A photograph of Yoko Ono and John Lennon by Gene Spatz (year unknown). Instead, they used architects who designed popular restaurants, lighting people who worked on Broadway shows, and for sound they used people who were used to more underground clubs. America in 1977 was ripe for something fun, glamorous and a bit risque. Schraeger discussed the concept behind the theatrics with Architectural Digest: On the opening night of the club there was no way that someone could get in if they showed up late. They were like queens on the dancefloor.". The people in this photograph have costumes and makeup on, complete with pairs of tall stilts that helped them tower over the crowd. After those three years, the experience of partying at Studio 54 just wasnt the same. Debbie Harry, dressed in a black turtleneck and black glasses, sticking her tongue out for a photo; a tuxedo-clad Sterling Saint Jacques swinging around Shirley Bassey. Thats why Sylvester Stallone decided he needed to pay a visit to the most famous disco in the United States. Schrager and Rubells time in prison coincided with the infamous Disco Sucks event in 1979, where disco records were burned at a baseball game while around 50,000 people watched. Originally opened as an opera house in 1927, Studio 54 became a popular nightclub in 1977. 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. . Browse 24,915 studio 54 photos and images available, or search for studio 54 moon or studio 54 1970s to find more great photos and pictures. However, even after the club had closed its doors the clean up crew would find party favors from the night before. Giseles Summer Outfit Is The Epitome Of Rich Mom Energy, 7 Small Habits That Will Give Your Emotional Wellbeing A Serious Boost, According To An Expert, First The Princess Of Wales, Now The Roys Are Obsessed With This Stealth-Wealth Handbag Brand, 8 Things To Know About Tyrell Hampton, NYC Photographer & TikTok Star With Dua Lipa On Speed Dial. Even after the original owners went to prison for skimming millions of dollars, the club stayed open until 1990, although the magic of the first years never returned. Here we see one of those notable moments where an elderly woman is dancing with a young man. The high ceiling of the building allowed for such displays, though they must have been quite careful not to step on anyones toes. It was relatively common for famous figures to throw their birthday parties inside Studio 54. 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. It wasnt just some other club - there was fog, wind, and snow. It must have felt like a raw, unbridled energy was unleashed in Manhattan every Saturday night. We want people who are just in there to have fun.. Andy Warhol, mingling backstage with friends Bianca Jagger and fashion designer Halston. Thats right the King of Pop did indeed attend a gathering or two at Studio 54. Those lucky enough to be in attendance are spotted in the background, watching with drinks in hand. Full of rollerskating Wall Street Bankers, tabloid fixtures and postwar frivolity, a new documentary reveals the social backdrop of the famous club. Under the helm of owners Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell, Studio 54 became globally renowned as a cultural institution for its lavish, over-the-top spectacles and sartorial displays. Schrager was released on $50,000 bond and the disco was open the next night. Bianca Jagger on a white horse for her birthday at Studio 54. Tabs, Fri., Sept. 25, 2020. Capote was an occasional visitor to Studio 54 and got down with the best of them. Described by some as Sodom and Gomorrah with a disco beat, New York City's delightfully depraved nightclub opened its doors in 1977. Come anytime you like, and youll get in. After the invitation she became an institution and showed up whenever she was free. He explained: In her book, Ill Never Write My Memoirs, Grace Jones explained how the coked out decadence of Studio 54 was a microcosm of the rest of the country. A man dressed up in leather and an NYU tank chats with his friend, decked out in pearls and garters as two other club-goers look on. A fabulous night to revel in being alive with ballet superstar Rudolf Nureyev (far left). Then . Both famous celebrities and regular bystanders alike managed to have a rockin good time at Studio 54. Studio 54 had an intense door rule that made it hard for people to get in regardless of who you were. 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. Even though it was a well planned business venture, Studio 54 was being constructed right up until the opening day. On April 26, 1977, Studio 54 opened its doors and introduced the world to a new era of nightlife. This wouldnt be the only time Studio 54 went above and beyond for New Years. Rebecca Schoenkopf. During the third annual Halloween party at Studio 54, costumed women laugh atop the shoulders of their male companions, New York, New York, October 31, 1978. Writer and socialite Anthony Haden-Guest describes the scenes as like the damned looking into paradise. It touched all your senses and left you wanting more. She sued Warhol's estate because she said that she was made to look "dumb." At this point, the club had been closed down and reopened under new ownership. Here, see a selection of exclusive images of Spatzs work for the first time. Whether its Elton John partying with drag queen Divine or Bianca Jagger riding a white horsehere, Vogue shares the most glamorous and grittiest moments captured at the New York hotspot in the 1970s. " Lifelong memories were made within its walls every night. While that was a Monday night, the clubs one evening off, they made an exception for the actress and rock star wife. While the nightclubs lifespan may have been cut short, the memories made within its walls live on in countless celebrities and lucky visitors. Apparently Studio 54 had a way of changing people. The late 70s also saw the rise of celebrity culture, and Studio 54 provided that too, with Liza, Michael, Andy, Bianca and Diana regulars. Shes just finished with a 1978 concert, following up a Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Performance. Yet, Studio 54s sensibility of inclusion and freedom lives on through the books, films, and fashion that it has inspired ever since. Co-owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager were arrested for skimming more than $2 million from the club. Even so, he was among the most famous singers in the country. Studio 54 wasand, arguably, remainsthe world's most renowned and legendary disco. Disco influenced house music, techno and hip-hop and the performances of stars such as Madonna and Lady Gaga. Onlookers say that he was always dressed up and ready to get down. A man wears a gold costume, eyeliner, and a headdress while dancing. Rather than show how scared they were, the $1.5 million renovation showed that the co-owners were putting on a brave face. 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. Here, gazing adoringly at her husband here is . The moon with a coke spoon hanging over the dance floor along with a giant sign announcing that dancers were, yes, in Studio 54 hooked to rigging material and hung from the ceiling so dancers could grind the night away on top of the designs if thy so felt like it. It was hard for some people to get into the club wearing normal club clothes - polyester shirts, gold chains, and the like - but at least one celebrity was able to forgo the normal dress code whenever he wanted, author and playwright Truman Capote. After the studio was raided by IRS agents on December 14th, 1978 they grabbed garbage bags of money, financial documents and five ounces of cocaine. In the aftermath of the Vietnam war, Rubell said people were tired of being serious everyone went out and went wild. If there was one person who loved going out to Studio 54, it was Bianca Jagger. Schrager said: The scene outside of the club could get nasty. No matter how wild the request the co-owners would make it happen. Bokfrlaget Max Strm/Hasse Persson Studio 54. 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. As long as you acted like you were supposed to be there youd probably get back in the next night to party with even more celebrities. But in the '70s it was just another night at Studio 54. Clubgoers dance amid light towers on the dance floor at Studio 54 on May 15 . But, thanks to photographers who were in the right place at the right time, we can get glimpses of what a crazy night out at Studio 54 was truly like. The spectacle is complete with their revealing outfits, but by Studio 54 standards, their dress is modest. Even when Claudia Cohen, a reporter from the New York Post, stopped by to check in on their progress she was shocked at how broken down everything was. Right: Clubgoers inhale nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) on the dance floor during the 1977 Halloween party. You were also welcomed with open arms if you were a drag queen. This kind of debauchery came to be expected of the venue and marked its no-holds-barred approach to nightlife. A nearly naked couple dances together on top of a speaker at the club's first Halloween party in 1977. Looking back on her childhood Barrymore said: There were other dance clubs in New York City, but none of them shared the you had to be there power of Studio 54. Aids later hit, of course. At the time, she would have been in the midst of releasing her 1977 album, Cherished. June 1, 2017. Pictures from Studio 54 show Bianca Jagger, the then-wife of Mick Jagger, straddling a stunning white beast in her . While Capote is pictured here in a very nice tailored suit, it wasnt out of the question for the author to show up to the club in a bathrobe and a pair of slippers. But where does someone keep piles of quaaludes and drink tickets? If you wanted a place to let loose and perhaps engage in some public nudity, then Studio 54 was the club for you. Once inside people were allowed to be whoever they wanted to be, cutting loose and grooving with everyone, it was the place to go when someone needed to escape. Studio 54 furthers the nostalgia that people still have about '70s New York, as pointed out by Goldberger, a period of time that has been revisited recently, from Patti Smith's book Just Kids to . Multiple people tried to purchase the theater - which was owned by CBS at the time - but it was Rubell and Schrager who won the bid. My house now is filled with his art, and I hope others will appreciate it too.. Thankfully for Rubell, they only found a small amount of cocaine on his partner, who was subsequently released. They Took a Third Date to Costa Rica. Then, step inside the 1990s rave scene at its neon zenith. Prolonged war and a stagnant economy gave way to a massive national hangover in the 1970s. Studio 54, both the interior and the street outside, allowed people to dance off their problems and be apart of something at the same time. Harry was at 54, she was the Mudd Club, and she was at CBGBs. Grace Jones. Left: Outside Studio 54, someone arrives to the club on a horse for the third annual Halloween party in 1978. This was taken in the ladies room. One close friend of Rubell's notes that the co-owner thought that he would never be caught. Getty Images. At a wild place like Studio 54, there werent lots of rules about what to wear or who to be. Here's why it became so famous. On finding Studio 54s books, it was discovered that a skim was in operation on up to 80% of the profits. Maybe they worked at banks or law firms, but in the middle of the night in Manhattan - at the clubs - they could be whoever they wanted to be. . Under Rubells ownership, however, the strange, the weird and the scary were given a place to flourish beneath the lights of the nightclub. On that special evening the party goers were treated to snowdrifts made of glitter that nearly suffocated the dancers with its sparkling lusciousness. (AP Photo/Quinto) Date: 02/04/1979. Debbie Harry of Blondie arrives with her friends to the nightclub in 1981. Pictured here are some of the A-list celebs who frequented the infamous, one-of-a-kind club known as Studio 54. In 1977 Steve Rubell and Ian Shrager bought a disused theatre on 254 W. 54th St, New York, and turned it into the world's most famous nightclub, Studio 54. Showing Editorial results for studio 54. In its first year alone, it managed to pull in approximately $7 million dollars! Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager opened Studio 54 40 years ago, and it soon became the . Jupiter's exhibit, which opened last . Rather than hand out the clothing at the door of raffling them off, the club owners just tossed the clothing items off the balcony which allowed for anyone who wanted one of the expensive pieces to simply reach out and grab it. He captured that era in my lifetime, and I hope someone is having that type of fun again. Author Anthony Haden-Guest told the BBC: The thing that separates a bar or club from a speakeasy is the fact that they have a liquor license from the city that allows them to sell drinks to their patrons. While most folks just stood outside and waited to be noticed, there were a few enterprising clubgoers who attempted to enter the party by more creative means. He had . When agents got ahold of the clubs books they noticed that rather than keep two sets of books the co-owners simply had a column labeled skim in order to see track of all the money they were stealing. In this picture, well-known English actor Michael Caine is laughing and dancing with his wife Shakira, while partygoers frolic on behind them. On April 16, 1977, crowds of hip revelers . If you thought youd seen it all when it came to crazy Studio 54 performances, youd be mistaken. Rubell was so excited by her presence on the dance floor that he invited to come any night, telling her, I like to see you here. No other nightclub has been able to rival it in reputation and A-list guests since. Left: A man dressed in nothing but a clear plastic sheet dances with a topless woman at a Studio 54 Halloween party in 1978. If you came on a white horse, with almost no clothes on, you were guaranteed to get in. Many of the staff of Studio 54 including Rubell died as a result of it. A club-goer exposes a bare chest, garters (with keys attached to them), and a mask as a woman pops her gum and a man seduces the camera in his costume. Studio 54 was crazy all year long, but things got especially wacky for Halloween. Who knows if that's really what Warhol meant to do? Here you can see her leaning back as she dances, seemingly overjoyed by the music and the ambiance of Studio 54. 29 Wild Photos From The Drug-Fueled Heyday Of Studio 54. Elizabeth Taylor shimmering in a glamorous iridescent bodysuit while chatting to legendary fashion designer Halston. One of the most fascinating aspects of Studio 54 is the way that it allowed normal people to rub elbows with famous people. The agents entered the office seeking links to organized crime and arrested his partner Ian Schrager after reportedly finding cocaine among some papers he was carrying. Co-owner Ian Schrager said it was like standing on stardust, and one club goer said: Joanne Horowitz was the clubs publicist and she played a major part at getting celebrities through the door. Studio 54 was the place to be in its heyday. 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. From the moment it opened its doors in 1977, the era-defining club was, says writer Bob Colacello in Rizzolis Studio 54, a sociological phenomenon and a historical event. In a 1996 interview with Vanity Fair, Diane von Furstenberg concurred: I had more fun at Studio 54 than in any other nightclub in the world which says a lot, coming from a doyenne of the New York Fashion Week schedule. Select from premium Studio 54 Party of the highest quality. 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. Cohen told Vanity Fair: Truman Capote, the author behind In Cold Blood, was certainly irascible, but he wasnt a tough guy by any means. The two are almost unrecognizable, however, thanks to the cream thats been smeared all over their faces and clothes. They finally just started throwing coats on the floor and no one got them back. Diana Ross, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Cher, Truman Capote, and Andy Warhol were all among its regulars, but Studio 54 was more than a celebrity hotspot and beacon of New York nightlife. Andy Warhol once said "It's a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor." She wrote: Studio 54 wasnt just the most banging party in Manhattan because someone unlocked the doors and tossed on a mixtape. Clubs have been using this idea for years. Unfortunately, Studio 54 came up against some problems during its successful run. When youre a wealthy celebrity, youre going to want to have the best of the best. Picture this: Elton John partying the night away with drag queen Divine on the instantly recognisable parquet dance floor. Footage shows co-founder Steve Rubell cherrypicking on the door, reprimanding one hopeful with the immortal line: Dont ever come here with a hat. Doorman Mark Benecke was charged with deciding on the chosen ones. By this time, the club had cemented its reputation as a popular place for celebrities, and Stallone was one more added to the list. The crowds only grew as the clubs popularity did. Model Bianca Jagger holds doves at a party thrown by fashion designer Halston in 1977. Here he is pictured alongside Liza Minnelli and Bianca Jagger at the New Years Eve party of 1977. Sylvester Stallone and Sheryl Slocum, 1977. It was, after all, her fun yet insightful personality that won over the hearts of her many fans. Rubell had gone to jail for tax evasion, and the new owners kept the good times going until 1994, by which time attendance had dropped off. Studio 54, arguably the most famous club in the world, was located in New York City on, you guessed it, 54th street. Even so, it gave visitors a rush of adrenaline to watch them twirl in the air from below. A lot of people had to work together to make the night a success, from DJs to lightning technicians to the people who designed the sound system. Ricky had previously attended the preview of the remake of "The Champ" in which he stars with Jon Voight. Not only did she love a good time, but she also knew how to master the dance floor. With famous and wealthy people as the main guests of the venue, expensive drugs were seemingly in ample supply at all times. Former busboy Scott Bitterman wrote about his experience working at the club and how he knew he had to work there from the moment he stepped foot inside: Rubell was open about the fact that he didnt want normal or schlubby looking people inside his club. 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. Diana Ross, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Cher, Truman . The nightclub was typically packed full of people. A-listers were just as susceptible to Steve Rubellas door policy as regular people unless they reached the vaulted heights of being an NFU." She explained: There was always something crazy happening at Studio 54, whether it was snowing, or there was a bridge for dancers to use so they could groove in the air, it was. Bianca Jagger appears on horseback for her birthday. At the age of 7 she regularly partied at Studio 54, opening her up to the debauchery and drugs that were available to every other guest. 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. In 1977, he was deep in the thralls of ambient music and groups like Can, but he was already looking for something new. One of the craziest and at least quasi-illegal things that happened in Saudi 54 came from their basement policy. May 14, 2021. Michael Overinton, the General Manager of the club made sure that the trains ran on time from the moment he worked his way up to the GM spot from his job as a janitor. In this 1978 picture, crowds line up for entry into Manhattan's renowned disco and nightclub Studio 54, located at 254 West 54th Street. New York Daily News Archive / Getty Images. According to bartender Scott Taylor, there were only a few bartenders doing the work of an army. It first opened its doors on April 16th, 1977 and stayed open for a short but eventful 33 months. This was an era when the ID was in control. Williams and his wife went to the club often and they stayed late. Sometimes the venue hired dancers or had fashion models walking the crowds. Franco Rossellini and Steve Rubell (producer and owner, respectively) are pictured here in front of what appears to be a giant birthday cake. Fashion designer Clovis Ruffin waits for a drink at the bar in 1980. Busboy Richard Notar told Vanity Fair: One of the mainstays of Studio 54 was pop artist Andy Warhol. For major actresses like these, visiting Studio 54 was a must while in New York City. Right: People wait in line outside of Studio 54 in 1978. Judging by the faces of the people around them, this night was not one they would soon forget but that was nothing new at Studio 54. After the tragedy of the Vietnam War and the distrust of the Nixon administration people just wanted to go out and forget about their troubles. Inside Studio 54, you could smoke just about whatever you wanted and sit however you liked. In the clubs first year open, Cher showed up to the scene at Studio 54. Club founders Ian Schrager and Rubell were sent to jail in 1980. However, its likely that the club wouldnt have made the front page of the post if it werent for Cher. Here, Vogue presents the best looks from Studio 54. When sone of the party people poured the trash can over his head he freaked out and grabbed al the cash to make sure he got it all. Going to work day in and day out all week can grind a person down. Gene Spatz/POBA.org. September 25, 2020 07:00 AM. They ransacked the place, went through the offices, and the clubs safe. Not something you see every day, but you could see it at Studio 54. Dancers showcase a performance on metallic cushions amid a curious crowd at a New Years Eve party. A party was staged the night before their sentences began. They served copious amounts of alcohol, played the loudest music and sometimes had mini food fights on the dancefloor. The last thing she wanted was for her secret life to become known to the world. A woman in a bustier and garters finds her partner the "punk" behind her, at Studio 54's 1977 Halloween party. A costumed party-goer at a Halloween event sporting a platinum blonde wig, 18th-century-inspired face paint, lace bustier, and white bow tie. This exclusive event would have been the talk of the season. Nightlife anywhere was sure to have drugs involved were talking about the 1970s, here. Written by Jacqui Palumbo, CNNNew York.
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