But wait, is that a horse shes trying to pet? Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager opened Studio 54 40 years ago, and it soon became the . But where does someone keep piles of quaaludes and drink tickets? A man dangles a cigarette inside Studio 54, 1977. Here, Vogue presents the best looks from Studio 54. 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. Sometimes the venue hired dancers or had fashion models walking the crowds. Clubs have been using this idea for years. 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. 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. He captured it fantastically the fun and wackiness, the sweetness. This type of thing wouldnt have been allowed in just any nightclub. Throughout its three-year lifespan under Rubell and Schrager, Studio 54 served as a lab to experiment with everything from illicit drugs to gender. A photograph of Yoko Ono and John Lennon by Gene Spatz (year unknown). With the help of their financial backer the two were able to hire enough people to rebuild the inside of the theater, add the lights and designs, and paint the entire thing within six weeks. This potentially dangerous display marked the end of the nightclubs first year open. It wasnt just actors and singers who showed up to party at Studio 54 sometimes it was political figures. Club founders Ian Schrager and . 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They were hired for the New Years Eve party of 1977. The thing he appreciated was someone being different. It took owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager just six weeks to . Bokfrlaget Max Strm/Hasse Persson Studio 54. Margaret Trudeau was the wife of the Canadian Prime Minister at the time, and she loved to let loose. According to one of the doormen in a documentary about the club, they made sure that the club at least have 20% gay men, 10% lesbians and trans people, and the rest of the crowd could be whoever. Club founders Ian Schrager and Rubell were sent to jail in 1980. 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. 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.. Doormen didnt let just anyone inside, but if you were lucky, you could get into the club without having connections in high places. CREATIVE. Here he is enjoying an anniversary party for Andy Warhols magazine, Interview. While these two women may not have been the craziest partiers, they certainly appreciated a good night out. Not only were people consistently agitated with Rubell telling them that they couldnt come in because of the way they were dressed or looked, but there were so many people that it increasingly became hard to keep the unruly crowds in line. A-listers were just as susceptible to Steve Rubellas door policy as regular people unless they reached the vaulted heights of being an NFU." It seemed as though thrill-seekers young and old wanted nothing more than to get a taste of Studio 54s soaring reputation. More like this An Ultimate Guide To The Music Of . This photograph comes just before the release of Off the Wall, when he was still remembered most for his youthful vocals in The Jackson 5. . 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. A woman in a bustier and garters finds her partner the "punk" behind her, at Studio 54's 1977 Halloween party. In the aftermath of the Vietnam war, Rubell said people were tired of being serious everyone went out and went wild. Those lucky enough to be in attendance are spotted in the background, watching with drinks in hand. Even the celebrities at Studio 54 were known to get star struck from time to time. After the arrests of Rubell and Schrager a list of party favors (their code for drugs or anything illicit) that went into the Studio 54s official books was printed in November 1979, Warhol was shocked to find out that the trash can only had $800, not $1,000. 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. 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. A costumed party-goer at a Halloween event sporting a platinum blonde wig, 18th-century-inspired face paint, lace bustier, and white bow tie. Studio 54: heady daze of disco decadence in pictures, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Picture this: Elton John partying the night away with drag queen Divine on the instantly recognisable parquet dance floor. This photograph was taken at the first Halloween party and shows two men dressed in taboo fetish gear, one man miming cutting the other. New York: Photo shows crowd waiting outside Studio 54, the popular New York City disco. 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. Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Usually these special nights happened when someone wanted something specific for their birthday. Toosii Brings Roses and Your 'Favorite Song' to Tonight Show, Justin Bieber Shares Heartfelt Message to Frank Ocean After Coachella Set. Model and musician Grace Jones shimmers in a sparkling bodysuit as she performs at a New Years Eve party. It's crazy to think that Studio 54 and Saturday Night Live were both happening in New York City at the same time. Regardless of the fact that Jagger just took the horse for a spin whether it was just once around the Studio or all the way down the block, it's telling that there was a horse in the club. Prolonged war and a stagnant economy gave way to a massive national hangover in the 1970s. Robin Williams dancing with his then-wife Valerie in 1979. In an oversized down coat, obviously. 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. 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. It was relatively common for famous figures to throw their birthday parties inside Studio 54. Capote is the author of books like Other Voices, Other Rooms, Breakfast at Tiffanys and In Cold Blood. Rebecca Schoenkopf. She is even said to have enjoyed a night or two out with Mick Jagger and the rest of the Rolling Stones. Doorman Marc Benecke told the BBC: According to people who were there, one of the biggest misnomers about the scene inside Studio 54 is that everyone was on drugs all the time. Not much is known about what his wife got up to, but Williams was known for turning into the life of the party after ingesting certain substances. Suddenly the IRS were interested in going clubbing. Not something you see every day, but you could see it at Studio 54. 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. Today there's no way that someone would just be able to ride through a club on a horse. 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 photographer Hasse Persson said of this photo: "This may sound unusual today, but if you wanted to make love with somebody, people were making love on the balconies, and they were making love in the bathrooms. Nightlife anywhere was sure to have drugs involved were talking about the 1970s, here. 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. "Everyone has heard of Studio 54, but these unpublished color photos captured more than expected from the infamous nightclub. 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. In 1977, he was deep in the thralls of ambient music and groups like Can, but he was already looking for something new. Even when the clubs co-owners were under a federal investigation they didnt let anything get in the way of the clubs success. 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. A nearly naked couple dances together on top of a speaker at the club's first Halloween party in 1977. A couple relaxes next to a comatose man, 1978. While speaking with Harper's Bazaar, Minelli explained that she didn't know and didn't care for the Studio's plans to spin her records while she danced for an audience of onlookers: Even though Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger look quite chummy here this would be one of the last times that they were friendly. By 1977, Stallone had an Oscar on his mantle, but did that make him an NFU? Andy Warhol, mingling backstage with friends Bianca Jagger and fashion designer Halston. Gene Spatz/POBA.org. Its disco days, though, were short lived and the club closed its doors in 1980these archival photos are a snapshot that only a lucky few had the pleasure of experiencing. 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. The spectacle is complete with their revealing outfits, but by Studio 54 standards, their dress is modest. 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. People came back time and again during the life of Studio 54 for this openness and acceptance. Pictured here are some of the A-list celebs who frequented the infamous, one-of-a-kind club known as 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. breonna taylor protests black lives matter trump peaceful transfer of power. Not only did she love a good time, but she also knew how to master the dance floor. Getty Images. One of Studio 54s main attractions was its complex lighting. The duo partied often at Studio 54, but Bianca had no idea that Warhol was taking notes the entire time they were hanging out. 22 photos that show the grit and the glamour of Studio 54, New York City's most infamous club. These photos show what really happened at Studio 54, with celebrities like Mick Jagger, Grace Jones, and Andy Warhol leading the way. Diana Ross and Liza Minnelli sang, while Rubell blasted out My Way. One close friend of Rubell's notes that the co-owner thought that he would never be caught. Drugs, drinks, and disco -- Studio 54 had it all. Elizabeth Taylor shimmering in a glamorous iridescent bodysuit while chatting to legendary fashion designer Halston. The manufacturers seemed to think their choice of venue was appropriate enough since all the sounds and colorful lights reminded them of disco. 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. Full of rollerskating Wall Street Bankers, tabloid fixtures and postwar frivolity, a new documentary reveals the social backdrop of the famous club. In 1978, Rubell told New York magazine that only the mafia does better than us. The clubs explosive success had attracted attention from authorities, and they thought Studio 54 might be connected to organized crime. Celebrities like Mick Jagger were routinely in the building and cutting a rug on the dance floor, so if you wanted to dance with a Rolling Stone you could dance with a Rolling Stone. Getty Images. 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. Model Bianca Jagger holds doves at a party thrown by fashion designer Halston in 1977. At the time, childish fun in a club like this couldnt be found in most other venues. Studio 54 is a shadow of its former self. A party was staged the night before their sentences began. Documentary reveals the social backdrop of the Canadian Prime Minister at the same time Justin Bieber Heartfelt. 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