Peter Lorre and Burger Chef: Difference between pages
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{{Infobox actor |
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{{Copyedit|article|for=cohesion.|date=June 2008}} |
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| name = Peter Lorre |
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{{Infobox Defunct company |
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| image = PeterLorre.jpg |
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| company_name = Burger Chef |
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| company_logo = [[Image:Burger Chef Logo.gif]] |
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| caption = Photograph by [[Yousuf Karsh]] (1946) |
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| slogan = |
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| company_type = |
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| birthdate = {{birth date|1904|6|26}} |
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| fate = [[Bankruptcy]] |
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| successor = [[Hardee's]] |
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| deathdate = {{death date and age|1964|3|23|1904|6|26}} |
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| foundation = 1954 |
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| deathplace = [[Los Angeles, California]] |
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| defunct = ca. 1996 |
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| location = [[Indianapolis, Indiana]], [[USA]] |
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| yearsactive = |
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| industry = [[Restaurant]] |
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| spouse = Celia Lovsky (1934-1945)<br />Kaaren Verne (1945-1950)<br /> Annemarie Brenning (1953-1964) 1 child |
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| products = [[Hamburgers]]<br />[[French fries]]<br />[[Soft drink]]s |
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| homepage = |
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'''Burger Chef''' was an American [[fast-food restaurant]] chain founded in 1954 in [[Indianapolis, Indiana]]. The chain expanded throughout the United States, and at its peak, it was second only to [[McDonald's]] in the number of locations nationwide. The chain featured several signature items such as the Big Shef and Super Shef burgers. |
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Due to financial troubles in the 1980s, the chain was gradually sold off to [[Hardee's]]. The final Burger Chef closed in 1996, but many of the chain's restaurants survive as Hardee's or various other fast-food establishments. |
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'''Peter Lorre''' ([[June 26]] [[1904]] – [[March 23]] [[1964]]), born '''László Löwenstein''', was a [[Hungarian people|Hungarian]]<ref>[http://www.kentuckypress.com/expertyoungkin.cfm University Press of Kentucky<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> - [[Austria]]n - [[United States|American]] [[actor]] frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner. |
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==History== |
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He made an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the [[Weimar Republic|German]] film ''[[M (1931 film)|M]]''. Later he became a popular featured player in Hollywood crime films and mysteries, notably alongside [[Humphrey Bogart]] and [[Sydney Greenstreet]], and as the star of the successful [[Mr. Moto]] detective series. |
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In 1954, Frank and Donald Thomas patented the [[Flame Broiler]] and started their own restaurant in [[Indianapolis, Indiana]]. In 1956, they changed the name of their restaurant to ''Burger Chef''. In the late 1950s, they created the first "value combo" as a burger, fries, and [[soft drink]] for 45¢ (50¢ with a [[milkshake]]). |
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Burger Chef was enormously popular and spread across both the [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] and the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]], eventually becoming second only to [[McDonald's]] in terms of number of locations. They offered a signature double-burger called the Big Shef, and later the quarter pound burger Super Shef. Later on, they pioneered the "Works Bar", where customers could dress their burgers with condiments and vegetables exactly as they wanted. |
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==Biography== |
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Lorre was born into a [[Jewish]] family in Rózsahegy/Rosenberg, [[Kingdom of Hungary]], part of [[Austria-Hungary]], now [[Ružomberok]], [[Slovakia]]. His parents were Alois and Elvira. When he was a child his family moved to [[Vienna]] where Lorre attended school. During his youth, Lorre was a student of [[Sigmund Freud]]. He began acting on stage in Vienna where he worked with [[Richard Teschner]], then moved to [[Wrocław|Breslau]], and [[Zürich]]. In the late 1920s the young 5' 5" (1.65 m) actor moved to [[Berlin]] where he worked with [[German people|German]] playwright [[Bertolt Brecht]], most notably in his ''Mann ist Mann''. He also appeared as Dr. Nakamura in the infamous musical ''[[Happy End (musical)|Happy End]]'' by Brecht and composer [[Kurt Weill]], alongside Brecht's wife [[Helene Weigel]] and other impressive co-stars such as [[Carola Neher]], [[Oskar Homolka]], and [[Kurt Gerron]]. The [[German language|German]]-speaking actor became famous when [[Fritz Lang]] cast him as a child killer in his [[1931 in film|1931]] film ''[[M (1931 movie)|M]]''. |
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In 1968, the chain was purchased by the [[General Foods Corporation]], which continued its rapid expansion. By 1970, they had nearly 2,400 locations and a re-designed building and logo. The chain's [[mascot]]s were called Burger Chef and Jeff (the latter a juvenile [[sidekick]] to the former). The Chef character was voiced by [[Paul Winchell]]. In the early 1970s, the chain introduced first the Funburger, then the Funmeal, with specially-printed packaging that included stories about Burger Chef and Jeff's adventures and friends (including the magician Burgerini, vampire Count Fangburger, talking ape Burgerilla, and Cackleburger the witch), with riddles, puzzles, and small toys. Other premiums included [[flexi-disc]] recordings, with more stories. When McDonald's introduced their similarly-themed [[Happy Meal]] in 1978, the chain sued McDonald's, but ultimately lost. |
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When the [[Machtergreifung|Nazis came to power in Germany]] in 1933, Lorre took refuge first in [[Paris]] and then [[London]] where he played a charming villain in [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]'' (1934). When he arrived in [[United Kingdom|Great Britain]], his first meeting was with Hitchcock and, by smiling and laughing as Hitchcock talked, Lorre was able to bluff the director about his limited command of the [[English (language)|English]] language. During the filming of ''The Man Who Knew Too Much'', Lorre learned much of his part phonetically. |
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General Foods soon proved unable to support the company's growth. In 1982, the corporation sold Burger Chef to the [[Canada|Canadian]] company [[Imasco]], which also owned [[Hardee's]]. Many locations were converted into Hardee's restaurants, except for ones that were located near existing Hardee's. |
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Eventually, he went to [[Hollywood]] where he specialized in playing wicked or wily foreigners, beginning with ''[[Mad Love (1935 film)|Mad Love]]'' (1935), directed by [[Karl Freund]]. He starred in a series of ''[[Mr. Moto]]'' movies, a parallel to the better known ''[[Charlie Chan]]'' series, in which he played a [[Japanese (people)|Japanese]] detective and spy created by [[John P. Marquand]]. He did not much enjoy these films -- and twisted his shoulder during a stunt in ''Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation'' -- but they were lucrative for the studio and gained Lorre many new fans. |
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In 1939, Peter was picked to play the role that would eventually go to [[Basil Rathbone]] in ''[[Son of Frankenstein]]''. Lorre had to decline the part due to illness. |
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The franchisees of those locations were allowed extra time to convert to other brands; one Burger Chef in [[Cookeville, Tennessee]], through the courts, was able to keep its original name until 1996, when it finally changed its name to Pleaser's. Several Burger Chefs in southern Indiana had converted to the Pleaser's name after the initial buyout. The Pleaser's in Cookeville remained open until 2002 and one in [[Bedford, Indiana]] lasted until 2004. Many Burger Chef locations located in [[Louisiana]] and [[Mississippi]] became the fast-food restaurant chain called [[Mr. Cook]], but financial troubles caused that chain to close many of its restaurants between 1993 and 1997. The Burger Chef in [[Jacksonville, Illinois]] was converted to "CR's Drive In", which has remained successful and open today. It continues to offer Burger Chef french fries. |
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In 1940, Lorre co-starred with fellow horror actors [[Bela Lugosi]] and [[Boris Karloff]] in the [[Kay Kyser]] movie ''You'll Find Out''. Lorre enjoyed considerable popularity as a featured player in [[Warner Bros.]] suspense and adventure films. Lorre played the role of Joel Cairo in ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'' (1941) and portrayed the character Ugarte in the film classic ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]'' (1942). It was Lorre's character who introduced the "letters of transit" (there was no such thing in reality) which became, in some ways, the dramatic center of the film. |
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Hardee's brought back the Big Shef burger on a limited-time basis in 2001 at select Midwestern locations, and has done so again as of April 2007. <ref>http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/hardeesr-brings-back-burger-chefr-big/n20070423125109990012</ref> |
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Lorre demonstrated a gift for comedy in the role of Dr. Einstein in ''[[Arsenic and Old Lace (film)|Arsenic and Old Lace]]'' (filmed in 1941, released 1944). In 1946 he starred with [[Sydney Greenstreet]] and [[Geraldine Fitzgerald]] in ''[[Three Strangers]]'', a suspense film about three people who are joint partners on a winning [[lottery]] ticket. |
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===Trademark controversy=== |
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In 1941, Peter Lorre became a [[naturalized citizen]] of the United States. |
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The "limited" return of Hardee's version of the Big Shef has brought with it a suit filed against Hardee's Food Systems in the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office by River West Brands, LLC, of [[Chicago, Illinois]]. The suit cites the "abandonment" of the Burger Chef trademark. |
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Not long after the January 2007 challenge was filed, Hardee's did a "test run" of the Big Shef in [[Terre Haute, Indiana]]. After a strong response to the product, Hardee's expanded its Big Shef offering to other Indiana, Ohio and Missouri stores. The Big Shef reissue was accompanied with advertisements using the Burger Chef name and logo. While Hardee's claimed that re-releasing the Big Shef was to provide Burger Chef fans with a nostalgic "fix", it has been claimed that the move was little more than an attempt to prevent the revival of Burger Chef restaurants by trying to protect itself from the trademark dispute. The case is still pending. |
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After [[World War II]], Lorre's acting career in Hollywood experienced a downturn, whereupon he concentrated on [[radio]] and stage work. In Germany he co-wrote, directed and starred in ''[[Der Verlorene]]'' (''The Lost One'') (1951), a critically acclaimed art film in the [[film noir]] style. He then returned to the United States where he appeared as a character actor in television and feature films, often spoofing his former "creepy" image. In 1954, he had the distinction of becoming the first actor to play a [[James Bond]] villain when he portrayed [[Le Chiffre]] in [[Casino Royale (Climax!)|a television adaptation]] of ''[[Casino Royale (novel)|Casino Royale]]'', opposite [[Barry Nelson]] as an American [[James Bond]]. (In the [[Casino Royale (1967 film)|spoof-film]] version of ''Casino Royale'', [[Ronnie Corbett]] comments that [[SPECTRE]] includes among its agents not only Le Chiffre, but also "Peter Lorre and Bela Lugosi.") Also in 1954, Lorre starred alongside [[Kirk Douglas]] and [[James Mason]] in the hit-classic [[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|''20,000 Leagues under the Sea'']]. In the early 1960s he worked with [[Roger Corman]] on several low-budgeted, tongue-in-cheek, and very popular films. |
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==Menu== |
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In 1956, both Lorre and [[Vincent Price]] attended [[Bela Lugosi]]'s funeral. According to Price, Lorre asked him "Do you think we should drive a [[stake]] through his [[heart]] just in case?" |
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In the mid-1970s, Burger Chef toasted the buns for its Super Shef, Big Shef, cheeseburger and hamburger on a hot-plate [[conveyor belt|conveyor mechanism]] that used [[coconut oil]]. This was accomplished in less than 60 seconds using a temperature of about 400° Fahrenheit. The open flame broiler was used to cook frozen meat patties from frozen to fully cooked in less than a minute. The broiler ran at a temperature of about 700° Fahrenheit. |
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Regular fries were to weigh approximately 2.25 ounces and were packaged in a small white paper sack. Large fries weighed approximately 3.5 ounces, and were packaged in a red collapsible paperboard carton. Beverages on the menu included [[coffee]], non-carbonated orange and lemonade, a type of [[Coca-Cola]], [[Sprite (soft drink)|Sprite]] and [[root beer]]. [[Milkshake]] flavors were vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Strawberry shakes were made by adding flavoring syrup to the vanilla shake. |
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==Marriages== |
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He was married three times: [[Celia Lovsky]] (1934 – [[13 March]] [[1945]]) (divorced); Kaaren Verne ([[25 May]] [[1945]] – 1950) (divorced) and Annemarie Brenning ([[21 July]] [[1953]] – [[23 March]] [[1964]]) (his death). Annemarie bore his only child, Catharine, in 1953, who died in 2006 from diabetes. |
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Other offerings included the Skipper's Treat (fish) and apple & cherry [[turnover (food)|turnover]]s, which were deep fried. Some Burger Chefs offered hot "ham & cheese" or roast beef sandwiches in a [[Styrofoam]] container. They came pre-assembled and were kept refrigerated, to be heated in a microwave oven before being served. |
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In 1963 an actor began billing himself as "Peter Lorre, Jr.," but he was unrelated, merely someone trading on his slight resemblance to the actor. |
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In the mid-1970s, Super Shefs sold for 89¢, Big Shefs for 79¢, cheeseburgers for 25¢, hamburgers for 20¢, and large & small soft drinks for 25¢ and 20¢, respectively. The restaurant chain switched from animal-based [[shortening]] to vegetable-based shortening during this period. Tuesdays at Burger Chef were called "Family Fun Nites" where Funmeals were offered for a special price. Usually, an employee costumed as a pirate, ape, or clown would wave at passing traffic to attract business. |
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==Death== |
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Overweight and never fully recovered from his addiction to morphine, Lorre suffered many personal and career disappointments in his later years. He died in 1964 of a [[stroke]] at 59 years old. Lorre's body was cremated and his ashes interred at the [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]] in Hollywood. [[Vincent Price]] read the [[eulogy]] at his funeral. |
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One of Burger Chef's later offerings was "The Rancher". This consisted of an over-sized hamburger patty without a bun or condiments, with Texas Toast and fries, served table-side, which was a concept adopted by Hardee's and Carl's Jr. |
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==Legacy== |
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Lorre has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]], at 6619 Hollywood Boulevard. |
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==Other innovations== |
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It is noted on the album sleeve of [[The World/Inferno Friendship Society]] album 'Addicted to Bad Ideas' that it was 'inspired by the novel ''Pandaemonium'' by Leslie Epstein and greatly informed by the biography 'The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre' by Stephen D. Youngkin'. Subtitled "Peter Lorre's Twentieth Century", the release is a concept album inspired by the life and films of Lorre. The song titles "'M' is for Morphine" and "With a Good Criminal Heart", along with the album's cover art, are all references to M, one of Lorre's most significant films. In addition, the album's lyrics are often taken from movie dialogue, notable Lorre quotes, and from the biography The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre by Stephen D. Youngkin. |
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{{Subsections}} |
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[[Image:BurgerChefBeaverFalls.jpg|thumb|right|A former Burger Chef in [[Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania]], now a pizza shop]] |
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[[Image:Former BC essexville.jpg|thumb|left|A former Burger Chef in [[Essexville, Michigan]], now medical officces. This was a later design.]] |
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In the mid 1970s, Burger Chef fryers were fitted with temperature-compensated [[French fries|French fry]] timers. If one basket of frozen fries was dropped into a fryer, a lesser time was required to complete the cooking than if two baskets were dropped at the same time. By measuring oil temperature, the timing cycle was altered so that the alarm would always signal perfectly cooked French fries. |
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At a condiment station, [[ketchup]] and [[mustard]] were applied in exact amounts by pumps that were operated by electrically-powered [[solenoid]]s. The bun heel was put under nozzles that were surrounded by a trigger ring. As the bun heel was raised against the ring, two dime-sized spots, each of ketchup and mustard, were applied to the hamburger. Since the Super Shef required only ketchup, the same station was used, but a button needed to be pressed to dispense ketchup only. The mustard and ketchup had to have exactly the proper consistency for this machine to work. If too thick, the machine would quickly clog; if too thin, the mustard and ketchup would "splat" past the bun when the ring was engaged. |
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=="Peter Lorre, Junior"== |
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Eugene Weingand was born in Karlsruhe, Germany on April 1, 1934 and emigrated to the US at the age of 20. Because of a passing resemblance to Peter Lorre he began calling himself Peter Lorre, Jr. In 1963 he applied to have his name legally changed to Peter Lorie, Jr., but the famous actor objected, as did American International Pictures, which had Lorre under contract. After a hearing the judge denied Weingand's petition, deciding he was merely trying to cash in on a famous name. Weingand was barred from using the name Peter Lorre, Jr. without Peter Lorre's permission. Unfortunately, Peter Lorre died a few months later and Weingand began calling himself Peter Lorre, Jr., and even began claiming to be the son of the famous actor. Under this name he made a few film and TV appearances in the 1960s and 1970s, subsequently dropping out of sight. He died in 1986 in Houston, Texas, from a heart attack. |
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Another innovative device was the electric bun toaster. The two bun pieces were placed on a chain conveyor, inside section down. The small entrance conveyor pushed the bun onto a stainless roller that applied a mixture of coconut or palm oil to the bun. After leaving the roller, the bun was dragged over a [[Teflon|Teflon-coated]] hot plate by an overhead chain conveyor that drooped upon the top of the bun. The process took less than one minute. On the assembly line, corresponding meat patties were cooked in the broiler from frozen to final in about the same length of time. |
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==Imitating Lorre== |
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Lorre's distinctive Viennese-meets Middle American accent and large-eyed face has been a favorite target of comedians and cartoonists, to the point where Lorre has become far more familiar with the public in caricature form than for his actual performances. |
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For a while, Burger Chef experimented with a plastic sandwich bag. The problem with plastic bags was that they captured too much condensation given off by the hot sandwiches. They thus made part of the bun soggy, and customers reported disliking the moisture droplets that collected in the bag. Burger Chef soon switched back to sandwich paper. |
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===Books and comics=== |
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In the early 1940s, the adventures of ''[[Batman]] and [[Robin (comics)|Robin]]'' appeared in daily newspapers. One story, ''The Two-Bit Dictator of Twin Mills'', drawn by Batman co-creator [[Bob Kane]], featured a [[hitman]] called Jojo who was, according to writer [[Al Schwartz]], made to look like Lorre <ref>''Batman: The Dailies 1944-1945'', ISBN-10: 0878161309, ISBN-13: 978-0878161300</ref>. Jojo is a highly skilled gunman who, whatever the distance or the circumstances, always hits his target. A mildly eccentric character, he refers to his hits (objects or people) as "flinks". Even Batman, who is used to taking on armed men, hesitates in dealing with this particular gunman head-on or face-to-face. A later story was ''The Karen Drew Mystery'', written by [[Jack Schiff]] and drawn by [[Jack Burnley]]. This one featured villains drawn to resemble Lorre's occasional co-stars: [[Sydney Greenstreet]] as gang leader Mr Wright and [[Humphrey Bogart]] as his henchman Merry. |
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Many of the earlier-designed Burger Chefs had the feature of glass windows on both sides of the area where the sandwiches were assembled. Customers dining inside the Burger Chef could watch their sandwiches being made. This encouraged the employees to keep the assembly area generally neat and clean, and convinced the customer that the premises was basically sanitary. |
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A Lorre-like character (with strong admixtures of [[Max Schreck]]) is the focus of [[Brock Brower]]'s novel ''The Late, Great Creature''. |
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Burger Chef frequently ran promotions for special products during holidays like [[Halloween]] and [[Christmas]]. Burger Chef also ran one of the earliest television tie-ins in the early 1970s, when it periodically offered a "Batburger" based on the original [[Batman (TV series)|Batman television show]]. The "Batburger" was a regular small hamburger that came in a paper wrapper with Batman's "bat shadow" logo printed on it. |
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Science-fiction writer [[Howard Waldrop]] wrote a short story entitled "The Effects of Alienation" which includes Peter Lorre as the main character. |
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Burger Chef was also notable for pioneering the children's meal with toy combination, called the "Funmeal". This was later adopted by [[McDonald's]] as the [[Happy Meal]]. Burger Chef was also among the first companies to offer [[Star Wars]]-related premiums when the [[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope|original Star Wars]] was released in 1977. The Burger Chef Funmeal consisted of a paperboard tray that kept a burger, fries, soft drink and toy in cut-outs designated for each. A pop-up background completed the tray. Also offered as a Funmeal in the 1980s was a thin, plastic, two- piece boat that separated in the middle. Food was placed inside this plastic boat when Funmeals were ordered. Other Fun Meal premiums offered thin plastic "records", which played an episode of the adventures of Burger Chef and Jeff, as well as a plastic token that could be redeemed at the end of the meal for a frozen treat similar to a [[Popsicle]]. |
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The popular Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by [[DJ Griffiths]] encourages the student to take a shortcut in one question by saying "do it ze kveek vay, Johnny." |
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Burger Chef also introduced the "Works Bar" to enable buyers to put condiments on their burgers as they saw fit, followed by the first national Salad Bar. In "CR'S Drive In" of [[Jacksonville, Illinois]], a former Burger Chef location, the Works Bar continued to be offered for years. |
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===Animated series=== |
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Most persons doing impressions of Lorre's voice are actually imitating Warner Brothers' [[Mel Blanc]] doing his Lorre impression{{Nonspecific|date=December 2007}} (Blanc is much broader and louder than Lorre generally was, and the cartoons are seen much more often than Lorre's actual work, the most obvious being the Bugs Bunny cartoon "Racketeer Rabbit"). This can be noticed in characters such as: |
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==References== |
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*[[Ren Hoek]] from [[The Ren and Stimpy Show]] |
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{{reflist}} |
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*[[Morocco Mole]] from ''[[Secret Squirrel]]'', |
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*[[Slippery Sly, the International Spy]] from Larry Harmon's ''[[Bozo the Clown]]'', |
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*The tuxedoed 'Lost Soul' in an episode of [[The Simpsons]] entitled [[Homer Simpson in: "Kidney Trouble"]] |
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*Surface Agent X20 from ''[[Stingray (TV series)|Stingray]]'', and |
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*[[Digitamamon]] from [[Digimon]] |
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*In the episode "The Tick vs. Chairface Chippendale" from [[The Tick#Animated series|''The Tick'' animated series]], one of the villains attending Chairface's birthday party is "The Man Who Looks Like Peter Lorre." |
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*A Peter Lorre character, named Nero, was also featured in the ''[[Darkwing Duck]]'' episode "Fungus Amongus." |
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*In [[The Transformers (TV series)|Transformers]], [[Cosmos (Transformers)|Cosmos]]' voice actor [[Michael McConnohie]] spoke with a heavily-processed impression of Peter Lorre. |
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*Doctor Beakman from the [[Sitting Ducks]] episode "Midnight Snack". |
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*Doctor Scratchensniff imitates Lorre in what yakko calls "the worst Peter Lorre I've ever heard" in This Pun For Hire |
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*[[Cut Man]] from the [[Megaman]] animated series. |
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==See also== |
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===Films, television, music and video games=== |
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*[[Burger Chef murders]] |
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A 1942 [[Warner Brothers]], [[Merrie Melodies]] cartoon adaptation of [[Dr. Seuss]]' [[Horton Hatches the Egg]] includes a fish caricature of Peter Lorre who shoots himself in the head after seeing Horton on the boat (this gag has been edited out on most television channels, particularly on Turner Networks) |
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A 1967 episode of the sitcom ''[[Get Smart]]'', "Maxwell Smart, Private Eye", features an extended parody of ''[[The Maltese Falcon]]'', with actors Barry Kroeger and Phil Roth portraying two men named Mr. Sidney and Mr. Peter who strongly resemble Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. Just to make things slightly more complicated, the Peter Lorre imitator (played by Roth) is the one named Mr. Sidney, and the Greenstreet imitator is Mr. Peter. |
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The [[stop motion]] film ''[[Mad Monster Party?]]'', made in 1969, featured a [[zombie]] manservant called Yetch who was made to look and sound like Lorre. Yetch was voiced by [[Allen Swift]]. Lorre's fellow horror star [[Boris Karloff]] provided the voice of Baron Frankenstein. |
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Singer-songwriter [[Al Stewart]] immortalized the actor, and his close association with Bogart, in the opening lines of his 1976 hit, "The Year Of The Cat": "In the morning from a Bogart movie/In a country where they turn back time/You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre/Contemplating a crime..." |
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Musician and Filker [[Tom Smith]] won a Pegasus award for Best Classic Filk Song in 2006 entitled "I Want to be Peter Lorre". |
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In the 1987 [[animated film]] [[The Brave Little Toaster]], a character ''Hanging Lamp'' bears a strong resemblance, both physically and audibly, to Lorre. |
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The title song to the 1981 Jon & Vangelis release "The Friends of Mr. Cairo" includes spoken dialogue that imitates the distinctive voice of Peter Lorre as well as that of his frequent costar Sidney Greenstreet. |
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The script for ''[[Godspell]]'' includes a line which is suggested as being done in the style of Peter Lorre. Also, [[Rob Schneider]] ably played Lorre's character in the ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' sketch "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." |
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The [[stop motion]] film ''[[Corpse Bride]]'' features "The Maggot", a small green worm who lives inside the title's character head. His features and voice (provided by [[Enn Reitel]]) are caricatures of Peter Lorre. |
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On [[September 11]], [[2007]] [[Brooklyn]]-based punk band [[The World/Inferno Friendship Society]] released a full-length album about Peter Lorre called [[Addicted to Bad Ideas: Peter Lorre's Twentieth Century]] on the [[Chunksaah Records]] label. The lyrics trace Lorre's film career, drug addiction, and death. It has been performed at the world-famous [[Spiegeltent]]. |
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Michael Butt's play ''Peter Lorre v Peter Lorre'', about the Eugene Weingand case, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on September 1, 2008. |
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Even today, films and video games show his distinct characteristics in some characters. These include: |
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*[[Arnold Toht]] from ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'' |
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*A routine [[Robin Williams]]' genie character did in Disney's ''[[Aladdin (film)|Aladdin]]'' |
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*[[Doctor N. Gin]] from the ''[[Crash Bandicoot series|Crash Bandicoot]]'' series of video games |
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*The 2005 video game ''[[Destroy All Humans!]]'' features aliens that look similar to Lorre. During gameplay, some humans will shout, "Help! We're being invaded by Peter Lorre!" |
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*[[Spike Jones]] utilized cartoon voice-over actor [[Paul Frees]] to perform an imitation of Peter Lorre singing a macabre version "My Old Flame". |
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*A mad scientist in [[Looney Tunes]] episode ''[[Birth of a Notion (cartoon)|Birth of a Notion]]'' in which the caricatured Lorre pursues [[Daffy Duck]] in need of his wishbone. |
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*He also appears caricatured as a mad scientist in [[Looney Tunes]]' ''[[Hair-Raising Hare]]'' in which he is the creator of [[Gossamer]]. |
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*[[Tex Avery]]'s Warner Bros. cartoon ''[[Hollywood Steps Out]]'' features caricatures of several movie stars, including Lorre. |
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*An unnamed mad scientist who looks and acts identical to Peter Lorre also appears in ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'' and ''[[Looney Tunes: Back in Action]]''. |
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*The Chief Thief in the game [[Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness]], not only looks and sounds like Peter Lorre, but was also named Lorre Petrovich, in reference to the actor. The Chief's nephew appears in [[Quest for Glory II: Trial By Fire]] and [[Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire]], has a similar appearance and voice, and is named Ugarte after Lorre's character in ''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]''. |
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*The character dubbed "Cobra man" in Woody Allen's "What's Up Tiger Lily?," a comically rewritten and dubbed version of the Japanese spy film "Key of Keys," has a voice that is a direct impersonation of Lorre's, to the point where he eventually utters the line, "This Peter Lorre impression is killing my throat." |
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*In the 1966 film ''[[A Thousand Clowns]]'', [[Barry Gordon]]'s character, Nick, does a humorous imitation of Lorre. |
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*Otto, the rowboat in the children's game [[Pajama Same In: No Need To Hide When It's Dark Outside]] sounds a great deal like Lorre. |
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===Recordings=== |
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[[Firesign Theater]]'s various comedy routines of [[Nick Danger]] involve a Peter Lorre-sounding villain named [[Rocky Rococco]]. |
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In a version of [[The Damned]] song "[[Grimly Fiendish]]", the title words are spoken during the song as a Peter Lorre impersonation, adding his stereotypical menace . |
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There is a concept album by [[The World/Inferno Friendship Society]] entitled "Addicted to Bad Ideas: Peter Lorre's Twentieth Century", based on the life and films of the actor. |
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[[Tom Smith (filker)|Tom Smith]] has composed and performed a song called "I Want To Be Peter Lorre", on his [[filk]] album "Homecoming: MarCon 2005", which includes his vocal impersonation of the actor.<ref>[http://www.tomsmithonline.com/lyrics/peter_lorre.htm Tom Smith Online - Lyrics: I Want To Be Peter Lorre<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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==Filmography== |
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{{col-begin}} |
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{{col-break}} |
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*''[[Die Verschwundene Frau]]'' (1929) |
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*''[[M (1931 movie)|M]]'' (1931) |
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*''[[Bomben auf Monte Carlo]]'' (1931) |
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*''[[Die Koffer des Herrn O.F.]]'' (1931) |
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*''[[Fünf von der Jazzband]]'' (1932) |
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*''[[Schuss im Morgengrauen]]'' (1932) |
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*''[[Der Weisse Dämon]]'' (1932) |
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*''[[Stupéfiants]]'' (1932) |
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*''[[F.P.1 antwortet nicht]]'' (1932) |
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*''[[Les Requins du pétrole]]'' (1933) |
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*''[[Du haut en bas]]'' (1933) |
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*''[[Was Frauen träumen]]'' (1933) |
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*''[[Unsichtbare Gegner]]'' (1933) |
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*''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]'' (1934) |
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*''[[Mad Love (1935 film)|Mad Love]]'' (1935) |
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*''[[Crime and Punishment (1935 film)|Crime and Punishment]]'' (1935) |
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*''[[Secret Agent]]'' (1936) |
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*''[[Crack-Up]]'' (1936) |
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*''[[Nancy Steele Is Missing]]!'' (1937) |
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*''[[Think Fast, Mr. Moto]]'' (1937) |
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*''[[Lancer Spy]]'' (1937) |
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*''[[Thank You, Mr. Moto]]'' (1937) |
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*''[[Mr. Moto's Gamble]]'' (1938) |
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*''[[Mr. Moto Takes a Chance]]'' (1938) |
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*''[[Ill Give a Million|I'll Give a Million]]'' (1938) |
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*''[[Mysterious Mr. Moto]]'' (1938) |
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*''[[Mr. Motos Last Warning|Mr. Moto's Last Warning]]'' (1939) |
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*''[[Danger Island]]'' (1939) |
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*''[[Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation]]'' (1939) |
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*''[[Strange Cargo]]'' (1940) |
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*''[[I Was an Adventuress]]'' (1940) |
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*''[[Island of Doomed Men]]'' (1940) |
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*''[[Stranger on the Third Floor]]'' (1940) |
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*''[[You'll Find Out]]'' (1940) |
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*''[[The Eternal Jew|Der Ewige Jude]]'' (archive footage) (1940) |
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*''[[The Face Behind the Mask (1941 film)|The Face Behind the Mask]]'' (1941) |
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*''[[Mr. District Attorney]]'' (1941) |
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*''[[They Met in Bombay]]'' (1941) |
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*''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'' (1941) |
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*''[[All Through the Night (film)|All Through the Night]]'' |
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*''[[Invisible Agent]]'' (1942) |
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*''[[The Boogie Man Will Get You]]'' (1942) |
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{{col-break}} |
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*''[[Casablanca (film)|Casablanca]]'' (1942) |
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*''[[The Constant Nymph]]'' (1943) |
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*''[[Background to Danger]]'' (1943) |
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*''[[The Cross of Lorraine]]'' (1943) |
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*''[[Passage to Marseille]]'' (1944) |
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*''[[The Mask of Dimitrios]]'' (1944) |
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*''[[Arsenic and Old Lace (film)|Arsenic and Old Lace]]'' (1944) |
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*''[[The Conspirators]]'' |
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*''[[Hollywood Canteen (1944 film)|Hollywood Canteen]]'' (1944) |
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*''[[Hotel Berlin]]'' (1945) |
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*''[[Confidential Agent]]'' (1945) |
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*''[[Three Strangers]]'' (1946) |
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*''[[Black Angel]]'' (1946) |
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*''[[The Chase (1946 film)|The Chase]]'' (1946) |
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*''[[The Verdict (1946 film)|The Verdict]]'' (1946) |
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*''[[The Beast with Five Fingers]]'' (1946) |
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*''[[My Favorite Brunette]]'' (1947) |
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*''[[Casbah (film)|Casbah]]'' (1948) |
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*''[[Rope of Sand]]'' (1949) |
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*''[[Quicksand (1950 film)|Quicksand]]'' (1950) |
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*''[[Double Confession]]'' (1950) |
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*''[[Der Verlorene]]'' (1951) (also directed) |
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*''[[Beat the Devil (1953 movie)|Beat the Devil]]'' (1953) |
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*''[[Casino Royale (Climax!)|Casino Royale]]'', a 1954 episode of the television series ''[[Climax!]]'' |
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*''[[20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)|20,000 Leagues Under the Sea]]'' (1954) |
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*''[[Around the World in Eighty Days (1956 movie)|Around the World in Eighty Days]]'' (1956) |
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*''[[Meet Me in Las Vegas]]'' (1956) (uncredited) |
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*''[[Congo Crossing]]'' (1956) |
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*''[[The Buster Keaton Story]]'' (1957) |
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*''[[Silk Stockings (film)|Silk Stockings]]'' (1957) |
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*''[[The Story of Mankind]]'' (1957) |
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*''[[The Sad Sack]]'' (1957) |
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*''[[Hell Ship Mutiny]]'' (1957) |
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*''[[The Big Circus]]'' (1959) |
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*''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]'' (1961) |
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*''[[Tales of Terror (1962 film)|Tales of Terror]]'' (1962) |
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*''[[Five Weeks in a Balloon]]'' (1962) |
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*''[[The Raven (1963 film)|The Raven]]'' (1963) |
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*''[[The Comedy of Terrors]]'' (1964) |
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*''[[Muscle Beach Party]]'' (1964) |
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*''[[The Patsy (1964 film)|The Patsy]]'' (1964) |
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{{col-end}} |
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==Listen to== |
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* [http://www.archive.org/download/MysteryintheAir/Mita_470814_ep07The_Lodger.mp3 The Lodger] on Mystery in the Air, 1947, starring Peter Lorre and [[Agnes Moorehead]] |
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==Further reading== |
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*{{cite book|title=[http://www.amazon.com/dp/1887664300 Peter Lorre]|year=1999|publisher=Midnight Marquee Press|id=ISBN 1-887-66430-0}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Youngkin|first=Stephen D., James Bigwood, and Raymond Cabana|title=[http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GWKPIY The Films of Peter Lorre]|year=1982|publisher=Citadel Press|id=ISBN 0-8065-0789-6}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Youngkin|first=Stephen D.|title=[http://www.peterlorrebook.com/ The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre]|year=2005|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|id=ISBN 0-813-12360-7}} |
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==References== |
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<references/> |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*[http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=92046880&pty=CAN&eno=4/ Hardee's is being challenged for the Burger Chef Trademark in 2007] |
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{{commons}} |
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*[http://www.allbusiness.com/north-america/united-states-indiana/358297-1.html] Frank Thomas |
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*{{imdb name|id=0000048|name=Peter Lorre}} |
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*{{findagrave|643}} |
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*{{amg name|id=2:100174|name=Peter Lorre}} |
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*[http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevision/tuner.php?channel=834&format=movie&theme=guide Watch Peter Lorre in Fritz Lang's M] |
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*[http://www.ealasaid.com/fan/lorrelibrary The Lorre Library of Sound] |
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*[http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=132 Photographs of Peter Lorre] |
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*[http://www.peterlorrebook.com/plphotos1.html More photographs of Peter Lorre] |
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*[http://www.geocities.com/weaselkreep/plfan The Peter Lorre Fanlisting] |
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*[http://www.bigpuppetshow.com/WalkingtheShark.html Walking the Shark: A Peter Lorre Book (excerpt)] |
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<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> |
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{{Persondata |
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|NAME = Lorre, Peter |
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|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Löwenstein, László |
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|SHORT DESCRIPTION = Austrian actor |
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|DATE OF BIRTH = [[June 26]], [[1904]] |
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|PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Ružomberok]], [[Austria-Hungary]] (now [[Slovakia]]) |
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|DATE OF DEATH = [[March 23]], [[1964]] |
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|PLACE OF DEATH = [[Los Angeles, California]] |
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}} |
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{{BD|1904|1964|Lorre, Peter}} |
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[[Category:Austrian Jews]] |
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[[Category:American Jews]] |
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[[Category:Austrian film actors]] |
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[[Category:American B-movie actors]] |
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[[Category:Hungarian-American Jews]] |
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[[Category:Hungarian Jews]] |
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[[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]] |
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[[Category:Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery]] |
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[[Category:Deaths from stroke]] |
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[[Category:Companies established in 1954]] |
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[[ast:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[Category:1996 disestablishments]] |
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[[ca:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[Category:Defunct fast-food chains]] |
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[[da:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[Category:Fast-food hamburger restaurants]] |
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[[de:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[Category:Defunct companies of the United States]] |
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[[es:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[Category:Companies based in Indianapolis, Indiana]] |
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[[eu:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[Category:Restaurants in Indiana]] |
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[[fr:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[id:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[it:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[he:פיטר לורה]] |
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[[hu:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[nl:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[ja:ピーター・ローレ]] |
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[[no:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[pl:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[ru:Петер Лорре]] |
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[[simple:Peter Lorre]] |
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[[sk:Peter Lorre]] |
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Revision as of 17:51, 10 October 2008
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2008) |
 | This article may require copy editing for cohesion.. (June 2008) |
| File:Burger Chef Logo.gif | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1954 |
| Defunct | ca. 1996 |
| Fate | Bankruptcy |
| Successor | Hardee's |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA |
| Products | Hamburgers French fries Soft drinks |
Burger Chef was an American fast-food restaurant chain founded in 1954 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The chain expanded throughout the United States, and at its peak, it was second only to McDonald's in the number of locations nationwide. The chain featured several signature items such as the Big Shef and Super Shef burgers.
Due to financial troubles in the 1980s, the chain was gradually sold off to Hardee's. The final Burger Chef closed in 1996, but many of the chain's restaurants survive as Hardee's or various other fast-food establishments.
History
In 1954, Frank and Donald Thomas patented the Flame Broiler and started their own restaurant in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1956, they changed the name of their restaurant to Burger Chef. In the late 1950s, they created the first "value combo" as a burger, fries, and soft drink for 45¢ (50¢ with a milkshake).
Burger Chef was enormously popular and spread across both the West Coast and the East Coast, eventually becoming second only to McDonald's in terms of number of locations. They offered a signature double-burger called the Big Shef, and later the quarter pound burger Super Shef. Later on, they pioneered the "Works Bar", where customers could dress their burgers with condiments and vegetables exactly as they wanted.
In 1968, the chain was purchased by the General Foods Corporation, which continued its rapid expansion. By 1970, they had nearly 2,400 locations and a re-designed building and logo. The chain's mascots were called Burger Chef and Jeff (the latter a juvenile sidekick to the former). The Chef character was voiced by Paul Winchell. In the early 1970s, the chain introduced first the Funburger, then the Funmeal, with specially-printed packaging that included stories about Burger Chef and Jeff's adventures and friends (including the magician Burgerini, vampire Count Fangburger, talking ape Burgerilla, and Cackleburger the witch), with riddles, puzzles, and small toys. Other premiums included flexi-disc recordings, with more stories. When McDonald's introduced their similarly-themed Happy Meal in 1978, the chain sued McDonald's, but ultimately lost.
General Foods soon proved unable to support the company's growth. In 1982, the corporation sold Burger Chef to the Canadian company Imasco, which also owned Hardee's. Many locations were converted into Hardee's restaurants, except for ones that were located near existing Hardee's.
The franchisees of those locations were allowed extra time to convert to other brands; one Burger Chef in Cookeville, Tennessee, through the courts, was able to keep its original name until 1996, when it finally changed its name to Pleaser's. Several Burger Chefs in southern Indiana had converted to the Pleaser's name after the initial buyout. The Pleaser's in Cookeville remained open until 2002 and one in Bedford, Indiana lasted until 2004. Many Burger Chef locations located in Louisiana and Mississippi became the fast-food restaurant chain called Mr. Cook, but financial troubles caused that chain to close many of its restaurants between 1993 and 1997. The Burger Chef in Jacksonville, Illinois was converted to "CR's Drive In", which has remained successful and open today. It continues to offer Burger Chef french fries.
Hardee's brought back the Big Shef burger on a limited-time basis in 2001 at select Midwestern locations, and has done so again as of April 2007. [1]
Trademark controversy
The "limited" return of Hardee's version of the Big Shef has brought with it a suit filed against Hardee's Food Systems in the U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office by River West Brands, LLC, of Chicago, Illinois. The suit cites the "abandonment" of the Burger Chef trademark.
Not long after the January 2007 challenge was filed, Hardee's did a "test run" of the Big Shef in Terre Haute, Indiana. After a strong response to the product, Hardee's expanded its Big Shef offering to other Indiana, Ohio and Missouri stores. The Big Shef reissue was accompanied with advertisements using the Burger Chef name and logo. While Hardee's claimed that re-releasing the Big Shef was to provide Burger Chef fans with a nostalgic "fix", it has been claimed that the move was little more than an attempt to prevent the revival of Burger Chef restaurants by trying to protect itself from the trademark dispute. The case is still pending.
Menu
In the mid-1970s, Burger Chef toasted the buns for its Super Shef, Big Shef, cheeseburger and hamburger on a hot-plate conveyor mechanism that used coconut oil. This was accomplished in less than 60 seconds using a temperature of about 400° Fahrenheit. The open flame broiler was used to cook frozen meat patties from frozen to fully cooked in less than a minute. The broiler ran at a temperature of about 700° Fahrenheit.
Regular fries were to weigh approximately 2.25 ounces and were packaged in a small white paper sack. Large fries weighed approximately 3.5 ounces, and were packaged in a red collapsible paperboard carton. Beverages on the menu included coffee, non-carbonated orange and lemonade, a type of Coca-Cola, Sprite and root beer. Milkshake flavors were vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Strawberry shakes were made by adding flavoring syrup to the vanilla shake.
Other offerings included the Skipper's Treat (fish) and apple & cherry turnovers, which were deep fried. Some Burger Chefs offered hot "ham & cheese" or roast beef sandwiches in a Styrofoam container. They came pre-assembled and were kept refrigerated, to be heated in a microwave oven before being served.
In the mid-1970s, Super Shefs sold for 89¢, Big Shefs for 79¢, cheeseburgers for 25¢, hamburgers for 20¢, and large & small soft drinks for 25¢ and 20¢, respectively. The restaurant chain switched from animal-based shortening to vegetable-based shortening during this period. Tuesdays at Burger Chef were called "Family Fun Nites" where Funmeals were offered for a special price. Usually, an employee costumed as a pirate, ape, or clown would wave at passing traffic to attract business.
One of Burger Chef's later offerings was "The Rancher". This consisted of an over-sized hamburger patty without a bun or condiments, with Texas Toast and fries, served table-side, which was a concept adopted by Hardee's and Carl's Jr.
Other innovations
 | This section needs to be divided into subsections. |
In the mid 1970s, Burger Chef fryers were fitted with temperature-compensated French fry timers. If one basket of frozen fries was dropped into a fryer, a lesser time was required to complete the cooking than if two baskets were dropped at the same time. By measuring oil temperature, the timing cycle was altered so that the alarm would always signal perfectly cooked French fries.
At a condiment station, ketchup and mustard were applied in exact amounts by pumps that were operated by electrically-powered solenoids. The bun heel was put under nozzles that were surrounded by a trigger ring. As the bun heel was raised against the ring, two dime-sized spots, each of ketchup and mustard, were applied to the hamburger. Since the Super Shef required only ketchup, the same station was used, but a button needed to be pressed to dispense ketchup only. The mustard and ketchup had to have exactly the proper consistency for this machine to work. If too thick, the machine would quickly clog; if too thin, the mustard and ketchup would "splat" past the bun when the ring was engaged.
Another innovative device was the electric bun toaster. The two bun pieces were placed on a chain conveyor, inside section down. The small entrance conveyor pushed the bun onto a stainless roller that applied a mixture of coconut or palm oil to the bun. After leaving the roller, the bun was dragged over a Teflon-coated hot plate by an overhead chain conveyor that drooped upon the top of the bun. The process took less than one minute. On the assembly line, corresponding meat patties were cooked in the broiler from frozen to final in about the same length of time.
For a while, Burger Chef experimented with a plastic sandwich bag. The problem with plastic bags was that they captured too much condensation given off by the hot sandwiches. They thus made part of the bun soggy, and customers reported disliking the moisture droplets that collected in the bag. Burger Chef soon switched back to sandwich paper.
Many of the earlier-designed Burger Chefs had the feature of glass windows on both sides of the area where the sandwiches were assembled. Customers dining inside the Burger Chef could watch their sandwiches being made. This encouraged the employees to keep the assembly area generally neat and clean, and convinced the customer that the premises was basically sanitary.
Burger Chef frequently ran promotions for special products during holidays like Halloween and Christmas. Burger Chef also ran one of the earliest television tie-ins in the early 1970s, when it periodically offered a "Batburger" based on the original Batman television show. The "Batburger" was a regular small hamburger that came in a paper wrapper with Batman's "bat shadow" logo printed on it.
Burger Chef was also notable for pioneering the children's meal with toy combination, called the "Funmeal". This was later adopted by McDonald's as the Happy Meal. Burger Chef was also among the first companies to offer Star Wars-related premiums when the original Star Wars was released in 1977. The Burger Chef Funmeal consisted of a paperboard tray that kept a burger, fries, soft drink and toy in cut-outs designated for each. A pop-up background completed the tray. Also offered as a Funmeal in the 1980s was a thin, plastic, two- piece boat that separated in the middle. Food was placed inside this plastic boat when Funmeals were ordered. Other Fun Meal premiums offered thin plastic "records", which played an episode of the adventures of Burger Chef and Jeff, as well as a plastic token that could be redeemed at the end of the meal for a frozen treat similar to a Popsicle.
Burger Chef also introduced the "Works Bar" to enable buyers to put condiments on their burgers as they saw fit, followed by the first national Salad Bar. In "CR'S Drive In" of Jacksonville, Illinois, a former Burger Chef location, the Works Bar continued to be offered for years.