[MUSIC PLAYING] In a secluded oasis
of Palm Springs, California resides
a movie colony with a lot of juicy stories. The area offers respite
for Hollywood's brightest with its desert hot
and dry weather. Its close proximity
to Hollywood also allowed working celebrities
to abide by the two-hour rule imposed by the industry. The rule demanded
that stars live within two hours of the set
while working on projects. Naturally, with a
lot of high profile people comes gossip, private
rendezvous, and secrets. Some stories may never
be let out of the vault. But those that have,
paint a picture of the wild shenanigans that
went down in old Hollywood. There was no better host in
Palm Springs than crooner Frank Sinatra. Frequenters of his shindigs
included Bing Crosby, Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe,
and none other than JFK. Sinatra wasn't one for boring
party invitations either. As legend has it, he
would raise a Jack Daniels flag as an invitation to party. Rumor also has it that when
Lauren Bacall's husband, Humphrey Bogart, was
diagnosed with lung cancer and given only one
year to live, she began an affair with Sinatra. While they kept it
mostly under wraps, close friends were reportedly
aware of the tryst. The rumor was confirmed when
the couple made it official after Bogart's passing. In the 1920s, Rudolph Valentino
was a Hollywood heartthrob because of his headlining films
such as The Sheik and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. His Golden Boy status,
however, was tarnished while in Palm Springs. In 1922, Valentino entered
his second marriage with costume and set
designer Natasha Rambova. The problem was that
in California, law mandated that one be
divorced for over a year before remarrying. Valentino hadn't waited long
enough between marriages. As such, he was
charged with bigamy. The newly married couple spent
their honeymoon in Palm Springs in a local hotel. When the trial came, the owner
of the hotel, Florilla White, testified that the pair
slept in separate beds and the actor was
acquitted of all charges. In 1923, the pair had an
official wedding in Paris. The King himself,
Elvis Presley, also flocked to the Oasis for
his wedding and honeymoon with Priscilla. They rented out what
was later titled the Honeymoon Hideaway for a
year at the price of $21,000. Unfortunately, when neighbor
Rona Barrett, a gossip reporter, caught wind of
the celebrity wedding, she announced it and the
media flocked to the location. Thankfully, the unofficial King
of Palm Springs, Frank Sinatra, swept in and offered
his private plane to fly the couple to Las
Vegas where they wed. They then returned to
the Honeymoon Hideaway for their actual honeymoon
where they reportedly conceived Lisa Marie. The entire Kennedy family had
a long standing relationship with Palm Springs. But it was JFK
who was most known for frequenting the Springs. He spent a lot of time
there with another of infamous local,
Marilyn Monroe. It wasn't just romantic
relationships that the Kennedys entertained at the oasis. JFK's father had ties to
mob boss Sam Giancana, also a Palm Springs frequenter and
allegedly an active influence in JFK's presidency. Marilyn Monroe was definitely
the it girl of the Springs. She was so popular, in fact,
that there was a 26-foot tall, 34,000 pound statue named
Forever Marilyn erected of her in the iconic skirt flying pose
from the movie the Seven Year Itch. At one point, Monroe reportedly
lived in the movie colony neighborhood with Joe DiMaggio. But the years leading
up to her death were spent hanging out
with JFK and living in a secluded pink bungalow. Palm Springs wasn't just
an adult playground. Child stars such
as Shirley Temple also made the Oasis their home
while working in Hollywood. Many children lived with
their well-to-do families. And temple made friends
with most of them. She even invited them
to her birthday party at her bungalow
at the Desert Inn. Temple became such a favorite of
the Desert Inn's owner, Nellie Kaufman, that she dedicated
a bungalow in her honor. At a public ceremony
covered by the press, the nine-year-old actor held
a milk bottle high in the air and christened it the
Shirley Temple Bungalow. That's a far cry from
Sinatra's Jack Daniel's flag. Sonny Bono retired
in Palm Springs after his successful career
in music and television. He opened a restaurant in the
area as well as a tennis club before becoming interested
in local politics. The irony of his packed
schedule wasn't lost on him. "I originally came to Palm
Springs to semi-retire," he said, "and I'm busier
now than I've ever been in my life, including
the time of Sonny and Cher." In 1988, Bono was
first elected mayor. And years later
he became a member of the US House of
Representatives. Bono's largest
impact, however, was with the creation of the Palm
Springs International Film Festival. It quickly became one of the
most influential festivals leading up to award season. It was so highly
regarded that if someone won an award at
the film festival, an Oscar was frequently
not far behind. In the 1970s, Dinah Shore
proved to be another musician and actor who enjoyed
success outside of her art in Palm Springs. She became a powerful voice
in the woman's golfing world setting up many
successful tournaments while promoting the
Ladies Professional Golf Association, the LPGA. Since her passing, her legacy
is honored at the LPGA ANA Inspiration Tournament. This event also coincides
with a wild party called The Dinah Shore Weekend. This gathering is the
largest lesbian festival in the world and a
celebration of a woman who did so much for other women
as well as gay rights. This is just a taste of what
the Desert Oasis of Palm Springs had to offer. If you like this video,
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