The film "Hungarians Ride Horses and Women" was the first to truly capitalize on Peter Lorre's irresistible appeal to the feminine sector of the movie going population.
Made for CVP Studios in 1936, it was a lighthearted romantic romp in which Peter displayed his flirtatious prowess with the fairer sex.
The title comes from a favorite saying of Peter's concerning his Austro-Hungarian heritage. An account of Peter using this phrase can be found in the book of Don Siegel's Hollywood memoirs, "A Siegel film: an Autobiography". The story went that Don Siegel was invited by Peter Lorre to go horseback riding. He recalls that he expressed doubts as to Peter's ability to ride a horse. Mr. Siegel then describes being informed by a proud Lorre that, "Hungarians ride horses and women!"

The Film depicts the romantic adventures and misadventures of Lazslo Lofuss (Peter Lorre), a recent Hungarian immigrant to the U.S. He encounters numerous women who find themselves fascinated by this short, dark and handsome fellow with the intriguing accent.
Although the lobby card gives the promise of some pretty raunchy goings-on, the film had no trouble passing the stringent board of review in its initial release. To be fair, much innuendo simply went over the heads of the censors at the time. Peter, with his intimate knowledge of Freudian psychology was able to insert (his wording, by the way) a number of subliminal cues the ladies of the day had no trouble picking up on. In some scenes, original prints of the movie had tinting added to the otherwise black and white film. For example, in the scenes where he appeared wearing a pith helmet and a light colored suit, the helmet was tinted a purplish pink, and his suit a flesh tone. Some people have referred to this as his Mushroom-man look. Personally, I don't think a mushroom was what he had in mind. This is visible in the image in the lower left quadrant of the lobby card. Much speculation has been made by critics as to what Peter's intent was in doing this.
Another very suggestive scene is the "Korvas Scene". As you may know, korvas is a type of Hungarian sausage similar to Polish kielbasa. Lazslo and an attractive young lady become trapped in an elevator for several hours. As they become acquainted during the ordeal, they decide to make a snack of the food purchases they happen to have with them. The young lady takes out a large bagel from her shopping bag, and holds it up for him to see. He then takes out the korvas from its wrappings, and inserts it into the hole of the bagel. They gaze into each other's eyes, and there is a fade-out. Such subtle symbolism!
There is one surviving print of this film said to be in existence in a private collection located in Vienna. We can only hope that one day it will be made available to all who appreciate fine vintage cinema. The time is long overdue for modern-day fans to be able to make an appraisal of this film.