Having lived in PMC for almost 40 years, and having been in business here for almost that long, you meet an awful lot of people. All of them are unique in their own way, and most (but not all, unfortunately) are interesting characters for a whole encyclopedia of reasons. That said, the one question about people that I get asked the most by other people is something like:
"I've heard there are a lot of "celebrities" (my quotes) who come up here--do you know of any??"
Short answer: Well, yes.
This area has been known to Hollywood/show business types for many years--many years before PMC was even a gleam in Tenneco's jaundiced eye.
The Lebec Hotel was a notorious hangout just after the turn of the last century for the likes of Rudolf Valentino and other silent film stars, and Frazier Park and Lockwood Valley were chosen as "getaway" places to stay for many people in the movie industry (both in-front-of and behind the camera). The Palm Springs area enjoyed the same popularity--for a time, the studios required their stars under contract to stay within a couple of hours' travel time of their workplace so they could start work on very short notice. The open spaces of this area made excellent locations for movies, and later TV shows (still do), and many people in the "industry" visited here on location, and then came back to vacation, and ultimately buy a piece of property (cheap!). Oscar-winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Spartacus, Roman Holiday) owned a beautiful large ranch in Lockwood Valley for many, many years, until he was forced to sell it to pay his legal bills when he was investigated by Senator Joe McCarthy as one of the "Hollywood Ten". John Schneider (Dukes of Hazard), Lance LeGault (a ton of westerns), and John Doe (Roadhouse) were long-time residents of the Frazier Park/Lake of the Woods area.
But for PMC it was a whole other story. For a time it seemed like most of the people here were involved with movies/TV/entertainment. We affectionately referred to them as "ST's" (Studio Trash). From grips and electricians, props people, costumers, directors, producers, film and video editors, stunt people, agents, publicists, business managers, singers, musicians, dancers, and many well-known stars --they were here--some as permanent residents, most when their work-schedules allowed.
From about 1980 until 2004, we had a video store inside the Auto Center. (People in the entertainment industry are the BEST video and DVD customers!)
It seemed they ALL came by to rent movies when they had time off to spend in PMC. And some just came in for repairs, or to buy gas, and catch up on local happenings. I'll never remember them all-- but I'll take a shot at it.
If some of the names are unfamiliar, just check www.imdb.com . This is in no particular order, but just one memory prompting yet another. Many of these people have their own story for me to tell, but that will have to wait for another time, when I have more time, and space to write.
Dom DeLuise (& Carol, Michael, Peter, and David), Ray Wise, Rod & Charlene Amateau, Gino Vannelli, Mel Brooks & Anne Bancroft, Janis Paige, Talia Shire, Belinda Montgomery, Diane McBain, Parker Stevenson, Gene LeBell, Sia and Shane Barbi & Ken Wahl, Perry King, Heather Locklear & Scott Baio, Nina Simone, Spencer Milligan, Britt Leach, Roy Dotrice, Patrick Macnee, Frankie Valli, William Lucking, Dennis Howard, John R. Moore, Julianna (McCarthy) Constantine, Larry David, Richard Lewis, Lindsay Frost, Warren Frost, Perry Barndt, Kurt Bryant, Val McCallum, Christopher Walken, Rick Dees, Wink Martindale, Dave (the Hullabalooer) Hull, Julie Newmar, June Lockhart, Clayton (the Lone Ranger) Moore, Wally (NHRA) Parks, Thomas Ian Nicholas, John Behring, Joe Higgins, Jamie Farr, Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron, Dylan (Charlie) Walsh, Ritch Brinkley, Chuck McCann, Red Buttons, Georgia Holt, Kathleen Lloyd, Charles Martin Smith, Molly Hagan, Burt Reynolds & Loni Anderson, and I'm sure many more I'll remember after I post this!
