For those of you with an interest in some of the area’s history and historical sites, Palm Springs Life Magazine’s Jeremy Kinser takes a look the local supper club, The Purple Room, located in the Club Trinidad Resort, and some of the headliners who have graced the stage since the doors opened 56 years ago. Entertainers appearing at The Purple Room have included Oscar-winner Shirley Jones, celebrated Broadway actress Carole Cook, local performers like Roberta King (dubbed “the valley’s first lady of song”), and provocative drag performer Jackie Beat.

However, the most famous was a trio of pals who were never officially booked or promoted, but on occasion would patronize the place, and leap to the stage when the spirit moved them. Their names…Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. Art Brigman, former longtime manager and one time owner of the venue, recalls, “Sinatra loved to perform here. Frank would drive into Palm Springs so we’d get him going in and going out. He liked to patronize The Purple Room. He called it a saloon. He said he was a saloon singer and loved to hang out in saloons.” One of the most enduring, and certainly the most romantic, stories associated with The Purple Room is that it was where Sinatra proposed marriage to Barbara Marx in 1976. The couple remained married until Frank’s death in 1998.

The passage of time isn’t always kind, and over the years The Purple Room has gone through different identities and name changes that included the Lounge at the Trinidad and Patty Z’s. Tony Marchese and Mark Van Laanen, owners of Palm Spring’s Trio Restaurant, purchased the club from Brigman in 2013 and returned some of its glorious Purple luster by adding a state-of-the-art sound system with notable local cabaret performers including The Gands, and an updated menu. Current owner Michael Holmes bought the venue in December and has continued the improvements by booking bigger productions onto the relatively small stage. 

To prepare for The Purple Room’s recent grand reopening with Tommy Tune’s performances, Holmes closed the venue for six weeks to give the club a makeover, including a shiny new floor and vintage-looking light fixtures. “It’s still very true to the original spirit of the place,” Holmes says. “It’s historic so you can’t alter it too much.”

To read Jeremy Kinser’s original article and view the accompanying pictures, courtesy of Palm Springs Life Magazine, please visit: http://www.palmspringslife.com/room-with-a-hue/