It was déjà vu all over again. The Hollywood-style glamour of the 1936 premiere of Camille returned on opening night of the inaugural Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). Searchlights streaked across the Coachella Valley sky as a mariachi band performed in The Plaza Theatre courtyard, and a red carpet stretched from the curb to the lobby. A packed house erupted with enthusiasm as Mayor Sonny Bono welcomed everyone to the festival’s first night on Jan. 10, 1990.
The Hidden Modernism of La Quinta Country Club
The desert will harbor one less secret when Modernism Week 2026 sweeps in next month: La Quinta Country Club will finally unlock its long-impenetrable gates for public tours of six private residences. Until now, only flashes of the architectural gems inside Golf...
In March 1975, approximately 2,000 people from California to Canada descended upon Palm Springs to celebrate their recreation of choice — square dancing. Local resident and 20-year veteran square-dance caller Osa Mathews was on hand to command the couples to do-si-do...
Desert Dreamers 16: The Comedians
The Coachella Valley has always had a soft spot for the funny ones. Perhaps it’s the heat, or the ease, or the way the desert magnifies both glamour and absurdity. For nearly a century, comedians have come here to rest between gigs, to rethink who they were becoming,...
The following story was excerpted from Desert Dream to Silver Screen: The Story of the Historic Palm Springs Plaza Theatre by Catherine Graham and Jim Cook. To order your copy, click here. Dec. 12, 1936. Searchlights swept across the sky two hours before the Hollywood...
On the March 1964 cover of GQ, a dashing gray-haired Cary Grant sits atop a horse in denim and a red work shirt. The headline reads, “GQ Visits CG in Palm Springs.” At the time, Grant owned a home in the Movie Colony neighborhood of Palm Springs and spent much of his...
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The following story was excerpted from Desert Dream to Silver Screen: The Story of the Historic Palm Springs Plaza Theatre by Catherine Graham and Jim Cook. To order your copy, click here. As America entered World War II, Palm Springs transformed from a sun-kissed...
Palm Springs Air Museum Backs Search for Amelia Earhart
Deep in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, the rainforest swallows history whole. Rusted fuselages and twisted propellers hide beneath vines so dense that even a B-17 bomber can disappear in the tangle. “You can’t believe how overgrown it is until you’re there,” says...
At Casa Cody, the only sight brighter than the pink bougainvillea spilling over the walls is the vivid orange horseshoe hanging in every room. “We think of those as our good luck charms,” says Sana Keefer, head of brand for Casetta Hotels, which runs Casa Cody, the...
Sundays with McQueen Above: Actor Steve McQueen and his first wife, actress Neile Adams, explore the open desert near Palm Springs on a windswept afternoon in May 1963.Peter Stackpole/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock Peter Stackpole/The LIFE Picture...
The following story was excerpted from Desert Dream to Silver Screen: The Story of the Historic Palm Springs Plaza Theatre by Catherine Graham and Jim Cook. To order your copy, click here. Less than a month after its opening night, Earle Strebe temporarily shuttered...
The History and Comeback of Palm Springs’ Plaza Theatre
“The Last Hurrah!” It was a fitting title for the finale season of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. A blur of feathers and sequins and silver hair, the vaudeville-style musical revue at The Plaza Theatre featured 55-and-older performers — many of whom had enjoyed...
Borrego Desert Treasure Map: The Cipher Behind the Legend of Lost Gold
Editor’s note: Find the original hand-drawn treasure map and cipher, as published in Palm Springs Villager, at the end of this article. Somewhere in the scorched canyons between the Santa Rosa Mountains and the Salton Sea, a secret lies hidden — sketched on a...
Of Palms and Prospectors: The Fascinating History of Corn Springs
The 7.1-mile dirt road to Corn Springs was in fine condition in mid-January, just days after heavy rains coincided with President Biden’s designation of the surrounding Chuckwalla Mountain range as a national monument. My partner, Edgar, and I were relieved as we...
Desert Dreamers 15: The Wellness Gurus
In a certain film from the 1940s, Capt. Renault, played by Claude Rains, asks Rick, played by Humphrey Bogart, “What in heaven’s name brought you to Casablanca?” Rick responds, “My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.” “The waters?” Renault asks. “What waters?...
The mile-high town of Idyllwild provides an escape from the desert’s vernal swelter. Hike its scenic mountain trails. Browse the funky shops. Dine alfresco under the pines. And if you’re staying a while, take a tip from Gail Sutherland, who owns The Rustic Theatre...
Founded in 1940, Two Bunch Palms in Desert Hot Springs ranks among the world’s oldest wellness resorts. If “wellness resort” means a dedicated retreat for healing and restoration, though, Two Bunch Palms is older than that — way older. The local Cahuilla tribe began...
Even if you’re unfamiliar with the Palm Springs Woman’s Club, its pink clubhouse on South Cahuilla Road has likely caught your eye. Designed in 1939 by architect John Porter Clark — a trailblazer of Desert Modernism who collaborated with Albert Frey on the city’s...
Desert Dreamers 14: The Designers
For every midcentury modern architectural gem built in the desert, there once existed an equally distinctive interior. Designers matched the modern structures of the time armed with an arsenal of bright colors, an array of contemporary furnishings and materials, and...
1940s Tennis Star Eleanor Cushingham’s History in Palm Springs
In March 1947, Life magazine sent Peter Stackpole, one of its top photographers, to Palm Springs. His assignment: capture the Little Tuscany home of Raymond Loewy, a champion of industrial design whose achievements ranged from the streamlined Coca-Cola bottle and...
