🎥 Lights, Camera, Palm Springs

🎬 While Palm Springs has long been branded as the “Playground of the Stars,” it’s more than just a weekend escape for Hollywood’s elite—it’s also been a film set. From rom-coms to crime dramas to cult classics, this desert city has pulled double duty: dazzling tourists by day, and standing in for distant lands or heightened realities on screen. As we celebrate Labor in the Valley this September, it’s worth tipping a sunhat to the quiet work Palm Springs has done behind the scenes in film history.

🎥 Palm Springs as a Film Worker

It’s easy to get caught up in the fantasy of Old Hollywood pool parties and swinging mid-century cocktail hours. But beyond the glamor lies the labor—the crews that descended on the valley with cameras and cranes, the local extras, the hot desert days turned into cinema gold.

Palm Springs has always played a role in Hollywood’s mythology. But sometimes, the city isn’t just the backdrop—it’s the star. Here are just a few films and TV projects that show the desert putting in the spotlight.

🌴 Modern and Noteworthy

Palm Springs (2020)

Genre: Sci-fi, Romantic Comedy
Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti
Shot entirely in the Coachella Valley, this clever time-loop rom-com was more than a Sundance darling—it was a love letter to the absurdity, isolation, and unexpected romance of the desert. From dusty roads to wedding venues under sharp sun, Palm Springs was both setting and metaphor.

Alpha Dog (2006)

Genre: Crime, Drama
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake
Based on a harrowing true story, this film used Palm Springs and its surrounding communities to evoke the disaffected SoCal suburban malaise. The contrast between sunshine and subject matter gave the film a disquieting edge.

Behind the Candelabra (2013)

Starring: Michael Douglas as Liberace
The film recreated Liberace’s famous Palm Springs residence with opulence befitting the icon. While most of the film was shot in Los Angeles, the desert scenes—whether filmed or mimicked—brought authenticity to the flamboyant legend’s second home.

🏜️ Indie and Offbeat Gems

Eating Raoul (1982)

Genre: Dark Comedy
Starring: Paul Bartel, Mary Woronov
A cult classic of camp and satire, this bizarre romp used the desert as a mirror for the absurdity of American suburbia. Cheap motels, stucco homes, and a hazy horizon—Palm Springs was both parody and place.

Queen of the Desert (2015)

Starring: Nicole Kidman
This biopic of explorer Gertrude Bell included desert scenes shot near Palm Springs to stand in for the Middle East. Once again, the valley took on a new identity—global, exotic, mysterious—while quietly showcasing its cinematic versatility.

🎞️ Classics and Cult Favorites

Palm Springs Weekend (1963)

Genre: Comedy, Romance
Starring: Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens
This spring break comedy captured Palm Springs in its golden era—convertibles, cocktail bars, and the unmistakable curve of modernist homes. It wasn’t just filmed in Palm Springs. It was about Palm Springs, basking in its own reflected light.

The Wild Party (1975)

Starring: James Coco, Raquel Welch
Loosely inspired by the Fatty Arbuckle scandal, this film used Palm Springs’ lavish homes to echo the decadence and decline of silent-era Hollywood. Palm Springs becomes a ghost of glamor past—a working stand-in for the industry's haunted memory.

🧳 Honorable Mentions

Even when not the main stage, Palm Springs has made appearances:

• Ocean’s Eleven (1960) – Brief scenes capture the desert during the Rat Pack's heyday.

• Diamonds Are Forever (1971) – Desert landscape shots echo the glittery grit of nearby Vegas.

• Mission: Impossible III (2006) – Action sequences filmed in surrounding areas give the desert a role in espionage.

• Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018) – Scenic desert backdrops fill in for Southern California waypoints.

🎞️ Labor in the Desert

Each film shot here, no matter how fleeting the scene, required labor: grips laying cable in 110° heat, craft service setting up under shade tents, makeup artists reapplying sunscreen between takes. Palm Springs wasn’t just the canvas—it was part of the crew.