Palm Springs: The playground of rich and famous

Palm Springs and the surrounding towns were playgrounds for rich and famous which rivaled tinsel town for decadence and excess in the last century. This book was written in the same spirit as that of "Hollywood Babylon," but this book is less on the history and more on tidbits. Palm Spring had its own brand of social futility; sex, drugs, alcohol, suicides, jealousy and fights. This was a place where celebrities came to hide from the glitter of Hollywood and have uninhabited fun. For example, gay bars and gay oriented establishments were flourishing in Palm Springs. Gloria Swanson hung out in the first lesbian hotel, Desert Knight. The Lucy and Desi estate became the most lavish gay-oriented establishment. Liberace's 1925 Cloisters estate reflected a life style of pure opulence, and it was open to numerous young men. Celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Jim and Tammy Bakker, Cary Grant, Ralph Bellamy, Charles Ferrell, Clara Bow, Greta Garbo, and Errol Flynn hung out in this town and partied like there is no tomorrow. Many hotels and casinos were used to Sinatra's temper tantrums. Kennedy's and other U.S. presidents were known to visit Palm Springs and visible in social scenes. Frank Sinatra helped JFK in the presidential elections but he resided in the home of republican supporter Bing Crosby during his stay. Bobby Kennedy was trying to dismantle mafia and was going after mobster Sam Giancana who was behind Sinatra's help in JFK's campaign. It also appears that JFK and the mobster shared the same woman, Judith Campbell in Palm Springs. Jim Bakker's philandering gay life styles were legendary to the folks in town; apparently this was happening with full knowledge of Tammy Bakker who was busy shopping at the local thrift stores for cheap beauty supplies that included her eye lashes valued at $1.98. Another hot spot for celebrities was the Palm Springs Racquet Club owned by Ralph Bellamy and Charles Ferrell and its clientele included; Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Marlene Dietrich, Jack Parr, Ernst Borgnine, Ricardo Montalban and Johnny Carson. Marilyn Monroe was discovered by the pool, and Mexican actress Lupe Velez swam in the pool completely naked. Spencer Tracy, Jean Harlow, Errol Flynn, Rita Hayworth, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Joan Crawford, Ginger Rogers, Mary Pickford, John Barrymore and Greer Garson spent hours by the pool for attention and fun. Fatty Arbuckle was well remembered for his prodigious drinking bout. Charles Ferrell was romantically involved with Janet Gaynor and also had numerous women (and few young men) in his life, in addition to his wife Virginia Valli. Apparently she knew his ways and tolerated it for sanctity. Bob Hope became rich in this town due to his investing in real estate in Palm Springs and Los Angeles before anyone could see its potential. He owned some of the choicest parcels of land in Ranch Mirage and vast stretches of ecologically priceless Santa Monica Mountains.

Palm Springs had a different edge than Hollywood that attracted celebrities. In addition to relative privacy, it did not come under the authority of a strong Los Angeles Police Department. The town was run by celebrities and a few mobsters, so whatever happened, the secret stayed here. The bad boys of show business and a few out-of-control women made this place a fun sanctuary for themselves. Promoters of gay life styles had the biggest victory in this town.

Reference: Palm Springs Babylon: Sizzling Stories from the Desert Playground of the Stars by Ray Mungo