What house of the future would be complete without a state-of-the-art entertainment center? The 1948 Kettle house, from the Universal feature-film The Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle, was filled with gadgets. The entertainment center featured a built-in record player; hi-fi and big screen TV, all going to work at the push of a button (for those younger readers, a record player is an old-fashioned CD player, and a hi-fi is a radio). The components were hidden behind sliding panels when not in use.
These weren’t the only futuristic improvements in this model home. There was a master control panel near the front door that controlled just about everything in the house. According to the film:
“All of the lights, as well as many other features in the house, are worked by electronics. The slightest pressure on this switch, and the lights go on… and off again.”
What will they think of next? Pa had a silent-butler (ashtray that empties automatically) right in the arm of his armchair; only this one used a vacuum to clear away Pa’s mess. There was even an electric-eye door leading into the kitchen.
This SketchUp model is still in progress. I’ve added a few random props onto the entertainment center, just to add some life to it. But I need to research, and add props that match the film, along with all of the other household furnishings.
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