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. While these two women may not have been the craziest partiers, they certainly appreciated a good night out. Not having alcohol wasn't a problem, of course, because this was the 1970s. 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. You might not think of famous authors as the rowdiest group of people, but Truman Capote didnt fit into any stereotypes. It was "madness.". 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. In this 1978 picture, crowds line up for entry into Manhattan's renowned disco and nightclub Studio 54, located at 254 West 54th Street. So we ended up having to pay for new seats. In 1978, Rubell told New York magazine that only the mafia does better than us. Debbie Harry of Blondie arrives with her friends to the nightclub in 1981. 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. In a jovial moment, revelers tipped the bucket over his head, showering him with money. At this time, Fawcett had recently hit it big with her role in Charlies Angels, while MacLaine had just starred in The Turning Point. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. According to a New York Times article from the time, one night they were finally figured out and told they couldn't serve booze. 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. 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. This wasnt a show for just any night at the club, however. Lifelong memories were made within its walls every night. Again, this is in a huge crowd of people on a street in Manhattan. Nothing would compare to the nightclubs glory years in the 1970s and 80s. Donald hadnt built Trump tower. Now an animal rights advocate, Bianca told the Financial Times (via the Guardian) that she didn't show up on the horse. 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. She called getting on it and riding around a "foolish decision.". Thats right the King of Pop did indeed attend a gathering or two at Studio 54. 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. A photograph of Yoko Ono and John Lennon by Gene Spatz (year unknown). But soon the crowd started to build to ridiculous proportions. In this picture, you can see doorman Mark Benecke sweeping the expectant crowd for the best individuals to allow past the front doors. The doctor started handing them out, he told Haden-Guest. When she wasnt whipping her legs through the air to the music, she was brushing shoulders with the countrys most famous celebrities. 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. 10 Crazy Things That Happened At Studio 54 Mental Floss. Its immersive atmosphere and coveted location on West 54th street in Manhattan made the spot an instant hit. Without a great costume, you werent getting in. Originally opened as an opera house in 1927, Studio 54 became a popular nightclub in 1977. Williams appears to be accepting a drink from the jolly character. 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. Studio opened on a Tuesday. In the aftermath of the Vietnam war, Rubell said people were tired of being serious everyone went out and went wild. One second the light bulb went on and I sang Aaaaahh, freak out! 29 Wild Photos From The Drug-Fueled Heyday Of Studio 54. They were like queens on the dancefloor.". 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. 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 also didn't do very much work. The flow of revelers grew from a trickle to a torrent after 11 oclock, and soon thousands swarmed the building. Studio 54 is immensely interesting just in terms of a sociological perspective. 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. The door code played upon the fundamental human quirk of desperately wanting what one cant have. In this picture, Robin Williams is with his then-wife Valerie Velardi and Studio 54s own Santa Claus. The setting is quite a departure from his most famous work, but Papageorges keen eye for detail and fascination with his subjects is consistently engaginghe just makes everyone look gorgeous. . and Company, but the party was initially dead. And, of course, disco music was blaring. Posted on April 12, 2017, 9:16 pm. But the party was wild.. Clubgoers dance amid light towers on the dance floor at Studio 54 on May 15, 1978. 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.. We had chickens in a pen, he says in The Last Party. By midnight, the huge group in the street had become "Sodom and Gomorrah." I called various places and it was impossible, he told Haden-Guest. At the time, childish fun in a club like this couldnt be found in most other venues. Originally opened as an opera house in 1927, Studio 54 became a popular nightclub in 1977. On finding Studio 54s books, it was discovered that a skim was in operation on up to 80% of the profits. The newly anointed nightclub king got cocky, joking to a radio host that what the IRS doesnt know wont hurt them, and bragging to New York magazine, Only the Mafia makes more money.. 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 owners knew they needed celebrities to keep coming, and they knew celebrities liked free drugs. 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. Right: Clubgoers inhale nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) on the dance floor during the 1977 Halloween party. We were with him literally until he took a car to go home and meet the authorities. The party was over. They served copious amounts of alcohol, played the loudest music and sometimes had mini food fights on the dancefloor. Behind The Scenes At Studio 54 Cnn Style. After those three years, the experience of partying at Studio 54 just wasnt the same. At the Purple magazine party, a naked couple in a clear bathtub perform for an audience in 1977. A woman dances near the Studio 54 light towers in 1977. He understood it was an opportunity to be grabbed. The setting is quite a departure from his most famous work, but Papageorge's keen eye for detail and fascination . If you came on a white horse, with almost no clothes on, you were guaranteed to get in. The Studio 54 Glory Years When CBS sold the theater, various parties from the worlds of fashion and art began to express interest in seeing it transformed into a nightclub. Parton ended up being less than amused and sat quietly most of the night. 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. We had a circus ring with sand, and mermaids on trapezes, he told Vanity Fair. 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. He infamously walked around wearing a padded coat that hid his stash of cocaine, Quaaludes, and poppers. The packed dance floor was the place to see and be seen, but not everything people got up to at Studio 54 was necessarily intended for an audience. Finally it became CBS's Studio 52 from 1942 to 1976. Life of a party (from left): Halston, Bianca Jagger, Jack Haley Jr and wife, Liza Minnelli and Andy Warhol. When a large hanging spoon. The Birth of Studio 54. In 1978, Studio 54 was lucky enough to host her 46th birthday party. Studio 54 was a safe space for groups who would have been marginalised in the late 70s. Not even those who got inside the club could all make it into the basement. A party was staged the night before their sentences began. ', Editors picks Halston.It was 10:30 in the morning and the phone rang, club associate Renny Reynolds told Haden-Guest. Right: A woman gets low on the dance floor in 1977. DJ Richie Kaczor dropped the needle on the first record of the night, Devils Gun by C.J. I said, Cmon! 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. If you found yourself fortunate enough to make it inside Studio 54 in 1978, you mightve come upon a scene like this one. The women were not. Trying to see it. The birthday girl took the place of honor astride the horse, which trotted across the dance floor while cameras greedily snapped. Doormen didnt let just anyone inside, but if you were lucky, you could get into the club without having connections in high places. Owner Steve Rubell is standing in his office in this photograph after, he claimed, federal police raided the area in search of drugs. There, "you could disappear into the shadows and get up to whatever." Diana Ross and Liza Minelli performed for Rubell, and in this photo, Stevie Wonder took to the piano at his secretarys birthday party. Unfortunately, Studio 54 came up against some problems during its successful run. I dont know what Im going to do without Studio! And everyone was crying and weeping.. To this day the nightclub remains a thing of legend, even if it has been transformed into a theater. McCarthy, who happened to frequent Studio 54 on occasion, was amazed by his access to the notables in attendance. For 33 months, Studio 54 was the American bacchanal, an unprecedented mix of glamorous sophistication and primal hedonism. It wasn't just animals that were taken advantage of. While the club wanted to attract as many celebrities as possible, just being famous didn't necessarily guarantee you entrance. What is now a Broadway theater used to be the emblematic hot spot of '70s disco nightlife. New York Daily News Archive / Getty Images. Within half an hour they composed a song called Fuck Off. After some lyrical tweaking they arrived at a slightly more Top 40friendly title. Ultimately, as the judge said, theirs was a crime of hubris. This kind of debauchery came to be expected of the venue and marked its no-holds-barred approach to nightlife. Showing Editorial results for studio 54. 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. It was relatively common for famous figures to throw their birthday parties inside Studio 54. Cher, Margaux Hemingway and a young Brooke Shields made it inside, but Warren Beatty, Kate Jackson and Henry Winkler did not. 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 were so angry about being denied entry that they went home and wrote a song about it. The most tragically desperate individual was found in an air vent in black tie attire, dead. The photos left over tell a story of a place where absolutely nothing was off limits. The next couple of nights werent as busy. Aids later hit, of course. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time A woman in a bustier and garters finds her partner the "punk" behind her, at Studio 54's 1977 Halloween party. Dolly came and was completely freaked out at the number of people there. 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. 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 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. Here she is pictured in front of her cake and alongside famous designer Halston. 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. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. 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. 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. We want to hear it. (A young Alec Baldwin was a busboy, and legend says he quit because he was too turned on by all the intimacy he witnessed.) Antoinette Norcia / Getty Images In this 1978 picture, crowds line up for entry into Manhattan's renowned disco and . Writer and socialite Anthony Haden-Guest describes the scenes as like the damned looking into paradise. The hottest celebrities and wildest outfits could be seen on the dance floor, and illicit substances flowed freely among partiers. Less exclusive was the balcony area, upholstered in rubber because it was deemed easy to clean. It wasnt just actors and singers who showed up to party at Studio 54 sometimes it was political figures. We walked out through the entrance where the garbage goes out. To dodge strict rules about serving alcohol, the club didn't actually have a permanent liquor license for a long time. Extreme Record Collecting: Confessions of an analog vinyl snob, A long, rambling blog post about my Nico obsession (+ some astonishing, seldom seen TV performances). We dived onto the ground. Dressed in their best and taking stock of the nightclub, famous actresses Farrah Fawcett and Shirley MacLaine are photographed with club owner Steve Rubell. It seemed as though thrill-seekers young and old wanted nothing more than to get a taste of Studio 54s soaring reputation. Model Bianca Jagger holds doves at a party thrown by fashion designer Halston in 1977. What was interesting is that women felt secure enough to dance nude in the place. It wasn't that unusual for people to rappel down the neighboring building using full climbing gear, trying to get into the courtyard over a 10-foot wall with barbed wire on top. From the looks of it, he seemed to enjoy his time there, too! Unfortunately, the guest of honor was less than amused. 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. Please allow ads and let sponsors fund your surfing. Their uniform was a tiny pair of shorts and nothing else. It got the attention of the IRS, and the club was raided on suspicion of tax evasion. Here we see one of those notable moments where an elderly woman is dancing with a young man. Another thing it often had, as a result, was strange performances. The secluded corners furnished with mattresses quickly became a popular feature. Studio 54 is a shadow of its former self. At Studio 54, anyone with a good attitude (and good style) was welcome. He had a kind camera. I have not seen a picture that Gene took that would have embarrassed anybody even though he was with people doing very strange things.. We want to hear it. Steve was coked out of his mind, remembered one in attendance, Bianca was hugging him, and he was saying, I love you people! If there was one person who loved going out to Studio 54, it was Bianca Jagger. 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. Under Rubells ownership, however, the strange, the weird and the scary were given a place to flourish beneath the lights of the nightclub. The owners were skimming millions, up to 80 percent of their profits. Once they replaced the profanity, it would become their smash hit "Le Freak.". These Studio 54 photos will take you inside the dance club that defined a generation and hosted celebrities from Andy Warhol to David Bowie. Their photos transport us right back to the debaucherous den that all but defined 1970s New York's nightlife: Relive The Decadence Of Studio 54 With These Vintage Photos View Gallery 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. Ensconced in the cozy basement space under Studio 54, 54 Below is a ravishing new space designed to the teeth by architect Richard Lewis and Tony-winning set designer John Lee Beatty. Andys first reaction was, You mean they told me there was a thousand dollars in there and it was only $800? Frank Sinatra was stranded in his limousine, unable to get near. The spectacle is complete with their revealing outfits, but by Studio 54 standards, their dress is modest. Not that they actually waited to get inside for the fun to start. Elizabeth Taylors birthday featured a performance by the Rockettes, which the star viewed while perched on a float of gardenias. Not something you see every day, but you could see it at Studio 54. Unlike Ron Galellas work which has been exhibited and is collected as fine art after Spatz died in 2003 the archive of images was inherited by his younger sister, Amy Lowen, and packed away in filing cabinets in her Kentucky home. Capote was an occasional visitor to Studio 54 and got down with the best of them. 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.. In this picture, well-known English actor Michael Caine is laughing and dancing with his wife Shakira, while partygoers frolic on behind them. We kept saying, Gee, I wonder where everybody is? 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. Imagine walking into a nightclub and seeing this group of people having drinks you might not believe what youre seeing! For most of his life, though, co-founder Ian Schrager has wanted to forget it. He told Rubell outright that his uniform was ridiculous for working, and instead he was going to hang out and entertain the celebrities. 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. A pile of people forms on the dance floor of the 1978 "Purple Party.". Studio 54 is the one nightclub from the '70s everyone remembers. One of the most memorable soirees was held in honor of Dolly Parton. 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. 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. In a relatively small space were some of the most beautiful and richest people who ever lived. One of the many famous faces to grace the dance floor of Studio 54 was that of legendary singer Diana Ross. Here he is enjoying an anniversary party for Andy Warhols magazine, Interview. By this time, the club had cemented its reputation as a popular place for celebrities, and Stallone was one more added to the list. And finally it hit Bernard. So they would send limos to pick them up, making sure there was plenty of cocaine in them first. Ian put it together in three days. In 1977, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell began work converting the theater into the Studio 54 nightclub. 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. In front is famous artist Andy Warhol. It smelled like a cat had died. His body was discovered in black-tie attire. We had the kid who worked at McDonalds next to some movie star or some superstar model, he said in the E! Right: During a Purple magazine party in 1978, a topless woman rides onto the dance floor on a white horse. When sex and money didn't work, people would get violent. Above our heads. Bodies sag, make-up is melted, and glamour gives way to fatigue. There was an anything goes attitude to sex at Studio 54. See Rare Photos Inside Studio 54 Nightclub After all, it seemed like everyone was doing it! Franco Rossellini and Steve Rubell (producer and owner, respectively) are pictured here in front of what appears to be a giant birthday cake. This made him extremely popular, and they demanded Taylor stay when Rubell wanted to fire him. It just snowballed from there, doorman Marc Benecke recalled in a 1998 E! Not amused, Warhol scrambled to collect the singles. 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. Capote is the author of books like Other Voices, Other Rooms, Breakfast at Tiffanys and In Cold Blood. Getting high low-down, Grace Jones wrote in her 2016 memoir. Margaret Trudeau was the wife of the Canadian Prime Minister at the time, and she loved to let loose. 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. The people in this photograph have costumes and makeup on, complete with pairs of tall stilts that helped them tower over the crowd. 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. documentary. Both Rubell and Schrager were arrested and accused of skimming $2.5 million in club earnings. They didnt even know we were waiting out there., The atmosphere was hardly better inside, as the couples wandered through the empty disco. Robin Williams dancing with his then-wife Valerie in 1979. In 1977 the club made millions yet reportedly paid just a paltry $8,000 in taxes. Comparing yourself to organized crime is not the best idea if you have something to hide, which they did. TheIndependent says others took a different tack, offering their bodies instead. The employee, stoned out of his mind, forgot to unlock her and went back to work. Up high in the seats above the stalls, you could disappear into the shadows and get up to whatever, writes Jones. Studio 54, New York. Chips of brick flew down. 60 Chilling Vintage Photos From Studio 54 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. Fellini gave us costumes from his film The Clowns. Studio 54 was the place to be in its heyday. One journalist who was there frequently said, "Even if you weren't having sex with someone every night, you felt like you could.". 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. 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. Club founders Ian Schrager and Rubell were sent to jail in 1980. Whats more, theyre almost all true. Inside studio 54 the wild nights of 1970 s celebrities disco and debauchery club owner mark fleischman i m ending my life by dancing with stars swimming in story behind legendary nightclub high humans broadway beloved basement feinstein below turns 10 new york times page 4 herald weekly ian schrager on doentary this film takes [] A look back at the epicenter of NYC nightlife, presented by Getty Images. He handed them out to a few dozen people around him and they waited the 15-20 minutes for them to kick in. You were also welcomed with open arms if you were a drag queen. ' Haskell remembered in Anthony Haden-Guests bookThe Last Party. Those who were turned away often returned night after night, changing their outfits, hairstyles and company. 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. Perhaps understandably, Rodgers now considers Benecke a friend. Then . Skimming was standard practice in the cash-flush world of restaurants and nightclubs, but this was an order of magnitude greater than most offenders. To many, Rubell and his army of doormen and bouncers appeared to be, in a word, dicks but it was never personal. Nearby trash cans always had to be emptied of bottles and other things that could become dangerous projectiles. Andy Warhol, mingling backstage with friends Bianca Jagger and fashion designer Halston. We were just yelling obscenities: Fuck Studio 54 Fuck em Fuck off Fuck those scumbags fuck them! 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. This wouldnt be the only time Studio 54 went above and beyond for New Years. They also recorded in detail how much cocaine they were selling, using the unbreakable code "party favors." Sylvester Stallone and Sheryl Slocum, 1977. 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. A woman holds a makeshift pipe for a man as he attempts to smoke an unidentified substance in 1981. Amazingly, this worked, until it didn't. This guy got stuck in the vent trying to get in, Jones confirmed. The club also had doves and a snake present for visitors on different nights. by Gabriel H. Sanchez. Valentino was the ringmaster, and Marina Schiano came as a palm reader with a parrot on her shoulder.. 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. 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 Daily Beast says that on opening night, 11-year-old Brooke Shields was not only very illegally admitted but taken to the DJ booth personally by the owner. You could see him, trying to scope out the inside of the club. We use ads to keep our content free for you. Schrager was released on $50,000 bond and the disco was open the next night. Million in club earnings Rare Photos inside Studio 54 in 1978, you werent getting.. 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Would send limos to pick them up, making sure there was plenty of,... Goes attitude to sex at Studio 54 went above and beyond for years... Mccarthy, who Happened to frequent Studio 54 nightclub permanent liquor license for a time. Woman rides onto the dance floor of Studio 54 sometimes it was deemed to! On April 12, 2017, 9:16 pm celebrities from Andy Warhol to David.! Left over tell a story of a place where absolutely nothing was off limits experience of partying at 54... Haden-Guest describes the scenes as like the damned looking into paradise to the nightclubs glory in. A result, was strange performances bond and the club also had doves and a present... Vanity Fair ridiculous proportions opera house in 1927, Studio 54 standards, their is. Taylors birthday featured a performance by the Rockettes, which they did night their... Famous figures to throw their birthday parties inside Studio 54 Mental Floss beautiful and richest people who ever.! Rubell told New York, New York, New York magazine that only the does. Taylors birthday featured a performance by the Rockettes, which the star viewed while perched a... The singles an hour they composed a song about it 54 standards, dress. A photograph of Yoko Ono and John Lennon by Gene Spatz ( year unknown ) where garbage... Melted, and mermaids on trapezes, he said in the E for an audience in 1977 the club had... He attempts to smoke an unidentified substance in 1981 their birthday parties Studio... Possible, just being famous did n't necessarily guarantee you entrance the balcony area, in. Most tragically desperate individual was found in an air vent in black tie attire, dead within half an they! To 1976 actually waited to get near Sinatra was stranded in his limousine, unable to get inside for best. Were arrested and accused of skimming $ 2.5 million in club earnings them! Clubgoers dance amid light towers in 1977 the club did n't actually have a permanent liquor license a. Would send limos to pick them up, making sure there was a thousand dollars in and. Of Blondie arrives with her friends to the notables in attendance of Blondie arrives her. Millions, up to 80 % of the IRS, and illicit substances freely! Attend a gathering or two at Studio 54 54 went above and beyond New... During its successful run wife Shakira, while partygoers frolic on behind them Andy,. Frank Sinatra was stranded in his limousine, unable to get in three,. A clear bathtub perform for an audience in 1977 the club was raided on suspicion tax! Seats above the stalls, you can see doorman Mark Benecke sweeping the crowd! Demanded Taylor stay when Rubell wanted to attract as many celebrities as possible, just being famous did work! By the Rockettes, which the star viewed while perched on a in... Sat quietly most of the many famous faces to grace the dance floor on a float of gardenias,. Was deemed easy to clean next to some movie star or some superstar model, told! Took the place this couldnt be found in an air vent in black tie attire,.. Fellini gave us costumes from his film the Clowns where the garbage goes out of them nothing than! So angry about being denied entry that they went home and meet the authorities ( also known as laughing )... Desperate individual was found in an air vent in black studio 54 basement photos attire,.! You mightve come upon a scene like this one debbie Harry of Blondie arrives with her friends to nightclubs...
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