New Frank Sinatra doc takes a deep dive into his life in Palm Springs, the place he called home (2024)

As local lore has it, everyone was best friends with Frank Sinatra and was on a first-name basis with the blue-eyed crooner.

That’s what Rancho Mirage resident Leo Zahn discovered when he moved to the desert about seven years ago.

“This is very unique about this place. Somehow, the myth of Sinatra is very much alive. And you hear people in bars, restaurants, tell stories, tall tales. ‘Oh, I knew Frank. We were friends.’ And you wonder, wait a minute. This can’t be. Is this true?” wondered Zahn a filmmaker who hasdirected and photographed more than 600 commercials throughout his career.

So he set out to make a whimsical film about all the myths surrounding Sinatra in the desert. But then he metsocialite and philanthropist Nelda Linsk who actually knew Sinatra and was a close friendofhis latest wife, Barbara Sinatra. That meeting changed the trajectory of his film.

“She connected me with so many people. In my film I introduce her as Palm Springs royalty. She’s an icon. She connected me with a lot of people who I would not have been able to get otherwise. Because I’m an outsider, let’s face it … an outsider by Palm Springs standards,” said Zahn.

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“I did a lot of research. I read everything I could find about Sinatra and Palm Springs and I didn’t want to make a biography. I wanted to make it specifically about Palm Springs.”

What he created after two years of interviews, filming, editing and clip approvals, was the documentary “Sinatra in Palm Springs – The Place He Called Home.” It explores Sinatra’s deep attachment to the resort city and the Coachella Valley, which is where he lived for almost 50 years.

The documentary celebrates its world premiere at a sold-out screening on Feb. 20 in Palm Springs during Modernism Week. The film will show again on Feb. 25 as part of Modernism Week’s new film festival called the Architecture Design Art Film Festival which features about 26 films, documentaries and shorts,over three days.

Modernism Week, a celebration of all things mid-century modern featuring home tours, parties and educational programming, has screened films in the past. Last year it collaborated with AmDocson the West Coast premiere screening of “Windshield: A Vanished Vision” about the construction and sad fate of Windshield, a 14,000-square-footsummer house on Fishers Island, New York, designed by Richard Neutra.

READ MORE:How to take part in Palm Springs Modernism Week without spending a lot of money

"The screening and post-screening reception was such a hit, that we thought maybe we could expand the collaboration to a full weekend of architect and design films that have not screened in Palm Springs previously," said Modernism Week treasurer Mark Davis via e-mail.

The new festival in partnership with AmDocs again, creates a more robust offering of architecture and design-centric films and will take place at the Palm Springs Cultural Center from Feb. 23-25.

"There always seems to be an appetite for interesting and well-made architecture and design films and documentaries. With so many architectural and design enthusiasts coming the Palm Springs for Modernism Week —and lots of locals who live here, love architecture, and have read about these films but haven’t been able to see them —it seemed a perfect fit," Davis said.

The 92-minute Sinatra documentary is Zahn’s second feature-length film. His first was a documentary on architect William F. Cody called "Desert Maverick."

His film on Sinatra features more than 65 clips from moviesand television appearances and includes interviews with some of Sinatra’s desert friends,family and people who knew him including comedian Tom Dreesen;entertainer Trini Lopez;Desert Sun reporter Bruce Fessier; Sinatra's wife, Barbara;andrestaurateur Mel Haber. Both Barbara Sinatra and Haber have died sincethe interviews.

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The documentary pays tribute to the unique lifestyle Sinatra led in Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage and takes viewers to a bygone era when Sinatra ruled the desert.

Palm Springs was Sinatra’s retreat. His refuge from all the hubbub of Hollywood. It was also a playground for him and his Rat Pack buddies who visited and wound up living in Palm Springs as well.

One of the interviews is with Sidney Williams, daughter-in-law of modernism architect E. Stewart Williams, who designed Sinatra’s 1947 Twin Palm Estate, a popular venue during Modernism Week for home tour stops and co*cktail parties.

As the story goes, Sinatra would run a flag between the two palms trees to let his friends know the bar was open so they could head on over for happy hour.

The Twin Palms estate is also where Sinatra lived with the love of his life, actress Ava Gardner, with whom he got into many an argument. As another often-told story goes, one night Sinatra got so mad at Gardner, he threw a bottle of Champagne that hit the bathroom sink and caused a crack that is still there.

“They had a lot of fights. They had fights daily. Tom Dreesen who was very close to Frank would ride around the desert with him all night long and Frank talked about everything. Especially the relationship with Ava, who was the love of his life. They had fights every day and she filed for divorce. She was a very independent woman and he was an Italian man who expected his wife to be at home and not go off to make another movie,” said Zahn.

READ MORE:Tom Dreesen: Long-time friend of Sinatra tells stories

Sinatra moved to Rancho Mirage in 1954 to Tamarisk Country Club, a country club started by the Marx Brothers in opposition to Thunderbird, who Zahn said didn’t allow Jewish people at the time.

“Frank made a statement by moving into the Jewish country club,” he said.

During the making of the documentary, Zahn said the most striking discovery and something many may not know, is about how generous Sinatra was and how he would oftenhelp thosein need.

“He helped people who were in need, anonymously. He didn’t do this in Los Angeles. He did this in Palm Springs because that was his home and he felt he needed to help people who were in need," said Zahn.

"Many, many people told me this story. He would read the Desert Sun … every morning.Let’s say an old lady’s mobile home burnt down. He would send a check anonymously. This is true. I swear to God.”

The filmmaker also learned that not all of Sinatra’s closefriends, including Lopez who performed and knew him for 36 years,could casually called him Frank. It was “Mr. S.”

“All these people who say ‘Frank and I, blah, blah.’ It’s all BS,” said Zahn.

Paul Di Amico who had a steakhouse in Palm Springs though,addressed Sinatra by his first name."He was a Sicilian born in Sicily. He and Frank had a close relationship. He called him ‘Frank,' ” said Zahn.

READ MORE:Frank Sinatra celebrations still cast shadow 102 years after his birth

He hopes folks walk away from the film with a better understanding of Sinatra —one they'd never seen before.

“They will get to know the real Frank. Not the Frank that they’ve read about in newspapers, in books and especially the four-hour HBO documentary that was done for his 100 birthday. (It) barely mentioned Palm Springs, barely,” said Zahn.

“I think that Palm Springs was a huge part of Frank’s life and this was his home. I think that’s got to be the major takeaway that most people are not aware of. I’ve run into Palm Springs people who have lived here for decades and don’t even know that Twin Palms was his first home (in Palm Springs). I’m just amazed.”

If you go:

Modernism Week celebrates all things mid-century modern and includes a series of home tours, lectures, films, parties and educational programming. It runs Thursday - Feb. 25.For more information or tickets go tomodernismweek.com.

The Architecture Design Art Film Festival, new this year, starts at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 23, 24 and 25 with four to five film programs each day featuring anywhere from one to sixfilms in each program. Cost is $12-$20. At the Palm Springs Cultural Center, formerly called Camelot Theatres, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs.

“Sinatra in Palm Springs – A Place He Called Home,” screens from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 25. Cost $20.

For tickets and information go to modernismweek.com/filmseries.