Celebrate the New Year with Lorre in Casablanca

As 2017 comes to an end and 2018 begins, the IFC Center, located in the historic Waverly Theater in Greenwich Village, celebrates the 75th anniversary of the classic movie Casablanca (1942).

From Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017, to Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018, the film will be shown at the following times – 12:45 pm, 3 pm, 5:20 pm, 7:45 pm, and 10 pm.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 27 and 28, 2017, Casablanca will also be shown at 10:45 am.

Admission prices are $15 for adults, $11 children age 12 and younger, $11 for seniors age 62 and older, and $10 for IFC members.

Tickets may be purchased at the IFC box office. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the IFC website. A nominal convenience fee of $1.50 will be added to each ticket purchased on-line.

The IFC Center is located at 323 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) at West 3rd Street, in Greenwich Village, New York.

Parking is available at several parking garages close to the theater. Parking is also available on the streets near the theater.

The IFC Center is also well-served by public transportation. More information on subway and bus lines is available on the venue’s website.

For more information, please contact the IFC Center at 212-924-7771.

Fathom Events Presents Casablanca Nov. 12, 2017

On Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017, Fathom Events joins the Turner Classic Movies channel with a special showing of Casablanca (1942), in celebration of the film’s 75th anniversary.

The program begins at 7 pm with an introduction by TCM host Ben Mankiewicz. Some theaters will also have a matinee showing at 2 pm. Casablanca will also be shown on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, at 7 pm, and some cinemas will include a matinee show at 2 pm.

To locate a participating theater, enter a city or zip code on the Casablanca page and choose either Nov. 12 or Nov. 15.

Ticket prices are $12.50 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased at each cinema’s box office, or in advance at the theater, as well as on-line through the Fathom Events website and Fandango. A nominal convenience fee will be added to tickets purchased on-line through either Fathom Events or Fandango.

In the small but pivotal role of black marketeer Ugarte, Peter Lorre sets in motion the film’s events by acquiring – through murder – a pair of valuable exit visas that he intends to sell to freedom fighter Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) and his wife Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman).

It was a part to which Peter attached no importance. He later claimed he made more money playing the roulette wheel on the “Café Americain” set than he did in the four days he worked before the camera.

Casablanca did, however, give Peter the opportunity to work with his pal Humphrey Bogart. Not yet a contract player at Warner Bros., Peter was hired back for his third Bogart-starring movie, as the studio considered how he might fit in with their stable of actors. By the time he joined Bogart on Passage to Marseille (1944) in late 1943, Peter had appeared in several Warner Bros. films as a member of the Warners stock company.

The making of Casablanca and the on- and off-screen friendship of Bogie and Peter is discussed in the authorized Lorre biography The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (University Press of Kentucky, 2005), by Stephen D. Youngkin – now available on the Kindle and Nook, as well as paperback and hard-back.

Goethe-Institut in San Francisco Presents M

The Goethe-Institut, located in San Francisco, California, presents a “Fritz Lang Night”, including a showing of the German director’s – and Peter Lorre’s – first sound movie, M (1931), on Friday, Nov. 10, 2017.

M will begin at 8:30 pm, following a showing of the Lang biopic Fritz Lang at 6 pm.

Admission to the double-feature is $15. Individual tickets to either movie are $10 for adults, seniors, and students, and $8 for members of “Berlin and Beyond”.

The Goethe-Institut is located at 530 Bush Street, between Stockton Street and Grant Avenue, in San Francisco, California.

Metered parking is available on the streets near the venue. The Goethe-Institut is also served by both bus and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). More information about the Institut is available on the venue’s website.

For more information, please call the Goethe-Institut at 415-263-8760.

Holiday Time With Lorre on TV

The holiday season is here, and as 2017 becomes 2018, Lorre fans have much to celebrate with plenty of 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.

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November, 2017

Just a handful of Lorre films this month, as Casablanca (1942) celebrates its 75th anniversary.

Nov. 12 (Sun), 3:45 pm, Turner Classic Movies channel – Casablanca (1942). The daytime theme is “Veterans Day”, and TCM celebrates with the classic wartime drama that won Peter Lorre a contract at the Warner Brothers studios. And today, as well as Wednesday, Nov. 15, Fathom Events joins TCM in showings of Casablanca in many movie theaters.

Nov. 20 (Mon), 2 pm, TCM – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). Today’s daytime theme on TCM is “Screwball Classics” with a showing of the dark comedy about two spinster sisters who poison lonely old men with a home-brew of elderberry wine, spiked with three kinds of poison.

Nov. 21 (Tues), 4:15 pm, MGM HD – Tales of Terror (1962).

Nov. 25 (Sat), 2:30 pm, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956). Peter Lorre is one of many cameos in this all-star extravaganza about the Victorian London gentleman (David Niven) who bets he can circle the globe in 80 days.

Nov. 27 (Mon), 4:15 am, MGM HD – Tales of Terror (1962).

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December, 2017

A variety of Lorre movies this month on the Turner Classic Movies channel.

Dec. 1 (Fri), 10:15 am, TCM – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). TCM's daytime theme is "Cary Grant", and among the movies today is the only film Cary Grant made with Peter Lorre.

Dec. 2 (Sat), 11:15 pm, TCM – Mad Love (1935). The prime-time theme on TCM is "Starring Colin Clive".

Dec. 5 (Tue), 6 am, TCM – M (1931). TCM salutes the birthday of director Fritz Lang, beginning with his first sound movie – as well as Peter Lorre's first sound movie.

Dec. 6 (Wed), Noon, MGM HD – Tales of Terror (1962).

Dec. 8 (Fri), 11:45 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942). The daytime theme on TCM is "World War II Dramas".

Dec. 11 (Mon), 4:45 pm, TCM – The Constant Nymph (1943). TCM's daytime theme is a salute to Sister Acts", and this Joan Fontaine movie follows her sister Olivia de Havilland's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935).

Dec. 14 (Thurs), 4:45 pm, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956). TCM's daytime theme is "Epics", and Peter Lorre is one of many stars in cameo appearances as Victorian gentleman Fogg (David Niven) makes his way around the world to win a bet.

Dec. 16 (Sat), 4 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942).

Dec. 23 (Sat), 8:40 am, MGM HD – Tales of Terror (1962).

Dec. 29 (Fri), 6:15 am, TCM – The Beast with Five Fingers (1946). TCM salutes make-up artist Perc (short for Percival) Westmore, of the famous Westmore family of make-up artists and wig-makers. Peter Lorre’s final horror movie at Warner Bros. was originally released on Christmas Day in 1946.

Dec. 30 (Sat), 4:15 am, MGM HD – Tales of Terror (1962).

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January, 2018

January means a new year and new opportunities for Lorre movies on TV. Charles Boyer is TCM's Star of the Month, and this month, TCM will show both of the movies Boyer made with Peter Lorre.

Jan. 4 (Thurs), 8 pm, Movies! Network – Beat the Devil (1954)

Jan. 11 (Thurs), 4:30 am, TCM – The Constant Nymph (1943). "Star of the Month" Charles Boyer plays best friend to Peter Lorre's character Fritz Bercovy, who romances and weds Brenda Marshall, one of the Sanger girls.

Jan. 14 (Sun), 2 pm, TCM – Passage to Marseille (1944).

Jan. 16 (Tues), 5:45 pm, TCM – Silk Stockings (1957). The daytime theme is "East/West Romance", and West meets and romances East when American promoter Fred Astaire meets Russian envoy Cyd Charisse, while three Russian commissars (Peter Lorre, Jules Munshin, Joseph Buloff) are seduced by Paris.

Jan. 13 (Sat), 8 am, Movies! Network – Beat the Devil (1954)

Jan. 18 (Thurs), 4 pm, MeTV channel – Wagon Train, "The Alexander Portlass Story" (Mar. 16, 1960).

Jan. 18 (Thurs), 5:45 am, TCM – Confidential Agent (1945). "Star of the Month" Boyer finds himself working against Peter Lorre, and Katina Paxinou, in this spy drama set in London.

Jan. 25 (Fri), 1:30 am, MeTV channel – Alfred Hitchcock Presents, "The Diplomatic Corpse" (Dec. 8, 1957).

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Many of these and other Lorre movies 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.

Purchase The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre from Amazon.

Happy viewing!

Halloween with Lorre at Woodmere Art Museum

Happy Halloween! A movie set at Halloween is always fun to watch on this holiday – and when the movie features Peter Lorre, it’s even better!

As part of their series “Movies at the Woodmere”, the Woodmere Art Museum, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will show Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017.

The Chestnut Hill Film Group will present the movie at 7:30 pm in the museum’s main gallery. A donation of $5 is suggested.

The Woodmere Art Museum is located at 9211 Germantown Avenue, at the corner of Germantown Avenue and Bells Mill Road, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Directions to the Woodmere are available on the museum’s website.

Parking is available in the museum’s parking lot.

For more information, please call the Woodmere Art Museum at 215-247-0476.

Lorre Biographer Discusses Mad Love at The Projection Booth

Kicking off “Shocktober 2017” – a month-long look at horror films – with a discussion of Mad Love (1935), long-time filmfan and writer Mike White invited Stephen D. Youngkin, author of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005), to The Projection Booth on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2017, for a discussion of Peter Lorre and his first American movie.

During the hour-long interview, Stephen Youngkin described Peter’s journey to Hollywood as a contract player with Columbia Pictures in 1934, his love of America and all things American, his dislike of the term “horror film”, and being labeled a horror movie actor after Mad Love. Having his head shaved for the role of the bald Dr. Gogol was not Peter’s idea, said Youngkin. He was sensitive about his appearance and went to visit Frances Drake, who played Yvonne Orlac, Dr. Gogol’s object of desire, to show her what he really looked like before work began on Mad Love.

Mike White also talked with film historian Greg Mank, whose book Hollywood Cauldron: Thirteen Horror Films from the Genre’s Golden Age (1994) includes a chapter on Mad Love and an interview with Frances Drake. Mank discusses scenes deleted from the finished print; the sad end of Colin Clive, who hated Mad Love and the other horror movies he made in the early 1930s; and Karl Freund’s approach to directing – which involved paying more attention to the movie’s cinematography than the performances of the actors. This suited Peter Lorre, said Mank, who could then do what he wanted to do with a part.

Using clips from the Mad Love dialogue track, Mike White and his guest co-host Samm Deighan explore the story, the characters, the cinematography, the direction, and the performances of the lead actors Peter Lorre, Colin Clive, and Frances Drake.

Episode 343, Oct. 3, 2017, marks Stephen Youngkin’s third visit to The Projection Booth. On May 24, 2017, Youngkin appeared in Episode 324 for a program about Der Verlorene (The Lost One, 1951), Peter Lorre’s only directorial effort. And on Nov. 22, 2016, Youngkin came on-board in Episode 298 for a discussion of Stranger on the Third Floor (1940).

On Nov. 29, 2016, Episode 299, Mike White and his special co-hosts and guests discussed The Chase (1946).

All current and past podcasts of The Projection Booth are available on the program’s website.

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And on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, Mad Love will be shown on Turner Classic Movies at 10 am EST and 7 am PST, as part of a day-long salute to horror movies.

Happy Halloween from Turner Classic Movies!

Bogart Fest Includes Lorre Films

Hurricane Irma paid a visit to Key Largo in September 2017, but the annual Humphrey Bogart Film Festival carries on!

This year, the Bogart fest celebrates the 75th anniversary Casablanca (1942) with showings of the classic movie, as well as three of the five movies Peter made with Bogart – Passage to Marseille (1944), The Maltese Falcon (1941), and Beat the Devil (1954) – and special guests Monika Henreid, daughter of Paul Henreid, and Jessica Rains, daughter of Claude Rains, joining Stephen Bogart, son of Humphrey Bogart.

Running from Wednesday, Oct. 18, to Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017, the festival includes special events, round-table discussions, a display of Bogart family memorabilia, a Saturday evening dinner, a closing Sunday brunch, and much more.

Stephen Humphrey Bogart, son of Bogie and Lauren Bacall, will host the event, joined by Illeana Douglas, granddaughter of actor Melvyn Douglas. The many Bogart films on the schedule will be screened at the host hotel and the Tavernier Cinemas.

Playa Largo Resort and Spa is the host hotel of the Bogart Film Festival, as well as the primary event venue. Guests attending the festival may receive special discounted rates at Playa Largo by calling the hotel directly at 305-853-1001, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. More information about discounted rates may be found on the festival website.

Playa Largo Resort and Spa is located at 97450 Overseas Highway, in Key Largo, Florida.

Passes may be purchased on-line through the Festival website. In addition to tickets, special Bogart Fest merchandise is also available.

Lorre films and events include ~

• Showings of The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942), Passage to Marseille (1944), and Beat the Devil (1954) at various times and dates
• Casablanca cocktail party and costume and trivia contest
• Discussion of the life and career of Humphrey Bogart, led by Stephen Bogart and Ileana Douglas
• The Bogart family memorabilia collection, hosted by Stephen and Ileana
• Sunset Cocktail Party with live music and outdoor screening of To Have and Have Not
• Roundtable discussion of Casablanca with Stephen, Ileana, Jessica Raines, and Monica Henreid
• Playa Largo Main Event – Cocktail party, followed by Festival Awards Dinner and screening of Casablanca
• Festival Closing Brunch

All movies will be screened at Tavernier Cinemas, located at 91298 Overseas Highway, in Tavernier, Florida. Outdoor screenings, as well as all the special events, will take place at the Playa Largo hotel.

The full schedule of films and events is available on the festival website.

In The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, author Stephen Youngkin chronicles Peter Lorre’s on- and off-screen friendship with Bogart. The two actors first worked together on The Maltese Falcon in the summer of 1941 and went on to make another four movies – three of them at Warner Bros. Their final movie, Beat the Devil (1954), reteamed them with John Huston, their Falcon director.

During his lifetime, Peter had few friends, but he counted Bogie as one of his two closest – the other being Bertolt Brecht, the German playwright with whom Peter worked as a young stage actor in Berlin during the 1920s.

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

Lorre Film Scheduled for Castro Theatre Noir Fest

The Castro Theatre, located in San Francisco, continues its noir film festival, “I Wake Up Dreaming 2017: Sleep No More!”, with a showing of All Through the Night (1942), on Monday, Oct. 9, 2017.

All Through the Night will be shown at 7:15 only. Ministry of Fear (1944), also on the double-feature, will be shown at 5:30 pm and 9:20 pm.

The festival is running every Monday night in October, beginning Oct. 2, and ending oct. 30, 2017, with a double or triple feature. The complete schedule is available on the Castro Theatre website.

Admission for every double or triple feature is $12 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased at the box office.

The Castro Theatre is located at 429 Castro Street, in San Francisco, California.

Parking is available in two small lots and on the street near the cinema. The Castro is also well-served by both bus and street car. Public transportation options, as well as directions to the Castro, can be found on the cinema’s website.

For more information, please call the Castro at (415) 621-6120.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005), Stephen D. Youngkin chronicles the making of All Through the Night. Continuing to freelance at Warner Bros, Peter was called back to the studio to appear in what would be his second movie with pal Humphrey Bogart – but his first and only movie with Kaaren Verne, who played Bogart’s love interest on-screen. The young actress became Peter’s love interest off-screen, a relationship that led to marriage as the second Mrs. Lorre.

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

Film Forum Warners Series Includes Lorre

As part of their series “Warner Bros: Tough Guys, Tough Dames . . . Tough Pictures”, the Film Forum, located in New York City, will present a 35mm double-feature of The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Key Largo (1948), on Friday, Sept. 29, 2017.

The movies will be shown at the following times ~

• Key Largo – 12:50 pm, 4:50 pm, and 8:50 pm
• The Maltese Falcon – 2:50 pm and 6:50 pm

Admission is $15 for adults, and $9 for children under the age of 12. Seniors age 65 and older attending shows before 5 pm, Monday to Friday, may purchase tickets for $9. Tickets for Film Forum members are $9 for all showings.

A double-feature ticket allows patrons to attend two consecutive showings for one price.

Tickets may be purchased at the Film Forum box office. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the Film Forum website. Click the “Buy Tickets” button under The Maltese Falcon. On-line registration is required to purchase tickets through the venue’s website. More information on tickets is available on the Film Forum website.

The Film Forum is located at 209 West Houston Street, between 6th Avenue and Varick Street, in New York City, New York.

Parking, both metered and non-metered, is available on many of the streets close to the Film Forum. Parking on 6th Avenue, 7th Avenue, and Varick Street is metered.

The Film Forum is well-served by subway and bus lines. Directions to the theater, as well as parking and public transportation information, are available on the venue’s website.

Programmed by Bruce Goldstein, “Warner Bros.: Tough Guys, Tough Dames . . . Tough Pictures” will run from Friday, Sept. 22 through Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017. The full schedule is available on the Film Forum website.

For more information, please call the Film Forum at 212-727-8110.

Saranak Lake Library Schedules Lorre Film

The Saranac Lake Free Library continues their “Great Films” movie series with a showing of The Maltese Falcon (1941) on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017.

The movie begins at 2 pm in the Thomas B. Cantwell Community Room.

Admission is free for everyone.

The Saranac Lake Free Library is located at 109 Main Street, in Saranac Lake, New York.

Parking is available in the library’s parking lot.

For more information, please call the library at 518-891-4190.