Detroit Cinema Screens Lorre Classic

Located in Detroit, Michigan, the Redford Theatre celebrates the 80th anniversary of Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) with a showing of the classic Cary Grant and Peter Lorre comedy on Friday, August 23, 2024.

The film begins at 8 pm.

Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors (60 and older) and children (12 and under). Tickets may be purchased at the box office, which opens at 7 pm. Tickets may also be purchased online through the cinema’s website. A nominal convenience fee will be added to each ticket purchased online.

The Redford Theatre is located at 17360 Lahser Road in the Old Redford neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan.

Parking is available in several lots surrounding the north end of the Redford Theatre. Filmgoers are advised to watch for the signs and the Redford parking attendants who will direct to the best possible parking spots.

Originally opening on January 27, 1928, the Redford Theatre has long been known as a neighborhood movie house and entertainment center, with a three-story grand foyer and a full-size stage. Very likely Arsenic and Old Lace played here on its original run in the early 1940s.

Happy viewing!

Tampa Theatre Summer Film Series Includes Lorre

The Tampa Theatre’s annual Summer Classics Movie Series winds down for another year with a showing of the movie-fan favorite Casablanca (1942) on Sunday, August 18, 2024.

The film begins at 3 pm in the historic Duncan Auditorium.

After the showing of Casablanca, Hector Sotomayor, film professor at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, will lead a Film Talk and audience question and answer period.

Admission is $10 for General Admission and $7 for Tampa Theatre members. Tickets may be purchased at the box office. Tickets may also be purchased online through the Tampa Theatre website. A nominal fee will be added to each ticket purchased online.

The Tampa Theatre is located at 711 Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, Florida.

Parking is available at meters along the streets near the theater. Parking is also available in the William F. Poe Garage, located at 800 N. Ashley Drive between Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and the John F. Germany Public Library, approximately three blocks west of Tampa Theatre. Hourly rates start at $2, with a daily maximum of $15. More information about parking, as well as directions to the theater, is available on the Tampa Theatre website.

For more information, please contact the Tampa Theatre at 813-274-8386.

Cinecon Festival Includes Lorre

Lorre fans attending the annual Cinecon film festival in Los Angeles, California, over the Labor Day weekend are in for a treat this year – a showing of Peter’s 1937 20th Century-Fox film Lancer Spy, starring George Sanders and Delores del Rio.

Cinecon begins Thursday, August 29, 2024, and ends on Monday, September 2.

Lancer Spy is scheduled for 10 am on the final day of the festival, Monday, September 2, 2024.

The full schedule is available on the Cinecon website.

Now in its 60th year, Cinecon features rare and forgotten silent and sound movies from the early years of Hollywood, as well as special presentations. Cinecon will be held in the Writer’s Guild Theater, located at 135 South Doheny Drive, in the heart of Beverly Hills, California.

Parking is available in the public parking garage directly across the street from the Writer’s Guild Theater.

Cinecon offers two types of passes. The Festival pass allows access to all programming every day of Cinecon, as well as the Opening Night Gala. A Day pass is available for each day of Cinecon, and allows access to the programming for just that day. More information about Cinecon passes, as well as ordering, is available on the Cinecon website.

Originally slated to be a “B” picture at 20th Century-Fox, Lancer Spy was to star Peter Lorre – but the studio decided to go with a larger budget and a leading man actor. One day before the movie was to go into production, Lancer Spy was pulled from the schedule. George Sanders became the main character, and Peter Lorre was assigned to support.

George Sanders would work again with Peter Lorre in Peter’s own “B” picture series of Mr. Moto films – Mr. Moto’s Last Warning (1939) – this time with Lorre in the lead and Sanders in support.

SiriusXM Celebrates Hitchcock Birthday with Lorre

On the satellite radio service SiriusXM, Radio Classics channel host Greg Bell celebrates the birthdays of many celebrities throughout the year, and during the week of August 12, 2024, director Alfred Hitchcock receives a birthday block of programs adapted from his movies, including an episode of Peter Lorre’s 1947 summer series Mystery in the Air.

Scheduled are the hour-long Lux Radio Theatre, “Strangers on a Train” (December 2, 1951); Mystery in the Air, “The Lodger” (August 14, 1947); and The Academy Award Theatre, “Shadow of a Doubt” (September 11, 1946).

Hitchcock’s 125th birthday celebration will air these days and times –

Tuesday, August 13 ~
5 pm Pacific
8 pm Eastern

Thursday, August 15 ~
11 am Pacific
2 pm Eastern

Saturday, August 17 ~
9 am Pacific
12 noon Eastern

Mystery in the Air, “The Lodger”, will air these dates and times –

Tuesday, August 13 ~
6 pm Pacific
9 pm Eastern

Thursday, August 15 ~
12 noon Pacific
3 pm Eastern

Saturday, August 17 ~
10 am Pacific
1 pm Eastern

SiriusXM airs Radio Classics over channel 148. Subscribers may also listen to the programs over the internet or the SiriusXM app. Log-in with your User ID and password. Not a subscriber? A trial is also available for a nominal price through the SiriusXM radio website.

Peter Lorre’s association with the British director, born on August 14, 1899, began in the early 1930s with roles in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) and Secret Agent (1936), and continued into the 1950s with appearances in two episodes of Hitchcock’s weekly television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

Happy listening!

August Movies with Lorre

It's August, and time for the annual "Summer Under the Stars" fest on the Turner Classic Movies channel. We also check out Talking Pictures TV and Movies! Network.

American times shown are Eastern Standard.

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August, 2024

TCM presents their annual "Summer Under the Stars" festival this month, with each day devoted to a single actor or actress. This year, Peter Lorre's co-stars Cary Grant and Marlene Dietrich are honored with a day. And fans of the Cary Grant film Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) will have numerous chances to catch this classic.

Aug 4 (Sun), 12 noon, Movies! Network – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

Aug 6 (Tues), 10:15 am, Movies! Network – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

Aug 10 (Sat), 11:05 am, Movies! Network – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

Aug 11 (Sun), 10 am, Turner Classic Movies – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). Cary Grant is the "Star of the Day", and included in the Grant-starring movies is the classic dark comedy about the drama critic (Grant) who discovers his two elderly aunts (Josephine Hull and Jean Adair) have an unusual hobby involving elderberry wine laced with three different poisons. NOTE: In Canada, Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942) will be shown instead.

Aug 19 (Mon), 1:05 pm, Movies! Network – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

Aug 26 (Mon), 8 am, Movies! Network – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

Aug 28 (Wed), 6 am, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956). Marlene Dietrich is the "Star of the Day", and included in the Dietrich-starring movies is this all-star extravaganza about a Victorian British gentleman (David Niven) who sets out to win a bet that he can travel around the world in 80 days.

Aug 28 (Wed), 4:10 am, Movies! Network – Quicksand (1950).

Aug 30 (Fri), 2:40 pm, Talking Pictures TV – Beat the Devil (1954).

Aug 31 (Sat), 3:15 pm, Movies! Network – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

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Sneak Peek at September, 2024

TCM celebrates the 100th birthday of actress Lauren Bacall, "Star of the Month" in September.

Sept 9 (Mon), TCM – Confidential Agent (1945). An evening of "Star of the Month" Lauren Bacall movies includes this spy thriller starring Charles Boyer and Peter Lorre.

Sept 11 (Wed), TCM – Casablanca (1942).

Sept 28 (Sat), TCM – The Maltese Falcon (1941).

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Many of these and other Lorre movies and television programs 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.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre may be purchased from many brick-and-mortar shops, as well as these online merchants ~

• Amazon U.S.
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon U.K

Happy viewing!

SiriusXM Radio Airs Lorre Program

During the week of July 29, 2024, Radio Classics host Greg Bell will air an hour-long block of the old-time radio series Mr. and Mrs. North, including an episode hosted by Peter Lorre as a segment in his mid-1940s series Mystery Playhouse.

The Mr. and Mrs. North block includes “Frisbie Proves His Point” (January 17, 1945) and “Don’t Cru Wolf” (March 11, 1952).

“Frisbie Proves His Point” will air these dates and times ~

Monday, July 29 ~
11 pm – Pacific

Tuesday, July 30 ~
2 am – Eastern

Thursday, August 1 ~
5 pm – Pacific
8 pm – Eastern

Saturday, August 3 ~
7 am – Pacific
10 am – Eastern

The full schedule for the week of July 29 to August 4, 2024, is available on Greg Bell’s website.

Satellite radio provider SiriusXM airs Radio Classics over channel 148. Subscribers may also listen to the programs over the internet or through the SiriusXM app on a Smart Phone or Smart Speaker. Not a subscriber? SiriusXM offers special trial deals through their website.

In the mid-1940s, Peter Lorre served as the main host for the Armed Forces Radio Service series Mystery Playhouse, which featured specially-edited episodes of such popular radio shows as The Whistler, Mr. District Attorney, Inner Sanctum Mysteries, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Peter would introduce each episode, often greeting the audience with his trademarked “Hello, Kreeps!” A visit to the Green Room for a preview of the next episode often ended each program, as Peter bid everyone, “Good night! Sleep tight!” and closed the doors of the Mystery Playhouse.

Mystery Playhouse programs were then shipped out on thick recording discs to American bases all over the world to be enjoyed by service men and women stationed overseas.

“Frisbie Proves His Point” originally aired on Mr. and Mrs. North on Wednesday, January 17, 1945. The episode now exists only as an entry in the AFRS series, including Lorre’s own Inner Sanctum Mysteries episode, “Death is a Joker” (June 10, 1944).

“And I still think I know that guy,” says Peter Lorre, introducing his own program on the Mystery Playhouse.

Happy listening!

MGM Anniversary Includes Lorre

From mid-July to mid-September, 2024, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, located in Silver Spring, Maryland, celebrates the 100th anniversary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with a special series of MGM movies – including two Peter Lorre films.

In July, Mad Love (1935) will be shown on these days and times ~

• Saturday, July 20 – 9:20 pm
• Sunday, July 21 – 12:55 pm

And in August, Silk Stockings (1957) will be shown on these days and times ~

• Sunday, August 18 – 4:35 pm
• Monday, August 19 – 4:35 pm
• Wednesday, August 21 – 4:20 pm

Tickets are $13 for adults; $11 for AFI members (2 star and higher) and seniors age 65 and older; $8 for children age 12 and under; $10 for matinee showings Saturdays and Sundays before noon, and weekdays before 5 pm.

Tickets may be purchased at the AFI Silver box-office. Tickets may also be purchased online through the cinema’s website. A nominal service fee will be added to each ticket purchased online.

The AFI Silver Theatre is located at 8633 Colesville Road, at the intersection of Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue, in Silver Spring, Maryland.

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, Maryland. Parking at the Wayne Avenue garage is free all day on Sundays.

Directions to the cinema, as well as information about parking and public transportation, may be found on the AFI Silver website.

The celebration of MGM’s centennial began on Friday, July 12, 2024, and will run until Thursday, September 19, 2024. The list of movies in the series is available on the AFI Silver website.

Canadian Cinema Presents Lorre Classics

Lorre fans in the area of Toronto, Canada, will have two opportunities to catch Peter on the big screen when the Toronto Film Society partners with the Paradise Theatre for a showing of The Face Behind the Mask (1941) and Black Angel (1946) this summer.

On Monday, July 8, 2024, The Face Behind the Mask will be shown on a double-bill with Les Yeux Sans Visage (Eyes Without a Face, 1960). The program will begin at 7 pm with a brief introduction and a door prize giveaway. The second movie will begin after a 10 to 15 minute intermission.

On Monday, August 19, 2024, Black Angel will be shown on a double-fill with The Window (1949). The program will begin at 7 pm with a brief introduction and a door prize giveaway. Black Angel will begin after a 10 to 15 minute intermission.

Both programs will be shown at the historic Paradise Theatre, located at 1006 Bloor Street, at the corner of Bloor Street and Westmoreland Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, in Canada.

Green P parking (Carpark 84) is available directly behind the cinema, just north of Bloor Street West.

General admission for each double-bill is $15, and $12.50 for seniors and students with proper ID. Tickets may be purchased at the box-office. Tickets may also be purchased online from EventBrite through a link on the Paradise Cinema website.

Summer Movies with Lorre

After a busy June, Lorre fans will have a quiet July with Lorre movies on the Turner Classic Movies channel, as well as Talking Pictures TV.

American times shown are Eastern Standard.

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July, 2024

TCM schedules a handful of Lorre movies in July, including one of Peter's television appearances from a 1950s anthology series.

July 6 (Sat), 9:30 am, Turner Classic Movies – Screen Directors Playhouse, "No. 5 Checked Out" (NBC, Jan 18, 1956). Ida Lupino directs Theresa Wright, Peter Lorre, and William Talman in this drama set in a remote cabin. NOTE: In Canada, the short They're Always Caught (1938) will be shown instead.

July 7 (Sun), 4:15 pm, Movies! Network – Around the World in 80 Days (1956).

July 10 (Wed), 11 pm, TCM – The Raven (1963). TCM salutes director Roger Corman, who passed on May 9, 2024, with an evening of movies directed by Corman, including The Raven, the second of two Edgar Allan Poe themed movies he made with Peter Lorre.

July 14 (Sun), 12 noon, Movies! Network – Around the World in 80 Days (1956).

July 14 (Sun), 4:45 pm, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956).

July 19 (Fri), 8:15 am, TCM – They Met in Bombay (1941). TCM turns the daytime spotlight on "Romantic Comedies", including this story of two jewel thieves (Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell) competing for a fabulous diamond pendant in Bombay, India, before going on the run and falling in love aboard Peter Lorre's tramp freighter to Hong Kong.

July 21 (Sun), 10:35 pm, Movies! Network – Around the World in 80 Days (1956).

July 29 (Mon), 12:10 pm, Movies! Network – Around the World in 80 Days (1956).

July 30 (Tues), 8:35 am, Talking Pictures TV – My Favorite Brunette (1947).

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Sneak Peek at August, 2024

TCM presents their annual "Summer Under the Stars" festival, saluting a different star each day in August, including two stars Peter Lorre worked with.

Aug 11 (Sun), 10 am, TCM – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). The "Star of the Day" is Cary Grant, who stars in this comedy-horror film about two sweet old ladies whose "hobby" is murdering lonely old gentlemen with a poison-laced glass of elderberry wine. NOTE: In Canada, Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942) will be shown instead.

Aug 28 (Wed), 6 am, TCM – Around the World in 80 Days (1956). The "Star of the Day" is Marlene Dietrich, who joins Peter Lorre as one of the many stars making a cameo appearance in this all-star globe-trotting extravaganza about the Victorian English gentleman (David Niven) who makes a bet with his club members that he can circle the globe in 80 days.

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Many of these and other Lorre movies and television programs 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.

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre may be purchased from many brick-and-mortar shops, as well as these online merchants ~

• Amazon U.S.
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon U.K

Happy viewing!

Happy Birthday, Peter Lorre, from SiriusXM and TCM!

Lorre fans with access to satellite radio service SiriusXM and cable TV channel Turner Classic Movies will have many opportunities to enjoy Peter’s work on radio and film the week of June 24, 2024, as the two services celebrate the 120th birthday of the classic Hollywood actor.

The celebration begins on the Radio Classics channel, broadcast over channel 148 on SiriusXM. From Monday, June 24, to Sunday, June 30, host Greg Bell shows his "Love for Laszlo" – referring to Peter's real name Laszlo Lowenstein – with two separate blocks of Lorre radio programs.

“Peter Lorre Birthday (1)” includes two episodes from Peter’s own 13-week summer series Mystery in the Air, “The Marvelous Barastro” (August 7, 1947) and “The Mask of Medusa” (September 4, 1947); an episode of the anthology series Suspense, “Nobody Loves Me” (August 30, 1945); and finally an episode of Peter’s series Mystery Playhouse, “The Dilemma”, originally broadcast over Mollé Mystery Theater (November 21, 1944).

“Peter Lorre Birthday (2)” includes guest appearances on Fred Allen’s show The Texaco Star Theater (January 3, 1943) and Duffy’s Tavern (October 19, 1943); an episode of the anthology series Inner Sanctum Mysteries, “The Black Seagull” (March 7, 1943); and finally, an episode of Suspense, “Of Maestro and Man” (July 20, 1944).

The birthday blocks will air these dates and times ~

Monday, June 24 ~
5 am Pacific, 8 am Eastern
Peter Lorre Birthday (1)

Wednesday, June 26 ~
1 pm Pacific, 4 pm Eastern
Peter Lorre Birthday (2)

Wednesday, June 26 ~
7 pm Pacific, 10 pm Eastern
Peter Lorre Birthday (1)

Friday, June 28 ~
11 pm Pacific
Peter Lorre Birthday (1)

Saturday, June 29 ~
2 am Eastern
Peter Lorre Birthday (1)

Saturday, June 29 ~
11 pm Pacific
Peter Lorre Birthday (2)

Sunday, June 30 ~
2 am Eastern
Peter Lorre Birthday (2)

The party continues on the Turner Classic Movies channel on Wednesday, June 26, as TCM celebrates Peter’s birthday with a morning and afternoon of movies starring or featuring Peter Lorre. including ~

• 6 am – The Story of Mankind (1957)
• 8 am – Three Strangers (1946)
• 9:45 am – Hotel Berlin (1945)
• 11:30 am – They Met in Bombay (1941)
• 1:15 pm – The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
• 2:45 pm – The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)
• 4:15 pm – You'll Find Out (1940)
• 6 pm – M (1931)

Times shown are Eastern Standard.

The full schedule for the week of Monday, June 24, 2024, is available on Greg Bell’s website.

Satellite radio provider SiriusXM airs Radio Classics over channel 148. Subscribers may also listen to the programs over the internet or through the SiriusXM app on a Smart Phone or Smart Speaker. Not a subscriber? A 3-month trial is available for one dollar through the SiriusXM radio website.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses the life and career of Peter Lorre. Beginning his research in the 1970s, he interviewed Peter’s brothers Andrew and Francis, his first wife Celia Lovsky, his sister-in-law Barbara 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.

These interviews shed light on Peter’s birth on June 26, 1904, his childhood, his early days in theater, his career on film, radio, and television, and his sad final days.

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

The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre may be purchased from many brick-and-mortar shops, as well as these online merchants ~

• Amazon U.S.
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon U.K

Happy 120th birthday, Peter Lorre!