Bachelor in Paradise (1961) - Film Locations

Bob Hope as "A.J. Niles"

Ask and you shall receive! A few months back I wrote a post about three movies I wished were on blu-ray or dvd. There are many films that I wish had some kind of a home video release, but I just chose three for the post - and you know what - the Warner Archive Collection recently made available one of those titles from my list!

The 1961 film Bachelor in Paradise is a favorite of mine for two reasons. First, I love Bob Hope in the role of A.J. Niles, an author of a series of books on the sexual lives of people in foreign countries. Hope has one hilarious quip after another and he is perfect as the smooth, cunning, ladies man. Second, to anyone who appreciates mid-century (20th century) fashion and design, the look of this film is stunning. The mid-century tract homes, an early suburban grocery store, bowling alley, tiki bar, cars, drive-in restaurant, clothes - everything in this film is a colorful step back in time. To celebrate the release of Bachelor in Paradise I decided to do a film locations post to show some of these colorful images.

In the film, Hope finds himself in trouble with the I.R.S. for back taxes. In order to pay back the I.R.S. Hope's publisher convinces him to write a new book about the developing American suburbs. Hope, using a false identity, relocates to the new California development of Paradise Village, and begins secretly compiling data for his book. Being the only bachelor in Paradise Village, Hope becomes popular with the bored housewives and not so popular with the husbands in the community. The film also stars Lana Turner, Janis Paige, Don Porter, Paula Prentiss, Jim Hutton, and in a cameo appearance, Agnes Moorehead.

Below is an image of Hope and Turner arriving at the home in Paradise Village that Hope will be staying while conducting his research. As Turner says in the film, that house, "It's not pink, its 'California coral.'" Paradise Village is a fictional suburb and even the street signs seen in the film are fake, so you can't go by those to find the locations. Hope's home is located in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, at address 22931 Brenford Street.

Hope & Turner, 22931 Brenford Street

22931 Brenford Street, Woodland Hills

As you can see in the photo above the home is no longer "California coral."

Hope & Turner at 22931 Brenford Street

Above is an image of Hope and Turner parked in the driveway at the Brenford Street home. In the photo below you can see how this view looks today, along with a modern car in the driveway.

22931 Brenford Street, Woodland Hills

Hope in the driveway at 22931 Brenford Street

Jim Hutton, Hope's neighbor.

Above, Jim Hutton arrives home from work. Hutton and Paula Prentiss live in the home next door to Hope.

22941 Brenford Street, Woodland Hills

22941 Brenford Street, Woodland Hills

It is incredible to see how much this neighborhood has changed since 1961. In the next few images below you can see in the film how sparse the vegetation was. There are only a few trees and they are all quite small still. Today, the neighborhood is filled with trees and bushes and they are all quite large. It's difficult to see the homes or the mountain views which were visible in the film.

Rounding the corner at Brenford St. & Coloma Ave

Brenford St at Coloma Ave

The kids leave for school at Brenford at Coloma.

Brenford at Coloma

School bus drives down Brenford Street.

Looking down Brenford Street.

The photo above is looking down Brenford Street and that white house on the left is the same as the one in the image below with Turner and Prentiss. That house is located across the street from Hope's home.

Prentiss and Turner on Brenford Street

The husbands leave for work. Brenford Street.

The newspaper delivery boy drives down Brenford.

The Brenford St. Home seen above.

In the image below Turner is seen parking in front of Hope's house and you can see the home next door. The following image is a google earth screen capture showing this same location. I hadn't noticed this home at the time I was taking photos. If you look closely, the roof above the front door has changed since the time of the film and I didn't recognize the building. Of course I didn't notice this until I was back home. Besides, after a while, all these homes really start looking the same and it is hard to tell one from the next.

Turner parked in front of Hope's house.

In front of Hope's house. (c) Google

In the film Hope visits a suburban supermarket. That supermarket was the Hughes market located at 14620 Parthenia Street in Panorama City, another Los Angeles suburb. Today the supermarket is now a Hispanic grocery store, "El Super," and has been drastically remodeled. IMDB has the address for the market listed as 8231 Woodman Avenue, Panorama City, but I think that address is incorrect. There is a supermarket at that address, but I don't think it is the one used in the film. Interesting though is the market at 8231 is now a Filipino grocery store, so both markets in this former "whitebread" neighborhood are now two very different ethnic grocery stores.

Hughes Market, 14620 Parthenia Street

El Super, 14620 Parthenia Street

You can see in the background of the parking lot the sign for El Super. The El Super sign sits on the same base that used to hold the Hughes market sign. Below is a close-up of the sign.

El Super Sign.

Hope enters the Hughes Market.

El Super, the former Hughes Market.

Inside the Hughes Market.

The image above and below show how the Hughes Market looked inside. Do you recognize any of the products on display?

Hope & Turner Shop at Hughes Market

Benny's Drive In Restaurant

In one scene in the film Hope goes to a drive in restaurant, "Benny's," which you can see in the photo above and in some of the photos below. The location used for this restaurant is now a catering business called "Michael D's," and the address is 23130 Ventura Boulevard, Woodland Hills. This is very close to the neighborhood where all the homes were filmed. Does anyone remember a Benny's drive in restaurant in Woodland Hills? I'm not sure if for the film the production created a fake sign and then just used the exterior of the building?

Benny's Drive In. 23130 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills

Michael D's, 23130 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills

Woodlake Lanes Bowling Alley

Turner & Hope inside of Woodlake Lanes Bowing Alley

Later in the film there is a scene of Hope and Turner at a bowling alley. I'm guessing this was the Woodlake Lanes bowling alley which is attached to the Michael D's catering business (Benny's in the film) at address 23130 Ventura Boulevard, Woodland Hills. If you look at the screenshot of the Benny's Drive In sign, in the background is a sign for a bowling alley, so even in the film, the restaurant and the bowling alley were right next to each other.

Woodlake Bowl/Michael D's, 23130 Ventura Blvd

At the end of the film, because of all the trouble he stirred up in Paradise Village, Hope needs to go to court. Below is the Los Angeles County Courthouse as seen in the film. The courthouse address is 111 N. Hill Street, Los Angeles, in downtown LA, but the below image is of the entrance located on Grand Avenue. The three mosaics above the entrance were designed by artist Albert Stewart in 1956. Stewart made his mark as an artist for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the 1930s.

Los Angeles County Courthouse, Grand Avenue Entrance

LA Courthouse, Grand Avenue Entrance

Agnes Moorehead in her cameo as Judge Peterson

Your thoughts?

Interview With Filmmaker Douglas Elford-Argent

The Brazen Bull

The new film, The Brazen Bull, starring Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill), is now available on DVD; so if you're in the mood for a creepy thriller you should pick up a copy. I recently had the chance to ask the director and writer Douglas Elford-Argent, who like me has a strong interest in the film history of Los Angeles, a few questions about his latest film. Here's how it went:

Like me, I know you have an interest in classic films, but before we talk about that why don't you tell us a little about your latest film The Brazen Bull. What's the movie about? 

Sure, The Brazen Bull is a Thriller set in an abandoned building where our lead character, played by Michael Madsen, feels he has been robbed from the economy and takes his revenge on three young kids.

How did the story come about?

 I wrote the first draft 6 months before production began (May 2009) we went through a few changes and I handed my draft over to two great writers, Thomas Bilyeu and Chris Van de Polder. They are responsible for the final script that's up on the screen. Gregg Luckman (EP) gave me total creative control on this movie, so I have a lot to thank him for, his trust for a young director was fantastic, he's a great Producer and hope to work with him again.

What was it like directing a star like Michael Madsen? 

Michael is an old school actor, he loves improv and respects any young director that will let him run free. What ended up on the screen was about 80% of the script, Michael added his Madsen touches and filled the gaps. He's a true listener and trusted my vision and direction.

Working with a veteran actor like Madsen, did you learn anything in regards to your directing? 

Yes a lot, he showed me how to think on my feet and to trust the actor you hired for the role, Michael likes to shoot a scene and then start to play with it, showing me what he can bring to the table.

Michael Madsen and Douglas Elford-Argent

Can you tell us a little about the rest of the cast? 

Yes, we have Rachel Hunter who plays a Detective and mother to our lead actress played by Jennifer Tisdale. My wife, Gwendolyn Garver, played a supporting role along with David Fletcher.

It seems like you could have set this story in a few different metropolises. You're from London originally, so why set this story in Los Angeles? 

Well I moved to LA about 7 years ago, I have shot many movies in London which I am very proud of, London is a great backdrop with it's historic buildings. I think people forget how much history Los Angeles has, there is so much to uncover in Hollywood. 

On this blog I often do posts on classic film locations. I think sometimes it's just as exciting seeing where films were made as seeing the movies. Can you tell us about some of the locations you filmed at? 

We found a 14 story office building (Van Nuys) that was abandoned during the 1994 Northridge earthquake, we had total access but there was no power on each floor which made my crew go a little mad. All of our sets were built inside this building on the 1st floor, we had 4 sets built in total, from a torture chamber to apartment buildings. For the exterior shots of each apartment building we visited Downtown LA, where there are many old buildings that have the 'New York' feel, we chose two great looking buildings on 7th and Olive.

Now let's turn to you. Why did you leave London for Los Angeles? 

I have loved LA ever since I was a young boy, I grew up watching Chaplin and Harold Lloyd movies and dreamed of making movies in their town. I ran the New York Film Academy in London and that's where I met my wife 'Wendy', we both decided that Hollywood was the place to start.

Douglas Elford-Argent at the camera.

Did you always have an interests in films? 

Yes right from when I turned 11 years old, back then I wanted to be a camera operator, but I have never wanted to do anything else but make movies.

What are some of your favorite movies? What films have really inspired you as a filmmaker? 

That's always a tough question, there are movie that inspire me as a director and I learn so much from their work, but there are movies that I simply wish I could have my name on them. I learn a lot from David Fincher (Seven, Zodiac) and Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X) both these directors showed me both camera and acting skills. I am a big fan of disaster movies so I envy Irwin Allen and his franchise. 

Who are some of your favorite classic actors/actresses/directors? 

Directors I love - Lee and Fincher, for actors I love Downey Jr and DiCaprio.

Getting back to The Brazen Bull, where can people go to see this movie? 

It's hard to book theaters for such a small movie, but our film is available everywhere on DVD, there is also a great behind the scenes featurette on the DVD too, or people can watch the film being made at http://www.youtube.com/lucksterproductions

Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. Any last comments? 

I hope I can continue to show Hollywood as a growing city and not a has been.

An Evening With Cass Warner

Robby and Cass Warner Sperling

Last week I had the privilege to attend "An Evening with Cass Warner Sperling" at Ramsey's At The Club in Burbank, California, where Cass discussed her book, "The Brothers Warner" and her documentary film of the same name. Both the book and the film tell the extraordinary story of the Warner Brothers, the men who went on to create the iconic company that bears their name. I have yet to finish reading the book, but I have seen the film, and what I enjoyed most about the documentary is that it focuses more on the men, rather than on the corporation that the men started. The business is just one of the characters in the story. 

Now, Cass is the granddaughter of Harry Warner, so she brings an insiders perspective to the history of the Warner Brothers. At the event, one of the most touching stories Cass had to share was about the last time she saw her grandpa Harry. When Cass was ten years old she went to visit her ill grandpa Harry at a Bel Air mansion where a nurse was taking care of him. The nurse lead Cass into the room where Harry was resting. Harry did not vocally respond when he learned that his granddaughter was in the room - he couldn't speak - but his eyes found Cass and they concentrated on her. Harry reached across the bed and grabbed his granddaughter's hand. Cass says that between the look in his eyes and the way Harry squeezed her hand, it was as if he was passing a message. 

Years later, Cass would interpret the message to mean that Harry wanted her to carry on and share Harry's ideals. Harry's and the Warner Brothers's motto was "to educate, entertain, and enlighten" and Cass is certainly following that motto with the projects she is involved with.

To learn more about "The Brothers Warner" book, film, and other projects that Cass Warner is involved with check out these links:

www.thebrotherswarner.com and www.warnersisters.com

Your thoughts?

"Waking Sleeping Beauty" - A Film Review

Waking Sleeping Beauty Ad

If you're a fan of Disney animation or just like to hear a good Hollywood comeback story, then you must go see the new documentary, Waking Sleeping Beauty. The film, directed by Disney producer Don Hahn (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) covers the tumultuous time period of 1984 to 1994, a time when Disney Feature Animation was at an all-time low and then went on to make some of the most successful animated features ever: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, etc.

The documentary, excellently narrated by Don Hahn and told through archival footage, is filled with so many gems. There is a lot of never before seen material, including interviews and behind the scenes footage of animation meetings, press events, and company parties that took place during that ten years. All the arguments, wisecracks, and drama have not been left out. But, what I found most entertaining though was the home video recordings of the animators at work/play - I'm not sure which? And what do I mean by that?

Well, for example, video cameras were never really allowed into the animation building at the Disney lot. But, in the early 1980s, when some of the animators thought they were going to be laid off in a week, they figured why not bring a camera to work and record what was going on at the studio. They figured, "what's the worse that could happen? Be fired?" And so, the animators, in their animation building, reennacted for the camera scenes from Apocalypse Now, to demonstrate the work environment - fake explosions and bodies flying, etc.

Other fun home video moments included interviews with the then very young Ron Clements and John Musker, before they would go on to make films like Little Mermaid and Aladdin, or shots of a pre-Pixar John Lassetter and a totally deadpan close-up on Tim Burton (still looking like an awkward teenager) at his drawing desk. Its footage like this that really makes you feel like a fly on the wall looking in on the world of these animators.

Waking Sleeping Beauty trailer

The documentary begins at a time when Disney animation was close to coming to an end. The remaining old animators, those animators who started in the days when Walt Disney was still around, were set in their ways and often at odds with the new young animators. There was no cohesion or leadership and this created conflicts resulting in poor films. The Disney magic had been lost and the company was making flop after flop. It looked like the Disney animators might be laid off and that the whole company could possibly fall apart.

Then Roy E. Disney, Walt's nephew and the son of Walt's business partner Roy O. Disney, fought a long battle to bring new leadership to the company. In short, this resulted in Michael Eisner, Frank Wells, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Peter Schneider joining the company at the top. This new leadership began to make some drastic changes at Disney, but everything was far from happy. There were many battles fought between the animators and the new executives at the company, and even amongst the executives themselves. Nonetheless, the infusion of these new leaders at Disney and the new generation of Disney animators was the perfect mix of talents that resulted in a "second golden age of Disney." 

Hahn's documentary provides an insiders look at all the drama that took place during this period in Disney history. It's sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but in the end an inspiring story. Any fan of Disney should try and see this great film if they can.

Currently, Waking Sleeping Beauty is only playing in a few cities: Burbank, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. Visit the official site here to get a full listing of theaters. However, at the screening I attended last night in Burbank, Don Hahn who was on hand to answer questions afterwards, mentioned that the film is performing well and will be moving on to other cities - so if the film isn't playing near you now be on the lookout. He mentioned screenings in Florida would be coming up next.

Don Hahn @ AMC Burbank 3/27/2010 - Photo by Zinnia Cress

Speaking of Don Hahn attending the screening in Burbank last night, he was fantastic about sticking around and answering many questions from the audience. He was informative, honest and very funny as well. One of my favorite moments was when someone from the audience asked Hahn if he had any response from Eisner, Katzenberg or any other key players in the film about the documentary - mainly if any of them disagreed with the way Hahn presents things in the film. Hahn responded by saying they wanted to be upfront with everyone in the beginning of making the film, that they "didn't want to stab anyone in the back, but wanted to stab them in the chest." Below is a video clip of that funny moment that my wife recorded. It was only recorded on a small photo camera so the picture quality isn't the best, but the audio turned out alright.

Don Hahn answering questions at Waking Sleeping Beauty screening 3/12/2010

After the screening Hahn was nice enough to stick around long enough to sign things and take pictures with people. Below is a photo of my wife and I with Hahn at the theater.

Robby, Don Hahn, Zinnia at AMC 16 Burbank, CA

You're thoughts?

Inside Daisy Clover - Film Locations

Inside Daisy Clover (1965)

You would think the film Inside Daisy Clover, with a cast starring Natalie Wood, Christopher Plummer, Robert Redford, Roddy McDowall, and Ruth Gordon would be a somewhat entertaining film. Quite the contrary. This film is terrible! I think what bothers me the most is watching Natalie Wood play a 15 year-old tomboy when she was already in her late twenties. It was really distracting as she doesn't look at all like a teenager. What makes it worse is that Wood's acting is so over exaggerated. Even if Wood's performance isn't considered, the story is weak and emotionless and I don't think any cast could have saved this picture.

Nevertheless, I think the film is worth watching to get some glimpses of the Warner Bros. studio lot as it appeared in the mid-1960s as well as the Santa Monica Pier. In this blog post I have captured some of scenes from both the studio and the pier to compare how the locations appear today.

Santa Monica Pier Merry Ground (Inside Daisy Clover)

Wood plays a teenager in the 1930s with dreams of being a star. At the beginning of the film Wood walks into the old Merry Go-Round building found at the front of the famous Santa Monica Pier to make a record of herself singing. She later sends the recording to the movie studios hoping she will be noticed. Above is a screenshot of the building as seen in the film and below is the same building as it appears today - and it still has the merry go-round!

Merry Go-Round Building, Santa Monica Pier (February 2010)

Santa Monica Pier as seen in Inside Daisy Clover

Above is another shot of the pier as it appears in the film. Below is the same building as it appears on the Santa Monica Pier today.

Building on Santa Monica Pier

Natalie Wood, Ruth Gordon Home

Above is a screenshot showing the trailer that Natalie Wood and Ruth Gordon (Wood's mother in the film) live in located on the pier. Below is a shot looking where the trailer stood in the film. If you look carefully you will notice a funny pointy roof building towards the back of both images.

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica Pier Bridge as seen in Inside Daisy Clover

Wood's character does get discovered by Raymond Swan (Christopher Plummer), the head of the fictional Swan Studios. He arranges to have Wood picked up from her home on the pier and brought to the studio.

Santa Montica Pier Bridge (February 2010)

Entrance to "Swan Studios"

Above is the entrance to Swan Studios which is really the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, California. I couldn't tell where this was on the lot immediately, but then I noticed the different rooftops and was able to match them up. If the film was accurate, Wood's chauffeur would be driving towards the exit of the studio, not entering the studio. The studio gate seen in the film is completely fake.

Warner Bros. lot (February 2010)

Roddy McDowall meets Natalie Wood

Above Roddy McDowall, one of the studio execs, meets with Wood at the Swan Studio lot. In the background we can see what is the main executive building on the Warner Bros. lot.

Warner Bros. Executive Building

Passing WB Soundstage 16

Roddy McDowall leads Natalie Wood pass soundstage 16, the largest soundstage on the Warner Bros. studio lot.  Below is the same alleyway as it appears today.

Alleyway next to WB Soundstage 16

Entrance to WB Stage 16

Above McDowall and Wood enter soundstage 16. The building to the right is the Mill where they create many of the sets and the set pieces.

WB Soundstage 16 Entrance (February 2010)

Warner Bros. Lot as seen in Inside Daisy Clover

Above is a screenshot showing some of the soundstages on the Warner Bros. lot and below are the same buildings as they appear today. The soundstage where the people are standing in both images is currently being used for the television show Chuck.

Warner Bros. Studio Lot

So, although the film is terrible for entertainment value I still recommend watching this film if you're interested in seeing the Warner Bros. lot and the Santa Monica Pier as they appeared in the 1960s. As you can see from the images, these locations have changed, but not as dramatically as one might think.

You're thoughts?