Plaza Theatre (Palm Springs, California) facts for kids
The Plaza Theatre is a historic building located in Palm Springs, California. It's a key part of La Plaza, one of the first planned shopping centers in Southern California, which opened in 1936. From 1990 to 2014, the theater was home to The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. This popular show was featured on TV shows like 20/20 and The Today Show. Today, there's a big effort to raise money to fix up this historic building. The goal is to make it a modern theater for everyone to enjoy.
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A Look Back: The Plaza Theatre's History
The Plaza Theatre first opened its doors on December 12, 1936. The very first movie shown was Camille, starring Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor. The theater's owner, Earle C. Strebe, sold the first ticket to a person named Annette Freeman.
Famous Shows and Broadcasts
The Plaza Theatre quickly became a place for many important movie premieres. These included famous musicals like My Fair Lady and Music Man. In the 1940s, the Plaza was also a popular spot for famous stars. They would broadcast their radio shows from the theater. Stars like Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and Amos 'n' Andy all performed there. This brought a lot of national attention to Palm Springs.
Local Performances and New Beginnings
In the early days of Palm Springs, there was an annual event called the "Desert Circus." As part of this, a show called the "Village Insanities" was performed. Later, in the 1940s, this show moved to the Plaza Theatre. It was then called the Village Vanities.
The Plaza Theatre stayed busy for many years. But in 1989, it became quiet and was no longer used. That's when a TV producer named Riff Markowitz decided to give the old cinema a new life. He wanted to create a "Broadway-style show" with music, dance, and comedy. The performers would be old enough to have lived through the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies Era
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The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies ran from October to May each year, from 1990 to 2014. Riff Markowitz was the show's managing director and host. He was also known for his TV series The Hilarious House of Frightenstein and The Hitchhiker. Some of the stars of the Follies included Dorothy Kloss, who was known as "the World's Oldest Showgirl". Also, Leonard Crofoot, who appeared in Star Trek The Next Generation, performed there.
The Follies were so special that they were featured in a documentary film. The movie was called Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. It was directed by Mel Damski and was even nominated for an Oscar in 1998. The Follies performed their very last show in May 2014.
Restoring the Plaza Theatre
For several years, there have been plans to fix up and reopen the Plaza Theatre. An official fundraising effort, called "Save The Plaza Theatre," began in 2019. This campaign was paused for a while because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In October 2021, a TV producer named David Lee announced a large donation. He gave $5 million to the restoration fund. Another person, who wished to remain anonymous, also gave an extra $2 million to the project.
The City of Palm Springs owns the Plaza Theatre. The restoration project is managed by the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation. This group works to raise money and oversee the repairs. The restoration of this important building began in the summer of 2023 and is currently underway.
