FILMING LOCATIONS
TRIXIE MOTEL
210 WEST STEVENS ROAD
PALM SPRINGS
This pink retreat starred on the HBO Max series “Trixie Motel,” which followed drag queen Trixie Mattel as she rehabbed and reimagined the abandoned and dilapidated former Coral Sands into the chic blush-hued paradise it is today. The property has since gone on to enjoy further screen stardom, with the ladies of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” checking in during a season four episode and Sydney Sweeney posing on the premises for a recent photo shoot with Jimmy Choo.
RIVIERA RESORT & SPA
1600 NORTH INDIAN CANYON DRIVE
PALM SPRINGS
Way back in 1963, this place served as a lunch destination for Robert Conrad and Connie Stevens in the slapstick bedroom comedy “Palm Springs Weekend.” The property has undergone several renovations and changes in ownership since then, even known for a time as the Jimmy Buffett-themed Margaritaville Resort, but recently was returned to its original name. Though it looks quite a bit different than it did onscreen, the lodging is still worth a visit.
“OCEAN’S ELEVEN” HOUSE
999 NORTH PATENCIO ROAD
PALM SPRINGS
It is at this modernist estate that a ragtag gang of thieves, led by George Clooney, hatches a plan to pull off a major Las Vegas heist in the 2001 hit “Ocean’s Eleven.” Purported to belong to Elliott Gould onscreen, in actuality, the mid-century gem was designed by A. Quincy Jones for controversial Chicago businessman Jerome Robinson, aka “Mr. Parking Meter,” in 1957 and is known as the Jerome J. Robinson House.
OUR LADY OF SOLITUDE CHURCH
151 WEST ALEJO ROAD
PALM SPRINGS
In a case of art imitating life, not only was a memorial held here for musician Liberace following his passing in 1987, but the Spanish Revival-style church was also the site of the showman’s funeral in the 2013 biopic “Behind the Candelabra.” Designed in 1930 by legendary architect Albert C. Martin, Sr., the parish has a few additional claims to fame. President John F. Kennedy reportedly attended mass on the premises whenever he found himself in the desert and actor Jackie Coogan was a parishioner, as well.
“ALPHA DOG” HOUSE
1275 SOUTH CALLE DE MARIA
PALM SPRINGS
Oozing mid-century charm, this Deepwell Estates residence enjoyed a starring role as Justin Timberlake’s home in the 2006 crime drama “Alpha Dog.” Known as the Koerner House in real life, the shed-roofed property was designed in 1955 by legendary architect E. Stewart Williams for industrialist Leon Joseph Koerner. The dwelling underwent a massive renovation in 2018 and is now, unfortunately, enclosed by a large fence, rendering it far less visible from the street than it was when “Alpha Dog” was shot nearly two decades ago.
CALIENTE TROPICS RESORT
411 EAST PALM CANYON DRIVE
PALM SPRINGS
Originally built in 1963 as part of Ken Kimes’ motor lodge chain, this tiki-themed motel was THE place to be in its early days, with everyone from the Rat Pack to Elvis hanging out there. More recently, it enjoyed a role in “Alpha Dog” as the spot where Anton Yelchin partied – and swam with Amanda Seyfried and Amber Heard – while being held as collateral for his brother’s drug debt. The hotel also appeared in the 1997 thriller “City of Industry” and in a season 2 episode of “The Anna Nicole Show.” And it has a true crime connection, as well! Founder Ken was the longtime husband of murderous con woman Sante Kimes, aka the “Dragon Lady,” and fathered her co-conspirator, Kenneth Jr., in 1975.
“DON’T WORRY DARLING” HOUSE
471 EAST AZUL CIRCLE
PALM SPRINGS
This pad in the Canyon View Estates complex figured prominently in the 2022 thriller “Don’t Worry Darling” as the residence of Harry Styles and Florence Pugh, with Oliva Wilde residing right next door. Crafted by William Krisel and Dan Palmer for developer Roy Fey, the picturesque community, completed in 1965, is marked by a smattering of low-slung duplexes dotted around quaint cul-de-sacs with striking mountain views. Undeniably screen-worthy, the setting brought the film’s idealistically planned Victory neighborhood to brilliant cinematic life.
“HIGH DESERT” HOUSE
2420 SOUTH ALHAMBRA DRIVE
PALM SPRINGS
Patricia Arquette and Christopher McDonald call this Indian Canyons midcentury gem home on the 2023 Apple TV+ series “High Desert” – until being busted for selling narcotics, that is. It is here that a SWAT team descends upon the duo in dramatic fashion during a Thanksgiving celebration in episode one. The polished property also served as the popular Christopher Kennedy Compound during Modernism Week in 2019.
“AMERICAN GIGOLO” HOUSE
2389 SOUTH YOSEMITE DRIVE
PALM SPRINGS
A very young Richard Gere headed to this clean-lined modernist dwelling for a rather voyeuristic job opportunity at the beginning of the 1980 thriller “American Gigolo.” The one-story pad, located on the grounds of the Indian Canyons Golf Resort, has since been renovated and looks somewhat different than when Gere pulled up to its sleek confines, though it remains a masterpiece of architecture and design.
PARKER PALM SPRINGS
4200 EAST PALM CANYON DRIVE
PALM SPRINGS
Celebrities have long flocked to the exclusive Parker, so it is only natural that the resort made its way to the screen. Not only did Lisa Kudrow vacation there on the HBO series “The Comeback,” as did the Kardashians in a season 13 episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” but the property also hosted a very awkward bachelorette party in the 2023 romcom “You People.” The hotel was even the subject of its own reality show, “Welcome to the Parker,” in 2007, though the venture was short-lived, lasting only one season.
JALISCO RESTAURANT
17725 NORTH INDIAN CANYON DRIVE
NORTH PALM SPRINGS
This off-the-beaten-path Mexican restaurant masquerades as an Arizona gas station/diner in the 2018 drama “A Star Is Born.” It is there that Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga share a meal and a pump-side kiss while on the road at the start of a concert tour. The eatery (which serves up some stellar tacos in real life!) also appears briefly at the beginning of the 2005 thriller “Constantine.”
OMNI RANCHO LAS PALMAS
RESORT & SPA
41000 BOB HOPE DRIVE
RANCHO MIRAGE
This gorgeous lodging was the site of one of the darkest moments in ‘90s TV! Portraying the Palm Springs resort where Brandon Walsh and the gang headed for a getaway in the season five finale of “Beverly Hills, 90210,” it was at the hotel that Donna Martin was infamously pushed down the stairs by her increasingly abusive boyfriend, Ray Pruit. In real life, the infamous staircase can be found in Building 5, on the south side of the property, leading up to Room 520. The Omni’s entrance and Azure Pool were also used in the episode, but all interior scenes were shot back in Los Angeles at the Hyatt Regency Westlake in Westlake Village.
JW MARRIOTT DESERT SPRINGS RESORT
74855 COUNTRY CLUB DRIVE
PALM DESERT
In another iconic ‘90s TV moment, this sprawling hotel famously hosted the nuptials of Jesse Spano’s father on the third season of “Saved by the Bell.” But that is hardly the JW’s only claim to fame! The resort served as the headquarters of Palm Security and Investigations on the short-lived Connie Sellecca procedural “P.S.I. Luv U” and its sunken grass-lined tennis court masked as Wimbledon in the HBO comedy “7 Days in Hell.” The JW also appeared on “Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County,” as well as in several episodes of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”
LA QUINTA RESORT & CLUB
49499 EISENHOWER DRIVE
LA QUINTA
The La Quinta Resort is a bonafide screen star, its Mediterranean architecture providing a stunning backdrop for such varied productions as “Hart to Hart,” “The Hills: New Beginnings,” “Don’t Worry Darling,” “Vanderpump Rules” and “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” “The Bachelor” franchise is especially fond of the property, utilizing it copious times across numerous seasons. Most recently, the resort’s La Casa venue hosted the televised, much-hoopla-ed, and very short-lived wedding of Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner and his pick, Theresa Nist.