TCM Celebrates Greenstreet Birthday

The Turner Classic Moves channel often celebrates the birthdays of their popular actors with a day devoted to their films, and on Friday, December 27, 2024, Sydney Greenstreet gets the star treatment on what would have been his 145th birthday.

And Lorre fans are treated, too – during the marathon, five of the nine movies Peter and Sydney made together are on the schedule.

The movies include ~

• That Way With Women (1947) – 8:45 am
• The Maltese Falcon (1941) – 10:15 am
• Background to Danger (1943) – 12 noon
• Conflict (1945) – 1:30 pm
• The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) – 3 pm
• Three Strangers (1946) – 4:45 pm
• The Verdict (1946) – 6:30 pm

Happy birthday, Sydney Greenstreet!

Christmas Wishes from Peter Lorre and SiriusXM Radio

This year, Christmas Day falls on Wednesday, December 25, 2024, and as the holiday season draws to a close, host Greg Bell wraps up another December on the Radio Classics channel with a week filled with Christmas-themed episodes from many old-time radio series.

From Monday, December 23 to Sunday, December 29, Peter Lorre’s Suspense episode, “Back for Christmas” (1943) will air as part of a 2-hour block of Yuletide dramas, including ~

• Dark Fantasy, “House of Bread” (December 26, 1941)
• Suspense, “Back For Christmas” (December 23, 1943)
• Mysterious Traveler, “Christmas Story” (December 25, 1951)
• Romance of the Ranchos, “Christmas at Mission San Gabriel” (December 24, 1941)

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

Tuesday, Dec. 24 ~
1:30 am Pacific, 4:30 am Eastern

Thursday, Dec. 26 ~
3:30 pm Pacific, 6:30 pm Eastern

Sunday, Dec. 29 ~
3:30 am Pacific, 6:30 am Eastern

The full schedule of the week’s programming 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.

Originally airing December 23, 1943. “Back for Christmas” was Peter’s fourth of six appearances before the microphone of the anthology series, broadcast over CBS every Thursday night.

In the John Collier short story, Hubert Schumacher (Lorre), a Swiss professor of botany, digs a Devil’s Garden as a bed for rare orchids in the cellar of his estate. While his overbearing wife Hermione plans their trip to America and Hubert’s lecture tour, Hubert makes plans of his own – involving a new Mrs. Schumacher and the disposal of Hermione.

Plans go awry . . . . on all fronts.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre, Stephen D. Youngkin discusses Peter’s radio career. The book’s appendix includes a complete-to-date list of his radio work, much of which airs on the Radio Classics channel.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

December Holidays with Lorre

As the year 2024 comes to a close, a handful of Lorre movies are nestled amongst the holiday favorites on the Turner Classic Movies channel, Talking Pictures TV channel in England, and Movies! Network in the United States.

American times shown are Eastern Standard.

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December, 2024

The Turner Classic Movies channel celebrates the birthday of Sydney Greenstreet with a morning and afternoon of films featuring Peter Lorre's most frequent co-star at Warner Brothers.

Dec 1 (Sun), 2 pm, TCM – Casablanca (1942).

Dec 7 (Sat), 8 pm, MeTV – The Comedy of Terrors (1964). Horror host Svengoolie presents this comedy-horror film about a New England undertaker (Vincent Price) who drums up business by speeding "customers" to the grave – with the help of his assistant (Peter Lorre).

Dec 18 (Wed), 1:35 am, Talking Pictures TV – The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942). "Cellar Club" hostess Caroline Munroe introduces this comedy-horror film about a scientist (Boris Karloff) who comes up with a machine to produce "supermen" for the war effort, with the help of the local jack-of-all-trades (Peter Lorre).

Dec 19 (Fri), 6 am, TCM – Quicksand (1950). TCM's "Star of the Month" in December is Mickey Rooney, with plenty of movies starring the talented actor – including the only movie he made with Peter Lorre.

Dec 26 (Thurs), 12:45 pm, BBC Two – Casablanca (1942).

Dec 27 (Fri), 1:35 am, Talking Pictures TV – The Chase (1946).

Dec 27 (Fri), TCM – TCM celebrates the birthday of Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre's co-star in nine movies at Warner Brothers. The birthday line-up includes five of Peter's movies ~

• 10:15 am – The Maltese Falcon (1941)
• 12 noon – Background to Danger (1943)
• 3 pm – The Mask of Dimitrios (1944)
• 4:45 pm – Three Strangers (1946)
• 6:30 pm – The Verdict (1946)

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Sneak Peek at January, 2025

Kick off the new year with a handful of Lorre movies.

Jan 3 (Fri), TCM – Stranger on the Third Floor (1940). TCM turns the primetime spotlight on "Was it all a Dream?" with several movies with dream sequences, ending with the classic film noir about the newspaper reporter (John McGuire) who encounters a stranger (Peter Lorre) in a long white scarf and soon suspects he may be a murderer.

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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!

Disney Classic Screens in Virginia

Advertised as “the mightiest motion picture of them all”, the Walt Disney classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, starring Peter Lorre, Kirk Douglas, James Mason, and Paul Lukas, was originally released on December 23, 1954, in time for Christmas Day.

On Saturday, November 23, 2024, Lorre fans in the area of Culpepper, Virginia, can enjoy a Thanksgiving treat when the Library of Congress screens 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea its Culpepper campus.

The film begins at 2 pm.

The program is free for everyone. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Seating is first-come, first-serve. Face masks are recommended, but not required. Patrons must go through a security check, and no large parcels, purses, or backpacks are permitted.

The Library of Congress Packard Campus Theater is located at 19053 Mount Pony Road in Culpeper, Virginia.

Parking is available in the campus lot. Access to the parking lot begins one hour before show time at 2 pm. Entrance into the building begins 45 minutes in advance, and the theater opens for seating 30 minutes before curtain.

Lorre Classic Onscreen Over Holiday

Lorre fans in several cities will have a chance to catch Peter on the big screen this weekend when theaters in New York, Oregon, and London screen Casablanca (1942).

In the pivotal role of Ugarte, who sells exit visas to refugees desperate to leave Casablanca – and murderer of two German couriers – Peter Lorre gets the action going by leaving with his friend Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) two valuable letters of transit he intends to sell to escaping freedom fighter Victor Lazlo (Paul Henreid) and his wife Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman).

And although limited to about eight minutes of screen time in a few scenes, Peter is always a treat to watch in a movie theater, including these ~

• Amherst Screening Room – Amherst, New York
• Cinema 21 – Portland, Oregon
• Prince Charles Cinema – London, England

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Amherst Screening Room – The Amherst Screening Room, located in Amherst, New York, will show Casablanca throughout the Thanksgiving holiday ~

• November 22, Friday – 7:30 pm – Movie and Trivia Show
• November 23, Saturday – 7:30 pm
• November 24, Sunday – 1 pm – Mimosa Matinee
• November 26, Tuesday – 7:30 pm
• November 29, Friday – 7:30 pm
• November 30, Saturday – 7:30 pm

Admission is $10 for the movie and trivia night on Friday, November 22. Admission for Casablanca is $7 for all other showings.

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

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Cinema 21 – Cinema 21, located in Portland, Oregon, will show Casablanca as part of their “Saturday Morning Classics” series on Saturday, November 23. Selected by Elliott Lavine, the series salutes films of the 1940s in November.

The movie begins at 11 am.

Admission is $9 for everyone. Tickets may be purchased at the box office. Tickets may also be purchased online through the cinema’s website. A nominal fee will be charged for each ticket purchased online.

Cinema 21 is located at 616 NW 21st Avenue, in the Alphabet Historic District of Portland, Oregon. Parking is available in several lots near the theater. More information about parking, as well as public transportation, is available on the venue’s website. For more information, please call the theater at 503-223-4315.

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Prince Charles Cinema – The Prince Charles Cinema, located in London, England, will show a 35mm print of Casablanca as part of their “Classic Film Season” on Saturday, November 23.

The movie begins at 12:15 pm on Screen 1.

Admission is £14 for non-members and £11 for members. Carers may be admitted free of charge.

Tickets may be purchased at the box office. Tickets may also be booked online through the cinema’s website.

The Prince Charles Cinema is located at 7 Leicester Place, at the north-east corner of Leicester Square, in London, England. The closest tube stations are Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.

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Eighty-two years ago, in November of 1942, Casablanca was released to movie theaters across the United States.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Bryant Library Includes Lorre in Film Noir Program

On Friday, November 22, 2024, noted film historian Keith Crocker will host the special program “Film Noir: The Black Angel” at the Bryant Library, located in Roslyn, New York.

Mr. Crocker will discuss Peter Lorre’s 1946 film Black Angel and its stars Dan Duryea, and June Vincent.

The program begins at 1 pm.

Admission is free for everyone, and registration is required. To register for the event, please call the library at 516-621-2240.

The Bryant Library is located at 2 Paper Mill Road in Roslyn, New York. Parking is available in the library’s parking lot.

Adjunct Professor and longtime movie fan Keith Crocker has been speaking about film-making since 1995, when his wife invited him to give a presentation at the East Meadow Public Library where she works as a librarian.

Since then, Keith has given numerous lectures on horror, science-fiction, fantasy, musicals, comedies, and comedy actors such as the Marx Brothers, Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and W.C. Fields.

Believing Peter Lorre to be an actor deserving more attention, Keith Crocker presented a program on Lorre in July of 2020 – "Peter Lorre: Hollywood's Unsung Master of Mayhem" – and encouraged attendees to seek out his work.

Keith’s fans can expect another enjoyable program on film noir on Friday, November 22.

Austin Film Society Salutes Lorre

Lorre fans in the area of Austin, Texas, are in for a special treat in November, 2024, when the Austin Film Society presents the series “The Eyes of Peter Lorre”, including four Lorre movies in 35mm – M (1931), Mad Love (1935), Island of Doomed Men (1940), and The Beast with Five Fingers (1946).

The films will be shown on these dates and times ~

• M – Tuesday, November 5 – 7:30 pm
• M – Saturday, November 9 – 1:15 pm
• Mad Love – Tuesday, November 12 – 7:30 pm
• Mad Love – Thursday, November 14 – 6:45 pm
• Island of Doomed Men – Thursday, November 21 – 7:45 pm
• Island of Doomed Men – Saturday, November 23 – 2 pm
• The Beast with Five Fingers – Tuesday, November 26 – 7:30 pm
• The Beast with Five Fingers\ – Saturday, November 30 – 2 pm

Says the AFS website about the star of this “Essential Cinema” series – “A small, rounded man with bulging eyes and a lugubrious manner of speaking, Peter Lorre was an actor who was born to be impersonated. He was also an absolute master of his craft who understood the assignment. In a serious film, he could evoke a somber mood, and in a silly movie, he could play it for laughs. In this series, we get a bit of both, sometimes in the same film. Join us in celebrating an actor who always gives you something memorable to take home.”

Admission to the evening and weekend shows is $13.50 for all seats. Admission to the matinee shows, Monday through Friday, before 6 pm is $11. Tickets may be purchased at the box office, which opens 30 minutes before the first feature. Tickets may also be purchased through the Austin Film Society website. A nominal charge will be added to each ticket purchased online.

The Austin Film Society is located at 6259 Middle Fiskville Road, in “The Linc” shopping center, in Austin, Texas. Plenty of parking is available in The Linc parking lot.

For more information, please call the theater at 512-322-0145, extension 3214.

Fall into Fall with Lorre

November means the start of the holiday season, with a handful of Peter Lorre films on the Turner Classic Movies channel, Talking Pictures TV channel in England, and Movies! Network in the United States.

American times shown are Eastern Standard.

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November, 2024

Darkness falls early in November, and a few of Peter Lorre's noir classics are on the schedule.

Nov 19 (Tues), 9:30 am, TCM – The Maltese Falcon (1941). TCM turns the daytime spotlight on "San Francisco" with a selection of movies set in the foggy City by the Bay, including this mystery classic about nefarious characters in search of a fabulous statuette.

Nov 20 (Wed), 12:10 pm, Talking Pictures TV – Beat the Devil (1954).

Nov 22 (Fri), 3:15 am, TCM – The Mask of Dimitrios (1944). TCM Primetime salutes "1944 Noir" with a line-up of noir classics released in 1944, including this adaptation of an Eric Ambler novel, starring Peter Lorre as a Dutch mystery writer who gets more intrigue than he bargained for when he starts investigating the past of an international criminal.

Nov 24 (Sun), 8 pm, TCM – The Maltese Falcon (1941). TCM turns the primetime spotlight on a "Humphrey Bogart Double Feature" with a pair of Bogart movies, including the first film he made with Peter Lorre – and the first movie Peter made at Warner Bros, the studio he would become most associated with in his career.

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Sneak Peek at December, 2024

Mickey Rooney is the "Star of the Month" on TCM, and later in the month, TCM salutes Peter's long-time movie partner Sydney Greenstreet.

Dec 1 (Sun), TCM – Casablanca (1942).

Dec 19 (Thurs), TCM – Quicksand (1950). TCM salutes "Star of the Month" Mickey Rooney with a day of movies, including the only film Rooney made with Peter Lorre.

Dec 27 (Fri), TCM – TCM salutes the birthday of Sydney Greenstreet, and Lorre fans can celebrate, too, when five of Peter's movies are on the schedule ~

• The Maltese Falcon (1941)
• Background to Danger (1943)
• The Mask of Dimitrios (1944)
• Three Strangers (1946)
• The Verdict (1946)

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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!

York Cinema Fest Includes Lorre

As part of their “Image, Sound and Silence: An Art House Film Series”, the Appell Center for the Performing Arts, located in York, Pennsylvania, will screen Peter Lorre’s first sound movie M (1931) on Sunday, October 20, 2024.

The show begins at 3 pm with an introduction to the movie by Dr. Jack Ryan, Associate Professor in the English department.

The full schedule of movies in the “Image, Sound and Silence” series.

Tickets are $15 for all seats. A pass for the entire series is also available for $60. Tickets may be purchased at the box office. Tickets may also be purchased through the venue’s website.

The Appell Center is located at 50 North George Street, at the corner of North George and West Philadelphia streets, in York, Pennsylvania.

Parking is available at several parking garages near the Appell Center. Most convenient is the West Philadelphia Street Garage, located at 25 West Philadelphia Street, around the corner from the Appell Center. Parking is free all day weekends and after 8 pm on weekdays. More information about parking is available on the venue's website.

For more information, please call the box office at 717-846-1111.

Lorre Double-Feature at the New Beverly Cinema

Halloween is coming, and a special spooky treat is in store for Peter Lorre fans in the area of Los Angeles, California. On Tuesday, October 15, and Wednesday, October 16, 2024, the New Beverly Cinema will show a Lorre double-feature – The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) and The Face Behind the Mask (1941) on 35mm prints.

On both evenings, The Beast with Five Fingers will begin at 7:30 pm, with The Face Behind the Mask following at 9:30 pm.

Admission for the double-feature is $14.25. Tickets may be purchased online through the New Beverly website. A nominal booking fee will be added to each ticket purchased online.

The New Beverly Cinema is located at 7165 Beverly Boulevard, one block west of La Brea Avenue, in Los Angeles, California.

Parking is available on Beverly Boulevard and Formosa Avenue. The New Beverly is also served by public transportation. More information about parking and MTA lines is available on the cinema’s website.

In the pages of The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005), Stephen D. Youngkin describes Peter’s work with Robert Florey, who directed the actor in both The Face Behind the Mask and later, The Beast with Five Fingers.

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