128 South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA
On December 12, 1936, the Plaza Theatre opened with the premiere of Camille, starring Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor. Owner Earle C. Strebe sold its first ticket to Annette Freeman. The theater stood at 128 South Palm Canyon Drive, anchoring La Plaza’s collection of shops. During the 1940s it also became a place where radio audiences could encounter Palm Springs: Jack Benny, Bob Hope and Amos ’n’ Andy broadcast shows from the Plaza. Film premieres and radio performances made the building more than a neighborhood cinema. Its opening belonged to the same year that La Plaza began operating as an early planned shopping center. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_Theatre_%28Palm_Springs%29
Television producer Riff Markowitz then decided to renovate the cinema and make it a home for a stage celebration of music, dance and comedy from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies ran there from November 1991 until 2014, with Markowitz as managing director and master of ceremonies. Performers included Dorothy Kloss and Leonard Crofoot. The production also became the subject of Mel Damski’s documentary Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, nominated for an Oscar in 1998. The Follies’ final show took place in May 2014. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaza_Theatre_%28Palm_Springs%29
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