Poolside Friday at El Mirador, 1954

As the temperatures begin to climb, so does the desire to head poolside. Let’s visit the El Mirador Hotel, 1954, and take a dip in their pool. First, we see the tower, an architectural signature of the hotel. Note the sun dial:



That water looks so inviting!



If you don’t feel like your bod is ready for swimsuit weather, just put a gigantic matchbook on top of your head. Nobody will notice the rest.



Or sit next to movie star Rhonda Fleming; all eyes will be on her, not you.



Actress Laraine Day is doing her best to stay in the shade:



Actress Joan Taylor probably never event went in the water. Mess up the hair? No way…



Thanks to Daveland reader Nanook, we know that actor Marshall Thompson is the gent on the left and wife Barbara Long (sister of actor Richard Long) is at right:



As the sun goes down, things heat up at the El Mirador, as the hula dancers begin to shake:





See more El Mirador Hotel photos at my main website.

Paramount on Location, Pt. 1

“Back in the day,” most films were shot at the studio; even exteriors were re-created inside the cavernous soundstages to avoid costly delays caused by the elements/lighting. These vintage production photos from Paramount Studio are rare records of when the movie crew chose to use a real-life outdoor setting. Released October 11, 1935, “The Last Outpost” starred Cary Grant and Claude Rains and was based on the short story “The Drum” by F. Britten Austin in Red Book Magazine (September 1923). These photos show the now demolished Hotel Del Tahquitz in Palm Springs. How about that vintage Automobile Club sign in the detailed view below?



Symposis of the film from TCM.com:

In Turkistan, during World War I, British Army officer Michael Andrews is saved from death under the Kurds by British Secret Service agent John Stevenson. The two men then save the Balkari tribe by leading them, along with their livestock, across mountains.



The Hotel Del Tahquitz opened in 1928 and was located at 316 South Palm Canyon Drive, right on the main drag of Palm Springs. It had tennis, badminton courts, a “Alice in Wonderland School and Playhouse,” The Saddle Bar X, and a rooftop solarium for nude sun bathing. Scandalous! If you’re unfamiliar with what a European Plan is, it means you are paying for room only, and food and beverage are extra. Makes it sound fancier, doesn’t it? An LA Times tidbit about the film from October 13, 1935:

“The Last Outpost” is doing surprisingly well at the Paramount. Greatly aided by lavish use of clips from African films it achieves topical appeal which relates it to the Italo-Ethiopian conflict and patronage consequently is heavy. Excellent performances are contributed by Claude Rains, Gertrude Michael and Cary Grant, but their acting is subordinated to the pursuit of tribesmen and stampeding hippopotami.



An LA Times blurb from October 17, 1935 focused on Cary Grant:

“I want to be hated. I’m fed up with well-mannered drawing-room roles,” exclaimed Cary Grant during the making of “The Last Outpost,” successor to “Lives of a Bengal Lancer,” which opens today at the Paramount Theater. “These namby-pamby heroes don’t get me anywhere,” said Cary. “In ‘The Last Outpost’ I’m going to show how tough a tough egg really can be.” Grant is cast as a British captain on the Arabian front. He fails in love with the wife of a brother officer, and the trio work out their fate under threat of momentary death.

If Grant was concerned about a namby-pamby image, he probably shouldn’t have been posing for photos with “roommate” Randolph Scott in somewhat sexually ambiguous shots. But I digress…



Back to the Tahquitz and some vintage autos parked in front:



I’m not sure who the three gents up top are. Maybe they are getting ready to check out the solarium?



I LOVE the Cordoba travel poster on the wall.



I attempted to find it through google; while I found similarly-styled ones, I could not find the exact one. It can be mentally painful to be so detail-oriented. Close, but as the saying goes, “no cigar.” The art for this one was by Joaquin y Rafael Diaz-jara.



What’s at the location of the demolished hotel now? Based on google maps, it would appear that the parking lot between the The Palm Springs Architecture & Design Center and The Grocery Outlet is the answer. The final Paramount production still for today is from the comedy “She Made Her Bed,” 1934, filmed in Victorville, California, where the location below showing an auto park was captured:



Starring Richard Arlen, Sally Eilers, and Robert Armstrong, the film was based on the short story “Baby in the Ice-Box” by James M. Cain in American Mercury (January 1933). Synopsis edited from the TCM website:

Duke and Lura Gordon have been married four years and run an auto park and coffee shop in San Benito, California. Duke considers himself a "he-man" and runs a small side show on the lot with wildcats. He is also a continual philanderer, and when the 1932 Pomona County Fair brings customers to the auto park, he has an affair with a seductive redhead, Eve McGillicuddy.

More production shots to come in the future! See more Classic Film photos at my main website.

Vintage Spin Down Palm Canyon Drive

Let’s take a spin down Palm Canyon Drive, circa March 1955. What a sporty Pontiac convertible! I believe it’s a 1954 model.



This angle of Palm Canyon shows the Chi Chi Club on the right, which claimed to have Palm Springs’ only hickory broiler!



At the Palm Springs theater, “Untamed” with Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward is playing.



Looks fairly tawdry from the movie poster!



Two other previously posted vintage views of the Chi Chi Club from my collection:





…and a vintage postcard on eBay:



This shot shows the Coral Tree restaurant, located in the Palm Springs Hotel. Both are now gone. Notice the cross up in the mountains; not sure if that’s still there or not. I don’t recall seeing it.



Charging only $1.95 for a full course meal, I can see why they went out of business! I believe this building was replaced with Hyatt Palm Springs.



A vintage menu cover from the Coral Tree:



…and a peek inside at what they served:



See more vintage and contemporary Palm Springs photos at my main website.

2023: The Year in Review

2023 was a year of balance for me; no real highs, no real lows, but a good year for some fun, growth, and a little bit of travel. Still not back to that pre-pandemic level, but that’s just fine with me. It has been great to stay on top of the home/yard care (for the most part!) rather than let things get super crazy by being away so much. Plus, that means more time with Willis. Dinner with Eric and Darin started the year off at one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego, The Bali Hai. A Piña Colada seemed to be an appropriate way to ring in the new year.



Willis and I ventured to Joshua Tree in late January.



I wanted to check out the Joshua Tree Inn where Gram Parsons permanently checked out. 



Willis was not crazy about Joshua Tree and the cold weather, but he was a good sport as always.



He and I dined “Al Fresco” at Pappy & Harriet’s.



It was more like “Al Frostbite” with temperatures dipping below 40 degrees. Willis and I had to eat dinner on the patio. It was probably one of the quickest meals I’ve ever eaten!



First time to Pioneertown, which is not quite as interesting as Calico or Knott’s Ghost Town, but still worth a trip if you make it to Joshua Tree.



I dropped by the Chateau to document the first visit of blogger supreme Janey, aka Atomic Redhead.



Lucky for me, she stayed in a room I’d never photographed before, #37. It’s the simple OCD pleasures that appeal to me.



Every month on the last Friday, I typically head to downtown San Diego to attend the Creative Mornings breakfast lecture.



Sam Mazzeo spoke at the March seminar and was fantastic.



While downtown for that particular lecture, I wandered over to Little Italy to take photos.



You can almost hear Dean Martin.



2023 marked the first (and hopefully last) time I shopped at Marshalls. Thanks to Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) for going along!



For Melissa’s annual West Coast visit, we ate (and drank) our way through San Diego:



Checked out Palm Springs (with Willis, natch):



Nothing like a cocktail at the Colony Palms Hotel to help one cool off on a hot Palm Springs afternoon.



First order of biz when we arrived in LA was a DELICIOSO lunch at Mauro’s Cafe in West Hollywood at Fred Segal. Willis was there, too, but he was busy hunting for table scraps when this photo was snapped.



I only stayed at the Chateau Marmont once this year (sigh), but I definitely made the most of it.



Willis relaxing by the pool:



Getting to hang out with the legendary Sid Krofft (not once, but TWICE in the last year!):



This year also marked a return to paints for me, as I cranked out eight paintings for the annual Shirley Temple birthday anniversary celebration. Sid attended and was the hit of the party.



For SD Pride, I was the guest of Chris & Lindsey Keith at the Rob Benzon & Dan Ferbal launch event. Not only are these two clients of my photography biz, but they are wonderful friends. And super fun to hang out with!



Speaking of photo shoots, I didn’t do as many this year as before (BALANCE!), but managed to book a number of fun ones.



A high school prom shoot? Yup…I do it all!



Fashion shoot in the Gaslamp Quarter:



The aforementioned Lindsey and Chris at their gym:



Photography requires me to stay in shape as I often have to hike, climb, and squat. This was from a shoot at the Ho Chi Minh Trail in La Jolla. 



I even did a wedding this year. My friend from Wednesday Run Club, Zac, finally got his girlfriend Madeleine to say “yes.” They are both pretty darn adorable.





2023 marked the intro of a few new restaurant faves to my portfolio, including Kingfisher in the Golden Hill neighborhood of San Diego:



The interior is just as impressive as the food and cocktails.



The historic El Adobe in Capistrano:



I dined there with Theme Park historian and collector Ken and his wife, Kaycee.



The top 2023 faves on my list are inside the newly renovated Lafayette Hotel in San Diego:



The lobby:



Eating with Marlene at the 24-hour Beginner’s Diner:



One of the dining rooms at the tapas restaurant, Quixote:



Still looking forward to being able to experience Lou Lou’s Club inside the hotel as well:



Sadly, the El Dorado cocktail lounge closed shortly after I “discovered it.”




Willis turned 12 this year with his usual “Pup Cake” from Dexter’s Deli:



October marked my first plane trip in a year; this time to Atlanta for the UCDA Conference. I got to hangout with Mike Jones from Creative South and talented artist/designer Doc Reed:



Highlights of the trip included my visit to Swan House:



A revisit to the Civil War Cyclorama:



A fun stay at the Georgian Terrace Hotel:



…and the horrible (for my waistline) discover of Jeni’s Ice Creams, which also have a location about a mile from my home in San Diego.



The best part of travel is coming home to Willis, my faithful companion.



In November, my Mom traveled back out to San Diego to celebrate her 91st birthday; our Piña Coladas provided perfect bookends to the year.



I ran my first race in over five years (just a 5k this time). I have already signed up for another in 2024!



I ended the year not with a bang, but a whimper, with my recently documented trip to the Titanic Exhibition in Los Angeles.



What’s in store for 2024? Who knows. Hoping to continue another balanced and productive year, with the usual amount of dating stories to entertain my friends (could a normal one PLEASE step forward?!?). Until then, come back for my of my adventures (and photos) as they slowly unfold right here.

See more Daveland photos at my main website.