On this day in movie history - The Mask of Dimitrios (1944 movie & novel):

The Mask of Dimitrios

directed by Jean Negulesco,

written by Frank Gruber,

based on the novel A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler,

was released in the United States on July 1, 1944.

Music by Adolph Deutsch.

Cast:

Sydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott, Faye Emerson, Peter Lorre, Victor Francen, Steven Geray, Florence Bates, Eduardo Ciannelli, Kurt Katch, Marjorie Hoshelle, Georges Metaxa, John Abbott, Monte Blue, David Hoffman.

Recommended reading:

A Coffin for Dimitrios

By Eric Ambler.

Filmed as The Mask of Dimitrios (1944), directed by Jean Negulesco.

Published by Vintage Crime / Black Lizard.

Published 1939.

ISBN-10: 0375726713

ISBN-13: 9780375726712

Description:

"Our greatest thriller writer." – Graham Greene.

"Anyone who hasn't read Ambler is in for a real treat." – The Washington Post Book World.

A chance encounter with a Turkish colonel with a penchant for British crime novels leads mystery writer Charles Latimer into a world of sinister political and criminal maneuvers throughout the Balkans in the years between the world wars. Hoping that the career of the notorious Dimitrios, whose body has been identified in an Istanbul morgue, will inspire a plot for his next novel, Latimer soon finds himself caught up in a shadowy web of assassination, espionage, drugs, and treachery.

Born on this day – Peter Lorre:

Peter Lorre

Actor

June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964

Credits:

100 Years of Horror (1996); 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954); 49/95: Thousandyearsofcinema (1995); 77 Sunset Strip (1963); A Man's a Man (1931); A Shot at Dawn (1932); Aladdin (1992); Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1957–1960); All Star Revue (1953); All Through the Night (1942); American Masters (2009); Angstlust - Faszination True Crime (2023); Around the World in 80 Days (1956); Arsenic and Old Lace (1944); Background to Danger (1943); Beat the Devil (1953); Becoming Evil: Serial Killers (2019); Biography (1996–1997); Black Angel (1946); Bob Ballard: An Explorer's Life (2020); Bombs Over Monte Carlo (1931); Bombs Over Monte Carlo (1931); Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster (2021); Cabaret-Berlin, la scène sauvage (2010); Call the Usual Suspects: The Craft of the Character Actor (2006); Casablanca (1942); Casbah (1948); Cavalcade of Stars (1949); Celebrity Time (1952); Checkmate (1961); Cinéastes de notre temps (1967); Cineficción Radio (2020); Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood (2009); Cinemassacre's Monster Madness (2007–2021); Climax! (1954–1957); Collector's Item: The Left Fist of David (1957); Coming Soon (1982); Compression (2023–2025); Confidential Agent (1945); Congo Crossing (1956); Corman's Comedy of Poe (2003); Crack-Up (1936); Creepy Classics (1987); Crime and Punishment (1935); Das doppelte Gesicht: Peter Lorre (1984); Das Jahrhundert des Theaters (2002); (1930); Die Koffer des Herrn O.F. (1931); Die verschwundene Frau (1929); Displaced Person - Peter Lorre und sein Film 'Der Verlorene' (2007); Dope (1932); Double Confession (1950); Dream On (1990); Emesis Blue (2023); Evocator (2009); F.P.1 Doesn't Answer (1932); Film Breaks (1999); Film Night (1971); Film Önü / Arkasi (2019); Filmemigration aus Nazideutschland (1975); Five Fingers (1959); Five from the Jazzband (1932); Five Weeks in a Balloon (1962); Fritz Lang, le cercle du destin - Les films allemands (2001); From Caligari to Hitler: German Cinema in the Age of the Masses (2014); Geheimnisse der Weimarer Republik (2016); German Grusel - Die Edgar Wallace-Serie (2011); Hell Ship Mutiny (1957); Here's Hollywood (1961); Heroes of Horror (2001); High and Low (1933); Holiday in Spain (1960); Hollywood and the Stars (1963–1964); Hollywood Canteen (1944); Hollywood: The Great Stars (1963); Hotel Berlin (1945); Hour of Stars (2002); I Was an Adventuress (1940); I'll Give a Million (1938); Invisible Agent (1942); Invisible Opponent (1933); Island of Doomed Men (1940); It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein (1994); I've Got a Secret (1954–1960); Jerry Lewis - König der Komödianten (2006); John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick (1988); Kraft Suspense Theatre (1963); Kraft Theatre / The United States Steel Hour (1953); Lancer Spy (1937); Les requins du pétrole (1933); Lux Video Theatre (1952); M (1931); Mad Love (1935); Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956); Milton Berle, the Second Time Around: The Funny Fifties (1988); Miss Moto, Part 1 (2015); Monster Madness: The Golden Age of the Horror Film (2014); Monster Mania (1997); Monsters & Maniacs (1988); Mr. District Attorney (1941); Mr. Moto in Danger Island (1939); Mr. Moto Takes a Chance (1938); Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939); Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938); Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1938); Muscle Beach Party (1964); My Favorite Brunette (1947); My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock (2022); Mysterious Mr. Moto (1938); Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937); One in a Million (1936); Passage to Marseille (1944); Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock (2009); Peter Lorre - Hinter der Maske des Bösen (2024); Picture People Vol. 2 No. 8: Palm Springs Week-End (1942); Playhouse 90 (1956–1960); Prisoner of Paradise (2002); Producers' Showcase (1955); Quicksand (1950); Rawhide (1960); Red Skelton: A Career of Laughter (1992); Red Skelton: A Comedy Scrapbook (1981); Reinventing Chan (2008); Richard Matheson Storyteller: The Raven (2003); Rope of Sand (1949); Route 66 (1962); Satin and Silk (2003); Schlitz Playhouse (1954); Screen Directors Playhouse (1956); Secret Agent (1936); Silk Stockings (1957); Strange Cargo (1940); Stranger on the Third Floor (1940); Studio 57 (1955–1956); Stupéfiants (1932); Sündenbabel Berlin - Metropole des Verbrechens 1918-1933 (2020); Suspense (1952); Tales of Terror / Segment: The Black Cat (1962); Tell It to Groucho (1962); Terror in the Pharaoh's Tomb (2007); Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937); The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1956); The Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics (2008); The Beast with Five Fingers (1946); The Best of Broadway (1955); The Best of the Post (1961); The Big Circus (1959); The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942); The Buster Keaton Story (1957); The Celluloid Closet (1995); The Chase (1946); The Comedy of Terrors (1963); The Conspirators (1944); The Constant Nymph (1943); The Cross of Lorraine (1943); The Dave Garroway Show (1953); The DuPont Show of the Week (1963); The Ed Sullivan Show (1956); The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater (1955); The Face Behind the Mask (1941); The George Gobel Show (1955); The Gertrude Berg Show (1961); The Greatest Shows You Never Saw (1996); The Hollywood Clowns (1979); The Horror of It All (1983); The Jack Benny Program (1963); The Jack Benny Program (1963); The Jackie Gleason Show (1953); The James Bond Collector's Classic (1990); The James Melton Show (1952); The Lost Man (1951); The Magical World of Disney (1954–1976); The Making of '20000 Leagues Under the Sea' (2003); The Maltese Falcon (1941); The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934); The Mask of Dimitrios (1944); The Merv Griffin Show (1963); The Milton Berle Show (1949–1958); The Mysterious Mr. Lorre: A Conversation with Stephen Youngkin (2006); The Originals (2005); The Patsy (1964); The Paul Winchell Show (1953); The Raven (1963); The Red Skelton Hour (1955–1960); The Rules of Film Noir (2009); The Sad Sack (1957); The Sinister Cinema Story (2025); The Star and the Story (1955); The Story of Mankind (1957); The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show (1963); The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1960–1961); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1963); The Verdict (1946); They Met in Bombay (1941); Think Fast, Mr. Moto (1937); Three Strangers (1946); Twister McGurk (2014); Undercover (1944); V.O.S.: Lo que NO te cuentan (2021); Variety (1949); Very Scary People (2022); Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961); Wagon Train (1960); Was Frauen träumen (1933); Way of Tomorrow: The Evolution of Science Fiction Movies (2022); We, the People (1949); What's My Line? (1952–1960); Wolfman Chronicles: A Cinematic Scrapbook (1991); You'll Find Out (1940).

On this day in movie history - Quicksand (1950):

Quicksand

directed by Irving Pichel,

written by Robert Smith,

was released in the United States on March 24, 1950.
Music by Louis Gruenberg.

Cast:

Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney, Barbara Bates, Peter Lorre, Taylor Holmes, Art Smith, Red Nichols, Wally Cassell, Richard Lane, Patsy O'Connor, John Gallaudet, Minerva Urecal, Sidney Marion, Jimmie (Jimmy) Dodd, Lester Dorr, Kitty O'Neil, Jack Elam.

On this day in movie history - The Raven (1963 movie & book):

The Raven

directed by Roger Corman,

written by Richard Matheson,

based on the poem by Edgar Allan Poe,

was released in the United States on January 25, 1963.
Music by Les Baxter.

Cast:

Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Hazel Court, Olive Sturgess, Jack Nicholson, Connie Wallace, William Baskin, Aaron Saxon, Leo Gordon, Dick Johnstone.

Recommended reading:

The Complete Stories and Poems

By Edgar Allan Poe.

First published 1849.

This edition published 1966.

Published by Doubleday & Company, Inc.

Hardcover.

ISBN 13: 9780385074070

ISBN 10: 0385074077

ASIN: 0385074077

Description:

This single volume brings together all of Poe's stories and poems, and illuminates the diverse and multifaceted genius of one of the greatest and most influential figures in American literary history.

On this day in movie history - All Through the Night (1942):

All Through the Night

directed by Vincent Sherman,

written by Leonard Spigelgass and Edwin Gilbert,

based on a story by Leo Rosten and Leonard Spigelgass,

was released in the United States on January 10, 1942.
Music by Adolph Deutsch.
Song: All Through the Night by Arthur Schwartz and Johnny Mercer.

Cast:

Humphrey Bogart, Conrad Veidt, Kaaren Verne, Jane Darwell, Frank McHugh, Peter Lorre, Judith Anderson, William Demarest, Jackie Gleason, Phil Silvers, Wallace Ford, Barton MacLane, Edward Brophy, Martin Kosleck, Jean Ames, Ludwig Stössel, Irene Seidner, James Burke, Ben Welden, Hans Schumm, Charles Cane, Frank Sully, Sam McDaniel, Eddy Chandler, Louis V. Arco, Emory Parnell, Henry Victor.

On this day in movie history – Casablanca (movie & books):

Casablanca

directed by Michael Curtiz,

written by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch,

based on the play Everybody Comes to Rick's by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison,

was released in the United States on November 26, 1942.
Music by Max Steiner.

Cast:

Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, S.Z. Sakall, Madeleine Lebeau, Dooley Wilson, Joy Page, John Qualen, Leonid Kinskey, Curt Bois.

Recommended reading:

Casablanca: As Time Goes by:

50th Anniversary Commemorative

By Frank Miller.

Published by‎ Andrews McMeel Pub.
Published 1992.
First Edition.
Hardcover.
ISBN-10: 1878685147
ISBN-13: 978-1878685148

Description:

The leading lady was the producer's second choice. The leading man avoided his co-star between love scenes for fear of his wife's jealousy. Two of the stars didn't want to be in the movie in the first place. And nobody knew how the picture would end until the day they shot the final scene. Yet, out of this chaos came one of the enduring film favorites of all time – Casablanca.

For the First time, here is the whole story of Warner Bros. Production No. 410, from the original play that laid its foundation, through casting, writing, shooting, and post-production, to the series of lucky breaks that created one of the most everlastingly popular films of the last fifty years.

At every step along the road to Casablanca, the picture's creators had to make choices that later meant the difference between triumph and flop. Ronald Regan was initially announced to play one of the male leads. Producer Hal Wallis considered casting Ella Fitzgerald as Sam the piano player. Composer Max Steiner tried to cut "As Time Goes By." And sometimes the participants managed to make the right choices in spite of themselves.

Lavishly illustrated with a collection of photos, memos, blueprints and posters never before assembled in one book 'Casablanca: As Time Goes By...' paints the most complete picture ever of a movie that has mesmerized film-lovers and romantics for half a century.

The Scene-by-Scene Casablanca Film Guidebook:

A Detailed Look at the Hollywood Film Classic

By Michael Willian.

Published by Kerpluggo Books.

Published 2020.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0976242915

ISBN-13: 978-0976242918

Description:

It’s the ideal way to enjoy this American film classic – a comprehensive guidebook that walks you through Casablanca scene by scene. Breathing new life into the film, the guidebook is packed with intriguing insights, cool cast and film anecdotes, and countless closer looks at scene details, curiosities, historical tie-ins, gaffes and more. And it’s all presented in a smart, page turning format. Casablanca fans will be thrilled to have this humorous and insightful companion guiding them through this cinematic gem with fresh eyes.

Inside the guidebook you'll find: first-of-their kind illustrations showing the layouts of Rick's Cafe, the Casablanca Airport and the Paris street and bistro Rick and Ilsa visit, and where your favorite scenes take place in relation to one another; a complete chronology of key film scenes; a handy summary of World War II events leading up to the film's setting; the stories behind the countless World War II-era references that have lost their context over time; translations for the film's foreign language references, and the fascinating insights they unlock; a breakdown of songs in the film; film bookmarks for easy access to key details; And here is just a sampling of the things you'll discover: what popular chess strategy Rick invokes while playing both sides of the table, and the host of curiosities and gaffes involving the match; where Ilsa gets the gun she pulls on Rick; the incredible real-life story of how two Casablanca actors, then married, made their own World War II escape from France to America; Carl's profession before he waited tables at Rick's; the good luck symbol Ferrari displays outside the Blue Parrot; how to recreate Rick and Ilsa's Paris boat ride scene; what real-life plane was used for Strasser's arrival, and what became of it; whether Captain Renault's champagne recommendation to Strasser really was a good one.