Thursday, April 11, 2019
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Volume 64 | Number 34
www.DesertMobileHomeNews.com
CELEBRATING THE RESIDENTIAL PARK COMMUNITIES FOR 64 YEARS
Stage and Screen Mega-Star Roberta Linn Dazzles with Music and Memories The legendary singer to perform on April 17 at Oscar’s
By Alison Elsner
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hose who are fortunate enough to see Roberta Linn perform live on stage are surely struck with two thunderbolts of realization: 1) They’ve just witnessed the entire story from “That’s Entertainment,” and 2) What a crying shame for the rest of the poor souls who are missing out. Fortunately for anyone yet to be initiated, as well as for those who eagerly return again and again to catch her act, Linn will be headlining at the Cabaret Showroom at Oscar’s Café and Bar in Palm Springs on Wednesday, April 17, starting at 7 p.m. Anyone wishing to enjoy dinner should arrive at 5:30 p.m., and either way, reservations are a must. Linn will be performing a birthday show with her four-piece band – no karaoke machines or canned music here. Her life in entertainment began at the age of four, when she started appearing in some 20 movies like “Little Miss Marker” and in “Our Gang” films. Her life from that point on was a whirlwind of performing around the country. In 1949, she was personally selected by Lawrence Welk to be his “Champagne Lady” (the first one on the televised show). She performed regularly with Welk’s band at the Aragon Ballroom in Santa Monica, California. Linn simultaneously starred in her own KTLA television show, “Café Continental,” for which she received an Emmy Award in 1953 for “Most Outstanding Entertainer on TV.” Throughout her youth, Linn’s mother would hand-sew her elegant outfits, and mom always accompa-
nied daughter on the road. One of the standout moments for Linn is when she scored her first Las Vegas gig at the New Frontier Hotel, with musical direction by Nelson Riddle, choreography by Charlie O’Curran and costumes designed by Edith Head. This was the big time. The popular stage and screen star headlined in major nightclubs throughout the world, including The Sands, Stardust and Desert Inn in Las Vegas and Cal-Neva in Lake Tahoe. It was at the Riverside in Reno that she met her future co-star in the group Freddie Bell and Roberta Linn and the Bellboys, the high energy and versatile Vegas lounge act referred to as “A Hurricane of Entertainment” following their headline show at the Copa in New York. They are also the act that took over for Louis Prima and Keely Smith at the Sahara. Linn was married to her co-star, Freddie Bell, from 1961 to 1973, and she made the decision to relinquish her headliner status on main stages and transition over to lounge acts with Bell so the couple could work steadily in Vegas and take care of their young son, Fred. Lynn has worked with and been friends with a panoply of old – and sometimes new – Hollywood. You name a star, Linn has worked with him or her: Al Jolson, Shirley Temple, Bob Hope, Frankie Laine, Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Bing Crosby, Marge and Gower Champion, Jack Benny, Danny Thomas, Jimmy Durante, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel, Don Rickles, Frank Sinatra (a good friend), Ronald Reagan …believe us, this list is merely a smattering.
Lawrence Welk and Roberta Linn “The Champagne Lady”
The 1970s brought a major performance contract at SeaWorld Amphitheater with the San Diego Symphony, cementing Linn’s identity as a “main stage” act. Linn then found great success with “Roberta Linn and the Gamblers,” adding country music to her repertoire. In more recent years, after making the permanent move to the Coachella Valley in 2000, Linn performed in a series of shows with Florence Henderson, Gloria Loring and Betty Garrett in the “Fabulous Ladies of Song,” including at the McCallum Theatre. She has starred alongside Bob Newhart at the Annenberg Theater (after performing with him several times), and she even stole the show last year at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida for guests of President Donald Trump. She can frequently be seen performing at showrooms or country clubs throughout the desert.
Roberta Linn was also presented with the 42nd star on Palm Springs Walk of Stars in 1995. Linn has observed numerous changes in the entertainment industry and maintains fond memories of her years in the spotlight, “When movies were movies and stars were stars.” There’s actually a third thunderbolt that will strike anyone who sees Linn’s show, or for that matter simply chats with her: she’s absolutely beautiful, inside and out. Her show, as well as her spirit, are “must see.” Roberta Linn performs at Oscar’s Café and Bar on Wednesday, April 17, 5:30 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. show. For reservations, call 760-325-1188 or visit, oscarspalmsprings.com. Oscar’s is located at125 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs.
People Living with Parkinson’s Disease Fight Back During Parkinson’s Awareness Month
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his April, Rock Steady Boxing Desert Cities, located at 77804 Wildcat Drive, Palm Desert, will join millions in observing Parkinson’s Awareness Month. A progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects the ability to walk, talk, balance and move, Rock Steady Boxing Desert Cities gives those living with Parkinson’s hope today by offering a non-contact, boxing-inspired fitness rou-
tine proving to dramatically improve their quality of life. Rock Steady Boxing Desert Cities will offer special guests during some of our classes such as fighters doing demos, Qi Gong demos, music therapy and nutritionists to promote awareness and education about Parkinson’s during the annual observance. According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, more than 10
million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease and more than 60,000 Americans are diagnosed each year. Recent medical studies, including one at the Cleveland Clinic, focus on intense “forced” exercise and indicate that certain types of exercise can exert a neuroprotective influence and may actually slow the progression of the chronic, incurable disease. Rock Steady serves participants
at all stages of Parkinson’s – from the newly diagnosed to those who have been living with the disease for decades plus. To learn more about Rock Steady Boxing Desert Cities, call 760-831-1909 or visit Desertcities.rsbaffiliate.com. For additional resources and to learn more about the overall organization, please visit Rock Steady Boxing, Inc. at rocksteadyboxing.org.