As you wander through the streets of Palm Springs, you’ll find yourself immersed in the allure of the silver screen.  Each home tells a unique story, painting a vivid picture of the celebrities who have called this desert oasis their home.

Imagine strolling past the gates of Frank Sinatra’s former residence or standing outside the legendary Elvis Presley’s house, where he sought solace and inspiration amid his illustrious career. Armed with this guide and a sense of adventure, you’ll be free to explore at your own pace, capturing photographs and soaking in the luxury surrounding each star-studded property.

Start at one of the oldest and most exclusive neighborhoods in Palm Springs.

Old Las Palmas Neighborhood

 

Start at the corner of Belardo Road and E. Alejo Road, adjacent to O’Donnell Golf Course.

Liberace Estate – 501 Belardo

Liberace (Wladziu Valentino Liberace) was a famous over-the-top piano player. He purchased the Cloisters Hotel of Palm Springs in Sept. of 1967, a Spanish-style, 40-year-old hotel. Pioneer Alvin Hicks built the Cloisters. The address would change to 501 N. Belardo Road, and the property, first called “Casa de Liberace,” would later be called “The Cloisters.” It is here Liberace passed away in 1987. His mom lived in the property behind this home that he sold after her death.

Head north on Belardo and turn left on West Chino Drive.

Clark Gable & Carole Lombard Getaway – 222 West Chino Drive (r)

After actor Clark Gable married Carole Lombard, they stayed in this home. Sadly, they were only married for three years because Carole died in a plane crash in 1942. The house was later owned by Joel Douglas, the son of Kirk Douglas and brother of Michael Douglas.

Sammy Davis, Jr. – 444 West Chino Drive (r)

Singer, dancer, actor on stage and in movies.

Continue West on W. Chino Drive. Turn right onto N. Patencio Road

Fibber Magee and Mollie – 591 N. Patencio (l)

Fibber Magee and Mollie was a husband and wife team of a very popular radio comedy program from the 1930s to 1950s. George Hamilton later owned it in the late 1970s. You can see his signature on the right side of the driveway.

Mary Pickford & Buddy Rogers – 701 N. Patencio (l)

Mary Pickford and Charles “Buddy” Rogers were friends and co-stars who began dating in 1927 and married in 1937. Pickford was a silent film star, and Rogers was a bandleader and star of the silent ear. She won an Oscar for best actress in 1929. Charlie Chaplin was a frequent guest, and it is noteworthy that Pickford and her first husband, Douglas Fairbanks, along with Chaplin and D. W. Griffith, founded United Artists.

Harold Robbins – 999 N. Patencio (l)

Harold Robbins is an American author of popular novels. He wrote over 25 best-sellers and sold over 750 million copies in 40 countries. Among his best-known works is The Carpetbaggers, which was made into a film.  In 1985, following a stroke and then a fall, he fractured both hips. He remained in Palm Springs for the rest of his life. He died of heart failure in 1997 at the age of 81 in Palm Springs.

Edward G. Robinson – 990 N Patencio (l)

Edward was an actor on stage and screen during Hollywood’s Golden Age.  He was best known for his roles as a gangster, especially in the films Little Caesar and Key Largo. He hired architect A. Quincy Jones to design his home, which he occupied from 1959 to 1973. It was later used as a location to film “Oceans 11,” starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts.

Follow the road as it turns right onto W. Via Lola.

Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell – 550 W. Via Lola (l)

Goldie Hawn is an American actress, director, producer, and singer. She first became famous on the NBC sketch comedy show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. In 1969, she won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance in Cactus Flower. She has also appeared in over 60 movies, including Overboard, Death Becomes Her, and First Wives Club. 

This was a vacation getaway for the Hollywood couple.

Miami Vice designer home – 520 W. Via Lola (l)

This house was used for photo and video shoots for the popular Miami Vice TV show.

Kirk Douglas – 515 W. Via Lola (r)

Kirk Douglas first came to Palm Springs in 1952 to recuperate from pneumonia, staying at the Racquet Club. He purchased his first home at 1069 East Marshall Way. In 1957, they purchased their second home at 515 Via Lola. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn rented the house for two summers. MGM director Vincente Minnelli held his wedding reception to his fourth wife, Lee Anderson, here.

Sidney Sheldon – 425 W. Via Lola (r)

Best-selling author Sidney Sheldon first visited Palm Springs in 1948. He had just won an Oscar for “The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer” in 1947 and was vacationing at the Colonial House (Colony Palms). Although he was widely known as a prolific writer, he also wrote more than 23 movies and created “The Patty Duke Show,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” and “Hart to Hart,” which was the #1 TV show in 1983.

He purchased two homes at 425 Via Lola and combined them into one large estate. Arthur Elrod decorated the house in yellow lollipop swirls.

He said in a 1985 interview that he owned homes in Los Angeles, London, and Palm Springs and did most of his writing in Palm Springs. He remained a resident of Palm Springs until his death on January 30, 2007, at 89.

Take the first turn to your right on N. Cahuilla Road.

Turn right at Hermosa Place.

Nancy & Ronald Reagan – 369 Hermosa Place (l)

Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States, serving from 1981 to 1989. Before becoming president, Reagan was an actor who appeared in films such as The Voice of the Turtle (1947), Bedtime for Bonzo (1951), The Winning Team (1952), and Cattle Queen of Montana (1954).

First Lady Nancy was an American film actress from the 1940s and 1950s. starring in films such as The Next Voice You Hear…, Night into Morning, and Donovan’s Brain. In 1952, she married Ronald Reagan, then president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Dinah Shore Estate – 432 Hermosa Place (r)

Dinah Shore (1916-1994) was an American actress, singer, and television personality. She was the top female vocalist of the 1940s, with hits like “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. In the 1970s, she started a new career as a talk show host, hosting Dinah’s Place (1970–74), Dinah (1974–79), Dinah and Friends (1979–84), and A Conversation with Dinah (1989–91). She won six Emmy Awards and was recognized as one of America’s most admired women.

The estate symbolizes Hollywood glamour, designed for Dinah Shore in 1964 by architect Donald Wexler. In 2014, Leonardo DiCaprio purchased the property and made it available as a vacation rental called 432 Hermosa. The estate is a 1.3-acre compound featuring six bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms.

Continue west, and you will come back to N. Patencio.

Turn left and take the first right to Mountain View and right again to N. Via Monte Vista.

Dean Martin & Jeannie Martin – 1123 N. Monte Vista (l)

Dean was an avid golfer in Palm Springs. He was at the El Mirador Hotel, which opened in 1952. That same year, he was an entertainer at the Desert Circus, along with Jerry Lewis. He would also attend the Palm Springs Rodeo of the Stars along with Dinah Shore, George Montgomery, Jerry Leis, and Charlie Farrell.

In 1965, he purchased this home. The deed was transferred to Jeanie after their divorce in 1973.

Cyd Charisse & Tony Martin – 1197 N. Monte Vista (l)

Charisse was an actress and dancer, and Martin was an American singer. They married in 1948 and remained married until Charisse died in 2008.

Cyd became a resident ballet dancer for MGM in 1943. She appears in the Ziegfeld Follies (1946). She followed this performance with roles in The Harvey Girls (1946), Three Wise Fools (1946), Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), and Fiesta (1947). Another big hit was Singin’ in the Rain (1952).

 Martin’s career lasted over seven decades, and he had many hits between the 1930s and 1950s, including “Walk Hand in Hand,” “I Love Paris,” and “Stranger in Paradise”. He also hosted a variety series on NBC from 1954 to 1956 and has appeared on the TV variety shows of many stars, including Jack Benny, Dinah Shore, and Milton Berle.

Peter Lawford & Patricia Kennedy – 1295 N. Monte Vista (l)

Peter was an actor and member of the “Rat Pack.” He was a celebrity from the 1940s to the 1960s and has credits in over 60 films, including Ocean’s 11, Little Women, and Good News. 

Peter was hanging out at the Racquet Club in the mid-1940s. He would stop in on the weekends, play tennis, and dine at the Doll House. He married Patricia Kennedy in 1954, sister of John F. Kennedy, and they vacationed at the Racquet Club.

Vista Las Palmas Neighborhood

Head north on N. Via Monte Vista.

Turn left at the first cross street onto S. Via Las Palmas.

Rona Barrett – 840 S. Via Las Palmas (l)

Rona is an American gossip columnist.  She began broadcasting Hollywood gossip in the 1960s. Rona owned this home just a block from the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway, where Elvis and Priscilla planned to be wed in 1967. She noticed many family and friends arriving and broke the news of Elvis’s forthcoming marriage.

Initially, the plan was to have the wedding and reception around the pool at the estate. Still, because of the onslaught of the press and media, Elvis’s manager, Colonel Parker, arranged for Elvis and Priscilla to be married in Las Vegas. Private transportation was provided by their friend Frank Sinatra.

Through her extensive network of sources in the industry, she even broke the news of their divorce six years later.

Head west on S. Via Las Palmas.
Turn right onto Ladera Circle, which is a cul-de-sac.

Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway – 1350 Ladera Circle

Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s honeymoon hideaway is a 5,000 sq ft, three-level house. It is also known as “The House of Tomorrow.”

 Go back out of culdesac and turn right onto Abrigo Road (S. Via Las Palmas turns into Abrigo Road)
Turn right at the first cross street on Via Vadera
Turn right at the first street onto N. Rose Ave.

Turn right onto W. Stevens Road.

 Debbie Reynolds – 670 Stevens Road (l)

 Reynolds is known for her role in 1950s musicals, including Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words. Reynolds has 21 wins and 44 nominations in total.

She married heartthrob singer Eddie Fisher in 1955 and gave birth to Carrie one year later. They were Hollywood royalty. Reynolds starred in “Singing in the Rain” in 1952.  She became the best-selling female artist of 1957 with her single, “Tammy,” from her film, “Tammy and the Bachelor.”  It remained at No. 1 for five weeks.

Fisher had been a teen idol in the early 1950s and had his own NBC TV show, “Coke Time with Eddie Fisher,” from 1953 to ’59.  They were best man and bridesmaid at the wedding of producer Mike Todd and fellow MGM star Elizabeth Taylor in 1957.

But, when Todd died in a plane crash in 1958, Fisher went to be by Taylor’s side, and they soon began an affair. It caused such a scandal that NBC canceled Fisher’s show when it became public, and his career never recovered.

Reynolds married Harry Karl, a magnate of Karl’s Shoe Stores, in 1960. They bought this home in the Las Palmas district, which served as a getaway from Reynolds’ work on such movies as “How the West Was Won” and “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” for which she received a Best Actress Oscar nomination.

 Continue heading east on W. Stevens Road.
Turn right onto N. Vine Ave.
Turn left onto Camino Norte

 Mary Martin – 365 Camino Norte

 Mary Martin, best known for her role as Peter Pan, came to Palm Springs in 1939.  She said, “This is the Never Never Land.” She came to Palm Springs after her popular Broadway show and would stay at the Biltmore. Shortly after her producer husband, Richard Halliday died in 1973, Martin began looking for a place in Palm Springs. She wanted to be near her “best” remaining friend, Janet Gaynor. Mary took the first place the realtor showed her at 365 Camino Norte. She later discovered her next-door neighbor was somehow related to her husband, Richard. She had the battleship gray house painted pink and turned the back of the house into the front of the house, and she was in love with the place. Retired actor William Powell lived directly across the street. The first day she moved in, he came out to get his mail, waived to her, and said, “Welcome home.”

 Howard Hughes – 335 Camino Norte

 Howard Hughes, Jr. (1905 – 1976) was an American businessman, investor, pilot, film director, and philanthropist. He was born to a wealthy family in Humble, Texas, on December 24, 1905. Hughes is best known for his wealth, celebrity connections, and eccentricities. He was one of the wealthiest men in the world during his lifetime and left 1.56 billion to charities.

He also owned a home at 2195 Rim Road in Araby Cove, which is much more isolated.

Alan Ladd – 323 Camino Norte

 Alan Ladd (1913 – 1964) was an American actor and film producer. In film noir and Western films, he was known for his roles as a cowboy, detective, and war hero in the 1940s and 1950s. He is best known for his role in the 1953 western Shane. His other big films included Carpetbaggers and The Great Gatsby.

He owned the Alan Ladd Hardware Store in downtown Palm Springs, now The Five Hundred Building at 500 S. Palm Canyon.

Alan’s house is now a vacation rental available through Mod Mansions.

Turn left onto N. Kaweah Road.

 Liberace’s Guest House – 1441 N. Kaweah Road (l)

At the end of N. Kaweah Road, turn left onto W. Stevens Road.
Turn right onto N. Via Norte

Jack Benny – 424 W. Vista Chino (at the corner of N. Via Norte & W. Vista Chino)

Jack Benny (1894 – 1974) was an American entertainer who worked in vaudeville, radio, television, and film. Benny started his career as a violinist in vaudeville, Broadway revues, and movies before becoming a stand-up comedian. His comedic method and timing made him successful in radio and television for over 30 years. In 1950, he starred in his television series until 1965.

This is Jack’s winter home.

 Little Tuscany Neighborhood

Now, head to Little Tuscany, known for its abundance of boulders.
 Turn left at the second cross street onto W. Vista Chino.

 Zsa Zsa Gabor – 595 W. Chino Canyon (left on corner)

 Zsa Zsa Gabor (1917 – 2016) was a Hungarian-American actress and socialite. She was known for her glamorous personal life and her television and film appearances. Gabor was known for her many marriages, personal appearances, and catchphrase “dahling.” She married hotel magnate Conrad Hilton in 1942 when she was 30 years younger than him. She was also the great-aunt of Paris Hilton.

Turn right onto W. Chino Canyon.

Elvis Presley – 845 W. Chino Canyon (l)

 Elvis purchased this Palm Springs estate in 1970 and would spend, on average, about three months there every year.  If they were lucky, stargazers sometimes spotted the entertainer tossing a football or shooting baskets with his five bodyguards inside the walled grounds.

He came to Palm Springs because he liked his privacy. He expanded the house with an additional 2,000 square feet for a party room, a new bedroom with two bathrooms, and a sauna in 1974. Elvis passed away on August 16, 1977, and his estate went on the market shortly after. Greg McDonald, Presley’s road manager and Ricky Nelson’s personal manager, would later buy the property in 1986.

 Continue on W. Chino Canyon
Turn left on W. Panorama Road
Turn right onto W. Cielo Drive

 Magda Gabor – 1090 Cielo Drive (this is a cul-de-sac)

Magda was the oldest daughter of Jolie Gabor and sister to Evan and Zsa Zsa. Magda moved into a home in 1964 and remained there until her death on June 6, 1997, just two months after her mother’s death. She was 78.

Head back east on W. Cielo Drive and stay to the right.

Slight right onto W. Panorama Road.

Frederick Loewe – 815 W. Panorama Road(r)

Frederick Loewe (1901-1988) was an American composer and musical theater collaborator. He was born in Berlin, Germany, to Austrian parents. Frederick is known for his work on Broadway musicals, including Brigadoon (1947), Paint Your Wagon (1951), My Fair Lady (1956), and Camelot. He also collaborated with lyricist Alan Jay Lerner on the original film musical Gigi (1973). Loewe’s awards include the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “If Ever I Would Leave You” in 1959 and a Kennedy Center Honors for Gigi in 1985.

The Frederick Loewe Estate is a midcentury luxury estate. The 3-acre property features a private tennis court, pool, spa, waterfalls, and four boutique-style hotel rooms. The estate is often called “magical” and is a perfect setting for weddings, corporate events, retreats, and other special events. 

George and Rosalie Hearst – 701 W. Panorama Road

George Randolph Hearst Sr. was the oldest of five sons of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. His various posts included being the publisher of the San Francisco Examiner. Rosalie was his last wife, and they were active philanthropists in Palm Springs.

Rosalie Hearst was a Palms Springs civic leader. Locally, she was a trustee for the Palm Springs Youth Center and Friends of the College of the Desert Cultural Center. She also helped found the Opera Guild of Palm Springs, the Palm Springs Opera Company, and the Palm Springs Women’s Press Club.

Raymond Loewy – 600 W. Panorama Road

Raymond was a French-born American industrial designer. He is known as “the father of industrial design” and is famous for his work in various industries.

Loewy’s accomplishments in product design began in the 1930s, and he helped establish industrial design as a profession. His work includes razors, railroad terminals, the Lucky Strike cigarette packet, the Coca-Cola bottle, and logos for Shell and Exxon. He also designed the Studebaker Avanti car.

Continue the Palm Springs tour of the star’s homes in the Movie Colony neighborhood.
Follow Panorama Drive and continue as it turns left.
Take the next right onto W. Chino Canyon Road as you had entered.
Turn right at the first cross street on N. Via Norte
Turn left onto W. Stevens Road
Turn right onto N. Indian Canyon Drive
Turn left onto E. Tachevah Drive

Movie Colony Neighborhood

 Darryl Zanuck – 346 Tamarisk (l)

Darryl Francis Zanuck (1902-1979) was an American producer, writer, actor, director, and studio executive. He was a significant part of the Hollywood studio system and produced some of the most important and controversial films in Hollywood’s history.

Zanuck had been visiting Palm Springs since the 1930s. He was initially working with Warner Brothers, where he was hired to make the second Rin Tin Tin adventure, “Find Your Man.” Its success earned him responsibility for the Rin Tin Tin series over the next two years. He later fell out with Warner Brothers, so he left and founded Twentieth Century Pictures with Joseph Schenck in 1933. They merged it with William Fox’s Film Corporation two years later and renamed it 20th Century Fox. Schenck had bankrolled all the Buster Keaton silent comedies. Zanuck was in charge of production. He produced 18 features in the first two years and 17 box-office hits, including a 1935 nominee for best film, “Les Miserables.” Over the next two decades, three of the films personally produced by Zanuck won the Academy Award for best motion picture: “How Green Was My Valley” in 1941, “Gentleman’s Agreement” in 1947, and “All About Eve” in 1950.

Zanuck purchased this house in 1945.

Randolph Scott – 333 Tamarisk Road (r)

Randolph Scott was an American actor who worked in Hollywood from 1928 to 1962. He is known for his roles in westerns, war films, crime dramas, adventure, horror, fantasy, and musicals. Some of his films include Ride the High Country, Ride Lonesome, and Comanche Station. In the late 1950s, Scott formed the Ranown production company and starred in a series of westerns directed by Budd Boetticher.

He was good friends with another local resident, Cary Grant, who had previously lived together for some time early in their careers.

The house is hidden behind hedges.

Continue south on Tamarisk to N. Via Miraleste.

Barbara Hutton – 796 Via Miraleste (right corner on Via Miraleste across from Ruth Hardy Park)

Barbara Hutton (1912 – 1979) was an American heiress, debutante, socialite, and philanthropist. She was the only child of Edna Woolworth and Franklyn Laws Hutton and the granddaughter of Frank Winfield Woolworth, the founder of the Woolworth retail chain. Hutton was one of the wealthiest women in the world, inheriting one-third of her father’s estate.

She was married to Cary Grant but divorced in 1945.

Continue on Tamarisk Road to N. Avenida Caballeros. Ruth Hardy Park will be on your left.
Turn left onto N. Avenida Caballeros
Turn right onto E. El Alameda.

Bing Crosby – 1011 E. El Alameda (r)

Bing Crosby Jr. (1903 – 1977) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. He was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century.

Crosby is best known for singing hit songs like “White Christmas.” He recorded over 1,600 songs and released over 400 singles and 70 albums. He was also an Oscar-winning actor who starred in over 70 feature films and was on the radio for three decades.

Dorothy Lamour – 1029 E. El Alameda (r)

Dorothy Lamour (1914 – 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in the “Road” movies, a series of comedies starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope.

Lamour began her career in the 1930s as a big band singer. She is credited in over 60 movies, including Road to Bali, Road to Morocco, and Road to Singapore. She played Anita Alvarez in Swing High, Swing Low, and Norma Malone in “St. Louis Blues.” Her Jungle Love is a 1938 American South Sea adventure film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Dorothy Lamour and Ray Milland. Portions of the film were shot in Indian Canyons.

Bob & Delores Hope – 1188 E. El Alameda (l)

Bob Hope (1903 – 2003) was a British-born American actor, comedian, entertainer, and producer. His career spanned nearly 80 years and included work in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours.

Hope was known for his jokes, one-liners, and success in all entertainment media. He spent much of his career entertaining American troops at home and abroad during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He received five honorary Academy Awards for his work and his contributions to the industry.

This was their first house in Palm Springs. Their second is on the top of the hill in the Southridge neighborhood.

Hedy Lamarr – 1232 E. El Alameda (l)

Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) was an Austrian-born American actress and inventor. She was a film star during Hollywood’s Golden Age and is credited in over 60 movies. She was often typecast as a provocative femme fatale.

In addition to her acting career, Lamarr is known for her work as an inventor and radio communications device. She worked on aircraft wing shapes and dissolvable drink flavorings. Lamarr’s technology paved the way for developing WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems. She also helped develop an early technique for spread spectrum communications. Her invention is used today for WiFi, Bluetooth, and even top-secret military defense satellites.

Continue on E. El Alameda to N. Hermosa Drive.
Turn right on N. Hermosa Drive.
Turn right on E. Alejo Road

Wait for it….. We saved the best for last…..

Frank Sinatra Estate – 1148 E. Alejo Road

Frank Sinatra (1915 – 1998) was an American singer and actor. He is one of the world’s best-selling music artists, with an estimated 150 million records sold.

Frank had been coming to Palm Springs in the mid-1940s. He spent so much time here that it was time to buy a home in Palm Springs, so he approached architect E. Stewart Williams to do the job in 1947. Initially, he wanted a classic Georgian-style home with a brick facade and columns. Williams didn’t like the idea and instead designed Sinatra a modern desert-style home, which he liked, and handed over $150,000. The challenge was that he wanted it completed by Christmas to throw a big party. Working around the clock, he had his house to ring in the New Year of 1948.

It is known as Twin Palm Frank Sinatra Estate and is available as a rental property.

You May Also Like:

Mid-Century Architecture Self-Guided Tour

Frank Sinatra Palm Springs Hangouts: Self-Guided Tour

Palm Springs Big City Loop Bike Tour

Elvis Loved Palm Springs