The Local Celebs | Post, Beam, and Baseline: The Mid-Century Rhythm of Kirk Douglas

‍Kirk Douglas in Spartacus, 1960

There is a particular kind of gravity required to survive Hollywood, and an even rarer kind needed to build a life that spans over a century.

Kirk Douglas had both. Long before he was the cleft-chinned icon of the silver screen, he was Issur Danielovitch, born to illiterate Russian-Jewish immigrants in Amsterdam, New York. His childhood was stripped of romance, defined by the biting cold of upstate winters and the literal grit of his father’s trade.

In his 1988 autobiography, The Ragman’s Son, Douglas laid out the stark geography of his youth without an ounce of self-pity:

"Even on Eagle Street, in the poorest section of town, where all the families were struggling, the ragman was on the lowest rung of the economic ladder. And I was the ragman's son."

He didn’t just climb that ladder; he reached the top and kept going. By the time he arrived in the desert, Issur from Eagle Street had morphed into Kirk Douglas: one of Hollywood's quintessential leading men, a fearless independent producer who helped break the McCarthy-era blacklist, and forever associated with the film Spartacus.

The Wexler Oasis in Old Las Palmas

In 1957, Kirk and Anne Douglas set their sights on the Old Las Palmas neighborhood in Palm Springs, the equivalent of a velvet-roped VIP lounge.

To build their sanctuary, they turned to Donald Wexler, the master desert modernist who treated steel, glass, and concrete not as construction materials, but as extensions of the desert horizon.

Wexler’s design for the Douglas estate was a masterclass in post-and-beam architecture. It didn't shout; it hummed. It featured long, horizontal lines, sweeping expanses of glass, and a flat roofline that let the San Jacinto Mountains do the dramatic lifting. It was a house that practically demanded you wear a linen shirt and carry a tall glass garnished with a lemon twist.

Behind the Douglas tennis court was a simple gate in the wall. Open it and you stepped directly onto Dinah Shore's property. Dinah and her guests could just unlatch the gate, grab rackets and begin volleying.

In Old Las Palmas, Hollywood's biggest stars were sometimes separated by little more than a hedge and a handshake.

Sunday Rituals: Gin Rummy and the Baseline

For more than forty years, the Douglas family adhered to a Sunday afternoon ritual that played out in two distinct arenas: the tennis court and the card table.

The baseline of the tennis court saw some of the most competitive matches in the valley. Kirk was athletic and notoriously competitive—a trait that carried over to the poolside table where endless rounds of gin rummy were played.

The Sunday Spread

The hospitality at the Douglas home was legendary, managed with sharp precision by their long-time German cook, Fifi. The menu completely skipped the California food trends of the era, opting instead for fuel that could withstand a fourth set of tennis:

• The Libations: Crystal ice buckets chilled premium vodka, while simple mint vodka spritzers and plenty of club soda kept everyone refreshed between matches.

• The Fare: European-style platters of cold meats, sharp mustard served alongside rye bread, warm from the oven, and the snap of kosher dill pickles—undeniable nods to both Kirk’s New York roots and Fifi's classic kitchen training.

A Legacy in the Second Act

The Old Las Palmas home wasn't just a place where Kirk recharged his famously volcanic energy; it was a childhood playground for his son, the actor Michael Douglas, who grew up running along these concrete patios, absorbing the specific, golden-hour magic of Palm Springs.

Decades later, that connection came full circle.

When Michael took on the role of Liberace in the acclaimed film Behind the Candelabra, he returned to the desert to film, channeling the ghosts of his father’s era while establishing his own place in the valley's cultural fabric. The lineage of Hollywood royalty remained unbroken, anchored by the same San Jacinto backdrop.

"I made a career out of being tough. But you have to be tough to survive Hollywood, and you have to be tough to grow old." — Kirk Douglas

That toughness was tested in 1996 when a severe stroke threatened to silence him. Yet, just weeks later, Kirk walked onto the stage of the Academy Awards on his own two feet to accept his Lifetime Achievement Award from Steven Spielberg.

His gait was slowed and his speech was halting, but the jaw was still set, and the charisma remained completely undiminished. He stood at the podium, looked out at the standing ovation, and proved until his passing at the age of 103 that he was the leading man.

The house that Wexler built still stands in Old Las Palmas, a monument to a time when architecture was clean and the movie stars were larger than life. The sound of tennis balls striking the baseline has faded, but the spirit of the ragman’s son remains—a reminder that the desert has always been a sanctuary for those who live life with a fierce, unapologetic appetite.

While the Douglas estate sits just beyond the reach of our walking tours, stories like this are exactly what we love sharing.

Palm Springs isn't simply a collection of restaurants or beautiful buildings.

Architecture, food, history, and personality have always been intertwined here.

Join us at Artisan Food Tours and experience the places where those stories still linger.

Come explore the historic heart of town on one of our intimate, small-group Palm Springs walking food tours, led by our five-star local guide.

Enjoyed this article? Explore more of our "Local …" series to discover the Palm Springs stories that helped shape the desert's singular character. You'll find collections devoted to food, architecture, celebrities, history, culture and the people who continue to make Palm Springs unlike anywhere else.

Dave Ball is a local tour guide and co-owner of Artisan Food Tours with his wife, Phyllis. He spends an inordinate amount of time thinking about Palm Springs history, neighborhood architecture, and the pursuit of a great meal. His reigning food obsession remains local Deglet Noor dates with Fix & Fogg Crunchy Peanut Butter, but the breakfast bread at Bread & Flours Bakery in Palm Springs is mounting a serious challenge for the title. Stay tuned for this rapidly developing story.