Sidney Sheldon’s Homes in Palm Springs for Sale by Widow

Sidney Sheldon, author and screenwriter, penned 19 books, won an Oscar and created "I Dream of Jeannie." And his widow is putting two of their luxury Palm Springs homes on the market.

We hope that you, dear readers, aren’t too young to remember "I Dream of Jeannie" and its tales of an astronaut and his own personal genie. Even now, the episodes are deliciously camp. And while we only saw the episodes in reruns, it would make us feel terribly old if its memory has gone out of popular culture.

According to the LA Times, Sheldon wrote all of his books in his Palm Springs compound. His favorite of the two homes, designed by Arthur Elrod, is listed at $6.45 million. And a large compound it is. The main house has seven bedrooms and 8 1/2 bathrooms. The guesthouse has almost as many, with six bedrooms, 8 1/2 baths. The estate is 14,000 square-feet and has a view of the San Jacinto Mountains. Let us tell you, my lovely ones, the view of the San Jacinto Mountains on a crisp, clear day is simply stunning. And the 1.5 acres in the old part of Palm Springs isn’t too bad, either.

Palm Springs is still a very desirable zip code, as long as you have air conditioning for those blistering summer days. We remember many August days well over 110 degrees and a place to cool off is an absolute must. But with two pools, this home has plenty of places to cool down. It’s also walled and gated in case you are worried about lookie-loos trying to get a glimpse of a pool-side bikini-clad starlet. Which Palm Springs is teeming with, of course. Well, maybe back in the glory days of Spring Break before all the old fogeys in town killed it.

The second home is just across the street from the first. While the first home is contemporary, this one is Spanish modern. It has a private park with ponds, streams, desert plants, walking trails, and palapas. Whew. Sounds great for entertaining during the winter months when everyone in the north is hunkered down in the cold. It’s priced close to $4 million. No slacker in size, it has five bedrooms and 6 1/2 baths, four fireplaces, and a private patio. Don’t forget the spa tub and sauna in the master bathroom. This house sounds lovely. Nice size, but not so big that you’d have pesky relatives wanting to stay in the guest house all the time.

But really, we’d take either one. Wouldn’t you?