We knocked on the door. 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.. Trans women were welcomed, while eccentrics such as Rollerina, a Wall Street banker by day who rollerskated on the dancefloor at night, and Disco Sally, a 78-year-old lawyer, were cult figures. Not only was this accepted, but one of the biggest suppliers was the co-owner Steve Rubell. Thats why Sylvester Stallone decided he needed to pay a visit to the most famous disco in the United States. We want to hear it. The crowds only grew as the clubs popularity did. At times it got really hairy outside, he told Haden-Guest. You walked in and the hallway was nothing but lockers, high school lockers on both sides, marveled the films producer, Allan Carr, in 1998. Exactly what needed to be cleaned is best left to the imagination. One of the men on the scene was Gene Spatz, a pioneering paparazzo and street photographer who most people have never heard about. Not even those who got inside the club could all make it into the basement. Nearby trash cans always had to be emptied of bottles and other things that could become dangerous projectiles. In case you dont recognize her, thats Dolly Parton at an afterparty in Studio 54. The next couple of nights werent as busy. The head guy, Marc Benecke, was just 19, but his position made him one of the most important people in New York. I had a farm wagon we brought in and piled with hay. At the time, she would have been in the midst of releasing her 1977 album, Cherished. This meant plenty of people were rejected at the door, and plenty more stood in lines outside waiting to be appraised. It first opened its doors in 1927 as the Gallo Opera House. Photographer Gene Spatz captured celebrities including John Lennon, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger at the iconic New York City 1970s nightclub. It got the attention of the IRS, and the club was raided on suspicion of tax evasion. For that reason, his photos are not only fine art, they are history. The clubs fortunes were reversed when Steve Rubell received a call from fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick, a.k.a. But soon the crowd started to build to ridiculous proportions. At Studio 54, the taboo wasnt seen as undesirable instead, it was invited inside. The owners were skimming millions, up to 80 percent of their profits. Creative Breakfast Recipes from Andrew Zimmern, Alton Brown and Sunny Anderson, 14 Destination Races Perfect for Extending into a Vacation, Wild Office Pranks That Evil Coworkers Have Pulled on Each Other, 6 Sites to Design Custom Photo Mugs for Gifts or Keepsakes, Seasonal Sips: Totally Teetotal Winter Mocktails for Dry January. Here she is pictured in front of her cake and alongside famous designer Halston. Andys first reaction was, You mean they told me there was a thousand dollars in there and it was only $800? Right: A pair of women get funky on the dance floor during November 1977. 23,434 Studio 54 Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All Sports Entertainment News Archival Browse 23,434 studio 54 stock photos and images available, or search for studio 54 moon or studio 54 1970s to find more great stock photos and pictures. Williams appears to be accepting a drink from the jolly character. The criteria for entry werent clear-cut you simply had to have the look and style they wanted to see inside the establishment. It was closer and we were dead. For 33 months, Studio 54 was the American bacchanal, an unprecedented mix of glamorous sophistication and primal hedonism. This photograph comes just before the release of Off the Wall, when he was still remembered most for his youthful vocals in The Jackson 5. This was taken in the ladies room. Cher, Margaux Hemingway and a young Brooke Shields made it inside, but Warren Beatty, Kate Jackson and Henry Winkler did not. Sylvester Stallone and Sheryl Slocum, 1977. There was even something above the rubber room, beyond secretive, up where the gods of the club could engage in their chosen vice high up above the relentless dancers. We still don't know even half of what went on behind those hallowed walls, but some people have been willing to spill a few details in interviews or memoirs. My Studio 54 dreams became true. I personally tried to get very friendly with the underside of a car., Although their songs were must-plays on the dance floor, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic found themselves unable to clear Beneckes ultra-strict door policy on New Years Eve 1977. Studio 54 was crazy all year long, but things got especially wacky for Halloween. The secluded corners furnished with mattresses quickly became a popular feature. Costing tens of thousands of dollars, these one-night-only productions put the neighboring Broadway shows to shame, only to vanish by the time the club opened the next day. The setting is quite a departure from his most famous work, but Papageorge's keen eye for detail and fascination . One of the most memorable soirees was held in honor of Dolly Parton. Elizabeth Taylors birthday featured a performance by the Rockettes, which the star viewed while perched on a float of gardenias. Studio 54 has gone down in history as the ultimate nightclub, a place where everyone who was anyone went to get down, boogie, and be seen. The flow of revelers grew from a trickle to a torrent after 11 oclock, and soon thousands swarmed the building. This wasnt a show for just any night at the club, however. He was sort of spaced-out, he told Haden-Guest. After all, you have so much money that you have to find some way to spend it, right? 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. They were still adjusting the lights and fixing the music, says Haskell. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Some tried to grease palms with thousands of dollars. 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. Behind The Velvet Rope Line Of Studio 54 S Short Sordid Life. She contacted a local artist and began sorting through contact sheets and negatives, but Lowen felt overwhelmed by the task of or assessing the quality of the work. 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. One night a rejected hopeful came back and brandished a gun. If you came on a white horse, with almost no clothes on, you were guaranteed to get in. We were like the first. 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. 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. In fact, some women were often topless at Studio 54 parties, in nothing more than tiny thong bottoms and boots. Studio 54 started as it meant to go on. Then she discovered an organization that seemed to offer a way forward and talked with Regan McCarthy at POBA, an online hub and resource thats dedicated to recognizing creative talents who were under-recognized during their life. We dived onto the ground. 29 Pictures That Show Just How Insane Studio 54 Really Was. The horse was granted entry. The following February, just before they were due to serve their time, Rubell and Schrager threw one last bash, billed as The End of Modern-Day Gomorrah. This final blowout was intimate compared to most nights, with just 2,000 of Studio 54s most faithful, including Richard Gere, Halston, Reggie Jackson, Andy Warhol, Lorna Luft and Sylvester Stallone. 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. And I kind of let that slide because he didnt shoot. Another morning, someone did pull the trigger. Steve at that point wasnt known by anybody. At this point, the club had been closed down and reopened under new ownership. 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. Left: A topless woman in a peacock feather headdress dances at Studio 54's Halloween party in 1977. Model Bianca Jagger holds doves at a party thrown by fashion designer Halston in 1977. The birthday girl took the place of honor astride the horse, which trotted across the dance floor while cameras greedily snapped. Parton ended up being less than amused and sat quietly most of the night. In front is famous artist Andy Warhol. Trans women were welcomed, while eccentrics such as Rollerina, a Wall Street banker by day who. He said, Hey Nile, what youre playing sounds really good.'. One of the bartenders donned a diaper and popped out of a cake, but the highlight of the evening occurred around midnight, when a white steed was led out from behind a stage curtain by a nude couple slathered in shimmering paint and sparkles. Many of the staff of Studio 54 including Rubell died as a result of it. Typical of the late 70s, the two are smoking. A kind of unofficial VIP area in an already VIP club, it was where big celebrities went for their private trysts. If he liked you enough, he'd give you a little something. 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. This kind of tolerance in the 1970s and 1980s was not seen in the mainstream media, but it was alive and well in nightclubs like Studio 54. Steve was coked out of his mind, remembered one in attendance, Bianca was hugging him, and he was saying, I love you people! If you thought youd seen it all when it came to crazy Studio 54 performances, youd be mistaken. The best people, from Baryshnikov to Jacqueline Bisset, Schrager recalled in a 1996 Vanity Fair profile. Debbie Harry of Blondie arrives with her friends to the nightclub in 1981. About a half an hour later there were 50 or 60 people in there. People at Studio 54 dance the night away during the 1978. We had a circus ring with sand, and mermaids on trapezes, he told Vanity Fair. A throwback to the heyday of authentic New York nightlife, the room also boasts wonderful lighting by Tony winner Ken Billington and the best sound in town . It was Halston. For Valentines Day, Studio 54 was transformed into a garden with flowerbeds, picket fencing and a group of harpists. When youre a wealthy celebrity, youre going to want to have the best of the best. From the looks of it, he seemed to enjoy his time there, too! Messed Up Things That Happened At Studio 54. Why Is Friday the 13th Considered Unlucky? Robin Williams dancing with his then-wife Valerie in 1979. For many guests (celebrity or not), Studio 54 was a place to dance, discover, and dip into the unknown. We kept saying, Gee, I wonder where everybody is? Gene had a special eye for the beauty and the fun and sometimes even the weirdness of the situations. The photos left over tell a story of a place where absolutely nothing was off limits. With nowhere else to go, the party spilled onto the street. We had big wine barrels we filled with corn. This exclusive event would have been the talk of the season. The owner, Steve Rubell, saw it as "casting a play," and getting the perfect mix of people was key. Both famous celebrities and regular bystanders alike managed to have a rockin good time at Studio 54. Here he is enjoying an anniversary party for Andy Warhols magazine, Interview. At this time, Fawcett had recently hit it big with her role in Charlies Angels, while MacLaine had just starred in The Turning Point. They were out of their minds on drugs and indulging in their dirtiest fantasies. In the 1970s, Studio 54 was a palace of excess and hedonism and on Halloween, this infamous nightclub opened its doors to the costumed ghouls of New York City. It wasn't that disco was dying or the club became uncool, it was that the owners were complete crooks. Ultimately, as the judge said, theirs was a crime of hubris. 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. Nobody wanted to rent a car to Studio 54. Once you see the pictures of the famous faces and outrageous antics that took place inside, it wont be too surprising that Studio 54 was able to reach such high success. A 77-year-old widow who became known as "Disco Sally" was a regular and was always allowed in when she showed up. In this picture, Robin Williams is with his then-wife Valerie Velardi and Studio 54s own Santa Claus. They were trying to get into the courtyard. Doormen didnt let just anyone inside, but if you were lucky, you could get into the club without having connections in high places. documentary. She was an actress and human rights activist who was married to Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger at the time. Left: A man dressed in nothing but a clear plastic sheet dances with a topless woman at a Studio 54 Halloween party in 1978. Performers drop down from the ceiling, held by nothing but a cord connected to their legs. This is after the feminist movement of the 70s: if a woman wanted to be nude that was her privilege, no one would ever touch her or say anything. According to the Daily Beast, he and his friends had no problem getting in because they showed up unfashionably early and were basically first in line. Its immersive atmosphere and coveted location on West 54th street in Manhattan made the spot an instant hit. Rubell liked to tell a story about a countess who took a fancy to one unnamed bartender and had him handcuff her to a pipe in the basement before having sex with her. Sometimes entertainment went further. ' Released as Le Freak that September, the song would become Chics first Number One and biggest hit. She is seen here in colorful 70s makeup, big hair and a risque lace top. Nina Hagens Nunsexmonkrock: Greatest (and weirdest) unsung masterpiece of the postpunk era? See Rare Photos Inside Studio 54 Nightclub Photographer Gene Spatz captured celebrities - including John Lennon, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger - at the iconic New York City 1970s nightclub By. Now an animal rights advocate, Bianca told the Financial Times (via the Guardian) that she didn't show up on the horse. Whats more, theyre almost all true. Another employee, "Lenny 54," was open about the fact he wasn't going to just serve drinks. Desperately!. 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