Bachelor in Paradise is a lovely film, thanks in large part to the choice of filming location. For those who enjoy retro-vintage design, it is a true feast for the eyes.
If you’re a fan of Janis, Lana, Paula, or Virginia, the interiors of the locations, as well as the exteriors of the movie, almost serve as a sufficient look away from Bob’s wonderful co-stars.
You will be delighted with this movie if you are a fan of seeing these classic companies, cars, and clothes from the 1960s. It has a lively 1950s-era store, and it also has a bowling alley, drive-in restaurants, and oh-so-retro tiki bars.
In the 1961 film Bachelor in Paradise, Bob Hope portrayed an author conducting research for a book on suburban American romance. It’s an everyday Bob Hope film that has a lot of jokes and casual observations. As his love interest, Lana Turner also appears in the film.
Bachelor in Paradise Plot
The film stars Bob Hope playing AJ Niles, a well-known author known for his works about the sex life, diet, and way of life of the Europeans. He travels the entire continent conducting research, and his publications have brought in more than a million dollars.
After a 14-year hiatus, he returns to the United States only to learn that his company manager has fled to Mexico, leaving him to deal with the IRS’s relentless pursuit of him with more than $600,000 in unpaid tax liabilities. His publisher advises him to create another book, this one about Americans, to assist in paying off this debt.
Niles unwillingly takes up residence in a usually planned community in the San Fernando Valley of California to study men, women, and their way of life for his most recent exposé, “How the Americans Live.”
Hope, the one and only bachelor in Paradise Village, quickly gains the love of the neighborhood’s bored women but loses love with the husbands.
The movie gives us performances from Lana Turner, Agnes Moorehead, Don Porter, Janis Paige, Jim Hutton, and Paula Prentiss.
Bachelor in Paradise Filming Location
Bachelor in Paradise was filmed around the area of San Fernando. Paradise Village is a fictitious community, and all of the fake street signs depicted in the film cannot be used to locate the locations in question.
The address of Hope’s home is 22931 Brentford Street in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.
There aren’t many trees, and those that are there are all very little. Currently, the neighborhood is covered in enormous, mature trees and plants. The homes and mountain views that were seen in the movie are impossible to see.
Hope stops by a suburban grocery store in the movie. The grocery in question was the Hughes Market, which could be found in the LA neighborhood of Panorama City at 14620 Parthenia Street.
The supermarket has undergone renovations and is now known as “El Super,” a Hispanic grocery shop. The market is located at 8231 Woodman Avenue near Panorama City, according to IMDB, although I don’t believe that is the right address.
The Neighborhood Locations
Although there is a food store there, I don’t believe it is the one seen in the movie. However, it’s interesting to note that the market near 8231 is now a Filipino supermarket, making both markets in this formerly “whitebread” neighborhood into two quite distinct ethnic supermarkets.
Hope visits the “Benny’s” drive-in diner in one of the movie’s scenes. This restaurant was formerly located at 23130 Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills, which is now home to “Michael D’s,” a catering company. The area where all the residences were filmed is not far from here.
Does anyone have any memories of the Woodland Hills eatery Benny’s drive-in? I don’t know if the movie’s production team simply used the building’s exterior instead of making a fake sign for the movie.
Later in the movie, Hope and Turner are seen in a bowling alley. This bowling alley was probably the Woodlake Lanes in Woodland Hills, which is a part of Michael D’s catering establishment.
A bowling alley sign can be seen in the backdrop of the image of Benny’s Drive-In, indicating that even in the movie, the diner and the alley were next to one another.
Hope has to appear in court at the last moment of the movie as a result of all the trouble he caused in Paradise Village. The courthouse is located in downtown Los Angeles at 111 N. Hill Street.
Also Read: One Piece Filming Locations: Where is the Netflix Live-Action Filmed?
