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.
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As America entered World War II, Palm Springs transformed from a sun-kissed desert resort into a regional military hub. The Army Corps of Engineers built an airport for the 21st Ferrying Group, which included Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). Gen. George Patton brought his troops to Camp Young, a desert training center located 25 miles east of Indio.
The Army purchased El Mirador Hotel and converted it into Torney General Hospital for injured troops from the Pacific. Joseph Schenk, president of United Artists, opened the pool house at his Palm Springs estate as an ad hoc USO center, granting access to amenities such as swimming pools and billiards tables. …
In this wartime atmosphere, The Plaza Theatre emerged as a radio broadcasting center, hosting some of America’s biggest stars in shows that reached audiences coast to coast. What began as morale-boosting entertainment for stationed servicemen and women evolved into a sophisticated broadcasting operation that helped establish Palm Springs as a media destination and eventually led to the city’s first radio station. …
Frank Sinatra performs at the Palm Springs Police Show, an annual charity event that also benefited the Palm Springs Boys’ Club.
No one better embodied The Plaza Theatre’s radio evolution than Frank Sinatra. In 1944, a young Sinatra captivated audiences during his first of two live appearances at The Plaza Theatre. Due to his punctured eardrum, the Army considered him ineligible for military service. However, he leveraged his immense popularity to support and promote the war effort through entertainment.
In September 1944, Ol’ Blue Eyes brought his weekly radio show, Frank Sinatra in Person, sponsored by Vimms, “the best-known name in vitamins.” Although announced as broadcasting from the 21st Ferrying Group at Palm Springs Army Base, Sinatra was actually inside The Plaza Theatre alongside his guest, Joan Blondell …
Perhaps the most significant moment in The Plaza Theatre’s radio history came after the war’s end. In February 1946, at the pinnacle of Sinatra’s fame, he returned to Palm Springs and The Plaza Theatre for the inauguration of the city’s first radio station. Until that point, listeners in Palm Springs had often encountered static when trying to tune in to live broadcasts from Jack Benny or Bob Hope originating from Palm Canyon Drive. Listeners in New York City and Des Moines could hear broadcasts from The Plaza Theatre more clearly than someone in the Las Palmas neighborhood, as Palm Springs struggled to receive decent AM radio signals due to the towering San Jacinto Mountains.
Feb. 11, 1946, was the day Palm Springs achieved static-free radio when KCMJ, 1340 on your radio dial, signed on the air. By then, Sinatra’s popularity had surged, and he finally had a major sponsor, Old Gold cigarettes. A Hooper ratings survey revealed he had “the largest number of women listeners” among all network broadcasts. On Wednesday, Feb. 20, 1946, the Sultan of Swoon kicked off The Frank Sinatra Show with his theme song “Night and Day.” His regular crew joined him: announcer Marvin Miller, vocal group The Pied Pipers, and bandleader Axel Stordahl and his orchestra. The broadcast aired live on the national CBS radio network from The Plaza Theatre stage, welcoming KCMJ as Palm Springs’ first local radio facility. Jack Benny made a special appearance, and the evening’s musical guest was Louisiana Gov. Jimmie Davis, famous for writing “You Are My Sunshine.” Their duet received sustained applause, and the show also served as a fundraiser for the Veteran’s War Memorial Fund, aimed at building recreational facilities for soldiers after the war.
Troops training at the Palm Springs Ferrying Command base in April 1942.
The Plaza Theatre’s role as a radio broadcasting center during and after World War II established patterns that would shape Palm Springs’ media landscape for decades. The venue demonstrated that sophisticated entertainment could originate from the desert, paving the way for Palm Springs to become a legitimate broadcasting center. The success of KCMJ proved that the city could support its own radio station, overcoming geographic and demographic challenges that had once seemed insurmountable. The heady combination of star power, patriotic fundraising, and technical innovation that characterized The Plaza Theatre’s radio years created a template for how Palm Springs positioned itself in the entertainment industry.
Sinatra’s connection to Palm Springs through his broadcasts at The Plaza Theatre eventually led him to decide to make the desert city his permanent home. In May 1947, flush with cash from his radio and recording successes, he envisioned a Georgian-style mansion similar to those in New Jersey, designed and built in less than eight months to celebrate Christmas with his family in their new Palm Springs home.
