By Jon K.

 

Emmy-winning entertainer Lucie Arnaz and showbiz historian Jim Cook hosted “Hollywood Meets the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre: A Multimedia Journey” at the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs on Feb. 20. The event explored the connection between the golden age of Hollywood and Palm Springs, highlighting the Plaza Theatre’s role in shaping the iconic celebrity getaway. 

 

Nellie Coffman, known as “The Mother of Palm Springs,” helped make the area a visitor destination when she opened the Desert Inn in 1909. The sanatorium for tubercular patients soon grew into a famed resort. Hollywood celebrities took notice and, by the 1920s and 1930s, Palm Springs earned the moniker of “desert playground” — an escape for stars like Rudolph Valentino and Clara Bow, and later Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore. 

 

Hollywood officially came to the desert with the construction of the 700-seat Spanish Colonial style Plaza Theater in 1936. “Camille” starring Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor had its gala premiere there on Dec. 12, 1936, with many celebrities in attendance. Besides premiers, many classic radio shows were broadcast from the Plaza including those of Jack Benny and Bob Hope. The Theatre remained active for many years but ultimately closed in 2014. Efforts to bring the venue back culminated in a $34 million restoration completed last year and the theater reopening in December. 

A new book, “Desert Dream to Silver Screen: The Story of the Historic Palm Springs Plaza Theatre” by Cook and Catherine Graham, documents the history of the theater. The photo-filled tome covers star-studded film premieres, radio days, plus the 23 seasons of “The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies,” a Ziegfeld-style dance and music production. For more information, visit
https://www.palmspringsplazatheatre.com/events.