IN THE SWING – CHI CHI’S PALM SPRINGS!

IN THE SWING – CHI CHI’S PALM SPRINGS!

The September 2007 issue of Palm Springs Life has a great article by Howard Johns on the history of nightclubs in Palm Springs, and in particular Chi Chi’s.

“The finger-snapping Rat Pack style is back in vogue and chilled martinis are the drink of choice for desert nightclubbers. From Palm Springs to La Quinta, bartenders shake and stir these classic cocktails, as hotel bars, dance floors, and casino showrooms resonate with jazzy Frank Sinatra tunes and bouncy Elvis Presley songs.

Whether your favorite groove is flying to the moon, or it’s one for the money, two for the show, there’s no better place to jump, jive, an’ wail than the Coachella Valley — home to such present-day entertainers as Suzanne Somers, Barry Manilow, Keely Smith, Brian Setzer, Jack Jones, and Merv Griffin.

They’re not the only ones who’ve declared the desert home. Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Liberace loved it here. So did Ol’ Blue Eyes, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. That’s why they made the desert their playground for more than three decades. When these legendary performers hit the town, it was party time — and the music never stopped.

There was no stage or bandstand off limits to old ski nose, the king of rock ’n’ roll, or Frank and his friends. And their No. 1 hangout was the Chi Chi in downtown Palm Springs. The media described this giant supper club as “The second biggest nightclub west of the Mississippi,” where some of the brightest names in showbiz gathered for more than 25 years.

Bigger than Ciro’s, better than the Trocadero, and more fun than the Mocambo that jammed L.A.’s Sunset Strip, the Chi Chi was a veritable shrine to “live” entertainment. Located on Palm Canyon Drive, it was the scene of many outstanding debuts, several exciting comebacks, and a few tearful farewells.

Practically any New York and Las Vegas headliner that ever took a bow performed at the Chi Chi in its heyday: song and dance pioneers such as Eddie Cantor, Sophie Tucker, Rudy Vallee, the Ritz Brothers, Lena Horne, and Mickey Rooney, along with virtuoso performers such as Tony Martin, Jane Russell, Hoagy Carmichael, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis, and Peggy Lee.

And let’s not forget those masters of Dixieland, bebop, and swing: Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Duke Ellington. They shared the Chi Chi stage with the big bands of Gus Arnheim, Xavier Cugat, and Louis Prima. Comedy shtick came in appreciable doses from Edgar Bergen, Red Skelton, Martha Raye, Jerry Lewis, Phyllis Diller, and Jackie Mason. The list goes on and on.”

Read the complete article at:
www.palmspringslife.com/media/Palm-Springs-Life/September-2007/In-the-Swing/