Bachelor In Paradise (1961)
A. J. Niles is the author of a series of 'Bachelor Books'. These books describe the romantic life of a bachelor in various cities of the world. But when he runs into trouble with the I.R.S. for back taxes, he needs to write another book fast, to pay them. His publisher decides a book about life in the American suburbs would be a hit, and settles him into Paradise Cove. One bachelor plus lonely housewives equals many angry husbands.
He's the world's greatest authority on love... and she has a few ideas of her own!
[after entering his house in Paradise]
Adam J. Niles: Oh, it's very charming. What do you call this style... early Disneyland?
Adam J. Niles: [hears a schoolbus screech] Sounds like one of the kids is driving.
Adam J. Niles: Americans are so accustomed to being told everything, that even at a ballgames, they bring their radios so the announcer can explain what their seeing.
Dolores Jynson: A woman gets that lonely feeling. She wants somebody to admire her and tell her how pretty she looks and things like that. Why don't you come over here where we can talk?
Adam J. Niles: You don't have any of the natural female instinct to deprive a bachelor of his freedom.
Rosemary Howard: No woman really wants to make love platonically, just for fun.
Rosemary Howard: But most women in Paradise have husbands and children.
Adam J. Niles: A lot of families get started that way.
22931 Brenford St., Woodland Hills, California, USA
(house Adam rents)
Stanley Mosk Courthouse - 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, California, USA
(as Los Angeles County Courthouse)
Orly Airport, Orly, Val-de-Marne, France
(Niles flies out of Paris on a TWA Boeing 707)
23130 Ventura Boulevard, Woodland Hills, California, USA
(Benny's Drive-In and bowling alley)
14620 Parthenia Street, Panorama City, California, USA
(grocery store)
The house Niles rents, as of 2021, still stands. It was built in 1959, has 2,083 sq. ft, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths on a quarter-acre lot and in 2021 was valued at over $1,000,000.
Bob Hope's first film for MGM.
Rosemary's angry-looking car is a 1961 Plymouth Fury convertible. It has a push-button transmission selector on the dashboard to the left of the rare factory-optional D-shaped "Aero" steering wheel.
One of five movies in the early-1960s that featured both Jim Hutton and Paula Prentiss. The five movies were Where the Boys Are (1960), Bachelor in Paradise (1961), The Honeymoon Machine (1961), The Horizontal Lieutenant (1962), and Looking for Love (1964). They were a romantic couple in all except "Looking For Love." MGM billed them as the "next" William Powell and Myrna Loy.
This film was unsuccessful at the box office, resulting in a loss to MGM of $344,000 ($2.85M in 2017) according to studio records.
Revealing mistakes
When Larry Delavane arrives home drunk as Adam Niles is babysitting his kids, the headlights on his car are covered with paper to prevent reflections from the camera lights.
After Niles tells Rosemary he will sleep on the couch, she shuts off the lights and goes back to bed. Then, when she sits up, another light inexplicably and very noticeably comes on to more fully illuminate her.
When A.J.'s publisher calls him, he claims it's 12 noon eastern time in the U.S. If this were accurate, then it would be 6:00 p.m. French Riviera time, and therefore, A.J.'s balcony would be bathed in golden light, not early morning sunshine sunshine.