FEBRUARY 2019
The Hollywood-
Modernism
COACHELLA VALLEY INDEPENDENT // 15
How did our dusty little community become such a hotspot for Modernism? Our arts writer breaks it down.
Connection I love signature events, and they don’t get any more “signature” in the
Coachella Valley than Modernism Week. It has become the defining celebration of the things this city stands for—iconic architecture, glamour, sophistication, occasional hedonism and complete freedom. What is modernism? Wikipedia says this: “Modernism is a philosophical movement that, along with cultural trends and changes, arose from wide-scale and far-reaching transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was the By Stephen Berger touchstone of the movement’s approach towards what it saw as the now obsolete culture of the past.” Modernism transformed every aspect of society and the arts—and it still permeates our The Sinatra House. JAKE HOLT PHOTOGRAPHY thinking and world view. Volumes have been written, discussed and debated about the movement. Modernism Week were eager to employ these innovations. Large sheets of glass and steel girders provided focuses on the architecture that arose after World War II but does not these architects with a new palette, and they invented a completely limit itself to that. With more than 350 tours, lectures, screenings and revolutionary style of building for the desert environment. parties taking place from Thursday, Feb. 14, through Sunday, Feb. 24, With the demise of the studio system in Hollywood in the late Modernism Week is simply far too large to cover in a single article … or 1960s, Palm Springs experienced a decline. Several decades later, a even a single issue of a newspaper. new demographic discovered its charms: Gay men of a certain age After hours of reviewing press releases and schedules regarding began arriving. They were drawn here by the mystic history and the Modernism Week, I was left with a question and a thought. The inexpensive housing. They began to lovingly restore the Modernist question: How did a dusty, remote village in the Mojave Desert become neighborhoods. a world-class destination symbolizing modern style and misbehavior? Palm Springs experienced a rebirth. The thought: The appeal of Modernism Week goes far deeper than just Today, Modernism Week draws fans from all over the world. While an appreciation of architecture and interior design. the amazing postwar architecture is the centerpiece, the art, culture Many people credit the Hollywood studio system with the invention and lifestyle are also celebrated. There’s something for everyone, from of Palm Springs. Starting in the silent-film era, movie stars were serious architectural buffs to simply the curious, elevated to the status of royalty, instantly recognizable around the Page after page of events are scheduled over the 11-day run. globe. However, a series of scandals involving sex, drugs and suicides As I reviewed them, I was impressed by the breadth of topics and threatened the very existence of Hollywood, and major studios began experiences. Then it struck me: Almost everything that mentioned writing ethics clauses into their contracts—and any infringement of Hollywood, movie stars, the Rat Pack, Las Palmas and Movie Colony the strict moral codes would end careers immediately. Studio spies and were already sold out … and this was more than a month before gossip columnists were watching every movement and action of these opening day. There was something going on here. new kings and queens. It’s well-documented that, as a society, we are beginning to value The studios also required that its stars could not travel farther than experiences over possessions. I would contend that a nostalgia for the two hours from the studio without permission, just in case reshooting glamour, luxury, risqué behavior and lifestyle of cocktails by the pool was required. However, the exuberance and freedom from the status that created and sustained Palm Springs throughout its history still quo of the Roaring ’20s was far too great to be contained by a mere runs very deep. People want to experience what went on behind those contract, and the opening of a tennis club in a desert crossroads exactly high walls and privacy hedges themselves. Who can blame them? two hours from Hollywood provided a perfect escape from the watchful What better way to appreciate these innovative structures and the eyes of studio bosses. modern living style than an icing of excess? Spanish colonial retreats surrounded by high walls and privacy So, take a walking tour. Attend a lecture, Watch a film. Learn about hedges soon sprang up, creating the neighborhoods of Las Palmas and shade block. Have a cocktail at Frank’s house. Maybe indulge in some the Movie Colony. A town grew to service the needs of the Hollywood bad behavior. (Just make sure it’s not too bad.) Immerse yourself in elite who congregated here. Word leaked out to the public about the the mid-century. luxury, the parties, the affairs and the licentiousness in this desert This is our heritage. These are our traditions. It is our gift to the oasis. The legend of Palm Springs took root, and people flocked here to world. I, for one, couldn’t possibly be prouder to be a part of it. catch a glimpse of it. After World War II, a new generation of stars, still under contract, Modernism Week takes place from Thursday, Feb. 14, through Sunday, Feb. From top: A Wexler home; views from a Modernism sought to re-create Palm Springs in a new and modern way. The 24, at locations valley-wide. For more information, including a complete Week bus tour; the Vintage Trailer Show. PHOTOS BY war had created new technologies, and a group of young architects schedule and ticket information, visit www.modernismweek.com. DAVID A. LEE
CVIndependent.com