Our History

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Dr. Lowell John Bean (pictured on the left) was well regarded within the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians having been honored by former Tribal Chairman Richard Milanovich (right) for his work.  Dr. Bean arrived in the desert in 1958 as a graduate of anthropology from UCLA and spent his life learning (and writing) about  the Cahuilla people's customs and culture.

Dr. Bean once said, “historians, the public, and even anthropologists had viewed the California Indians as simplistic, primitive people.  And they weren’t.  It turned out these were very complex cultures with beautiful music, epic poetry, sophisticated social organization, and philosophical systems.”  Dr. Bean went on to write about all of those subjects in scores of books and papers, as well as matriculate to a teaching position at California State University, Hayward.  In 2008, Milanovich presented him with a ceremonial blanket traditionally given to important elders saying, “Dr. Bean, you have our respect and gratitude.”  Dr. Bean lived in Little Beverly Hills for thirty-four years.

Actors Fernando Lamas and Arlene Dahl, who both starred in the 1953 films Diamond Queen and Sangaree, lived at 640 Compadre Road from 1958-1959.  Lamas and Dahl rented the home from its first owner BB Leventhal, a Los Angeles chiropractor.  They were married for six years, from 1954-1960, leaving the home just prior to filing for divorce.  They resided in the furnished model home, part-time, with their son Lorenzo.

Lamas' sole appearance on Broadway was in the 1957 play 'Happy Hunting' for which he was nominated for a Tony Award as Best Actor, but had the misfortune of coming up against Rex Harrison's Professor Higgins in 'My Fair Lady'.  Whenever a role in a 1940s and ’50s potboiler called for an edgy Latin lover type, Lamas’ agent would get the first call. With his thick accent and oily charm, the Argentine actor fit that bill perfectly and he became known as "the Latin Lover."

This home was originally owned by Antone (Tony) Dalu.  Dalu was a prominent interior and landscape designer who was a contemporary of famed Palm Springs interior designer Arthur Elrod.  Records show Dalu doing business in Palm Springs as early as 1954 and by 1957 he was working with the Alexander Construction Company.  He decorated Bob and Helene's first home on Apache Cir in Twin Palms.  Dalu won a design competition where he was selected as the interior designer for their Ocotillo Lodge in 1957.  Later that same year, he furnished the Enchanted Village model home located at 640 Compadre Rd in Little Beverly Hills.  He also worked with Donald Wexler, FAIA, including decorating and landscaping the Wexler family home.  He later worked with architect Hugh Kaptur, AIA, who designed The Palm Condos, also located in Little Beverly Hills.  Dalu met Kaptur while they were working for Wexler.

Alta Davis may not be a familiar name to many visitors, but her connection to Palm Springs and mid century interior design is significant to remember.  Because of a long history of asthma, she moved to Palm Springs in September 1945 where she was employed for several years at the only bank in the area at that time, Bank of America.  Upon returning to Palm Springs the second time, she became the first employee of the Desert Bank when it opened in Cathedral City in July 1949.   Later, she moved to the Glendale/Hollywood area where she worked as a secretary to the Comptroller at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.   After three years in LA, she again relocated to Palm Springs and began work in the office of Arthur Elrod Interior Design for the next 31 years.  Davis was an original owner of this home and died at the age of 95.

Gale Eldridge resided at 634 Bedford Drive with his wife Emelina and three children (Gail, Donna and Bobby).  He was a patrolman with the Palm Springs Police Department for less than two years before tragically becoming the first police officer killed in the line of duty in the village.

His tragic murder was front page news in The Desert Sun following his death on Wednesday, January 18, 1961. While this was a tragedy for the small village, the community rallied behind the fallen officer's family, establishing the Gale Eldridge Fund which raised over $10,000 from ~350 individual contributions. It is believed that his family left their rental home shortly after Officer Eldridge's passing.  According to his family (as of 2013), his legacy continues, however, with four grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. Eldridge was 32 years old.

This home was owned by Arnold "Buddy" Gillespie in the early 1960's.  Gillespie was a special effects artist for MGM from 1925-1962 and was nominated for thirteen Academy Awards including for The Wizard of Oz, Mrs. Miniver, Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), and won for his work on Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, Dolphin Street, and Ben Hur (1959).  His career with MGM spanned the 1925 and 1959 versions of Ben Hur and the 1935 and 1962 versions of Mutiny on the Bounty.

Originally a draftsman and then assistant planning director for the City of Palm Springs, David Hamilton rose to prominence in the desert as a mid-century landscape architect designing the landscape of many famous landmarks including the Palm Springs Airport Terminal, Desert Water Agency, the Royal Hawaiian Estates, DeMuth Park, Desert Memorial Park, Raymond Cree Junior High School, planning for Living Desert and many residential projects.  Hamilton served on the Palm Springs planning and architectural advisory committees and was an early member of the Palm Springs Air Museum, enjoying military history and its preservation.  According to architectural historian Steven Keylon, "he was the first university trained and licensed landscape architect to both live and work in the

Coachella Valley."  Hamilton was the original owner of 572 Bedford Dr.  He passed away in 2017.

Actors Stacy Keach and his wife Jill Donahue lived at 690 Compadre Rd during their marriage from 1981-1986.   Keach is an American actor who was active in theatre, film and television since the 1960s.  He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Authur Kopit's 1969 production of Indians.  He appeared in films such as Fat City, Up in Smoke, Nice Dreams, among others.  Donohue is known for appearing in 13 Demon St, Winter A-Go-Go and Burke's Law.

This Alexander home (Suburba elevation) was originally owned by three time Olympic medalist Parry O'Brien.  O'Brien developed a new technique by himself, and it was ultimately adopted by all shot-putters.  It called for the putter to start with his back to the shot's eventual line of flight, thus turning 180° before the release.  O'Brien became the most dominant shotputter of his time, winning 116 consecutive meets, including two Olympic gold medals (at the Helsinki games in 1952 and at the Melbourne games 1956) becoming the first Olympian to repeat as shotput gold medalist in nearly 50 years.  He then took silver at the Rome 1960 Olympic Games and was the American flag bearer for the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, where he finished fourth.  O'Brien was inducted into the IAAF and  US Olympic halls of fame.  Interestingly, he attended the University of Southern California at the same time as Robert Alexander and William Krisel.  Telephone directories indicate that O'Brien never lived in the home, but rather rented it (initially to William Podell and then to Police Officer Gale Eldridge) before he sold it in early 1963.

Harriet Oettinger Parsons (1906 – 1983) was an American film producer, actress, director, and magazine writer; one of the few female producers in the United States at the time.   She and her partner, Janet Wolfson, resided at 613 Beverly Dr.   Parsons was the daughter of the famous Hollywood gossip columnist, Louella Parsons.  Among the more notable films produced by Harriet Parsons were ''I Remember Mama'' (1948); ''Enchanted Cottage'' (1945); ''Clash By Night'' (1952); ''Never A Dull Moment (1952), and ''Susan Slept Here'' (1954). Before becoming a movie producer, Harriet Parsons was a screen and magazine writer. She had her own radio program, ''Hollywood Highlights,'' in 1938.  Louella Parsons was the first American movie columnist and was retained by William Randolph Hearst because she had championed Hearst's mistress, Marion Davies.  Louella subsequently became an influential figure in Hollywood.  At her peak, her columns were read by 20 million people in 400 newspapers worldwide. Louella remained the unchallenged “Queen of Hollywood gossip” until the arrival of the flamboyant Hedda Hopper, with whom she feuded for years.  This home has also hosted various celebrities and Coachella performers like Solange Knowles and Goldroom.

Jere Ring (pictured on the left) is a protégé of Liberace who entertains audiences and enriches lives with his musical and comedic talents.  When Ring was eight years old, he attended a Liberace performance and dreamed of meeting the pianist in person.  When he was older and had relocated to Los Angeles, Ring met Liberace’s stage director, Ray Arnett, who introduced him to Liberace in Las Vegas.   Ring worked for Liberace in 1983 and the two became friends.  "I performed for him in the afternoon and he invited me to stay for dinner at his restaurant (the Tivoli Gardens in Las Vegas)," said Ring. "The way it all happened was, the regular piano man said he wasn't feeling well. They had celebrities coming in and I said, 'Well, I can play,' and I played the evening. The place filled up and Lee said, 'Do you want to work for me?' So I did."  His life has been one of adventure on the high seas, having performed on 52 different cruise ships playing "hundreds and hundreds" of songs from "The Great American Songbook."  Ring played himself in the 2021 film Look Me Over: Liberace, which examined Liberace's life.  Beyond his piano and singing skills, Jere is a published author and has made Little Beverly Hills home for nearly three decades.

Howard Wiefels was the eleventh Mayor of Palm Springs from April 1967 through March 1974.  He was the original owner of 605 Roxbury Dr but did not reside in the property, instead owning the home as an investment property and renting it out.  During his time as mayor, Wiefels was instrumental in the passage of Proposition R which provided funding for the following projects: Sunrise Park (including the PS Public Library, Leisure Center, The Pavilion, and the PS Swim Center) and Desert Highland Park (present day James O. Jessie Park including the community center, gymnasium and playground and baseball field).  Additionally, he and his brother were owners of Wiefels & Son - Palm Springs Mortuary which their grandfather had started.  The mortuary is still in business today and is located at 690 (formerly 666) Vella Road in the DeMuth Park neighborhood.