It’s no secret that I love all things retro, especially mid-century modern style. From tiki bars to rare record albums to the Rat Pack, I can’t get enough of 1950s and 1960s culture. As such, one of my favorite past times is to fully immerse myself in the movies of the era. One that has always stood out for me is Bachelor in Paradise starring Bob Hope and Lana Turner. Admittedly, I’ve only seen the movie twice (and both times happened to be late night reruns on Turner Classic Movies), but I couldn’t get enough of the film and am waiting patiently for a digital release. The plot was fairly predictable, especially if you’re familiar with other Bob Hope flicks, but each time I’ve watched the movie, I marvel at the detailed architecture and exquisite period design that sets the tone for the story. In fact, I was so intrigued by the way the location and architecture weaved it’s way throughout the movie that I felt compelled to do more research about the movie’s set design.

After looking around the internets for a while, I stumbled across a great site that not only had more information about the set design, but also the architect behind the movie’s incredible style. Bob Hope’s “bachelor pad” was designed and built by legendary architect Edward H. Fickett. Edward Fickett was one of California’s more popular mid-century modern architects of the time. Although the only photos of the home I could find were in promotional posters (seen in this post), Edward Fickett was “a proponent of pre-fabricated design and affordable housing”. Edward Fickett is perhaps best known for the more than 60,000 homes of his design, known as “Fickett Houses.”

I’m still waiting for Bachelor in Paradise to be released on DVD, but in the meantime, check out this Flickr set for more great homes designed by this truly visionary architect.