At Mr. Lorre's I funeral his friend and fellow player Vincent
Price said of him, "His voice . . . face . . . the way he moved . .
. laughed -he was the most identifiable actor I have ever known." At another
time hesaid: "Peter held back none of himself."
One
newspaper reported 500 in attendance at the funeral. In the crowd were
the following actors -who had played with Mr. Lorre or appeared in fantasticfilms:
John Carradine -who portrayed Count Dracula, was in the Mummy series,THE
BLACK SLEEP and many other monster movies.
Sebastian Cabot-recently together with Vincent
Price in TWICE TOLD TALES. Francis Lederer -another who has taken the
role of the Thirsty Count, in THE RETURN OF DRACULA, and been featured in
TERROR IS A MAN. Martin Kosleck -seen in HOUSE OF HORRORS, THE FLESH EATERS
and others.
And there was Lorre's sad little daughter, Catharine,
age 10, a sweet little carbon copy in feminine form of her famous daddy.
She stood with down cast eyes as photographers clicked pictures of her,
and all hearts went out to her in her time of heart break. .
In Cornell, Wisc., four filmonster fan friends- Smith,
Vasseur, Lubach Crosby immediately reacted, as did many other clubs
& individuals through out the country.
-Right: Peter Lorre and Co-Star Francis Drake in MAD
LOVE-
Never again would the roly-poly Montressor wall up his
wife and her lover with the satanic black cat. Never again would Felix Gillie
smother another hapless victim beneath a pillow in order to increase business
at Hinchley Trumbull's Funeral Parlor.
Never again would the Raven rap at Erasmus Craven's chamber
door, shakingthe latter from a fit of deep brooding about the lost Lenore.
"In short, with Peter Lorre's death, monsterdom -nay, the entire world
whom he enchanted -was cruelly robbed of one whose likes will probably
never be seen again."
Ace Mask, of Lancaster, Calif., is a young monster fan
who has directed, produced acted in a number of amateur horror films,
and created 9 issues of a "fanzine" -amateur magazine- called Vampire's
Crypt, in which he, the editor, pays the following tribute to Peter Lorre:
This included exclusion of teleVision, newspapers and
even radio. And so it came as quite a shock, as I suppose to the rest of
the world, when I learned of the setback rendered the entertainment world.
-Left: Peter Lorre and Co-Star Francis Drake with director
Karl Freund-
Seeking me out, reporter Susana Mollinet asked, "You've
heard the news haven't you, about Peter Lorre?" "What news?" I faltered.
"Peter Lorre died a few days ago of a Stroke."
-Left: Peter Lorre in The Man Who Knew Too Much-
Seeing far into the future at to event in the Movieland
Wax Museum inwhich the unveil a wax figure monument of Peter Lorre fore
a critical public. But although Peter Lorre the man has pass away, we can
thank the motion picture industry for preserving on film Peter Lorre the
actor, thrill and chill audiences in generations to come He has left us.
Having thrilled the new gene tions with his comical performances
in TALES OF TERROR, THE RAVEN, and his last, THE COMEDY OF TERRORS, he
has left us, with hopes. His next was to have been with Elsa Lanchester,
IT'S ALIVE, and his contract called for another starring part with Vincent Price,
but these we shall never see.
-Right: Peter Lorre and Humphrey Bogart in CASABLANCA-
"Lorre not only approves of the Kennedys, but points out
that he bet the President's sister, Pat Lawford, six months before the 1960
convention that John Kennedy would win the nomination and the election.
-Left: Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto-
"He feels he has a similar problem with his little girl,
who is 10. Lorre was afraid that she might be disturbed by the knowledge
that her daddy is one of the country's best-hated spooks. But he has found
to his surprise that she is as deliciously horrified by him in the movies
as are strangers, and infact is rather proud of her father's evil reputation.
"Off screen "Peter is a ping pong and badminton enthusiast
and one of the most avid of all Los Angeles Angels baseball fans. He also
likes to swim and take long walks along the beach for exercise.
Hungarian ghoulash is his favorite dish and he eats it
at least once a week." -American-International Pictures' Publicity Release.-
Mr. Lorre was eternally dedicated to the theater and to entertainment .
. . and sacrificed much for it . . . but need I go on?
Nothing I could say would even begin to show our affection
for him,and our appreciation. Undoubtedly you have read in newspapers and
seen on television the life story of Peter Lorre, so nothing that could
be written here would increase your knowledge of his career.
Although
we grieve for "Lorre of the popping eyes," "The Lord High Minister of all
That is Sinister," we are fortunate that we can see again and again that
image upon the screen that has evoked so many shudders and laughs. The
greatest tribute we can pay him is to enjoy his pictures.
In The Hollywood Reporter, Karloff,
paid a memorable word-tribute to Bela Lugosi in an article which he titled
"Shadow of Dracula." He repeats, now, with this Memoriam to Peter Lorre,
which he calls "Master of the Unusual."The shadows are lengthening."
Chaney, Veidt, Frye, Lugosi, Atwill, Clive, Zucco, Thesiger,
and now Peter Lorre. Yet, curiously enough, tho the late Hungarian actor
has for 30 years been considered one of the screen's great monsters, only
a handful of films out of the more than 70 he made could be termed what
Lorre -like Karloff-
preferred to call terror films.
After his great success and world-wide fame resulting
from his masterful performance as the child murderer in the German-made
"M," followed by several other German movies not widely shown in this country,
he again received international acclaim as a sinister underworld figure
in Alfred Hitchcock's THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH for Gaumont-British
in 1934.
-Right: Peter Lorre, Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet
in THE MALTESE FALCON-
The following year he appeared in his first Hollywood
movie, MGM's MAD LOVE with Colin Clive Frances Drake, directed by
the great cameraman of METROPOLIS, Karl Freund, who had also photographed
DRACULA and directed THE MUMMY.
MAD LOVE remains today a classic of screen terror, a nightmare
of macabre Grand Giugnol thrills. For this film, Lorre shaved his head
entirely and the resulting roundness of body, head, eyes mouth produced
a type of sinister evil unique on the screen.
-Left: Fritz Lang Director of "M"-
Lorre next went to Columbia where he turned in a magnificent
performance and won rave reviews as Raskolnikov in CRIME PUNISHMENT
with Edward Arnold as his pursuer and Marian Marsh as the leading lady.
This was one of his portrayal that made me feel he would
have been magnificent in silent films. With that expressive face and his
ability to pantomime, he didn't actually need dialog
Most of his Warner films had gangster or intrigue backgrounds
and Lorre created a number of interesting characterizations in them.
Again, as THE STRANGER, the climax of the film was ruined
with a ridiculous ending, but otherwise THE BEAST remains one of the great
thrillers andLorre was utterly superb.
In later years, he appeared in a number of comedies
in which heall but parodied his screen image. They were fun to see and
perhaps theywere fun to do but I watched them with mixed emotions, regretting
that such talent as his wasn't put to better use than supporting Jerry
Lewis.
As I think back over Lorre's career, and recall the pleasure
he gaveme with his Oriental MR. MOTO series, the many fine character roles
hecreated at Fox and Warners, the magnificent portrayals in "M," MAD LOVE, CRIME
AND PUNISHMENT, STRANGERS ON THE THIRD FLOOR, I remember that someone
once said of him that he could play anything except a romantic lead.
Actually, he even managed this once in a film at Warners
called THREE STRANGERS in which he appeared opposite Joan Loring, who was
one of 2 girls in Lorre's film career who loved him rather than running
from him in terror.
-Right: Peter Lorre as the Psychotic Child Killer in
Fritz Lang's "M"-
If I had to sum up Lorre's work in just a few words, I
think I might call him "The Master of the Unusual," for even in a straight
film playing a role which on paper might have looked like just another
character part, Lorre's artistry managed to set it apart, to raise it to
a different level, to somehow suggest a bizarre or weird quality to the
character.
There are all types of genius. Perhaps Lorre's lay in
the fact that his genius was exceedingly difficult to describe but easy
to enjoy.
James Nicholson -President of American-International, producer
of Lorre's last pictures . . . THE RAVEN, POE'S TALES OF TERROR, etc. Also
seen were Edward G. Robinson, Jerry Lewis, Red Skelton, Gilbert Roland,
Howard Duff, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, among the mourners.
They
wrote: "When met today with the tragic news of Peter Lorre's untimely death,
we were saddened immensely."
Out of
school for Easter vacation, "Vampire's Crypt" editor ignored all communication
with the outside world in an effort to rest.
I imagine my grief over the world's "best hated spook"
was in no way greater than that of the multitudes of fans and admirers
who admired him as deeply as I did. In my mind I could see the hordes of
reports coming over the presses, and those foreboding words set in dark
print over millions of pages through-out the world.
"Movieland Has Lost One of the Greats of Entertainers
his name being chalked up with those of L Chaney Sr. and Bela Lugosi as
"another of the screen's greatest chill-provokers has passed from this
world."
He
has left behind perhaps a more appreciative audience than when he was living.
In an article by Marianne Means in which she interviewed Karloff, Price,
Rathbone and Lorre on the Kennedys -before the assasination- on the set
of THE COMEDYOF TERRORS, I find a small example of Lorre the man.
"Lorre is particularly interested in Mrs. Kennedy's struggle
to keep her children as unaffected as possible by the head-turning special
attention of the White House.
That alone I am sure, would have pleased him beyond words.
I There have been those in the past who have sail things like, "That fellow
there is the new Gary Cooper," or heralded new stars as "The new Clark Gable."
But there will never be another Peter Lorre. The mold has been broken.
Though
this story, filmed twice since, and based on the famous tale "Hands of
Orlac," made Lorre the most talked of character actor of the year, producers did
not take real advantage of his peculiar talents.
As a criminal hustler or small time gangster Lorre was
brilliant insuch film as CASABLANCA, BEAT THE DEVIL, And THE MALTESE FALCON
and wast he perfect foil for Humphrey Bogart. But his finest performance
on this lot came with THE BEAST WITH 5 FINGERS in 1946.
He could do more with just the lift of an eyebrow to
suggest terror than some actors could do with pounds of make-up and pages
of script.
The other girl was Evelyn Keyes, who played a blind girl
in Columbia's 1941 THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK. Lorre even played a love scene
in this one.
