Plaza Theatre (Palm Springs)

Last updated

The historic Plaza Theatre, 1951 Plaza-Theatre-1951.jpg
The historic Plaza Theatre, 1951

The Plaza Theatre is a historic theater located at 128 South Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, California. It is an anchor of La Plaza (a.k.a. Palm Springs Plaza), a streetside collection of shops, one of the first planned shopping centers in Southern California, opened in 1936. From 1990 through 2014 [1] the theatre housed The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies which was featured on ABC's 20/20 , The Today Show , the New York Times , NPR [2] and other media since its founding. [3] There is currently a fundraising campaign to raise money to restore the historic building to its former glory and make it a theater that meets theatrical needs for today and tomorrow. [4]

Contents

History

Earle Strebe, sold the very first ticket to Annette Freeman Earle-Strebe-sells-1st-ticket-at-Plaza-Theatre-to-Annette-1936.jpg
Earle Strebe, sold the very first ticket to Annette Freeman

It was December 12, 1936 that the historic Plaza Theatre opened with the Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor premiere Camille. The theatre's owner at the time, Earle C. Strebe, [5] sold the very first ticket to Annette Freeman. [6]

The Plaza Theatre became a venue for a number of world premieres, including the musicals My Fair Lady and Music Man. The Plaza was a popular theater during the 1940s for famous stars to do their broadcasting. Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and Amos 'n' Andy all did radio shows from the Plaza, bringing national attention to Palm Springs.

— Greg Niemann [7] : 139 

In the early days of Palm Springs began the "Desert Circus" for which an annual show was staged by Melba Bennett called the "Village Insanities". Originally performed on the grounds of the Desert Inn, the "Insanities" would later perform at the Plaza Theatre under the name of the Village Vanities during the 1940s. [8]

The Plaza Theatre remained active for many years, finally becoming dormant in 1989. [7] It was at this time that television producer Riff Markowitz (The Hitchhiker), [9] decided to renovate the cinema and create a "Broadway-caliber celebration of the music, dance, and comedy of the 30s, 40s, and 50s with a cast old enough to have lived it!". [10]

Follies era

The theater seen in 2012 Plaza Theatre (Palm Springs).jpg
The theater seen in 2012

The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies ran late October through May from 1990 to 2014. The Managing Director and MC of the show, Riff Markowitz, is known for his cult classic television series The Hilarious House of Frightenstein and the HBO TV series The Hitchhiker. Among the theatre's stars were Dorothy Kloss, "the World's Oldest Showgirl", [11] Leonard Crofoot, often remembered for his roles on Star Trek The Next Generation and Star Trek Voyager, and Markowitz himself. [9]

The Plaza Theatre was the subject of a documentary, through the Follies, entitled Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies , directed by Mel Damski, which was nominated for an Oscar in 1998. [12]

The Follies held their last show in May 2014.

Restoration project

Plans have been in the works to restore and reopen the Plaza Theater for several years. An official campaign, Save The Plaza Theatre, was launched in 2019, [13] but was paused during the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In October 2021, former Frasier producer David Lee announced a $5 million donation to the fund drive. [14] An anonymous donor also contributed an additional $2 million to the project. [4]

The Plaza Theatre is owned by the City of Palm Springs and the restoration project is managed by the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization headed by JR Roberts. Restoration of the iconic building is set to begin in the summer of 2023. [15] [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indio, California</span> City in California, United States

Indio is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies 23 miles (37 km) east of Palm Springs, 75 miles (121 km) east of Riverside, 127 miles (204 km) east of Los Angeles, 148 miles (238 km) northeast of San Diego, 250 miles (400 km) west of Phoenix, and 102 miles north of Mexicali, Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancho Mirage, California</span> City in California, United States

Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 16,999 at the 2020 census, down from 17,218 at the 2010 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and located between Cathedral City and Palm Desert, it is one of the nine cities of the Coachella Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm Springs Aerial Tramway</span> Aerial Tramway

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs, California, is the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world. It was opened in September 1963 as a way of getting from the floor of the Coachella Valley to near the top of San Jacinto Peak and was constructed in rugged Chino Canyon. Before its construction, the only way to the top of the mountain was to hike hours from Idyllwild. The rotating cars were added in 2000.

Emerson Stewart Williams, FAIA was a prolific Palm Springs, California-based architect whose distinctive modernist buildings, in the Mid-century modern style, significantly shaped the Coachella Valley's architectural landscape and legacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium</span> Botanical garden in Palm Springs, California, US

The Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium is a 1 acre (0.40 ha) family-owned botanical garden in Palm Springs, California, specializing in cacti and other desert plants. The gardens lie within Riverside County's Coachella Valley, part of the Colorado Desert ecosystem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shields Date Gardens</span>

Shields Date Garden is a historic date palm orchard and tourist attraction in Indio, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm Springs Art Museum</span> American art museum on California

The Palm Springs Art Museum is a visual and performing arts institution with several locations in the Coachella Valley, in Riverside County, California, United States, founded in 1938. PSAM has been focused on design and contemporary art since 2004. PSAM houses an art museum and an Architecture and Design Center in Palm Springs, California, along with the Faye Sarkowsky Sculpture Garden at a satellite location in Palm Desert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm Springs Walk of Stars</span> Sidewalk stars honoring Palm Springs area personalities

The Palm Springs Walk of Stars is a walk of fame in downtown Palm Springs, California, where "Golden Palm Stars", honoring various people who have lived in the greater Palm Springs area, are embedded in the sidewalk pavement. The walk includes portions of Palm Canyon Drive, Tahquitz Canyon Way, La Plaza Court and Museum Drive. Among those honored are presidents of the United States, showbusiness personalities, literary figures, pioneers and civic leaders, humanitarians and Medal of Honor recipients.

Leonard John Crofoot is an actor, singer, dancer, writer and choreographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm Springs, California</span> City in Riverside County

Palm Springs is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately 94 square miles (240 km2), making it the largest city in Riverside County by land area. With multiple plots in checkerboard pattern, more than 10% of the city is part of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians reservation land and is the administrative capital of the most populated reservation in California.

<i>Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies</i> 1997 American short documentary film

Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies is a 1997 American short documentary film directed by Mel Damski. It was nominated at the 70th Academy Awards for Best Documentary Short Subject. It features The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, which was formerly staged at the Palm Springs, California Plaza Theatre.

<i>The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies</i> Former Ziegfeld Follies style dance and musical review show

The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies was a Ziegfeld Follies style dance and musical review show that played at the historic Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, California, United States, seasonally from November to mid-May. The Follies was founded in 1990 by Riff Markowitz and Mary Jardin. Impresario Markowitz also served as the show's managing director and emcee. The show was often credited with helping to revitalize and maintain the downtown area by bringing in patrons from around the globe. The Follies was unique in that it only featured performers 55 and older and holds Guinness World Records for this claim to fame. It was the subject of a short documentary titled Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies which was nominated at the 70th Academy Awards for Best Short Subject Documentary. A segment that aired on Seattle television station KOMO-TV that featured the Follies received an Emmy in 1997. The shows attracted approximately 170,000 attendees yearly. On June 5, 2013, co-founders Markowitz and Jardin announced they would close the Follies on May 18, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Kloss</span> American dancer (born 1923)

Dorothy Dale Kloss is an American dancer.

Rifael Ronald "Riff" Markowitz is a Canadian-American television and theatre producer, most recently the managing director, MC and co-founder of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, which performed at the historic Plaza Theatre in downtown Palm Springs, California until 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire Polo Club</span> Polo club in Indio, California

The Empire Polo Club is a 1000-acre polo club in Indio, California in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, approximately 22 miles southeast of Palm Springs. Founded in 1987, it has hosted international polo tournaments. It leases out its polo grounds for Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Festival annually for the last three weekends in April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert Fashion Plaza</span> Former shopping mall in Palm Springs, California

Desert Fashion Plaza, formerly known as Desert Inn Fashion Plaza, was an enclosed shopping mall located in Palm Springs, California. The mall was originally developed by Home Savings and Loan Association, which sold the shopping center to Desert Plaza Partnership. In the early 1980s, Desert Plaza Partnership sold the property to DeBartolo Corporation which expanded and revamped the mall to accommodate more shops. Subsequently, sales declined prompting major retailers to close down business at the Desert Fashion Plaza. In 2002, John Wessman of Wessman Development bought the property and proposed a significant redevelopment on the whole site. Demolition began to take place in 2013, and shops, restaurants, and a six-story hotel have opened on part of the site with more planned.

The Doll House was a restaurant in Palm Springs which was run by Ethel and George Strebe from 1946. It was first mentioned in a local newspaper in 1935. It was patronised by celebrities who were entertained by other stars such as Peggy Lee. It closed in 1966, being replaced by an Italian restaurant, Sorrentino's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torney General Hospital</span> Historic site in Palm Springs, California

Torney General Hospital was a US Army Hospital in Palm Springs, California, in Riverside County used during World War II. Parts of Torney General Hospital are now the Desert Regional Medical Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Plaza (Palm Springs)</span> Shopping center in Palm Springs, California, United States

References

  1. ↑ http://archive.desertsun.com/article/20131214/NEWS01/312140034/After-Follies-Palm-Springs-mulls-options-historic-Plaza-Theatre [ dead link ]
  2. ↑ "Dancers Find a Second Act at Palm Springs Follies". NPR.org.
  3. ↑ "Downtown Palm Springs". www.palmsprings-ca.gov. Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2008.[ dead link ]
  4. 1 2 3 Rode, Erin. "Plaza Theatre Foundation Chair: Restoration work could be finished by end of next year". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  5. ↑ A Golden Palm Star at the theater, part of the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, was dedicated to Strebe in 1992. Palm Springs Walk of Stars: By Date Dedicated Archived 2012-12-08 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Desert Memories Historic Images of the Coachella Valley, Page 24, by The Desert Sun, ISBN   1-932129-01-4
  7. 1 2 Niemann, Greg (2006). Palm Springs Legends: creation of a desert oasis. San Diego, CA: Sunbelt Publications. p. 286. ISBN   978-0-932653-74-1. OCLC   61211290. (here for Table of Contents)
  8. ↑ Palm Springs First Hundred Years, By Mayor Frank M. Bogert, p. 154, ISBN   0-9618729-0-X
  9. 1 2 Riff Markowitz, via IMDb, Retrieved on 2008-11-03
  10. ↑ psfollies.com , Retrieved on 2008-11-03
  11. ↑ Guinness Book of World Records 2009, p. 90, ISBN   978-1-904994-37-4
  12. ↑ Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, 1997 via IMDb, Retrieved on 2008-11-03 [ user-generated source ]
  13. ↑ "Save The Plaza Theatre Palm Springs | Restoration Project". Historic Plaza Theatre Restoration.
  14. ↑ "Palm Springs to assist in Plaza Theatre restoration". 28 January 2022.
  15. ↑ King, Matt (May 2023). "The Plaza Theatre's Next Act: Before renovations begin, the downtown Palm Springs landmark is hosting weekly Tuesday-night open houses". Coachella Valley Independent. No. 5, Vol. 11. Cathedral City, CA. pp. 12–13.

33°49′21″N116°32′47″W / 33.8226°N 116.5465°W / 33.8226; -116.5465

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.