PALM SPRINGS CELEBRITY TOUR - Part One

On a recent trip to Palm Springs I did something always wanted to do in this town, take the 3 hr. plus celebrity tour...Our driver, Chuck was wonderfully entertaining, and has played in small band at some of the stars homes, like BOB HOPE, whom he met when playing in a Dixieland Band in Disneyland the year park opened. Hope went over to Chuck and said, "hey, do you work pirvate partys?" Chuck said Hope made good money as an actor, and kept buying useless land in L.A. and Palm Springs area at $2.00-$3.00 an acre. Hope estate is worth currently 860 million dollars, Chuck said he owns the land that the Hollywood sign is on, and rents this land, for $6,000,00 a month to city of L.A. The Hope estate owns three homes in Palm Springs, the huge estate located on top of South Ridge Rim is just a party house, that can take care of 900 guests, Hope never lived in this house.

Chuck's favorite celebrity was FRANK SINATRA. Chucked stopped the bus across the street from Sinatra's former compound, where he lived between l952-l995. The home was 22,000 square feet, "everything was bright orange, doors, carpets," (Sinatra's favorite color). Chuck also said, "Mr. S. had a quick temper, you just had to know how to handle it." He gave all his party guests unlimited access to his home. Many streets in Palm Springs have names of celebrities, such as Monty Hall, Gene Autry, and Dinah Shore. However, only Sinatra actually lived on the street, (FRANK SINATRA DRIVE) that was named in his honor. The new owner of the Sinatra compound is the man who owns SAVEMORE markets, his wife had the painters in as soon as she could, and only one room, (card room) remains painted orange.

Sinatra tried in vain for many years to get his mother, Dolly to move to Palm Springs from her New Jersey home. After Frank's dad passed away, Sinatra finally got her to come for visit, providing that he'd have a Cath. Church for his mother to attend on Sundays..The St Louis Church in Cathedral City has been called Dolly's Church, because of the many things she did for the church. Dolly loved this church.
Our tour made a stop on Frank Sinatra Drive, we got out,to explore lovely small park, Wolfson Park. The Sinatra estate still funds this park, and it is well kept up, lovely landscaping, and mountains in distance. Chuck dialed a number on his cell phone, and we heard Frank's voice come out of a speaker on ground, telling us how he came about creating this park. A city counsel member, (blind gentleman) it was built in his honor, and every sign in park in written in braille, in honor of his friend Mr. Wolfson.