The Lost One – A Life of Peter Lorre

The Lost One:
A Life of
Peter Lorre

Peter Lorre's
Credits
(A Sample)

World/Inferno
Friendship
Society

Peter Lorre:
The Man,
The Actor

Metro advertised Lorre’s Dr. Gogol as “THE SENSATION that TOPS THEM ALL!” – namely the Phantom of the Opera, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dracula and Frankenstein. “To the great character creations of screen history . . . add the most amazing of them all! Peter Lorre (the Brilliant Star of ‘M’ and ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’), as the mysterious Dr. Gogol . . . feared by men . . . fascinating to women . . . achieves the acting triumph of years! . . . Not since Lon Chaney, has the screen seen a performance to top this, for soul-shattering thrills!”

Except where noted, all images are from the collection of Stephen Youngkin.

Mad Love — MGM, 1935, directed by Karl Freund, with Peter Lorre as “Dr. Gogol”, a brilliant Parisian surgeon.
An American one-sheet poster for Mad Love (1935), from the book Graven Images (1992) by Ronald V. Borst. Isabel Jewell, whose name is included here and on all publicity for the film, appeared in a scene that was shot, but cut from the final print. She plays a prostitute who picks up Stephen Orlac’s (Colin Clive) stepfather; her pimp is prevented from robbing the old man when a shadowy figure throws a knife into the elder Orlac’s back.	Another American one-sheet poster for the original release of Mad Love, 1935. From the book Graven Images (1992) by Ronald V. Borst.
An American insert poster for Mad Love, 1935. From the book Graven Images (1992) by Ronald V. Borst.	An American insert poster for Mad Love, 1935. From the book Graven Images (1992) by Ronald V. Borst.
An American half-sheet poster for Mad Love (1935). From the book Graven Images (1992) by Ronald V. Borst.	An American six-sheet poster for Mad Love (1935). From the book Graven Images (1992) by Ronald V. Borst.

Columbia publicists weren't above selling Crime and Punishment as a murder mystery. Poster artwork featured a very sinister looking Lorre, along with Raskolnikov's confession that "for the first time I felt the impulse to commit murder!!" The red and white 3-sheet is one of the few posters that did not showcase Columbia's new star.

Crime and Punishment – Columbia, 1935, directed by Josef von Sternberg, with Peter Lorre as "Roderick Raskolnikov", a university graduate and student of murder.
A trade ad for the American release of Crime and Punishment (1935).	A rare three-sheet poster for Crime and Punishment, advertising the film's original American release in 1935.
An American lobby card for Crime and Punishment (1935), with Marian Marsh as "Sonya" and Peter Lorre as "Raskolnikov". Courtesy of Mike Hawks.

Secret Agent – Gaumont-British, 1936, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, with Peter Lorre as "the General", an assassin working for British Intelligence.
A one-sheet poster advertising the American release of Secret Agent (Gaumont-British, 1936).	A lobby card for the film's 1936 American release, depicting the climactic train sequence with Peter Lorre, John Gielgud, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young.

In 1936, Peter Lorre and Columbia Studios parted ways. It was a mutual decision. Harry Cohn had put the trophy actor, fresh from Europe, on a shelf and took him down for the occasional loan-out. Lorre sought greener pastures – in this case, a variety of solid roles – elsewhere. Studio boss Darryl Zanuck brought the actor to 20th Century-Fox.

Crack-Up – 20th Century-Fox, 1937, directed by Malcolm St. Clair, with Peter Lorre as "Baron Rudolf Maximillian Taggart", alias "Colonel Gimpy", the leader of a band of spies.
An American insert poster advertising Crack-Up (1937).	A one-sheet poster for the film's release in Sweden as I Främmande Makts Tjänst (In the Service of a Foreign Power), 1937.
An American lobby card for Crack-Up (1937), with Thomas Beck, Peter Lorre, and Brian Donlevy in the cockpit of a plane during the movie's tense final moments.

Nancy Steele is Missing! – 20th Century-Fox, 1937, directed by George Marshall, with Peter Lorre as "Professor Sturm", cellmate to the kidnapper of Nancy Steele.
An American one-sheet poster advertising the release of Nancy Steele is Missing! (1937).	An American title card for the film's 1937 release, advertising the lead actors Walter Connolly and June Lang (on the lower left), Victor McLaglen, and Peter Lorre. Courtesy of Mike Hawks.

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The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre (2005) by Stephen Youngkin – now in its third printing and winner of the Rondo Award for "Best Book of 2005" – is available in bookstores everywhere, as well as these on-line merchants.