Lorre Lovers, Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Peter

Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, falls on a Wednesday in 2018 – and many cinemas across the United States will show Casablanca (1942), considered by many film fans as one of the most romantic movies in cinema history.

And although limited to only a few scenes – in the pivotal role of Ugarte, the black market dealer in exit visas – Peter Lorre is always a treat to watch in a movie theater, including these ~

• Old Town Music Hall – El Segundo, California
• Redford Theatre – Detroit, Michigan
• Amherst Screening Room – Amherst, New York
• Movie Tavern chain – various US states
• Brattle Theatre – Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Skylight Cinema – Bentonville, Arkansas

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Old Town Music Hall ~ The Old Town Music Hall, in El Segundo, California, will present Casablanca on the following dates and times ~

• Feb. 9, Friday – 8:15 pm
• Feb. 10, Saturday – 2:30 pm and 8:15 pm
• Feb. 11, Sunday – 2:30 pm

It’s a step back in time at this cinema, where every program begins with music on the mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ, an audience sing-along, and a comedy short. After a 15-minute intermission, the main feature will begin.

Admission is $10 for adults, and $8 for seniors age 62 and over. Tickets may be purchased at the cinema’s box office 30 minutes before each show time. Tickets are not available on-line.

The Old Town Music Hall is located at 140 Richmond Street, in El Segundo, California. For more information, please call the cinema at 310-322-2592.

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Redford Theatre ~ The Redford Theatre, in Detroit, Michigan, will show a 35mm film print of Casablanca on the following dates and times ~

• Feb. 9, Friday – 8 pm
• Feb. 10, Saturday – 2 pm and 8 pm

For 30 minutes before each show, the Barton organ will be played, followed by a 15-minute intermission.

Admission is $5 for everyone. Tickets may be purchased at the box office an hour before the movie begins. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the venue's website. A nominal processing fee will be added for all tickets purchased on-line.

The Redford Theatre is located at 17360 Lahser Road, just north of Grand River Avenue, in Detroit, Michigan.

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Amherst Screening Room ~ The Amherst Screening Room, in Amherst, New York, will show Casablanca throughout the Valentine’s Day holiday ~

• Feb. 10, Saturday – 7:30 pm
• Feb. 11, Sunday – 6 pm
• Feb. 13, Tuesday – 7:30 pm
• Feb. 14, Wednesday – 7:30 pm
• Feb. 16, Friday – 7:30 pm
• Feb. 17, Saturday – 7:30 pm

On Valentine’s Day, Casablanca will be shown on a double-feature with The Princess Bride (1987). Admission for Casablanca only is $7, and $10 for both films. Admission is $6 for all other showings of Casablanca.

The Amherst Screening Room is located at 880 Alberta Drive, in Suite 207 of the Boulevard Mall, in Amherst, New York. For more information, please call the theater at 716-837-0376.

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Movie Tavern ~ Many cinemas in the Movie Tavern chain will present Casablanca on Sunday, Feb. 11 and Wednesday, Feb. 14, as part of their “Flashback Cinema” series.

Dates and times vary by participating cinema, with some cinemas showing Casablanca on Valentine’s Day only.

Cinemas in the Movie Tavern chain are located in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.

Ticket prices vary by theater.

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Brattle Theatre ~ The Brattle Theatre, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, continues its popular Valentine’s Day tradition of Casablanca screenings with a 35mm print of the movie ~

• Feb. 13, Tuesday – 4 pm available only; 7 pm show is sold out
• Feb. 14, Wednesday – 4 pm available only; 7 pm show is sold out

Tickets for the 4 pm matinee showing are $9 for adults, students, and members of the Brattle; $8 for seniors age 65 and older, as well as children under age 12. Special Premium tickets are also available for $20 and include seating in a reserved section and unlimited popcorn and soda. Tickets may be purchased at the box-office, as well as on-line through the Brattle website.

The Brattle Theatre is located at 40 Brattle Street, in Brattle Hall, one block from Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, please call the Brattle at 617-876-6837.

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Skylight Cinema ~ Lorre fans attending Casablanca at the Skylight Cinema, in Bentonville, Arkansas, can enjoy reserved seating in rocker or reclining seats, as the theater presents the film as a Valentine treat at 6:30 pm and 9:05 pm.

Admission is $11 for adults, and $8 for children ages 2 to 12, seniors age 60 and older, and military personnel. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, as well as on-line through the cinema website. Seats are selected and reserved when tickets are purchased.

The Skylight Cinema is located at 350 SW A Street, in Bentonville, Arkansas. For more information, please call the theater at 479-367-7629.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Buffalo Film Seminars Includes Casablanca

As part of the Buffalo Film Seminars series, Casablanca (1942) will be shown at the Dipson Amherst Theatre in Buffalo, New York, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018.

Presented by the University at Buffalo, the program will begin at 7 pm with an introduction by Diane Christian and Bruce Jackson, who also lead a discussion with the audience following the movie and a brief break.

Handouts with production details, anecdotes, and critical comments about each week's film are available on goldenrod paper in the theater lobby 45 minutes before each session. The Goldenrod handouts, including the handout for Casablanca, are also available online.

The complete schedule for the 2018 seminar is available on-line.

Tickets are $9.50 for adults, $7.25 for seniors, and $8 for students, military, and children. Although the film seminar is primarily for students in the University at Buffalo film class, all are welcome to attend and participate in the discussion.

Tickets may be purchased at the cinema’s box office. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the venue’s website. A nominal fee of $1 will be added for each ticket purchased on-line. Season tickets for the seminar are also available.

The Dipson Amherst Theatre is located at 3500 Main Street, in the Tops University Plaza, in Buffalo, New York. Directions may be found on the cinema’s website.

Ample parking is available near the theater in the Tops University Plaza.

San Diego Film Geeks Include Lorre in Film Series

On Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, Film Geeks SD kick off their year-long film series “Noir on the Boulevard” with a showing of The Maltese Falcon (1941) at the Digital Gym Cinema in San Diego, California.

The program will begin at 1 pm, hosted by Beth Accomando, Arts and Culture reporter for San Diego's KPBS News.

Tickets are $11 general admission, $8.50 for students and seniors, and $7.50 for Digital Gym Cinema members. Tickets may be purchased at the box office or on-line through the venue’s website. Tickets may also be ordered over the telephone by calling 619-230-1938.

The Digital Gym Cinema is located at 2921 El Cajon Boulevard, on the corner of 30th Street and El Cajon Boulevard off the 805 Freeway, in the North Park area of San Diego, California.

Parking is available at meters along El Cajon Boulevard. Street parking is available on Kansas and 30th streets.

From January to December, 2018, the Film Geeks SD’s “Noir on the Boulevard” series will include 19 classic noir and neo-noir movies, adapted from novels or screenplays written by acclaimed novelists.

In addition to the noir film series, a Noir Book of the Month Club will also launch, with the KPBS Cinema Junkie introducing readers to the books that inspired the movies. D.A. Kolodenko begins the blog series with a discussion of The Maltese Falcon novel and movie.

The complete film schedule is available on the Digital Gym Cinema website.

For more information, please the venue at 619-230-1938.

Arsenic and Old Lace at Illinois Cinema

The Virginia Theatre, located in Champaign, Illinois, continues its News-Gazette Film Series with Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018.

The film will be shown at 1 pm and 7 pm. Before the 7 pm show, the cinema’s organist David Schroeder will play the Wurlitzer Pipe Organ and lead the audience in a short sing-along, with the lyrics shown on historic glass slides projected onto the screen.

Tickets are $6 for all seats. Tickets may be purchased at the Virginia Theatre box-office. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the venue’s website. A nominal processing fee of $1 will be added to each set of tickets purchased on-line.

The historic Virginia Theatre, opened in 1921, is located at 203 West Park Avenue, in the Champaign Park area of Champaign, Illinois.

Metered parking is available on the streets near the cinema. Parking is also available at the Hill Street Parking Deck, located at 125 at West Hill Street, in Champaign, Illinois. More information about parking is available on the venue’s website.

For more information, please call the Virginia Theatre at 217-356-9063.

Casablanca Included in Michael Curtiz Fest at UCLA

On Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, in association with the Hugh M. Hefner Classic American Film Program, will kick off a salute to director Michael Curtiz with a showing of one of his most famous movies, Casablanca (1942), on a double-bill with Kid Galahad (1937) in the Billy Wilder Theater.

Film noir expert Alan K. Rode will curate the series and introduce each film. Mr. Rode will also sign copies of his new book Michael Curtiz: A Life in Film (University Press of Kentucky, 2017) before and between each screening, with the exception of Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018.

The program begins at 6:30 pm with the book-signing. Casablanca will be shown at 7:30 pm, with Kid Galahad (1937) to follow.

The festival will run from Friday, Jan. 5 to Saturday, Mar. 17, 2018. The complete schedule is available on the UCLA Film and Television Archive website.

Tickets for the Casablanca / Kid Galahad double-feature are $9 general admission and $8 for non-UCLA students, seniors, and UCLA Alumni Association members. ID is required for students and Alumni Association members. Current UCLA students with ID are eligible for one free ticket to any Archive show.

General admission tickets may also be purchased on-line through the Festival website for $10 each. Tickets may be called for at the Billy Wilder Theater box office, which opens one hour before the first show.

The Billy Wilder Theater is located at the Courtyard Level of the Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Boulevard, at the intersection of Wilshire and Westwood boulevards in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, California.

For more information, please call the theater at 310-206-8013.

Parking is available in the lot under the Billy Wilder Theater. Enter the lot from Westwood Boulevard, just north of Wilshire Boulevard. Parking for the disabled is provided on levels P1 and P3. On Saturdays and Sundays, the fee is a flat rate of $3.

The venue is also well-served by public transportation.

More information about parking and public transportation, as well as directions, may be found on the venue’s website.

Casablanca was the first of two movies in which Peter Lorre worked with Michael Curtiz. In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (University Press of Kentucky, 2005), Stephen Youngkin describes a story Peter told to a Humphrey Bogart biographer about the time Peter and Bogie “blackmailed” Michael Curtiz into a sense of humor.

The film was Passage to Marseille (1944), and the two pranksters began telling long stories – and if Curtiz did not laugh, they deliberate fluffed their lines. Peter reported it took the director a couple days to figure out that if he laughed, he got the scene in one take.

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

Conspirators at the Normal Theater

The historic Normal Theater, located in Normal, Illinois, turns the spotlight on actress Hedy Lamarr with the documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017), Ziegfeld Girl (1941), and the only movie in which she co-starred with Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet – the Warner Bros. spy drama The Conspirators (1944).

The Conspirators will be shown at 7 pm on Thursday, Jan. 4, and Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018.

Ticket prices are $7 for general admission and $5 for children age 13 and under, as well as students. Tickets may be purchased at the Normal Theater box office, which opens 30 minutes before the start of the show. Tickets may also be purchased on-line through the venue’s website.

The Normal Theater is located at 209 W. North Street, in the Uptown Normal area of Normal, Illinois.

Parking is available at several lots and garages near the theater, as well as on the streets near the Normal. Most convenient is the parking garage located at 122 W. Beaufort Street. After 6 pm every night and all day Sunday, parking is free. More information about parking, as well as directions to the theater, is available on the cinema’s website.

For more information, please contact the Normal Theater at 309-454-9720.

The Conspirators was the sixth of nine movies Peter Lorre made with Sydney Greenstreet. Their working relationship is chronicled in Stephen Youngkin’s Book The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005). Although they rarely socialized away from the studio, they had great respect for each other’s talents – and in addition to their nine movies, also appeared together several times on radio. A complete list of Peter’s radio credits is included in the book’s Appendix.

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

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!