Remember Jack Lemmon’s little white bungalow in the early ’90s comedy Grumpy Old Men?
They filmed the exteriors in a St. Paul, Minnesota, neighborhood, and the house recently went on the market for $195,000.
The 2-bedroom, 1-bath bungalow was built in 1914 and has about 1,400 square feet.
Let’s take a look back at how it looked in the movie!
The Bungalow from “Grumpy Old Men”
This is how it looked in the movie, when Jack Lemmon’s character John Gustafson lived in it (above).
The interiors were sets at Paisley Park Studios in Minnesota, but they sure looked real.
They gave it lots of dark old woodwork for a Craftsman bungalow look inside.
In case you haven’t seen Grumpy Old Men, here’s the movie’s description:
John and Max are elderly men living next door to each other. They’re continuously arguing and insulting each other, and have been this way for over 50 years. One day, Ariel, moves into the street. Both men are attracted to her, and their rivalry steps up a gear.
Ann-Margret played Ariel, who moves in across the street from John (Lemmon) and Max (Walter Matthau).
Love the old fireplace with built-ins on either side:
The production designer was David Chapman, who also worked on Steel Magnolias.
That house was on the market recently and you can see the photos of how it looks today here.
Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were friends in real life, and this movie was the 6th time they appeared together in a film.
After filming the movie during a cold Minnesota winter, Matthau was hospitalized with double pneumonia.
There was a sequel in 1995, Grumpier Old Men, that was also filmed in this neighborhood.
2019 Update:
Ariel’s House from Grumpy Old Men is on the market for $249,900
The listing for Ann-Margret’s house says:
Historic and iconic Phalen Heights century home used in the filming of Grumpy and Grumpier Old Men. This Hilltop Colonial sits above the rest of the neighborhood on a 1/3 acre corner lot with views of Lake Phalen. Old world charm, close to 1500 finished square feet and 3 bedrooms on one level are just a few of this home’s incredible features.
For photos and information about Jack Lemmon’s house from “Grumpy Old Men”
check the listing and a post about it on I Am Not a Stalker.
Photo credit: Nina Nelson of In View Fotos.
Visit my Houses Onscreen page to see other movies I’ve featured, listed A-Z.
I love bungalows. We lived in one when we were first married, brings back memories. Thanks for the tour Julia.
It’s such a great bungalow! I would like to live in this lovely place! In my country bungalows aren’t popular… :/
This house is full of charming details. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!!!
Wishing a very blessed week!
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
Wow. Such a great house! I know somebody is going to complain about the white trim, but it looks good here. I can’t believe they built a set for the inside….so much work and cost involved in that! I loved this movie, Ann Margaret is the best. 😉
Great house, but the interiors look a bit too updated and “sleek” for my tastes. Part of the appeal of those older homes is that they have their own unique flair.
Such a great house nothing I don;t like about it
makes me want to watch the movie again thank you
Love this house! The porch is fantastic and the kitchen is so cute.
The real interior of this house (before the woodwork was painted) probably looked a fair bit like the studio version, which makes me wonder why they didn’t just use the real interior. This building of studio interiors seems very common in Hollywood. I suppose the real interiors aren’t large enough to accommodate the crew, cameras etc.
This was on the news in Minnesota when it went on the market. I love the interior and if it had a second bath, it would be perfect. My friends and I were joking that we should go in together and buy it as a shared second home. It’s a great neighborhood.
What a nice bungalow. I love it except for I wish the staircase looked like the one from the movie. That’s ok, this house is charming and I like the interior better than the sets.
What a lovely house. I’m still in shock from falling in love with that sunporch. Love. Sappy, old fashioned love.
Lovely house 🙂
I love that movie and love that house! It’s so funny, though, to see it here with a different interior. Thanks for posting this. I also enjoyed see the Steel Magnolias house. Another movie and house I love. Btw, thanks for having “how to” info on getting screen shots from movies in your FAQs. That helped me add a new item to my website- Antiques On Film. I had a lot of fun with the first one. Take care – Dawn @ We Call It Junkin
I can never get enough of old craftsman homes like this. I think the reason I loved the movie so much besides all the great actors that were in it was the craftsman style homes in the film. My bet is that home will have multiple offers and be snapped up in a minute.
Great post.
I love the fireplace wall in John’s house too–the movie version.I love old craftsman homes like this too and can never get enough of them, although I tend to lean towards being more of a purist when it comes to whether or not to paint the woodwork. On the other hand I can also understand wanting to paint the woodwork white too, especially if one lives where the weather tends to be gloomy.
As for the inside of the home (the listing) I don’t tend to be drawn to gray and am feeling a bit over-dosed seeing so much of it these days. I know that it’s still currently all the rage, but I just can’t seem to hop on board, although I don’t mind gray/green. What I do love is the old stove in the kitchen and the living room window and the paint color in the bedroom. These homes are always so full of charm.