2. The night they sold nothing but fruit juice and soda
During the first year the club was open, Schrager and Rubell got by with no liquor license. Instead, they purchased daily permits intended for caterers, not nightclubs. The head of the State Liquor Authority got wind of the scam and conducted a sting; afterward, the club was closed for the night. Undaunted, Studio 54 opened the next night anyway. Patrons received this notice at the door: “Welcome! And thank you for joining us this evening. Due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, we are unable to serve alcoholic beverages tonight. However, we have a variety of soft drinks and juices, and you are welcome to drink as much as like at no charge. Studio 54 will remain open; we thank you for helping make it the success that it is.”
During the first year the club was open, Schrager and Rubell got by with no liquor license.
Instead, they purchased daily permits intended for caterers, not nightclubs. The head of the State Liquor Authority got wind of the scam and conducted a sting; afterward, the club was closed for the night. Undaunted, Studio 54 opened the next night anyway. Patrons received this notice at the door: “Welcome! And thank you for joining us this evening. Due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, we are unable to serve alcoholic beverages tonight. However, we have a variety of soft drinks and juices, and you are welcome to drink as much as like at no charge. Studio 54 will remain open; we thank you for helping make it the success that it is.”
4. Andy Warhol’s birthday party
On August 6, 1979, Halston hosted another birthday bash at Studio 54—this one for Andy Warhol. He gifted Warhol with a pair of roller skates, while Rubell simply gave him a garbage pail stuffed with cash. When Rubell was jailed for tax evasion, Warhol gave Rubell his own money-themed gift: a brass sculpture with dollar signs cut out.
On August 6, 1979, Halston hosted another birthday bash at Studio 54—this one for Andy Warhol. He gifted Warhol with a pair of roller skates, while Rubell simply gave him a garbage pail stuffed with cash. When Rubell was jailed for tax evasion, Warhol gave Rubell his own money-themed gift: a brass sculpture with dollar signs cut out.
6. The nights Disco Sally appeared
Mingling amongst the likes of Warhol, Halston, and Jagger was a 77-year old widow named Sally Lippman. “Disco Sally” became a regular after one of her young friends told her that she should check out Studio 54 just once, to see it. She and her friend managed to get in, and Rubell was delighted to see her on the dance floor, telling her, “I like to see you here. Come anytime you like, and you’ll get in.” You didn’t have to tell Sally twice—after that, she became a fixture there most nights. “I didn’t dance for 50 years because my husband didn’t like it,” she said. Here she is in action, terrifying Lawrence Welk.
Mingling amongst the likes of Warhol, Halston, and Jagger was a 77-year old widow named Sally Lippman. “Disco Sally” became a regular after one of her young friends told her that she should check out Studio 54 just once, to see it. She and her friend managed to get in, and Rubell was delighted to see her on the dance floor, telling her, “I like to see you here. Come anytime you like, and you’ll get in.” You didn’t have to tell Sally twice—after that, she became a fixture there most nights. “I didn’t dance for 50 years because my husband didn’t like it,” she said. Here she is in action, terrifying Lawrence Welk.
8. Valentino’s Birthday party
Giancarlo Giammetti decided to throw a circus birthday party for his partner, fashion designer Valentino, three days before his birthday. "We had a circus ring with sand, and mermaids on trapezes," Giammetti said. "Fellini gave us costumes from his film, The Clowns. Valentino was the ringmaster, and Marina Schiano came as a palm reader with a parrot on her shoulder.” Another infamous night at 54 was the evening Dolly Parton held an after-concert party there, complete with bales of hay and live farm animals.
Giancarlo Giammetti decided to throw a circus birthday party for his partner, fashion designer Valentino, three days before his birthday. "We had a circus ring with sand, and mermaids on trapezes," Giammetti said. "Fellini gave us costumes from his film, The Clowns. Valentino was the ringmaster, and Marina Schiano came as a palm reader with a parrot on her shoulder.” Another infamous night at 54 was the evening Dolly Parton held an after-concert party there, complete with bales of hay and live farm animals.
10. The raid that eventually closed the club
After Steve Rubell made a public statement that “only the Mafia does better” than Studio 54 when it came to money, the IRS took notice—the club had paid just $8000 in taxes in 1977. At a raid on December 14, 1978, feds found a reported $600,000 in garbage bags hidden in the building, in addition to 300 Quaalude pills and at least a few ounces of cocaine (reports varied on the actual amount). A few hours after the raid, people came to the club in droves, either to get the gossip or to support the owners. Before Rubell and Schrager were shipped off to prison to serve 13-month sentences, they were serenaded by Diana Ross and Liza Minnelli in front of a crowd that included Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone, Gia Carangi, and Richard Gere, among others.
After Steve Rubell made a public statement that “only the Mafia does better” than Studio 54 when it came to money, the IRS took notice—the club had paid just $8000 in taxes in 1977. At a raid on December 14, 1978, feds found a reported $600,000 in garbage bags hidden in the building, in addition to 300 Quaalude pills and at least a few ounces of cocaine (reports varied on the actual amount). A few hours after the raid, people came to the club in droves, either to get the gossip or to support the owners. Before Rubell and Schrager were shipped off to prison to serve 13-month sentences, they were serenaded by Diana Ross and Liza Minnelli in front of a crowd that included Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone, Gia Carangi, and Richard Gere, among others.