A Visit to Palm Springs: Homes of Classic Stars

Palm Springs was "colonized" by stars of the classic film era, who enjoyed vacation homes in the area, along with sports like golf and polo.

On past visits we've driven past Frank Sinatra's former home, Twin Palms, along with the former homes of Eleanor Parker, Loretta Young, William Powell and Cary Grant.

Palm Springs history is often commemorated at these homes with historic markers mentioning the past owner and/or architect. The Sinatra, Powell, and Grant homes all have such plaques, which can be seen at the above links; the Powell marker, photographed by me in 2022, is seen above.

On our recent trip to Palm Springs for the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival we drove past a few more former celebrity homes.

Alan Ladd had a longtime home in Palm Springs; like the homes mentioned above, it has a plaque on the front wall. Those interested can currently take a peek at the home's interior and the beautiful pool area online, as it's available as a vacation rental.

Jack Benny lived here from 1964 to 1970. The house was originally built in 1952 by May Company heiress Anita May.

The home below was sold to Elvis Presley in 1970. It's said to be the only home he owned at the time of his passing, other than Graceland.

Hedy Lamarr once leased the home behind this gate.

Bob Hope lived here...

...as noted on a marker to the right of the front gate.

What's rather amazing is that Hope lived just down the street from both his "Road" movie costars, Dorothy Lamour, who lived here...

...and Bing Crosby.

I don't have a photo of the Crosby home, but there's a fun story as to why. We were driving slowly down the street looking at the homes when a caretaker in front of the Crosby home waved us over and asked if we'd like to have a peek inside. (He later said we "hadn't looked crazy" and were clearly interested so he'd made his spontaneous offer!) The one stipulation was we couldn't take photos, other than a personal photo he took of us in front of the house. However, like the Alan Ladd home, the former Crosby Estate is for rent when not in use by the owner, and there are plenty of photos at the rental site!

The home below, which appears to be undergoing major remodeling, was the home of Peter and Patricia Kennedy Lawford. JFK is said to have visited.

This desert beauty was once the home of Cyd Charisse and Tony Martin.

A closer look:

Sammy Davis Jr. lived here:

The house behind this gate once belonged to Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. It was later owned by Kirk Douglas's son Joel. Photos of the interior and the pool are online.

Kirk Douglas, incidentally, is one of many celebrities who had a street in the area named for him; others are Gene Autry, Dinah Shore, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and Charles Farrell. Below is a photo of the sign for Gene Autry Trail:

Locations for the homes mentioned above, along with many others, can often be found online. I also recommend this useful map which is for sale at the Palm Springs Visitor Center.  The Visitor Center is located in the architecturally significant former Tramway Gas Station building which is located on the road to the Aerial Tramway.  We enjoyed riding the tram a half-dozen years ago.

For more on the unique history of Palm Springs, I recommend the books PALM SPRINGS HOLIDAY and PALM SPRINGS PARADISE, both by Peter Moruzzi.  

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