Celebrities owned many Inland Empire businesses during Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’ – San Bernardino Sun

During Hollywood’s Golden Age from the 1930s to the 1950s, a handful of entrepreneurial movie stars stepped out of the spotlight and into the business world, and some of their most unique enterprises were in the Inland Empire.

In the 1930s, Hollywood studios began to institute a quiet mandate known as the “two-hour rule” that required their contracted film stars to stay within a two-hour drive of the studio during production.

The two-hour rule and Southern California’s geography turned small resort communities like those in the San Bernardino Mountains, the high desert, and most notably, Palm Springs, into fashionable retreats for movie stars.

Some stars fell in love with their favorite getaway locations, and the Inland Empire offered them business opportunities, from rustic ranches to chic hotels.

The Arrowhead Springs Hotel, a well-known celebrity getaway in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains became the most notable business in the Inland Empire to be owned by Hollywood stars.

Shortly after the third Arrowhead Springs hotel burned down in 1938, a group of Hollywood notables came together to buy the property and build the swankiest new hotel in the region.

On Dec. 10, 1938, the Los Angeles Times announced the names of the directors of the newly formed Arrowhead Springs Corporation. They were:

• Joseph M. Schenck, chairman of 20th Century Fox

• Jay Paley, president of CBS, uncle of William Paley, founder of CBS

• Edgar J. Mannix, vice president of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

• William Goetz, vice president 20th Century Fox

• Lou Anger, manager Agua Caliente Racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico, producer, and studio manager

• Constance Bennett, film star

• Claudette Colbert, film star

• Al Jolson, film star

The glitzy new hotel opened Dec. 16, 1939, and the grand opening was declared a “Hollywood Super Spectacle” by the San Bernardino Sun.

The hotel was designed by renowned architect Paul Revere Williams, and the interior was created by famed designer Dorothy Draper. Judy Garland, Al Jolson, and Rudy Vallee headlined the opening night gala, and I. Magnin staged a fashion show at the hotel earlier that day.

Arrowhead Springs was wildly popular as a celebrity getaway, but even with the Hollywood horsepower behind it, the hotel struggled financially. Within two years, the consortium sold out to experienced hotelier Thomas E. Hull, and throughout its life as a resort, Arrowhead Springs had numerous owners.

The 1,900-acre Arrowhead Springs property and hotel was purchased in 2016 by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. They are now using the site for private tribal programs.

This brochure is for Roy Rogers’ Apple Valley Inn, circa 1965. Rogers became an investor in the western-themed inn, and his name helped draw celebrity guests. (Photo from the collection of Mark Landis)

Roy Rogers was known as “The King of The Cowboys” in the 1940s and 50s, and he became a superstar of movies and television. Roy’s wife Dale Evans also became a film star, and they starred in numerous movies and TV shows together.

In 1946, Rogers joined a group of Hollywood celebrities and became a co-owner of Pioneertown, a western-themed town west of Yucca Valley. The newly constructed town served as a movie set and tourist attraction, with a bowling alley, restaurant, and other businesses.

In November 1964, the community of Apple Valley celebrated as Rogers signed a $2 million lease with local promoter Newt Bass to operate the Apple Valley Inn. The following year, the Rogers family moved from their ranch in the San Fernando Valley and permanently relocated to Apple Valley.

Roy and Dale also opened a western museum in Apple Valley and later moved it to Victorville. Roy Rogers Drive now commemorates his contributions to the high desert.

Western film star Andy Devine became an Inland Empire entrepreneur in 1947 when he joined a group of investors who opened The Sportsman’s Tavern in Big Bear Lake. The tavern had several slot machines, which stirred controversy in later years. Devine later sold his portion of the restaurant, which is still in business today as The Captain’s Anchorage.

Palm Springs was the biggest beneficiary of Hollywood’s two-hour rule, and movie stars loved the desert community that barely made the driving time limit. The fashionable 200-room El Mirador Hotel opened in Palm Springs in 1927, and movie stars and celebrities made the resort a favorite getaway.

Stars Desi and Lucy Arnaz were drawn to the Palm Springs area as a getaway, and in 1957 they opened “Desi Arnaz’s Western Hills Hotel” in Indian Wells. The Arnaz’s were at the height of their success, and they spared no expense tailoring the resort to celebrities.

The hotel had access to the Indian Wells Country Club and pampered guests were sometimes flown in by helicopter. Many rooms had private patios, and every room had a movable TV, and its own air conditioning unit — luxuries for the time. Amenities were topped off by a 70-foot swimming pool and a putting green.

The hotel has undergone significant renovations but is still open today. Even now, it carries a retro vibe that is a reminder of the golden age of Hollywood.

In 1963, legendary singing cowboy and Hollywood film star Gene Autry purchased the Ocotillo Lodge, one of Palm Spring’s most beloved mid-century landmarks. The architectural icon built in 1957 featured a modernist design with one bedroom, one bath units that included living rooms and kitchenettes.

The lodge was sold in 1968 to former L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss and it was later converted into condominiums.

The astronomical growth of Las Vegas, and easy air travel ended the era of Hollywood’s glamorous Inland Empire getaways. However, many of these cultural icons are still in existence, and a few like the Indian Wells Resort Hotel, Pioneertown, and The Sportsman’s Lodge are open to the public.

Mark Landis is a freelance writer. He can be reached at [email protected]