A pair of topless women parade across the dance floor during Folies Bergre night, circa 1977. Parties come and go; clubs fade in and out of relevancy. Nothing would compare to the nightclubs glory years in the 1970s and 80s. by Gabriel H. Sanchez. 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. At the time, she would have been in the midst of releasing her 1977 album, Cherished. 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. Celebrities headed for the basement. Gene was able to capture how celebrity rubbed up with regular folks in the most unpretentious and remarkable way that was the wonder of Studio 54, she explains. While Studio 54 traded in nightly excess, the elaborate themed parties held on special occasions allowed Rubell, Schrager and their team to bring VIP guests most vivid fantasies to life. Getting high low-down, Grace Jones wrote in her 2016 memoir. Perhaps understandably, Rodgers now considers Benecke a friend. The best people, from Baryshnikov to Jacqueline Bisset, Schrager recalled in a 1996 Vanity Fair profile. Studio 54 is a shadow of its former self. And we were laughing, Rodgers described to Haden-Guest. Williams appears to be accepting a drink from the jolly character. 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, women pose on top of giant reflective pillows in the middle of the crowd. At Studio 54, the taboo wasnt seen as undesirable instead, it was invited inside. One man was less lucky. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Actor and author Chris Lawford shares a dance with Mick Jagger's wife, Bianca. Cher, Margaux Hemingway and a young Brooke Shields made it inside, but Warren Beatty, Kate Jackson and Henry Winkler did not. It peaked just about a decade after the Summer of Love - how far the Baby Boomers had come since their anti-materialist, hippie days! Clubgoers dance amid light towers on the dance floor at Studio 54 on May 15, 1978. You walked in and the hallway was nothing but lockers, high school lockers on both sides, marveled the films producer, Allan Carr, in 1998. 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. We were really totally dejected. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. It wasn't that disco was dying or the club became uncool, it was that the owners were complete crooks. If you wanted a place to let loose and perhaps engage in some public nudity, then Studio 54 was the club for you. The picture that forms is that you had to see it to believe it. Henry Winkler, who had been playing the Fonz on smash hit Happy Days for years at that point, was summarily rejected one night. 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. Nonetheless, Trump became something of a regular at the venue. It was the end of an era. In the very, very far left you can see me I didnt know that I was in the picture., Persson on this photo: "I think this is the same horse Bianca Jagger turned up on for her birthday in 1977. People at Studio 54 dance the night away during the 1978. Antoinette Norcia / Getty Images In this 1978 picture, crowds line up for entry into Manhattan's renowned disco and . The doormen regularly had to be escorted home at the end of the night for their safety. The couple had been enjoying dinner a short time earlier with socialite Nikki Haskell and her date at the iconic Upper East Side eatery Elaines. Amazingly, this worked, until it didn't. 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. Rubells connections meant celebrities were some of the first people to set foot inside, and its reputation as an exclusive hub for the rich and famous was sparked. 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. The flow of revelers grew from a trickle to a torrent after 11 oclock, and soon thousands swarmed the building. But if you were really famous, there was the basement. The stunt was one of the most effective in the history of publicity, as photos of Jagger on horseback instantly appeared in papers across the globe. 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. 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 They were hired for the New Years Eve party of 1977. Off the dance floor, people mingle over drinks in the lounge area during 1977. 29 Pictures That Show Just How Insane Studio 54 Really Was The Holiday Party At Studio 54 Got A Little Out Of Hand Inside The Real Studio 54 Balconies Liza Minnelli No Hats S Guardian Messed Up Things That Happened At Studio 54 Behind The Scenes At Studio 54 Cnn Style The Holiday Party At Studio 54 Got A Little Out Of Hand Fact-Checking the Aretha Franklin Biopic, Jeff Buckleys Grace: 10 Things You Didnt Know, Flashback: Back to the Future Has Everyone Wanting to Play Johnny B Goode Like Michael J. 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. A nearly naked couple dances together on top of a speaker at the club's first Halloween party in 1977. For that reason, his photos are not only fine art, they are history. According to friends, Warhol said it was the best present he had ever received. [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. Known for its raucous parties and A-list guests, the first three years of Studio 54's existence were the most exclusive and enticing and that was by design. The horse was granted entry. This was taken in the ladies room. In this picture, Robin Williams is with his then-wife Valerie Velardi and Studio 54s own Santa Claus. 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. But two people we know were flat-out rejected were disco legends Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of the band Chic. One second the light bulb went on and I sang Aaaaahh, freak out! We were with him literally until he took a car to go home and meet the authorities. The party was over. The hottest celebrities and wildest outfits could be seen on the dance floor, and illicit substances flowed freely among partiers. 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 In the clubs first year open, Cher showed up to the scene at Studio 54. According to the Independent, in 1978 co-owner Steve Rubell bragged openly in an interview about how well things were going, saying "only the Mafia made more money" the year before. They were still adjusting the lights and fixing the music, says Haskell. It was "madness.". Diana Ross serenaded the owners from the DJ booth, and Liza Minnelli sang New York, New York. Rubell, donning a Sinatra-like fedora, piped in with a spirited rendition of My Way, which played on repeat during the night, as did Gloria Gaynors Studio 54 anthem I Will Survive. From a mechanical platform high above the dance floor, Rubell addressed his guests with an emotional speech. Behind The Scenes At Studio 54 Cnn Style. He infamously walked around wearing a padded coat that hid his stash of cocaine, Quaaludes, and poppers. Not only did she love a good time, but she also knew how to master the dance floor. 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. As an environmentalist and an animal rights defender I find the insinuation that I would ride a horse into a nightclub offensive., The key of the success of Studio 54 is that its a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor, club regular Andy Warhol once observed, and Steve Rubell ruled the velvet ropes with an iron fist. Less exclusive was the balcony area, upholstered in rubber because it was deemed easy to clean. (A young Alec Baldwin was a busboy, and legend says he quit because he was too turned on by all the intimacy he witnessed.) Right: People wait in line outside of Studio 54 in 1978. In this picture, you can see doorman Mark Benecke sweeping the expectant crowd for the best individuals to allow past the front doors. If he liked you enough, he'd give you a little something. The many singers who passed through the joint didnt leave without belting out a few notes of their own. Capote was an occasional visitor to Studio 54 and got down with the best of them. The people in this photograph have costumes and makeup on, complete with pairs of tall stilts that helped them tower over the crowd. These Studio 54 photos will take you inside the dance club that defined a generation and hosted celebrities from Andy Warhol to David Bowie. There is a famous picture of former first lady Betty Ford (who had quit drinking and prescription drugs just a year before) hanging out with the stars while her Secret Service detail stands behind her. The sex, drugs and disco on offer at Studio 54 served as the perfect release for a generation raised under the pressures of Watergate and the Vietnam War. Chips of brick flew down. You might not think of famous authors as the rowdiest group of people, but Truman Capote didnt fit into any stereotypes. Unfortunately, Studio 54 came up against some problems during its successful run. He had a kind camera. 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