Plaza Theatre (Palm Springs)

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]

The historic Plaza Theatre, 1951

History
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

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]

References
  1. http://archive.desertsun.com/article/20131214/NEWS01/312140034/After-Follies-Palm-Springs-mulls-options-historic-Plaza-Theatre
  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.
  4. 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. 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. 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
  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.

33.8226°N 116.5465°W / 33.8226; -116.5465

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