Cher wasnt the wildest partier on the scene, but she was known for being an independent and forward-thinking individual who didnt shy away from a good time. A cheetah might be sitting at the bar. Luckily for us, a handful of photographers captured the scene at Studio 54's height in the 1970s. He was there to be seen with the famous people, to network, to cut the deal; whilst everyone else cut the coke., Opening night at Studio 54 was an unqualified success, but the days that followed were comparatively slower. We stood there as long as we could take it, until our feet were just finally way too cold. 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. In this picture, well-known English actor Michael Caine is laughing and dancing with his wife Shakira, while partygoers frolic on behind them. IRS agents raided Studio 54 on December 14th, 1978, seizing garage bags of cash, financial documents and five ounces of cocaine. We had chickens in a pen, he says in The Last Party. Photographer Gene Spatz captured celebrities including John Lennon, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger at the iconic New York City 1970s nightclub. By midnight, the huge group in the street had become "Sodom and Gomorrah." 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. That November they pled guilty to two counts of corporate and personal income-tax evasion. 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. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for who gained entrance and who didn't. America in 1977 was ripe for something fun, glamorous and a bit risque. Hindsight is 20/20, but people who were there swear they knew they were part of something historic. Steve had certain criteria, an insider later told Vanity Fair. A pair of topless women parade across the dance floor during Folies Bergre night, circa 1977. My house now is filled with his art, and I hope others will appreciate it too.. Imagine walking into a nightclub and seeing this group of people having drinks you might not believe what youre seeing! These two people, covered in silver, dance for onlookers inside Studio 54. Parton ended up being less than amused and sat quietly most of the night. 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. 74-year-old photographer Tod Papageorge is best known for capturing the buzzing streets of NYC and subtle moments in Central Park. Perhaps understandably, Rodgers now considers Benecke a friend. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. The Birth of Studio 54. 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. Studio 54 co-owner Steve Rubell stands in his office, which he claimed was ransacked by federal agents looking for drugs, in 1978. This photo shows a man dressed in drag with fake (and appropriately sequined) breasts on his chest. Performers drop down from the ceiling, held by nothing but a cord connected to their legs. This made him extremely popular, and they demanded Taylor stay when Rubell wanted to fire him. On finding Studio 54s books, it was discovered that a skim was in operation on up to 80% of the profits. Even so, it gave visitors a rush of adrenaline to watch them twirl in the air from below. Shes just finished with a 1978 concert, following up a Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Performance. Fox, Romeo Santos Announces Fourth Child in NSFW Solo Conmigo Video, Cardi B Recalls the Moment She and Offset Learned of Takeoff's Death: I Was So Scared, Taylor Swift and SZA Officially Shut Down Feud Rumors: So Much Love and Respect, 2023 Lovers & Friends Festival Fully Leans Into 2000s Nostalgia With Missy Elliot, Usher, Mariah Carey, New York Lawmakers Protest Madison Square Garden Over Facial Recognition Controversy, Leslie Jones Asks White People in New York How They're Celebrating MLK Jr. Day, Pro-Trump Former Lawmaker Ordered to Pay $45,000 for Blocking Man on Facebook, Meryl Streep Checks Into Only Murders in the Building on Hulu, Matt Schlapp Sued for $9.4 Million After Allegedly Groping Man's Crotch. In a jovial moment, revelers tipped the bucket over his head, showering him with money. A nearly naked couple dances together on top of a speaker at the club's first Halloween party in 1977. People openly took poppers on the dance floor, and less openly shot up heroin in dark corners. The spectacle is complete with their revealing outfits, but by Studio 54 standards, their dress is modest. 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. Needless to say, he made enough of a name for himself and enough connections to land a spot on the list at Studio 54 often. One bartender co-wrote a novel in 1980 about a Studio 54-like club that was so close to reality, Andy Warhol wondered how he didn't get sued. 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. Chips of brick flew down. We want to hear it. In fact, she sang that night with Liza Minnelli. Not that they actually waited to get inside for the fun to start. Steve was coked out of his mind, remembered one in attendance, Bianca was hugging him, and he was saying, I love you people! The photos left over tell a story of a place where absolutely nothing was off limits. 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. When sex and money didn't work, people would get violent. 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. Club employees were tasked with stripping nearby garbage cans of bottles and cans, lest these potential projectiles land in the hands of disgruntled guests. This meant the doormen had huge amounts of power. The birthday girl took the place of honor astride the horse, which trotted across the dance floor while cameras greedily snapped. This exclusive event would have been the talk of the season. Enjoy these Studio 54 photos? A couple relaxes next to a comatose man, 1978. This wasnt a show for just any night at the club, however. ' Even so, would-be patrons often took rejection badly. While it lasted, many photographers flocked to the bacchanal to capture the celebrities and other lucky denizens as they danced and snorted and frolicked under that iconic Man in the Moon with the coke spoon sculpture. According to the Guardian, the owners helpfully supplied mattresses and everything. Fair Pay For Women Won't Come For More Than A Century, Rare Rehearsal Photos From Classic Broadway Shows, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Bodily fluids and coke dust can be hard to remove under normal circumstances. Youd stumble into half-hidden rooms filled with a few people who seemed to be sweating because of something they had just done, or were about to do. Security men brandishing walkie-talkies discreetly patrolled the area, removing any uninvited gawkers. New York Magazine interviewed former employees, including bartender Scott Taylor. 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. When Williams visited Studio 54, he joined a fleet of other actors such as John Travolta, Richard Gere, Al Pacino and John Belushi, who all set foot in the iconic destination to see what it was about. A 77-year-old widow who became known as "Disco Sally" was a regular and was always allowed in when she showed up. He said, Hey Nile, what youre playing sounds really good.'. It wasn't that disco was dying or the club became uncool, it was that the owners were complete crooks. Other photographers didnt capture that. One of Studio 54s main attractions was its complex lighting. Throughout its three-year lifespan under Rubell and Schrager, Studio 54 served as a lab to experiment with everything from illicit drugs to gender. So I found this little auto museum down somewhere in New Jersey. Lifelong memories were made within its walls every night. Studio 54 is the one nightclub from the '70s everyone remembers. She avoided the task of assessing what she had in her possession for nearly a decade until she began to unearth her brothers forgotten treasures. The late 70s also saw the rise of celebrity culture, and Studio 54 provided that too, with Liza, Michael, Andy, Bianca and Diana regulars. Above our heads. Studio 54 was crazy all year long, but things got especially wacky for Halloween. BuzzFeed News Photo Essay Editor. Nina Hagens Nunsexmonkrock: Greatest (and weirdest) unsung masterpiece of the postpunk era? It wasnt just the celebrities known to enjoy partying who indulged in a night out at Studio 54. The door code played upon the fundamental human quirk of desperately wanting what one cant have. What Gene has is a very different sensitivity, McCarthy says. The clubs fortunes were reversed when Steve Rubell received a call from fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick, a.k.a. Right: Clubgoers inhale nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) on the dance floor during the 1977 Halloween party. 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. With nowhere else to go, the party spilled onto the street. The setting is quite a departure from his most famous work, but Papageorge's keen eye for detail and fascination . And I kind of let that slide because he didnt shoot. Another morning, someone did pull the trigger. They would tangle in the barbed wire and fall to the cement pavement which was 10 feet below. Part of the lure of a nightclub like Studio 54 is that you went home with plenty of stories to tell about the wacky things you saw go down inside. Unlike most businesses who are fiddling the books, Studio 54 kept detailed records of their illegality. Not amused, Warhol scrambled to collect the singles. One of the men on the scene was Gene Spatz, a pioneering paparazzo and street photographer who most people have never heard about. Antoinette Norcia / Getty Images In this 1978 picture, crowds line up for entry into Manhattan's renowned disco and . He had accepted it. (This was before the AIDS crisis hit, so people were much freer with their bodies.) We knocked on the door. Bianca Jagger appears on horseback for her birthday. Andys first reaction was, You mean they told me there was a thousand dollars in there and it was only $800? He was never on the dance floor, Studio 54 busboy Richie Notar recalled in a 2017 BBC radio documentary. POBA is not an acronym, the nonprofit organizations name is derived from, phowa, a Tibetan word meaning the transformation of consciousness at death to begin a new life. The hottest celebrities and wildest outfits could be seen on the dance floor, and illicit substances flowed freely among partiers. 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. Finally it became CBS's Studio 52 from 1942 to 1976. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time No other nightclub has been able to rival it in reputation and A-list guests since. It wasnt just actors and singers who showed up to party at Studio 54 sometimes it was political figures. She wanted to interview us about recording her next album. 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. Both famous celebrities and regular bystanders alike managed to have a rockin good time at Studio 54. After all, you have so much money that you have to find some way to spend it, right? 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. It was closer and we were dead. Here is a collection of photos from only a few of the many successful events thrown at the venue, providing a glimpse into the nocturnal thrill that was Studio 54. For 33 months, Studio 54 was the American bacchanal, an unprecedented mix of glamorous sophistication and primal hedonism. But he could be generous with his cash. 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. Behind The Velvet Rope Line Of Studio 54 S Short Sordid Life. Clubgoers dance amid light towers on the dance floor at Studio 54 on May 15, 1978. While the nightclubs lifespan may have been cut short, the memories made within its walls live on in countless celebrities and lucky visitors. Mattresses in the basement were frequently the site of trysts, while the infamous balcony was designed complete with easy-to-clean surfaces as a place for couples to get it on. Robin Williams dancing with his then-wife Valerie in 1979. While many clubgoers enjoyed this aspect of Studio 54, it got them lots of attention from the authorities. And on its last night under initial management, Diana Ross serenaded Rubell and Schrader -- of course surrounded by the likes of Jack Nicholson, Farrah Fawcett, and Sylvester Stallone, among others. Amazingly, this worked, until it didn't. These Studio 54 photos will take you inside the dance club that defined a generation and hosted celebrities from Andy Warhol to David Bowie. Ultimately, as the judge said, theirs was a crime of hubris. They bought a building at 254 W. 54th St. in New York and spent $400,000 on turning it into a nightclub that included a huge man-in-the-moon hanging over the dance floor. Benecke often needed an escort back to his apartment. 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. 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. In 1977 the club made millions yet reportedly paid just a paltry $8,000 in taxes. He was not there for the drug-fueled disco deliria. Without a great costume, you werent getting in. Thankfully for Rubell, they only found a small amount of cocaine on his partner, who was subsequently released. The employee, stoned out of his mind, forgot to unlock her and went back to work. Doormen didnt let just anyone inside, but if you were lucky, you could get into the club without having connections in high places. 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. Read on for 10 of the craziest stories from the clubs legendary heyday. We had a blast. 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. We grabbed a couple of bottles of champagne from the corner liquor store and then went back to my place, plugged in our instruments and started jamming. Aching from the rejection, Rodgers and Edwards poured their anger into the music. Nothing would compare to the nightclubs glory years in the 1970s and 80s. This potentially dangerous display marked the end of the nightclubs first year open. Now an animal rights advocate, Bianca told the Financial Times (via the Guardian) that she didn't show up on the horse. By . Their uniform was a tiny pair of shorts and nothing else. On May 2nd, Jagger celebrated in grand style. It was completely normal to see people walking around naked. So they were willing to wait and hope to get noticed and invited past the velvet rope keeping them away from all the fun inside. Trudeau frequented the nightclub more than once and earned herself a bit of a reputation among partiers. They didnt even know we were waiting out there., The atmosphere was hardly better inside, as the couples wandered through the empty disco. Right: A costumed partygoer hits the dance floor in 1981. Studio 54 is a shadow of its former self. A woman in a bustier and garters finds her partner the "punk" behind her, at Studio 54's 1977 Halloween party. A photograph of Yoko Ono and John Lennon by Gene Spatz (year unknown). You could see him, trying to scope out the inside of the club. Nobody knew him in those days. Their knocks went unanswered. Steve at that point wasnt known by anybody. The animal-loving activist tried to correct the misconception in a 2015 letter to the Financial Times. documentary. Nearby trash cans always had to be emptied of bottles and other things that could become dangerous projectiles. It wasnt until a few years later that Rubell would get busted for tax evasion and end up in jail. In front is famous artist Andy Warhol. "I don't have only good memories. 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. ' Released as Le Freak that September, the song would become Chics first Number One and biggest hit. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Somebody yelled out, Hey! 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. Club founders Ian Schrager and Rubell were sent to jail in 1980. Neither the way he captured it nor the period is replaceable., Lowen says she hopes to exhibit the work at some point, to share it with a wider audience and expose his legacy. There were "horses and donkeys and mules running through the club," as well as chickens in a pen. You were also welcomed with open arms if you were a drag queen. 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. Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager opened the legendary club in 1977, and while it only lasted under their management for three years, it quickly cemented itself as the quintessential enclave for celebrities, fashionable disco-lovers, and their favorite illicit activities. Even so, he was among the most famous singers in the country. It got the attention of the IRS, and the club was raided on suspicion of tax evasion. 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. Diana Ross and Liza Minnelli both performed. The head guy, Marc Benecke, was just 19, but his position made him one of the most important people in New York. 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. See Rare Photos Inside Studio 54 Nightclub In 1977, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell began work converting the theater into the Studio 54 nightclub. Benecke says he "sometimes" took them up on it. Once they did, a "mad sexual orgy" started. While he was working in the late Seventies, I had gotten married, moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and wasnt a part of Genes day-to-day life, Lowen tells Rolling Stone. Not only was this accepted, but one of the biggest suppliers was the co-owner Steve Rubell. In this picture, Robin Williams is with his then-wife Valerie Velardi and Studio 54s own Santa Claus. My Studio 54 dreams became true. A pile of people forms on the dance floor of the 1978 "Purple Party.". We dived onto the ground. He handed them out to a few dozen people around him and they waited the 15-20 minutes for them to kick in. 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. This crowd is made up of well-known, successful individuals: Fashion designer Halston and actress Bianca Jagger are on the left, followed by film director Jack Haley Jr. and actress Liza Minnelli in the back right. 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 . 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. Read 10 of the wildest stories from Studio 54, including the time Bianca Jagger rode a white horse across the dance floor. And we were laughing, Rodgers described to Haden-Guest. The next couple of nights werent as busy. She made appearances at the nightclub more than once throughout the years and was there on its last day of operation under Steve Rubell in 1980. 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. Theres this new club opening tonight. and Company, but the party was initially dead. Left: A clubgoer dressed as Jesus carries a large cross onto the dance floor in 1977. The doctor started handing them out, he told Haden-Guest. We would have this situation where people would climb down from the building next door in full mountain-climbing gear with ropes tied around their shoulders, Studio 54 associate Baird Jones explained to Haden-Guest. 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. Sylvester Stallone and Sheryl Slocum, 1977. Via PAPER. It peaked just about a decade after the Summer of Love - how far the Baby Boomers had come since their anti-materialist, hippie days! 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. The most tragically desperate individual was found in an air vent in black tie attire, dead. 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. 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. They were trying to get into the courtyard. And McCarthy was able to recognize the special collection Lowen had inherited and make sure his creative legacy remained alive. I have. Exactly what needed to be cleaned is best left to the imagination. People at Studio 54 dance the night away during the 1978. Then, all of a sudden it just hit me. Nonetheless, Trump became something of a regular at the venue. Given that it used to be an actual studio, the interior had ample lighting equipment to create pulsating light shows. Oh, I knew I should have counted it, wrote Warhols colleague Bob Colacello in his memoir. She is seen here in colorful 70s makeup, big hair and a risque lace top. Fellini gave us costumes from his film The Clowns. When she wasnt whipping her legs through the air to the music, she was brushing shoulders with the countrys most famous celebrities. No one remembered him being there the first night. They also didn't do very much work. Margaret Trudeau was the wife of the Canadian Prime Minister at the time, and she loved to let loose. It just snowballed from there, doorman Marc Benecke recalled in a 1998 E! New York Post columnist Jack Martin found Rubell in the early morning hours. She was later presented with a life-size portrait of herself made of cake. Here we see one of those notable moments where an elderly woman is dancing with a young man. Left: A topless woman in a peacock feather headdress dances at Studio 54's Halloween party in 1977. This guy got stuck in the vent trying to get in, Jones confirmed. Studio 54's golden age came to an end when the federal government came after Schrager and Rubell for tax evasion. But soon the crowd started to build to ridiculous proportions. Minister at the club was raided on suspicion of tax evasion good memories wasnt whipping her legs through club. In the Country in Central Park stands in his memoir who was subsequently released the club was on! A `` mad sexual orgy '' started dress is modest be emptied of bottles and things... Drag queen up on it as chickens in a bustier and garters finds partner. Area, removing any uninvited gawkers cross onto the street had become `` Sodom and Gomorrah. hope will. Moments where an elderly woman is dancing with his wife Shakira, while partygoers frolic on behind them now... 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Designer Roy Halston Frowick, a.k.a sometimes it was discovered that a skim was in operation up., so people were much freer with their revealing outfits, but one Studio. Playing sounds really good. ' fun, glamorous and a bit risque colleague Bob Colacello his...
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