Sleeper

Imagine a time when scientists have discovered that deep-fried fatty foods and tobacco are good for you. That's what you'll find in Woody Allen's vision of the future in Sleeper. Set in 2174, the populace has been brainwashed and turned into shallow, passive, self-absorbed sheep by a wheelchair-bound dictator and his dog. Their only hope is Allen's character, Miles Monroe, who is defrosted by the underground after 200 years of cryogenic sleep.

When it was first constructed in Colorado in 1969 by Charles Deaton, the house was considered an eyesore by some of its neighbors, but now it's a landmark. It's been called a lot of things over the years — the sculptured house, the Jetson house, the spaceship house, the clam-shaped house and even the mushroom house. Call it what you will, the home defined the look of the movie and became an inspiration for Allen's comedic genius even though it wasn't his first choice. He originally wanted to film in Brazilia, the futuristic capital of Brazil, but the producers told him that with a $2 million budget and a five-week shooting schedule, Colorado was about as far as they could go away from Hollywood. Allen drove up Interstate 70 and thought the unusual structure would be perfect for one of the movie's scientist's house.

The living room furniture, which was also designed by the home's architect, Charles Deaton, is just as futuristic as the exterior.

The arched front door fits neatly into a small cutout when it's open.

Unfortunately, Deaton had run out of money so the building sat empty for a long time and the unfinished interior of the five-story work in progress forced the majority of the film to be shot in Hollywood. When Allen began production in Colorado in the spring of 1973, all but one scene was being filmed outside, and shooting in the unpredictable Rocky Mountains put the neurotic native New Yorker to the test. There was a blizzard and the low temperatures slowed the melting (and movie-making) process, plus a plague of ticks blew into filming time. In spite of all the setbacks, the house wound up with a starring role in Sleeper.

It would be years after Woody Allen finished filming before the home's interior would finally be completed using Deaton's detailed plans. The Sleeper house remains one of the most recognizable homes in the country and there's little doubt that both the film and its futuristic location will continue to stand the test of time.