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. Even if you werent having sex with someone every night, you felt like you could, says former editor of Interview, Bob Colacello. The head guy, Marc Benecke, was just 19, but his position made him one of the most important people in New York. 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 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. 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. 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. Like a booze and drug fueled fever dream, Persson's 'Studio 54' freezes a red-hot moment in disco-era history into 200-plus pages of spellbinding, head-spinning imagery. The flow of revelers grew from a trickle to a torrent after 11 oclock, and soon thousands swarmed the building. 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. Even so, he was among the most famous singers in the country. The brainchild of Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, the club opened in a onetime CBS soundstage on April 26th, 1977, and immediately became the epicenter of nightlife in New York City and the world. You might not think of famous authors as the rowdiest group of people, but Truman Capote didnt fit into any stereotypes. Once they did, a "mad sexual orgy" started. Then, step inside the 1990s rave scene at its neon zenith. 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. Hindsight is 20/20, but people who were there swear they knew they were part of something historic. Writer and socialite Anthony Haden-Guest describes the scenes as like the damned looking into paradise. Finally it became CBS's Studio 52 from 1942 to 1976. They were hired for the New Years Eve party of 1977. People partook in various questionable substances, and in this photo, theyre inhaling laughing gas in the middle of the dance floor. 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. We dived onto the ground. 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. They didnt even know we were waiting out there., The atmosphere was hardly better inside, as the couples wandered through the empty disco. I said, Cmon! Steve Rubell, co-owner of Studio 54, and fashion designer Halston in the club's DJ booth, 1978. 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 the clubs first year open, Cher showed up to the scene at Studio 54. In 1977 the club made millions yet reportedly paid just a paltry $8,000 in taxes. 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. A pile of people forms on the dance floor of the 1978 "Purple Party.". Maybe the most bacchanalian parties of the Greeks or Romans could give the club a run for its money, but that's about it. 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. One of the most famous pictures ever taken at the club was of Mick Jagger's then-wife Bianca (pictured above at a different event with John Travolta) atop a white horse being led around the dance floor by a naked man covered in glitter (and sporting a fabulous '70s mustache). After those three years, the experience of partying at Studio 54 just wasnt the same. Relive some of Studio 54's most classic nights in the gallery above. In this picture, women pose on top of giant reflective pillows in the middle of the crowd. 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. Studio 54 was crazy all year long, but things got especially wacky for Halloween. It seemed as though thrill-seekers young and old wanted nothing more than to get a taste of Studio 54s soaring reputation. My Studio 54 Story. If you thought youd seen it all when it came to crazy Studio 54 performances, youd be mistaken. A doctor had thoughtfully brought a giant box of Quaaludes with him. She called getting on it and riding around a "foolish decision.". There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for who gained entrance and who didn't. Studio 54 had arrived. Id go there a lot with dates and with friends, and with lots of people, he told The Washington Post in 2016. A woman wears nothing but pearls and a mask as she grinds on two men in jewels and makeup. He was supplied with drugs and given a regular paycheck. 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. It was closer and we were dead. It wasnt until he was gone, and I had brought everything home and put it in storage, that I began to open up these envelopes and discover his work.. Four women in shimmery dresses sit in the club's lounge area. Another employee, "Lenny 54," was open about the fact he wasn't going to just serve drinks. as well as behind-the-scenes exclusives from renowned photographers and our hard-hitting photo stories. 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. Fans would say she had eyes the color of lavender, and her performances in films like Cleopatra and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will forever go down in cinema history. It wasnt just the celebrities known to enjoy partying who indulged in a night out at Studio 54. In this picture, Robin Williams is with his then-wife Valerie Velardi and Studio 54s own Santa Claus. People were waiting in lines with the most fantastic costumes on, each one trying to outdo the other one so that they could be pointed to and get in. One Halloween, two women, perhaps recalling the famous Bianca Jagger photos, took out a $500 loan to rent a horse, which they rode nude to the velvet ropes as twin Lady Godivas. There was a 1950 Chevy convertible that got a bit trashed because people climbed in and burned the seats, says Reynolds. In 1978, Studio 54 was lucky enough to host her 46th birthday party. 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. Fortunately, there were places they could go to do the most extreme stuff. Studio 54s peak was intense but short-lived. To many, Rubell and his army of doormen and bouncers appeared to be, in a word, dicks but it was never personal. Franco Rossellini and Steve Rubell (producer and owner, respectively) are pictured here in front of what appears to be a giant birthday cake. Capote is the author of books like Other Voices, Other Rooms, Breakfast at Tiffanys and In Cold Blood. If he liked you enough, he'd give you a little something. For most of his life, though, co-founder Ian Schrager has wanted to forget it. About a half an hour later there were 50 or 60 people in there. TheIndependent says others took a different tack, offering their bodies instead. Studio 54 is immensely interesting just in terms of a sociological perspective. My favorite shots though, are post-party. If you found yourself fortunate enough to make it inside Studio 54 in 1978, you mightve come upon a scene like this one. 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. 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. And all of a sudden the guy starts choking me., That was a minor inconvenience compared to the trials of security chief Chuck Garelick, who tells Haden-Guest that a man once tried to literally crash the VIP entrance in his Oldsmobile. While these two women may not have been the craziest partiers, they certainly appreciated a good night out. For those of us who prefer photojournalism to actual opulent dance clubs, the morning-after exhaustion on patrons faces may be the most relatable theme of the series. 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. It wasn't subtle: Hung from the roof of Studio 54, dangling over the dance floor, was a giant crescent moon with a face, a cocaine spoon moving to and from its nose. At Studio 54, anyone with a good attitude (and good style) was welcome. Nobody wanted to rent a car to Studio 54. ' Haskell remembered in Anthony Haden-Guests bookThe Last Party. 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. It wasnt until a few years later that Rubell would get busted for tax evasion and end up in jail. It was that soon., The photos also gave birth to the enduring myth that Jagger actually rode into the club on the horse. Right: A pair of women get funky on the dance floor during November 1977. You can find instructions here as to how. See Rare Photos Inside Studio 54 Nightclub BuzzFeed News Photo Essay Editor. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time 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. While the club wanted to attract as many celebrities as possible, just being famous didn't necessarily guarantee you entrance. What made Studio 54 different, however, was that drugs were practically encouraged inside. Up high in the seats above the stalls, you could disappear into the shadows and get up to whatever, writes Jones. Exactly what needed to be cleaned is best left to the imagination. Well, this was big-time. The door code played upon the fundamental human quirk of desperately wanting what one cant have. He and his wife Sasha Stallone are pictured here in Studio 54 in 1978. Throughout its three-year lifespan under Rubell and Schrager, Studio 54 served as a lab to experiment with everything from illicit drugs to gender. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. ', Editors picks 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 theater was designed by Eugene De Rosa for producer Fortune Gallo and opened in 1927 as the Gallo Opera House. Not only was this accepted, but one of the biggest suppliers was the co-owner Steve Rubell. Amazingly, this worked, until it didn't. We walked out through the entrance where the garbage goes out. Co-owner Steve Rubell was gay, which could explain why instead of the busty women you might expect, the bartenders at the club were all hunky guys. Instead, they would just apply for a temporary one every day they were open. A look back at the epicenter of NYC nightlife, presented by Getty Images. These Studio 54 photos will take you inside the dance club that defined a generation and hosted celebrities from Andy Warhol to David Bowie. We were with him literally until he took a car to go home and meet the authorities. The party was over. When the builders were asked if they were making a "sex pit," the answer was simply, yes. The horse was granted entry. Judge Richard Owen shocked the court by imposing the maximum penalty: three-and-a-half years in prison and $20,000 fines. After all, you have so much money that you have to find some way to spend it, right? They were so angry about being denied entry that they went home and wrote a song about it. 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 . We were just yelling obscenities: Fuck Studio 54 Fuck em Fuck off Fuck those scumbags fuck them! It was, after all, her fun yet insightful personality that won over the hearts of her many fans. Studio 54 The Ultimate Den Of Vice Photography Guardian. Nonetheless, Trump became something of a regular at the venue. He had accepted it. In the aftermath of the Vietnam war, Rubell said people were tired of being serious everyone went out and went wild. The photos left over tell a story of a place where absolutely nothing was off limits. I walked him back to his limo. It got the attention of the IRS, and the club was raided on suspicion of tax evasion. They were out of their minds on drugs and indulging in their dirtiest fantasies. The people in this photograph have costumes and makeup on, complete with pairs of tall stilts that helped them tower over the crowd. 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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. Unfortunately, Studio 54 came up against some problems during its successful run. So I found this little auto museum down somewhere in New Jersey. Studio 54 is the one nightclub from the '70s everyone remembers. After they were found guilty and sentenced to three and a half years each, they threw one last huge party the night before they went to prison. He captured it fantastically the fun and wackiness, the sweetness. Left: A clubgoer dressed as Jesus carries a large cross onto the dance floor in 1977. Diana Ross and Liza Minelli performed for Rubell, and in this photo, Stevie Wonder took to the piano at his secretarys birthday party. 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. Schrager was released on $50,000 bond and the disco was open the next night. Life of a party (from left): Halston, Bianca Jagger, Jack Haley Jr and wife, Liza Minnelli and Andy Warhol. A couple relaxes next to a comatose man, 1978. At this time, Fawcett had recently hit it big with her role in Charlies Angels, while MacLaine had just starred in The Turning Point. 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. Left: A man dressed in nothing but a clear plastic sheet dances with a topless woman at a Studio 54 Halloween party in 1978. The clubs explosive success had attracted attention from authorities, and they thought Studio 54 might be connected to organized crime. New York Post columnist Jack Martin found Rubell in the early morning hours. This meant plenty of people were rejected at the door, and plenty more stood in lines outside waiting to be appraised. So they would send limos to pick them up, making sure there was plenty of cocaine in them first. 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. A man dangles a cigarette inside Studio 54, 1977. After all, it seemed like everyone was doing it! Off the dance floor, people mingle over drinks in the lounge area during 1977. Theyd been waiting and they just started shooting. Unlike most businesses who are fiddling the books, Studio 54 kept detailed records of their illegality. Benecke says he "sometimes" took them up on it. Bianca Jagger appears on horseback for her birthday. Ian put it together in three days. By this time, the club had cemented its reputation as a popular place for celebrities, and Stallone was one more added to the list. 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. According to Rolling Stone, people would offer him anything to get in. And then you went into the main part of the club and he had all these old convertible cars of the Fifties.. The black-and-white photographs included scenes from iconic clubs like Studio 54 and Xenon; shots of Carrie Fisher, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Mary Tyler Moore and Robert Redford; as well quirky New York City street life tableaus in the 1970s and Eighties. The doctor started handing them out, he told Haden-Guest. My Studio 54 dreams became true. Left: A topless woman in a peacock feather headdress dances at Studio 54's Halloween party in 1977. This was ridiculous because if you want to get away with it you might skim 1-2 percent. Benecke often needed an escort back to his apartment. "I don't have only good memories. . For many guests (celebrity or not), Studio 54 was a place to dance, discover, and dip into the unknown. 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. Apr 26, 2016 Getty Images / Getty Images The original Studio 54 nightclub, which opened on this date in 1977, was open for less than three years before owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager were. At the time, childish fun in a club like this couldnt be found in most other venues. If you wanted a place to let loose and perhaps engage in some public nudity, then Studio 54 was the club for you. Andys first reaction was, You mean they told me there was a thousand dollars in there and it was only $800? 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. Above our heads. Crowded scenes of fabulous party animals have the most obvious appealthe fashion and the dancing just drip with the pursuit of pleasure and sensual self-indulgence. I had a farm wagon we brought in and piled with hay. ' Released as Le Freak that September, the song would become Chics first Number One and biggest hit. The move this woman pulls off seems to defy her age in every way shes flexible enough to wrap her legs around him and strong enough to hold herself up by his arms. In 1977, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell began work converting the theater into the Studio 54 nightclub. But if you were really famous, there was the basement. 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. They were known to turn away some seriously well-known people. We kept saying, Gee, I wonder where everybody is? Henry Winkler, who had been playing the Fonz on smash hit Happy Days for years at that point, was summarily rejected one night. Oddly, one of the first people ever in the club was Donald Trump. 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. For 33 months, Studio 54 was the American bacchanal, an unprecedented mix of glamorous sophistication and primal hedonism. 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. They were still adjusting the lights and fixing the music, says Haskell. A look back at the epicenter of NYC nightlife, presented by Getty Images. It was just as much a part of the Studio 54 experience as the dancing. This wouldnt be the only time Studio 54 went above and beyond for New Years. They were like queens on the dancefloor.". Messed Up Things That Happened At Studio 54. Under Rubells ownership, however, the strange, the weird and the scary were given a place to flourish beneath the lights of the nightclub. Those lucky enough to be in attendance are spotted in the background, watching with drinks in hand. He was not there for the drug-fueled disco deliria. Capote was an occasional visitor to Studio 54 and got down with the best of them. It was a place of secrets and secretions, the in-crowd and inhalations, sucking and snorting., Studio 54s fast and loose accounting would ultimately contribute to its downfall. 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. The IRS was not fooled. The animal-loving activist tried to correct the misconception in a 2015 letter to the Financial Times. A car whizzed by. 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. Highly respected clothing designer Diane von Furstenberg is perched on a couch with media mogul Barry Diller. They were trying to get into the courtyard. But nothing . To this day the nightclub remains a thing of legend, even if it has been transformed into a theater. Steve had certain criteria, an insider later told Vanity Fair. For that reason, his photos are not only fine art, they are history. The party went off without a hitch, save for a minor incident. The many singers who passed through the joint didnt leave without belting out a few notes of their own. 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. Andy Warhol's Polaroid of Mick Jagger Touching Tongues With a Woman Could Be Yours. Club employees were tasked with stripping nearby garbage cans of bottles and cans, lest these potential projectiles land in the hands of disgruntled guests. 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. Read 10 of the wildest stories from Studio 54, including the time Bianca Jagger rode a white horse across the dance floor. 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