For those of us who are Peter Lorre fans, we can never get enough of that wonderful actor. So this
is, yes, the Peter Lorre series that, sadly, never was. Lorre was riding a crest of popularity in 1944
with a starring role in the Warner Brothers filmMask of Dimitrios, plus a strong supporting
presence in Frank Capra’sArsenic and Old Lace(in the part of Dr. Einstein, which radio actor
Edgar Stehli had created in the play’s original Broadway incarnation). He was also making
numerous radio appearances, both war-effort pleas and his usual spookery, including several
guest spots onInner Sanctum MysteriesandCreeps by Night.
“Peter Lorre is being offered,” it was announced in the June 28, 1944 issue ofVariety, “in a
package thriller, ‘Journey Into Fear,’ as a half-hour evening show on a sliding scale price. Asking
price is $2,000 for the first 13 weeks, $4,000 for the next 39, $4,500 for the next 52 and $5,000
per thereafter. Session is written and directed by Norman Winters and is packaged by Dell
Peters.”