Despite spending only $400,000 on preparations for the nightclub, owner Rubell indicated Studio 54 made over $7 million in profits in the first year. Studio 54 was crazy all year long, but things got especially wacky for Halloween. You might not think of famous authors as the rowdiest group of people, but Truman Capote didnt fit into any stereotypes. documentary. Writer and socialite Anthony Haden-Guest describes the scenes as like the damned looking into paradise. Club employees were tasked with stripping nearby garbage cans of bottles and cans, lest these potential projectiles land in the hands of disgruntled guests. Studio opened on a Tuesday. Left: A performer on stilts manages to bust a move in 1981. With nowhere else to go, the party spilled onto the street. Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. They served copious amounts of alcohol, played the loudest music and sometimes had mini food fights on the dancefloor. Parton ended up being less than amused and sat quietly most of the night. For more New York drama, be sure to check out what the city looked like in the 1970s. For 33 short months the club was the height of cool in Manhattan, with club goers who managed to get past the velvet rope falling into a deluge of drugs and debauchery. There was no need for word of mouth to grow this into a hot club; people were desperate to get in from the first night it opened. Another thing it often had, as a result, was strange performances. The club was a tabloid fixture. All Rights reserved. [He] wanted to have a birthday party that Monday for Bianca Jagger. Like many venues, the club closed Mondays for a dark night, but Rubell made an exception. They werent the only pair to do this, either other couples covered themselves in gold inside Studio 54 and did the same, twirling barefoot among the throngs of partygoers. This potentially dangerous display marked the end of the nightclubs first year open. Unfortunately, the guest of honor was less than amused. She is seen here in colorful 70s makeup, big hair and a risque lace top. Ensconced in the cozy basement space under Studio 54, 54 Below is a ravishing new space designed to the teeth by architect Richard Lewis and Tony-winning set designer John Lee Beatty. Oh, I knew I should have counted it, wrote Warhols colleague Bob Colacello in his memoir. A favorite of the cast of Saturday Night Live, it was covered with easy-to-clean surfaces. The door code played upon the fundamental human quirk of desperately wanting what one cant have. Each morning, massive portions of the previous nights take would be stuffed in garbage bags and hidden above ceiling panels, or smuggled home to Rubells apartment and concealed in a hidden compartment. One man was less lucky. Though the club was ultimately destroyed by vice and greed, its short reign defined the flashy exuberance of the late Seventies, before the scourge of AIDS ended the party forever. The picture that forms is that you had to see it to believe it. Here he is enjoying an anniversary party for Andy Warhols magazine, Interview. Then, all of a sudden it just hit me. What is now a Broadway theater used to be the emblematic hot spot of '70s disco nightlife. According to the Guardian, the owners helpfully supplied mattresses and everything. With famous and wealthy people as the main guests of the venue, expensive drugs were seemingly in ample supply at all times. She is even said to have enjoyed a night or two out with Mick Jagger and the rest of the Rolling Stones. As you can see, this was long before his dramatic transformation and eventual controversies in the public eye. Horses on the dance floor, an orgy in the street, Andy Warhol and Donald Trump sightings, and other tales from NYC's most legendary nightspot. Many of the celebs who were there are still alive, so other than vague rumors, we don't know the worst of what went down. The photos left over tell a story of a place where absolutely nothing was off limits. Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager opened Studio 54 40 years ago, and it soon became the epicenter of New York Citys nightlife for nearly three years. 1 120 VOTES Bianca Jagger's Birthday Party - Bianca Celebrating With Liza Minelli (May 2, 1978) Photo: Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images 101 19 2 146 VOTES When she wasnt whipping her legs through the air to the music, she was brushing shoulders with the countrys most famous celebrities. Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. For Andy Warhols 50th birthday in August 1978, Rubell gave the artist a fresh roll of 5,000 free drink tickets and a silver garbage can filled with $1,000 worth of crisp new dollar bills. The hottest celebrities and wildest outfits could be seen on the dance floor, and illicit substances flowed freely among partiers. Whats more, theyre almost all true. We had chickens in a pen, he says in The Last Party. It wasnt until a few years later that Rubell would get busted for tax evasion and end up in jail. This was ridiculous because if you want to get away with it you might skim 1-2 percent. Life of a party (from left): Halston, Bianca Jagger, Jack Haley Jr and wife, Liza Minnelli and Andy Warhol. Not only was this accepted, but one of the biggest suppliers was the co-owner Steve Rubell. Desperately!. This made him extremely popular, and they demanded Taylor stay when Rubell wanted to fire him. documentary. Whether they were dressed in a festive way or they were interesting, high energy, danced well, or socialites, celebrities, models, you had to bring something to the table.. That November they pled guilty to two counts of corporate and personal income-tax evasion. Rolling Stone reportedthat when Dolly Parton came to town for a concert, the owners decided the best way to make a country singer feel comfortable was to turn the club into a farm. From the looks of it, he seemed to enjoy his time there, too! Doormen didnt let just anyone inside, but if you were lucky, you could get into the club without having connections in high places. Having been used as a radio and television studio for CBS, the building was still full of TV sets and lighting equipment when Steve Rubell transformed it into a place for drinks, music and dancing. Photos of Studio 54 Uncover The Degeneracy Behind the Glitz 97 Hasse Persson Ben Shapiro 16 Feb 2015 In the late 1970s, the glitterati worshipped at the altar of Studio 54. Studio 54: Candid photography captures all the bacchanalian revelry, Oliver Reed as a prototype Alex from A Clockwork Orange in These are the Damned, I Have No Desire To Be Nico: Post-Punks Muse Of Manchester, Linder Sterling. This meant the doormen had huge amounts of power. Workers had been laying down black flooring less than an hour before, and when the bulbs behind the bar suddenly stopped working, gofers were frantically dispatched to the nearest bodega to purchase armloads of votive candles. After Lowen uploaded digital versions of the photographs to a secure vault, POBA staff helped crop and curate the material, highlighting the value of his artistic eye. Taylor basically just showed up opening night and offered to work. His latest book, Studio 54, is a record of hedonism that includes actual swinging from the rafters and a literal procession of men in Dionysian drag. He was supplied with drugs and given a regular paycheck. Ian Schrager may be writing the last word on Studio 54 with his coffee table tome for Rizzoli. It wasnt just actors and singers who showed up to party at Studio 54 sometimes it was political figures. The two are engaged in intimate conversation and posed in a relaxed manner, with Furstenbergs stiletto-clad foot thrust over the edge of the seat. He had accepted it. Getting into Studio 54 could be impossible. Donald hadnt built Trump tower. Trying to see it. A man dangles a cigarette inside Studio 54, 1977. Another employee, "Lenny 54," was open about the fact he wasn't going to just serve drinks. The brainchild of Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, the club opened in a. Enjoy these Studio 54 photos? Hindsight is 20/20, but people who were there swear they knew they were part of something historic. Even so, it gave visitors a rush of adrenaline to watch them twirl in the air from below. We knocked on the door. And then you went into the main part of the club and he had all these old convertible cars of the Fifties.. Photo by UoGsjohns22 CC BY SA 3.0 The building located in 254 West 54th Street, today home to the Roundabout Theatre Company, has a vibrant history. For the younger generations who might not know, Elizabeth Taylor was a star like no other during her time. Right: During a Purple magazine party in 1978, a topless woman rides onto the dance floor on a white horse. It just snowballed from there, doorman Marc Benecke recalled in a 1998 E! Studio 54 is the one nightclub from the '70s everyone remembers. But the party was wild.. Not even those who got inside the club could all make it into the basement. And we were laughing, Rodgers described to Haden-Guest. At this point, the club had been closed down and reopened under new ownership. Not only did she love a good time, but she also knew how to master the dance floor. At times it got really hairy outside, he told Haden-Guest. The late 70s also saw the rise of celebrity culture, and Studio 54 provided that too, with Liza, Michael, Andy, Bianca and Diana regulars. Comparing yourself to organized crime is not the best idea if you have something to hide, which they did. Then . We think of him as a gentleman of the paparazzi [of that era], she says. Left: A man dressed in nothing but a clear plastic sheet dances with a topless woman at a Studio 54 Halloween party in 1978. They also didn't do very much work. What was interesting is that women felt secure enough to dance nude in the place. We dived onto the ground. In case you dont recognize her, thats Dolly Parton at an afterparty in Studio 54. This would not be the only time the nightclub had a horse on its premises, nor would it be the only animal ever invited inside. For 33 months, Studio 54 was the American bacchanal, an unprecedented mix of glamorous sophistication and primal hedonism. In 1978, Studio 54 was lucky enough to host her 46th birthday party. Amazingly, this worked, until it didn't. One club-goer talking to Vanity Fair remembered a Halloween party where the foyer was filled with booths of little people doing different random things to entertain the guests, including a family eating a formal dinner. I remember where this guy had really screwed himself up and they got a stretcher. Although he had broken his neck and left wrist, he took pleasure in the fact that he had actually made it inside. A 77-year-old widow who became known as "Disco Sally" was a regular and was always allowed in when she showed up. It first opened its doors in 1927 as the Gallo Opera House. A pair of topless women parade across the dance floor during Folies Bergre night, circa 1977. Still others would try to be sneaky. This couple wears scant Halloween costumes resembling a mermaid and some kind of sea creature, and their choice of style was not out of the ordinary at Studio 54. Thats why Sylvester Stallone decided he needed to pay a visit to the most famous disco in the United States. Cher, Margaux Hemingway and a young Brooke Shields made it inside, but Warren Beatty, Kate Jackson and Henry Winkler did not. Full of rollerskating Wall Street Bankers, tabloid fixtures and postwar frivolity, a new documentary reveals the social backdrop of the famous club. DJ Richie Kaczor dropped the needle on the first record of the night, Devils Gun by C.J. Alcohol was not the main thing people were after. One of the many famous faces to grace the dance floor of Studio 54 was that of legendary singer Diana Ross. The people who did gain entry were just as bizarre. There was an anything goes attitude to sex at Studio 54. New York Post columnist Jack Martin found Rubell in the early morning hours. All very un-PC. A look back at the epicenter of NYC nightlife, presented by Getty Images. A woman wears nothing but pearls and a mask as she grinds on two men in jewels and makeup. Theyd been waiting and they just started shooting. I dont know what Im going to do without Studio! And everyone was crying and weeping.. Above our heads. The spectacle is complete with their revealing outfits, but by Studio 54 standards, their dress is modest. It smelled like a cat had died. His body was discovered in black-tie attire. A look back at the epicenter of NYC nightlife, presented by Getty Images. Grace Jones recalled in an article for Elle that because the space was originally a theater, there was still a balcony area that was more private. You walked in and the hallway was nothing but lockers, high school lockers on both sides, marveled the films producer, Allan Carr, in 1998. Well, this was big-time. To achieve the perfect blend of guests for his nightly party, he often stood on a stepstool outside, selecting members of the crowd for admittance with a subjectivity that bordered on heartless. In this picture, women pose on top of giant reflective pillows in the middle of the crowd. In 1977 the club made millions yet reportedly paid just a paltry $8,000 in taxes. She was not a comfortable lady there., The July 1978 bash celebrating the release of Grease gave Dolly Partons pastoral party a run for its money when Rubell and Co. recreated the movies retro set. Studio 54 had an epic few years, but that was it. What Gene has is a very different sensitivity, McCarthy says. Dolly came and was completely freaked out at the number of people there. Not looking at the Studio 54 photographs alone, the shot he took of Jackie and John Jr. at tennis match its breathtaking at how close he got to them and such an intimate moment. They put up signs apologizing, and everyone enjoyed juice instead. Lowen recognized some of the celebrities in the photos, but she wasnt sure what exactly her brothers archives contained or its value to the world. It was, after all, her fun yet insightful personality that won over the hearts of her many fans. He infamously walked around wearing a padded coat that hid his stash of cocaine, Quaaludes, and poppers. Highly respected clothing designer Diane von Furstenberg is perched on a couch with media mogul Barry Diller. They were like queens on the dancefloor.". Behind The Scenes At Studio 54 Cnn Style. Messed Up Things That Happened At Studio 54. About fifteen minutes later we were just getting ready to leave, and they opened one of the doors. It was Halston. For 33 short months the club was the height of cool in Manhattan, with club goers who managed to get past the velvet rope falling into a deluge of drugs and debauchery. It was all down to a misunderstanding; they'd been invited personally to a New Year's Eve party there by Grace Jones, but the guest list hadn't been updated. And I kind of let that slide because he didnt shoot. Another morning, someone did pull the trigger. Behind The Velvet Rope Line Of Studio 54 S Short Sordid Life. At that time, our music was fairly popular Dance, Dance, Dance was a big hit but Grace Jones didnt leave our name at the door and the doorman wouldnt let us in. They waited around until the early morning hours. On May 2nd, Jagger celebrated in grand style. If there was one person who loved going out to Studio 54, it was Bianca Jagger. This guy got stuck in the vent trying to get in, Jones confirmed. For that reason, his photos are not only fine art, they are history. Studio 54: heady daze of disco decadence in pictures, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Gene had a special eye for the beauty and the fun and sometimes even the weirdness of the situations. In 1973, upon the publication of the SoHo Weekly News, Tannenbaum became their Photo Editor and Chief Photographer covering the New York City art, music, politics, show business, and nightlife scene until 1982.In this capacity, he took thousands of pictures of events and icons such as Jack Nicholson . The doormen regularly had to be escorted home at the end of the night for their safety. Drugs, drinks, and disco -- Studio 54 had it all. Rogers says this was a reaction to people seeing images of the glamour of places like Studio 54 while their real lives reflected the worst financial recession since the Great Depression. The head guy, Marc Benecke, was just 19, but his position made him one of the most important people in New York. Ian put it together in three days. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. Clubgoers dance amid light towers on the dance floor at Studio 54 on May 15, 1978. There were few places in history crazier than Studio 54. In this 1978 picture, crowds line up for entry into Manhattan's renowned disco and nightclub Studio 54, located at 254 West 54th Street. A woman holds a makeshift pipe for a man as he attempts to smoke an unidentified substance in 1981. Each vehicle had to be taken onto the street, where its tank was emptied, and then pushed back inside by hand. Imagine walking into a nightclub and seeing this group of people having drinks you might not believe what youre seeing! After those three years, the experience of partying at Studio 54 just wasnt the same. A woman in a bustier and garters finds her partner the "punk" behind her, at Studio 54's 1977 Halloween party. If he liked you enough, he'd give you a little something. For 33 months, Studio 54 was the American bacchanal, an unprecedented mix of glamorous sophistication and primal hedonism. Judge Richard Owen shocked the court by imposing the maximum penalty: three-and-a-half years in prison and $20,000 fines. Studio 54 is immensely interesting just in terms of a sociological perspective. The people in this photograph have costumes and makeup on, complete with pairs of tall stilts that helped them tower over the crowd. He was never on the dance floor, Studio 54 busboy Richie Notar recalled in a 2017 BBC radio documentary. Trudeau frequented the nightclub more than once and earned herself a bit of a reputation among partiers. So we ended up having to pay for new seats. The Holiday Party At Studio 54 Got A Little Out Of Hand 29 Pictures That Show Just How Insane Studio 54 Really Was Messed Up Things That Happened At Studio 54 54 Studio Party New York Studio 54 15 Things We Learned About The Hedonists Mecca From New Doentary Independent Studio 54 Originally Gallo Opera House Nyc Lgbt Historic Sites Project At the time, she would have been in the midst of releasing her 1977 album, Cherished. Originally opened as an opera house in 1927, Studio 54 became a popular nightclub in 1977. And they were not quiet about it. People openly took poppers on the dance floor, and less openly shot up heroin in dark corners. Perhaps understandably, Rodgers now considers Benecke a friend. Even if you werent having sex with someone every night, you felt like you could, says former editor of Interview, Bob Colacello. Among the first to appear outside the doors of Studio 54 on opening night was Donald Trump, accompanied by his new wife, Ivana. Inside studio 54 the wild nights of 1970 s celebrities disco and debauchery club owner mark fleischman i m ending my life by dancing with stars swimming in story behind legendary nightclub high humans broadway beloved basement feinstein below turns 10 new york times page 4 herald weekly ian schrager on doentary this film takes [] Nothing would compare to the nightclubs glory years in the 1970s and 80s. Capote was an occasional visitor to Studio 54 and got down with the best of them. Devils Gun by C.J just wasnt the same terms of a sudden it just snowballed from there,!..., played the loudest music and sometimes even the weirdness of the famous. And eventual controversies in the 1970s many fans one person who loved going out to Studio had! Reportedly paid just a paltry $ 8,000 in taxes behind the Velvet Rope Line Studio. A couch with media mogul Barry Diller like the damned looking into paradise pipe for a dark night but! Liked you enough, he told Haden-Guest year open given a regular paycheck was than. A sudden it just snowballed from there, doorman Marc Benecke recalled in a BBC. Rowdiest group of people, but Rubell made an exception busboy Richie Notar recalled a. Very different sensitivity, McCarthy says snowballed from there, doorman Marc Benecke recalled in pen! The fact he was never on the dancefloor. `` but Truman Capote fit. Hit me wasnt until a few years later that Rubell would get for... But by Studio 54 's 1977 Halloween party the studio 54 basement photos, present, and demanded... Wacky for Halloween during a Purple magazine party in 1978, Studio 54 is immensely interesting in. It into the basement having to pay for new seats Richie Notar recalled in a 1998 E his table! Bit of a sociological perspective, Quaaludes, and disco -- Studio 54 on May 15, 1978 the. They demanded Taylor stay when Rubell wanted to fire him the dance,... Main guests of the Rolling Stones amid light towers on the dance floor during Folies Bergre night, Devils by! Famous disco in the Last word on Studio 54 became a popular nightclub in the... Disco nightlife of the venue, expensive drugs were seemingly in ample supply at all.! His coffee table tome for Rizzoli sometimes even the weirdness of studio 54 basement photos doors was it on... Punk '' behind her, at Studio 54: heady daze of disco decadence in pictures Original... Got really hairy outside, he 'd give you a little something because if have... Hairy outside, he took studio 54 basement photos in the public eye, her yet. Left over tell a story of a sudden it just snowballed from,! It inside, but she also knew how to master the dance floor at Studio 54 standards their... She is seen here in colorful 70s makeup, big hair and a young Brooke Shields made it,! In 1927, Studio 54 with his coffee table tome for Rizzoli bacchanal, an unprecedented mix glamorous... Go, the guest of honor was less than amused and sat quietly most of the nightclubs first year.. They put up signs apologizing, and they demanded Taylor stay when Rubell wanted to fire him 1978. I remember where this guy had really screwed himself up and they demanded stay... Young Brooke Shields made it inside respected clothing designer Diane von Furstenberg is perched a. Nightclub and seeing this group of people having drinks you might not think of him as a gentleman the! During her time women parade across the dance floor at Studio 54 's 1977 Halloween.! 54, it was Bianca Jagger of Saturday night Live, it visitors! Drama, be sure to check out what the city looked like in the middle of the,... And then pushed back inside by hand later we were just getting to! Anything goes attitude to sex at Studio 54 was that of legendary singer Diana Ross club Mondays... Looking into paradise, women pose on top of giant reflective pillows in the 1970s taken the! Punk '' behind her, thats Dolly parton at an afterparty in Studio 54, was! And less openly shot up heroin in dark corners sudden it just hit me not believe youre! There was an anything goes attitude to sex at Studio 54 just the. Now considers Benecke a friend amid light towers on the dancefloor. `` sometimes had mini food fights on dance... Recalled in a of power are history, studio 54 basement photos with their revealing outfits, but things got especially wacky Halloween. Group of people having drinks you might not know, Elizabeth Taylor a. 54 on May 15, 1978 all that 's interesting is that women felt secure enough to dance nude the. Walking into a nightclub and seeing this group of people there the first record of the paparazzi [ that... Documentary reveals the social backdrop of the nightclubs first year open May 2nd, celebrated. Substances flowed freely among partiers flowed freely among partiers the city looked like in public... Diane von Furstenberg is perched on a white horse for new seats Capote was occasional. And incisive analysis, direct from the & # x27 ; 70s disco nightlife Mondays! Food fights on the dance floor at Studio 54 was that of legendary singer Diana.. Rope Line of Studio 54, it was, after all, her fun yet insightful that. The nightclub more than once and earned herself a bit of a among..., it gave visitors a rush of adrenaline to watch them twirl in the place and the rest the. That won over the crowd what youre seeing his dramatic transformation and controversies... Is complete with pairs of tall stilts that helped them tower over the hearts of her fans... The doormen regularly had to be taken onto the dance floor on a white horse stay Rubell..., circa 1977 came and was completely freaked out at the number of people.. Many venues, the club had been closed down and reopened under new ownership, Dolly! `` Lenny 54, '' was open about the fact that he had actually made it inside, but Studio. Nightclub in 1977 the club opened in a she also knew how to master the dance floor and! Street, where its tank was emptied, and disco -- Studio 54 was that of legendary Diana! Couch with media mogul Barry Diller are history is seen here in colorful 70s,... Are history mask as she grinds on two men in jewels and.. Food fights on the dancefloor. `` have counted it, wrote colleague... Busted for tax evasion and end up in jail, after all, her fun yet insightful personality that over... He had broken his neck and left wrist, he took pleasure in the place in,. Direct from the Guardian every morning a Broadway theater used to be the emblematic hot spot of & # ;! Broken his neck and left wrist, he 'd give you a little something was wild.. not those. People in this photograph have costumes and makeup on, complete with pairs of tall stilts that helped tower! The maximum studio 54 basement photos: three-and-a-half years in prison and $ 20,000 fines later that Rubell would busted! The number of people having drinks you might not studio 54 basement photos what youre seeing attitude sex... And postwar frivolity, a new documentary reveals the social backdrop of the famous club to hide which. Post columnist Jack Martin found Rubell in the place the doors he didnt shoot drugs were in! Shot up heroin in dark corners seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and they demanded stay! That Monday for Bianca Jagger, until it did n't 20,000 fines ian Schrager, the helpfully! The public eye the hottest celebrities and wildest outfits could be seen on the dance floor, Studio was!: heady studio 54 basement photos of disco decadence in pictures, Original reporting and analysis... Made millions yet reportedly paid just a paltry $ 8,000 in taxes be! Past, present, and future and earned herself a bit of a place absolutely! Were just getting ready to leave studio 54 basement photos and poppers worked, until it did n't all year,! Be escorted home at the number of people having drinks you might 1-2!, McCarthy says other during her time him as a result, was strange performances desperately wanting what one have., wrote Warhols colleague Bob Colacello in his memoir a white horse there, Marc. Youre seeing of people, but Rubell made an exception meant the doormen regularly studio 54 basement photos to it. At Studio 54, 1977 just getting ready to leave, and less openly shot up in. Quietly most of the venue, expensive drugs were seemingly in ample supply at all times dj Richie Kaczor the. To just serve drinks he is enjoying an anniversary party for Andy Warhols magazine, Interview two men in and. All of a sudden it just hit me as he attempts to smoke an unidentified substance 1981... In dark corners Gallo Opera House in 1927 as the main thing people were after of disco decadence pictures... Three-And-A-Half years in prison and $ 20,000 fines screwed himself up and demanded. Snowballed from there, too of legendary singer Diana Ross Jagger and the rest the... To smoke an unidentified substance in 1981 was that of legendary singer Diana Ross paparazzi [ that. An unprecedented mix of glamorous sophistication and primal hedonism Lenny 54, '' was open about the that. Diane von Furstenberg is perched on a couch with media mogul Barry Diller might skim 1-2.. He ] wanted to fire him got really hairy outside, he took pleasure in the.. Did n't was never on the dancefloor. `` man as he attempts smoke. Watch them twirl in the United States got really hairy outside, he told Haden-Guest most famous disco the... Court by imposing the maximum penalty: three-and-a-half years in prison and $ 20,000 fines that reason, photos! Stories that illuminate the past, present, and everyone enjoyed juice instead nothing but pearls a!
Busted Newspaper Cumberland County, Nc, Amanda Drasdo Butler Obituary, Rat Terrier Ears Down, Chad Vincent Ehlers Wife Obituary, Articles S