Street.

Tickets may be purchased on-line through the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz website. Select the date of May 9, 2015, from the drop-down box in the “Showtimes” section. Tickets may also be purchased from the Black Angel page.

The complete schedule for the film noir fest is available on the Alamo Drafthouse Ritz website.

The Ritz box office opens 45 minutes before all scheduled show times. Patrons are advised to arrive at least 30 minutes before their movie begins and to enjoy drinks and appetizers, as well as the pre-show program of vintage cartoons and shorts. Latecomers will not be seated.

The Alamo Drafthouse Ritz is located at 320 E. 6th Street, in Austin, Texas.

Parking is available in the St. David’s parking garage, located at 710 Trinity Street, near 8th Street. A free parking voucher for this garage is included in the Balcony Package. Metered parking is also available near the Ritz. Parking meters are free on Sundays, as well as after 6 pm Monday through Wednesday, and after midnight Thursday through Saturday. More information about parking, as well as directions to the Ritz, can be found on the cinema’s website.

For more information, please call the Ritz at (512) 861-7020.

The making of Black Angel is recounted in the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, written by Stephen D. Youngkin, through interviews with actress June Vincent. The Lost One is available in soft-bound and hard-back editions, as well as electronic versions for the Kindle and Nook.