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01:00:02 18.2 |
GUESTS ARE DISCO DANCERS & FANS FROM THE BROOKLYN, NEW YORK AREA & ALL APPEARED IN MOVIE "SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER". STEVE RUBELL OF STUDIO 54. COUPLES DISCO DANCE TO THE BEE GEE'S "STAYIN' ALIVE". 1970s DISCO DANCING CRAZE-FAD. 1970s LIFESTYLES: DISCO ERA HAIRCUTS, FASHIONS, DANCING, DISCO BALL.
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01:00:03 19.27 |
SUSSKIND INTRODUCES SHOW TOPIC:
David Susskind Good evening I'm David Susskind. Tonight of most unusual show John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever a sweeping this country. Tonight we're going to talk about the disco craze. But first I want you to see what all the talk is about. You're going to watch John Travolta in a dance sequence from his hit movie Saturday Night Fever here it is. |
01:00:23 39.42 |
CUT TO CLIP FROM SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER - JOHN TRAVOLTA DANCE SEQUENCE
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01:04:01 257.52 |
SUSSKIND BACK IN STUDIO INTRODUCES UPCOMING GUESTS WHO ARE SURROUNDING HIM DANCING:
David Susskind John Travolta in the role of Tony Minero has become the symbol of young people across this country. Many of them blue collar workers who live for the Saturday night disco. Now when we return real live Tony mineros and their partners will dance to the latest disco beat. Now part two, the greatest disco in this country is undoubtedly studio 54 in New York City. You're going to meet the entrepreneurial genius who trumped it all up. His name is Steve Rubell. David Susskind My guests are dancing to the tune of stay alive from the hit movie Saturday Night Fever and incidentally, I have no piece of that picture. David Susskind We'll be right back to talk to some of our dancers in just one minute. |
01:04:51 307.52 |
SEVERAL COUPLES IN 1970'S DISCO ATTIRE DANCE AROUND SUSSKIND IN THE STUDIO
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01:06:14 390.3 |
CLOSE UP OF LIGHT REFLECTING ON A SPINNING DISCO BALL
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01:08:46 541.91 |
SUSSKIND CUTS TO BREAK AS COUPLES DANCE AROUND HIM
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01:09:05 561.16 |
INTERVIEW BEGINS:
David Susskind And now to talk about disco and their own Saturday night fevers. I'd like you to meet my guests first. Victor Medina works in a paint store as a salesman. Carmen Pisani is a hairdresser. Jody Oliver is a professional actress. Gene Robinson works as a delivery man. Chuck Rusinak is a DJ at the 2001 Odyssey disco. Susan Rainone is a perfume salesperson, salesperson I like that. Diane Ludwig is a senior in high school. And finally Alex Marchak is studying to be a mortician. All of you are in the movie Saturday Night Fever so I take your victims of it. Yes. What? What is that fever what happens on Saturday night in that kind of place? Gene Robinson Well, Sunday night you just can't wait to get out. Alex Marchak You want to release your energy? David Susskind The energy that's been pent up all week. Because your jobs are boring. Alex Marchak Just life. let it out like some people, some people snort coke and some people, you know, some people like to just Just Dance, David Susskind party dance, party dance. Victor Medina There's been times I mean store and put on radio and paint store. I dance right there. Some big thing to me when I go over somebody else's house like if I go to their house I say, Let's get together, see if we could get some new turns. Relax David Susskind when you're in a disco and the music is going in the lights and all of that stuff. Are you transported? Are you no longer a paint salesman? Jody Oliver You forget about anything and everything David Susskind You do? Forget it. Victor Medina I'm dancing. The same way, he's a DJ, he's a light man. on the floor? Jody Oliver You're in your own world? Do you just let all your emotions go and you pour everything into your dancing and you project an exhibit yourself to the best way you can while you're on that dance floor. While you hear that music? Gene Robinson Surely build yourself up. You only want to show people you can do and you will have fun when you hear that music. Everybody is in their own mind. David Susskind Do you go alone? Or do you go as couples? You go as a couple once a week, twice a week? Alex Marchak Well, it depends what you know. Depends what kind of mood she's in or David Susskind which one are you talking about. Oh that's your couple, right? Diane Ludwig Just depends if we have other things to do. We'll step down the Odyssey later and dance. We go to the movies we go out to eat first. Whatever's going on in town we might go see that most of the time. At the end of the night. We went up in the Odyssey dancing, we meet our friends there. And it's very comfortable atmosphere there. Jody Oliver usually Friday nights or like single nights clubs and Saturday nights a couple nights. David Susskind Oh, wait a second. You as a couple. Would you leave her home on a Friday night? Are you a couple? Victor Medina I'm a couple and I think I would leave a home on a Friday. David Susskind Is that the other piece? Victor Medina That's my parter. That's my one and only David Susskind Wait a minute. you leave her home Friday is why. Victor Medina Friday to me. He's a solo night Carmen Pisani Friday is his night. If I want to go out I go out. But I go to school all week long. Victor Medina She wants to wait for me. David Susskind She wants to wait for you? I know you're living another age. When you know he's out at the disco on Friday. You're sitting there sewing twiddling your thumbs are you out having a good time Victor Medina I think she falls asleep Carmen Pisani Either I fall asleep my house is like a disco David Susskind are you jealous? Carmen Pisani No. I used to. Forget it. David Susskind used to get jealous. You'd be through. You take her what night? Victor Medina Saturday night. I'd say a couple night. Sport night David Susskind I saw the dancing at the beginning of the show that you did. And the other couples and it's very sensual. very sexual. Alex Marchak Its pride pride pride the way you look for it the way you know the way you look. Your appearence who dress Diane Ludwig It's a competition I think it's like one couple wants to try and do better than the next couple you want to practice you want to do you know the best you can on the dance floor you want other people to look to and say hey, that guy's good dancer. David Susskind Chuck Rusinak, talk about it. I mean, do you feel a kind of euphoria out there Chuck Rusinak Well I'm in a different position because on the being the DJ. I'm more or less taking it all in. And rather than being a part of it, you know, at the end of the night, I get on the floor myself David Susskind He's a judge. You learn what? Victor Medina Just from watching the people alone. Dancing David Susskind You learn what other stuff? Oh, I see you learn other steps you don't learn about other people's characters. Personality. Victor Medina Just you can learn that step. Once you got it in you just look and you wouldn't have to go to any of these dance studios. I know I never did David Susskind about it sensuality. Do you get heated up? I mean, do you think at the end of the evening? Yeah. I'm I'm ready to take this girl home if I if I knew where home was Gene Robinson always a challenge. You build yourself up with all that confidence to sweep a girl off her feet. You're always trying to show David Susskind Well, when you twirl her around, Bender over and right. When do you know you own her? Gene Robinson Just about when she's real close to you David Susskind when she meets you every week. Victor Medina She'll call you up and tell you I am I gonna be at the club this weekend. Come down. I'll say Yeah, maybe. And find me today I'll go with somebody else. David Susskind Boy you're cruel. Gloria Steinem. Your using them as a sex item? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. The other half of your couples says Yeah. How long does it take you to prepare for the evening? Gene Robinson It takes me about an hour, an hour all week I can't wait till Friday comes or Saturday. When Saturday comes. Once you get in there Victor Medina Sometimes it takes me all day David Susskind all day? Victor Medina all day to get ready, go shoping. wash the car. David Susskind Shop for what? Victor Medina clothes for shoes, whatever. That's what mostly I spend my money on. Clothes. Yeah. David Susskind So you're shopping for shoes, right? Then you're doing polishing the car Victor Medina polishing the car making that Saturday, Friday. Right? Make it look clean. It's been turned. That's what he spends his day or we would call him up and say, Where's Alex? Alex would wax in the car. Right? Alex Marchak That's one thing in the movie that I was really dissatisfied about the way he was such you know, a superstar like, you know, Travolta was a Disco King. I think he should have had, you know, he should have had a nice car. So, you know, you know, parading down like, Well, we do 86 stree where all foxes, you know, on a Saturday afternoon are all thrown back and forth. You know, that was like, anybody who talked from Brooklyn. So the way it is, I mean, a Saturday actually going down and checking out the girls for the night. So when they go to the club at night, they say that's the girl and so on 86th street they will move into a niche so like that, you know, the way it was not like the way it was a Hollywood movie the way it was? Wasn't really true. Diane Ludwig I think the guys take a lot of pride in their cars. I think even like as much as their dressing. I know. He spends most of his day waxing his car, you ride down the blocks and there they all are out with the polish on the car. Really, it's like getting as though they were getting dressed. They have to dress their car also. David Susskind In other words before the dance before the night come you are going up and down the avenue. Alex Marchak No not me Friends, you know David Susskind I mean your car and you Alex Marchak Yeah my car? Yeah. Well the other guys cars David Susskind your other women parading up and down? Alex Marchak Well, the parading in a sense going through stores buying things you know, and you checking them out. David Susskind But you got a girl? Alex Marchak I'm not saying me. That's the act of Bensonhurst or Bayridge or 86 street. That's what's going on? that's the true. You know the true scene. Not the Hollywood Scene. David Susskind What about the women? How much preparation? Are you beauty parlor? Are you getting? Carmen Pisani No Just whatever you have or get something new. Just stay home fixing your hair. getting ready to go out Jody Oliver yeah, usually takes me about two hours to get ready for only the time it takes David Susskind Wait a minute. why does it take you two hours. What are you doing? Jody Oliver I have to dry my hair. I don't use a blower. I just let it dry naturally. Right. So it takes like two hours before it's dry. David Susskind Then the eyes. the mascara Jody Oliver getting ready takes me like 15 minutes, just the hair Victor Medina Like my girlfriend would get dressed and take about three or four hours. Let's say this only takes what man 20 minutes to get dressed, shower, shave whatever you had to do. And you'd be waiting around the suit beyond and we'd be sweating. By the end of the day you will sweat it up ready to go into the disco old sweat it up. You know feel right? We go into disco. When you go into a disco you want to feel fresh? You've started from the beginning. David Susskind Right? How many hours do you put in? What time you get there? Victor Medina You get there about 10. Right? And I would stay the longest I could. If it would go on to the next day I think I would stay Alex Marchak The later it gets the more the more active. You can get like mean by three four in the morning. Chuck's got a turn the music off whatever and everybody just hit turn the music off. Victor Medina But the music has been happy times when you know a lot of people stood late and they say come on Chuck just keep playing it. Yeah, everybody get to Jody Oliver Yeah it's surpring though. The crowd seems to get much larger around one or two in the morning at a disco. I mean like 10 o'clock you walk into places empty at one o'clock all of a sudden you have mobs you know mobs coming in, and it's much it's packed. You can't move on the dance floor. It's a pleasure to dance earlier, but a lot more difficult to dance later on. Gene Robinson The combination of like people going out more enthusiastic the crowd is the better it's gonna be. David Susskind Is it true that most of you live at home? No, you have your own place. Yes, . You live at home, you Victor Medina No I live by myself. Carmen Pisani I live with my mother David Susskind You live with your mother Carmen Pisani sisters and brother. David Susskind What is their attitude toward your creeping in exhausted four or five in the morning? Carmen Pisani It don't bother them as long as I'm alright. Victor Medina You got the good excuse. Well, they were they know that she's with a good man Jody Oliver I know when I left home I used to have one o'clock curfew. a one o'clock curfew when I lived home. So I moved out because nothing ever happened till one o'clock. Jody Oliver I have a very early curfew also David Susskind you're in high school. Diane Ludwig Right And my father's quite strict on that he gives me all the curfews, but I still can't say that I don't enjoy it. I still have very good time. Even if I have to be home one two o'clock. I enjoy it just as much as I would if I had to stay later David Susskind But he only springs in the Real Glory at three, four. No, no, I Diane Ludwig No, no, I wouldn't say that. I I think we have a good time all night. I wouldn't say that, you know, places dead until three, four. I think all night. We have very good time. What time we leave. Well, you know, it doesn't really matter. Because you could still enjoy yourself. Even if you have to be home at one two o'clock. David Susskind Susan, are you with us? Okay, yes. You agree with me this? Are you living at home alone? Susan Rainone No I'm living at home David Susskind You're living at home? Wouldn't it be better? How old are you? Susan Rainone 20 David Susskind Oh, when do you intend to open your own establishment? I mean, have a place of your own. While you're here right now. I see he has a place of his own. No. You live at home too. Chuck Rusinak Yes, currently? I've been in that house. I've had my own apartment. David Susskind Right? Aren't you a little old? You live in a home? Well, you like it at home. good cooking Diane Ludwig I don't think You really have to put on an age on what age you should not be living home anymore. I don't see anything wrong with living at home. No, I don't think there's much of a difference. All right. So you might get a curfew. When you're old enough. You don't get a car curfew. So I've been homeless, you have problems with somewhere else. Victor Medina That would be a problem with the family. Like I have older brothers and they never gotten along with them. So I just went out on my own. And now they're following me. I'm the youngest. Alex Marchak And it's like a lot of parents got bad attitudes towards disco. you know, they think it's like, just like drugs. David Susskind Well is it Alex Marchak you know? It's no, it's no, it's not. David Susskind Are there drugs. Diane Ludwig There's drugs anywhere you go today David Susskind Are people sniffing cocaine. Gene Robinson No, not in our place. David Susskind Smoking refer Victor Medina outside and when they come in like they they're a little whacked out we try to throw them out. Even I would try to throw them out. I don't even work there. And I don't want any hassles against them. Because they would figure is a good couple on the dance floor, let me try to rap to the girl. There would be a fight going on. They don't look like David Susskind so actually, there's very little dope of any kind Alex Marchak Yeah, the Odyssey at the at the Odyssey, David Susskind which is your palace. Victor Medina Right? Come here and say we're taking over No. Okay. I mean, just because we dance, we're not fags. No, we're there. We're gonna protect the place David Susskind Disco dancing and Disco records have a style all their Own. Now what makes a good disco record? Good beat. Good beat. Gene Robinson Good disco record the combination of like, background music, like guitar like bass. Enough that everybody's gonna enjoy it. When is the right word? David Susskind What are samples of some real top disposed songs at the moment? Jody Oliver Well, I think everything from the movie from Saturday Night Fever, the whole entire soundtrack. Oh, well, I think it's very hot. As far as young people go Alex Marchak bionic Boogie risky changes. Diane Ludwig Songs something you could dance to they have fast be fast enough to dance to. They have words that are catchy and slowly catches on. David Susskind How would you answer the charge that all that disco music is kind of monotonous? Because it all sounds kind of the same? No, no, Chuck Rusinak it's not. It's not when I cue records, meaning I go from one record to another. I do my homework I do I use a metronome and I tempo out the beats and so on. It's all different. Like you have 90 beats to a record up to 130 beats to record. It varies. We have some slow disco and fast disco domestic European discos is very big now music machine Gene Robinson It only sounds the same to people that don't understand music. You know, people don't like classical music, but to them it all sounds the same but they don't understand the meaning what the song is about actually David Susskind right now let's talk about the chuck You could use the analogy between that and let's say a parent telling the child and all that rock sounds the same but the child you know the round the Rock sounds different. David Susskind Alright, let's talk about the dancing. The steps change who invents the steps? Alex Marchak by accident, you're fooling around. And you could just do something like that look sharp like, you David Susskind know, you're fooling around the funeral parlor. No, right? Victor Medina No at the Odyssey, well we fool around like on a Wednesday night, we'll go dance, hang out practice. All of us Diane Ludwig Pick up steps from other people. You watch other people dancing. You like that turns you sort of work it into your dance, right? Victor Medina Its all the same steps. Seven steps, seven steps seven. basic steps, your company's do your own thing, which your body was turning wise, David Susskind can you show us the seven steps if I take your mic off? Victor Medina Not me. Chuck can do it David Susskind Chuck. show us the seven basic steps. Oh you need her to Okay, take your mic off |
01:26:07 1582.88 |
CHUCK RUSINAK AND SUSAN RAINONE TAKE OFF THEIR MICS AND DEMONSTRATE THE SEVEN BASIC DISCO STEPS
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01:26:24 1600.2 |
INTERVIEW CONTINUES:
David Susskind What about the variations of picking her up and then you Gene Robinson that's basically your start? Jody Oliver Well, you start off with your basic step. And then from there keeping in that tempo, work it out yourself. David Susskind I see. Okay, what are the insets at the moment? Is the hustle still the hustle Diane Ludwig There's different versions. There is Latin hustle is different like a cha cha hustle. David Susskind Put it on gently those microphones otherwise sounds like an earthquake. Jody Oliver I think whatever is considered in is what you enjoy doing. Gene Robinson Sure, you can get a cover of I don't even do some stuff. But it looks that way. Because it doesn't so well. David Susskind What do you suppose account for the fact that this more touched dancing, not mean you're proud. But at colleges, for example, the kids are not doing their thing all by themselves anymore, turning their back on the partner, but are actually holding them and dancing in that old prehistoric way. Gene Robinson It's like the Fred Astaire days. bringing that up, you running around dancing with your girl Victor Medina still never died from when it was born Diane Ludwig It was just I think it's still basically the same steps that they had in the olden days, except now that they're faster David Susskind You don'thave to say the olden days. Diane Ludwig You know, it's really basically the same thing, the Cha Cha, the foxtrot all that except it's a fast version. It's more turns in it. It's really the same thing. It's just a more modern style. David Susskind One last question, is there a social hierarchy? In your disco? In other words, is there somebody king like John Travolta was in the sense of being the best dancer Victor Medina no, no, no. What? Well, during the movie, we were in the movie where to the original characters of the movie? What they did is they combined a lot of people together and made one person out of like, they would combine him, me and my other friend David Susskind But there is no king and prince and count and Duke, you're all the same. Chuck Rusinak Except for the DJ Victor Medina He's kind of a king up there. I mean, there's a lot of times when there would be girls going up to the DJ box, but the minute you think he beats when DJ David Susskind DJs are groupie getters. Okay, I want to thank you very much for coming for taking part in explaining what Saturday Night Fever really amounts to in personal terms. We'll be back. |
01:28:02 1698.2 |
DISCUSS WHAT IS DISCO DANCING? WHO IS THE LEADING DISCO DANCER?
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01:28:57 1753.08 |
CUT TO BREAK
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01:28:59 1754.89 |
SUSSKIND INTRODUCES STEVE RUBELL OF STUDIO 54:
David Susskind What Farrah Fawcett, Mick Jagger and Liza Minnelli have in common? Well, they all flocked to Studio 54. The hottest discotheque where the world's elite meet to dance. My guest is Steve Rubell, the guiding genius of Studio 54. Mister Rubell for your information is 33 years old and a multimillionaire. How's it feel? Steve Rubell Wonderful David Susskind which 33 Or a multimillionaire Steve Rubell at this point, both David Susskind At this point but how do you explain the Disco craze in this country today? Steve Rubell Well in the late 60s, early 70s People were very preoccupied preoccupied with the war. They were preoccupied with Watergate and all things. They would have guilty consciousness. They did what they're doing today. Public figures couldn't do what they're doing. A president's mother couldn't come through discotheque and dance. David Susskind Did she? Steve Rubell Yes, she did. She was there one night she was dancing and then she brought her sister back the next night is five years older than her. David Susskind How does Rosslynn Carter dance? Steve Rubell She dances like everyone else does studio she dances differently than the people we saw before. They dance really with no partners. And whoever They have to bunk into. David Susskind Is it true that you've turned away 1400 people on a Saturday night, Steve Rubell sometimes more, sometimes even more than that. It just can't accommodate the amount of people at this point very happily. David Susskind What makes studio 54 The incredible success it is? Steve Rubell Well, it's, it's a theater. And it was a theater and we have different drops and environment changes, everything changes and we're continually changing the environment. So it's more than just a discotheque like it's really a nightclub and a place where people go to talk and see each other and not everybody there was dancing, the stars of the Saturday night type of movie or dances. Not so in the studio. David Susskind Tell me, you've got all kinds of lighting effects. Steve Rubell Yes. David Susskind And what else? To heighten the atmosphere. Steve Rubell We have a we have neon drops. We have a volcano that explodes we have snow that some of you saw a soup war. David Susskind Snow New York's been a heaven for you lately Steve Rubell Richt it snows as I don't even use it this last week. Fear somebody might do something to me. David Susskind What kind of celebrities do you get? Do they really enjoy? Of course Liza comes, of course Farrah Fawsett comes but do you get bankers, politicians do you get what you get unusual people? Steve Rubell We get very unusual people we get a large spectrum of the population. I don't think there's any segment that hasn't been there from, for example, from president's mother, to artists who work downtown to theatrical people will try and make a living to Broadway dancers who really don't have any place to practice their dancing. So we let them in there while they're unemployed. David Susskind Henry Kissinger has gotten in everywhere. Has he been there? Steve Rubell No, he hasn't been there. We had Cary Grant the other night and we have a we have a lot of people who I hadn't met before. Yeah, he's, he's right. He really is gentlemen. Fabulous. David Susskind I'd like to look like that right now. Ahis age. I'm somewhat younger, Steve Rubell he is fabulous, polite, courteous, he attracted more attention than Farrah. David Susskind Now, do you only admit celebrities? Steve Rubell No, we admit everybody. David Susskind How do you choose? There are 1400 2000 people out there? How many can get in? Steve Rubell Well, we can let in 2500 David Susskind Right. And there were you got 1400 over that. Steve Rubell 1400 There's a light night really 1400 1500 2000 We choose by people who want to have a good time. People want to have fun people who are light, very light. David Susskind Well, how do you come out? You look at the line waiting. It's freezing cold. I went by the other night, it was 18 degrees above zero. There was a line all the way around the block. What do you do case them? Steve Rubell Talk to him speak to him. We never had an incident side, which is unusual. And we're very careful who we talk to we're in a neighborhood with our pickpockets. There are people who there are hookers. David Susskind what's nevermind. Well, what are your criteria for admitting someone you really Steve Rubell fun loving? How can you tell that you talk to somebody if somebody grabs your arm tightly and has attention as to you know, stay away from those people. If people are there to pick up other single people, you don't let them in. It's not a pickup place. It's for people we're simply going to have a light hearted time we don't want Eastside singles crowd or, or for that matter, any young singles crowd where if you're in there, somebody will come up here and try and pick you up or whatever. And we just don't want that. We want people who have just been there to have fun and not get heavy with each other people come to relax David Susskind Do you FavorCouples versus singles. Steve Rubell We couples gay people, you know. Couples only because they you know if they stay together, it's fine. David Susskind Do they do the hustle mainly Steve Rubell No, they don't dance at all like the people you saw here. They dance freestyle most of them have other things to do all day and they can't practice dancing like these people can and do some of the things that David Susskind Are they touch dancing Steve Rubell No completely free You never see it maybe once in a while you see a touch the touch dancing I think is really on the way out. It's like mirrored balls. David Susskind I'm sorry. You said that really? Because I'm touched dancing a little bit. I understand it cost You're fortune to get that studio 54 ready and took a lot of time. It used to be an old theater. Steve Rubell I lived in it for seven weeks slept my partner. He was a former attorneys name's Ian Trager, he him and I slept there. Seven weeks. Seven Nights we had sleeping bags and we just used to listen to music all night. We just worked till we practically passed out. David Susskind You have 30,000 man hours of labor and oh more than that. How many feet of mirror do you have there? Steve Rubell We don't have that much mirror we really we have that back area with his mirror but we don't encourage people looking at each other. Seeing each other all the mirrors black mirror so you really can't see each other. David Susskind What would an average tab be for a couple of came there? Steve Rubell Cost $10 to get in? It costs $10 getting a drink sir a relatively low price for the pipe replaces a 2.50 1.75 and the dollar For Coke David Susskind you're selling a lot of white wine Steve Rubell a lot of white wine Light drinks. we don't sell a lot alcohol, we really don't sell a ton of alcohol. First of all, it's a very late night, we're very late. And people come they have a lot of them are already high David Susskind high frisky Steve Rubell whatever. I don't know, you know, they're just, they're just high, you know, they just already been out all over the city. And they just did have a good time. And I don't care as long as they have a good time. Don't hurt anybody. David Susskind Have you ever smelled this faint aroma of marijuana drifting through Steve Rubell Never? Don't be silly. David Susskind And of course, anybody who's had any other kind of drug, you would detect them and reject them at once. Steve Rubell Right away, David Susskind right? So that place would be pretty empty a lot of the time. Do celebrities come to galk It's other celebrities? I guess they do. Steve Rubell They do. And they really like on any given night. You don't find many, many celebrities, you find whoever in town. And they really like to go up in the balcony and watch the people dance more than anything else. A person like Mick Jagger, when he runs in, he runs up to the balcony and he just sits there the whole night and he'll lay back and he'll just watch everybody dancing. It's a theater and everybody feels the inspiration. We have lights coming down from all different places. And the people really, really want to just, it's just the opposite of a regular theater. In other words, the celebrity so the lay back and stay quiet and the media you have you Bianca Jagger, who just love to dance who go out in the middle of dance floor and love to be rolled around and grab the bartender from behind the bar and dance with him and just about everything you can imagine goes on. David Susskind She sounds like a barrel of fun. Steve Rubell she really she really is a lot of David Susskind grabbing the bartender while her husband is up in the balcony laying back now. Oh, I thought it was in the balcony. You said that's on different nights. Different nights. Yeah, I see what kind of music are you playing? Steve Rubell We're playing basically a little more advanced music a little newer music. David Susskind What would that be? Can you describe it? Steve Rubell Well, it isn't a description it's disco music but it's discover music were in the boroughs and in Long Island they'll be playing stuff that's already hitting the radios when something gets away we're not playing it anymore. David Susskind you're on records everything right? Steve Rubell Everything is on record we have a DJ we have three light men they're all theatrical people more than disco people. They're they they've been in the theater they work in a theater we have drops coming down and we disco people tend to be a little unreliable the people who work in this context I feel much safer with theatrical people. David Susskind One of your most famous special effects is the man in the moon sniffing coke Steve Rubell I know he's not sniffing coke what happened is David Susskind he is sniffing talcum powder Steve Rubell right Well what happens is the moon comes down and then the spoon comes down and the spool lights up and the snow we have snow coming down from the sky comes right down on the people and they you know it's snowing all over the place and the effect is David Susskind sort of like an Edgar Guest poem Steve Rubell then we have all different effects where people come right is that and just we have all different effects where people come to have a to be in touch we have contact things we have drops that come down times when people climb up them and we have by maturity right we have these big like you have a gym high school gyms only weak made him soft. And I got the idea from Boston. Display in one of the departments was about 1000 all different colors they beam off the lights all different colors. And David Susskind you're there every night Steve Rubell oh I'm the I don't miss the Night Nurse circulating right at the door for a good first three, four hours. And then I go inside David Susskind and you're kind of a casing line deciding who gets in who doesn't. Once in Have you been wrong, have you some tough people come Steve Rubell No We never had an incident in the place but if I think I'd make a mistake I go right up to them and offer their money back. I don't I don't let it pass. Otherwise if I think I made a mistake and I see one of the people in life who doesn't belong was bothering somebody was talking to somebody's girlfriend who's asking somebody for an autograph or something like that. You just immediately asked him to leave. David Susskind You have some gentlemen taller than you who him such manner Steve Rubell anybody who's taller than me. David Susskind We'll be back. |
01:39:25 2381.7 |
CUT TO BREAK
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01:39:26 2382 |
INTERVIEW CONTINUES:
David Susskind Steve I understand that you have memberships people are members of studio 54 Steve Rubell by their card holders, there's a lot of controversy about that because a lot I turn away card holders very often. If they come if they come in and say hi when they walk in or if they come in they're pushy when they come in no different the card holder really is a he pays a reduced rate that's all it gives them no more right than anybody else was on the street. David Susskind Or card holder me means what then. How much does he pay for the card Steve Rubell $150 David Susskind right that entitles him to what not get in. Steve Rubell Sometimes he gets a he gets a reduced rate. He only pays $7 at the door. And he gets invited to special events that occur there. We had one Monday night. Now, in fact, the new series the people series, was filming them. And it's a Farrah Fawcett party promoting Faberge David Susskind who was at that party? Because that was kind of Steve Rubell very unusual people from Cary Grant to the board of directors of Faberge people have never been to discotheques in the world. And they just had a real, real fabulous time. I mean, it was a Monday night there was like 16 inches of snow on the ground. And we were expecting no one 1000 people showed up. David Susskind Now what? What happens to the people who don't get in and a 20 foot 20 inch snowstorm? Well, I must be pretty mad. Steve Rubell I got punched a couple of times, people. One fellow walked up to me one time and said what is going to make you I said to him, What is going to make you happy? You just can't you won't be able to get in tonight. He said, Well, I'd like to punch you. So I said okay, go ahead, punch me. So the guy walks up and he just punched me. I said that he feel better. He said no. I said what will make you happy? He said punch you again. I said again, punch me. And he flattened me. David Susskind would have been easier to let him in? Steve Rubell No, because he would have punched someone inside probably, you know that really what we're trying to do at the doors make its you know, okay, for we don't care about people's finances or what they do for a living or anything like that. We just want people to be able to come in there and have a good time and not be concerned that something's happening around them, you know, you have, you know, 2000 people in the room and controlling them is very difficult. David Susskind Very difficult. How much of a step do you have to do that? Really, people were Steve Rubell 150 It's a big payroll, right. And they're all theatrical people. So it's very, very difficult. We have drops to come down regulate just like regular theater in those people back there. And you have a lot of large large cleanup crew in the bar is is where we have like 10 bartenders on if David Susskind you're gonna make a movie, Steve Rubell yeah, we're doing a film I something that I want to get into and then on my parter, and also I want to get into we wanted to produce a film. And we using the Avenue of the studio because I think it's a lot of fun. I think it portrays disco much more realistically than Saturday Night Fever does. And we hope to do with that like at a Hyatt just you know what goes on the studio and what is today, Saturday Night Fever is a little what was two or three years ago, was a little dated. David Susskind When asked you this, the disco or any favorite spot of the in-group of the elite of the chic of the jet set. They tend to get weary of it. It has a fad. And then it fades. What do you think about that truth in relationship to studio 54 Steve Rubell We've been open about a year will be close to a year. We're hotter now than ever. In other words, and more people want to get in. So I don't know if we're that close to them. I mean, I'm aware of anything in show business law, theater, anything has limited life course line is fabulous, but it's not gonna be around forever. And right now we're very, very hot. say if there were we had 100 Day Live, we're still at the very beginning of a live on the childhood just being able to open up to other markets. David Susskind Are you going to franchise? Studio 54? Will it be one in Chicago and Los Angeles? Steve Rubell No. No, we're not building one in London, because, and I am a one project person. And so as Ian and we, I can only do one thing well, at a time I think I mean, I just can't see doing a lot of things to do a lot of things. And we're building one in London rigth across the street from the palace. I hope the queen will be pleased. But may how's that sound? Right? And it's an old theater. It's David Susskind happier than anything since Princess Margaret. Steve Rubell Right? And it's it's an old I'm afraid to go there for the reaction. But it's an old theater and it's just a great old theater and I like working with the old theaters. Ian loves working with the old theater. So we just got to build it completely different than the studio 54. In New York. It's be just the only semblance will be it'll be in the theater and the people will be the show. David Susskind Last question. How long do you think the discotheque craze itself will last in this country? Steve Rubell Well, the discos have been going on, they really never died since author really began the whole thing. In the early 60s. They've been going on in different different ways in different fashions. They were very low key and very underground for a while because they are called juice bars. And they were but they were very profitable. And they rent while on they had it was laid out then one point after this then there was infinity as a hot one out studio regimes for different types of people. No, I'd say they're much more serious and not as fun loving. And right now it's it hasn't even begun to peak. It's a tremendous growth industry just as a business. It's fascinating just to look at it from the point of view of business. magazines like Businessweek and Forbes First taking note of it as a business David Susskind A recent guest accused me of being an Eastern elitist I've never been to studio 54 truth Steve Rubell right? David Susskind Okay, I'm coming I just want to establish that I'm not an East elite Steve Rubell no and one of the few really was most David Susskind thank you for that compliment. You'll be seeing me very soon thanks very much okay, we'll be back |
01:45:23 2739.44 |
CUT TO BREAK
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01:45:24 2740.68 |
STUDIO FILLED WITH COUPLES BALLROOM DANCING
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01:45:33 2749.11 |
SUSSKIND INTRODUCES NEW DANCERS:
David Susskind as you can see behind me touch dancing is alive and well. You just watch these ballroom experts as they step out we'll be right back? David Susskind Man they don't dance that way anymore. And it's a shame. That's my kind of dancing. We'll be right back and talk with our ballroom touch dancing experts |
01:48:29 2925.07 |
CUT TO BREAK
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01:48:29 2925.73 |
SUSSKIND INTRODUCES BALLROOM DANCING GUESTS:
David Susskind you know dance fashions come and go quickly today. It's the hustle in the disco. But who knows how long the last. However, ballroom dancing goes on forever. Thank heavens, I get to meet some couples who still enthusiastically dance The Foxtrot, The Tango and the Waltz. First actor and dancer Don de Natale has appeared in the movie Roseland. Mr. Natale is a United States ballroom champion. Olga Varvaro is a dance instructor Norma McClain Stoop is senior editor of after dark magazine, and associate editor of dance magazine. Nick Parnell is a dance teacher. John Luchese is an attorney and he's Past President of dance educators of America. Nancy Brecker Leeds is the president of the famous Roseland Ballroom. Alan and Josephine Hall are hair dresses. They go out dancing virtually every night. Why do you suppose touch dancing? ballroom dancing is coming back at college proms. They are holding each other. They are dancing the way you are Nancy Brecker Leeds I don't think it ever really left either. I think these discos have come in but actually ballroom dancing has been going on the whole time. And as we learned before, the basic steps are really the steps we were doing in ballroom dancing and are still doing or what they're doing in disco. Don DeNatale You know, David, Steve, Rebel of Studio 55. He's a very good friend David Susskind 54 you raised it a notch Don DeNatale is a very good friend of mine and he's very successful. But he is successful for one year and I hope it goes on for him. But the Roseland Ballroom started in 1919 and has been successful over the years. As a matter of fact, if you go to Roseland on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, there are 2000 people 3000 people, New Year's Eve 4000 people, they had to turn away 1500 people and and the thing is, Ballroom dancing is here. John Luchese I think the answer to your question or something more basic. David Susskind Without a PR Man? Yes, just sir. John Luchese I was gonna say I think the return of research, the renaissance in ballroom dancing is more basic than that. I think most of these young fellows finally found out what it's like to hold a girl and around because prior to this time they've been dancing far upon, and somehow rather, one couple must have gotten together felt the touch and the rest of them followed suit. I think David Susskind I think you're right. I think about the 60s there was a narcissism people were selfish and self oriented. So they danced alone. They turn their backs on each other. Yeah. Well, that was that.How exciting could that be? Go ahead. Norma McLain Stoop I must tell you that I think you were talking about sexuality and the hustle. I think traveling dances like Foxtrot Wolf are far sexier. And I'm not now talking talking about the man and woman holding each other. I'm talking about there's a surge of excitement through your body when you're doing it right and the with the rhythm that you really, although I love hustle do not get in some of us David Susskind couldn't agree with you more. Do you know that George Bernard Shaw once said that dancing is the vertical expression of a horizontal desire. Oh, Alan Hall I don't I don't agree with that at all. Josephine Hall There's a certain Tango dance. The tango was fun. I tell people I married my husband for his tango, and he practices it every night. Don DeNatale But well, first of all, dancing. Dancing is the most outstanding way of communicating with another human being you have the ring dance, the Sun Dance, the happy dance, the death dance. Dancing is a thing that's been going on for generations and generations. Now the thing with the hustle the hustle is a social dance. It's a social dance because it's a touch dance that touching each other. Now the disco dance that they're apart like you were referring to before where one turns his back and not interested in the person he's he's down with on the floor and so forth. That is disco. That's not social dancing. That's that's it's a form of expression of oneself expedition is David Susskind all good. I mean, do you always dress up when you go dancing? And the men are informed? Olga Varvaro Oh yes, I always do. John Luchese well no, I don't I don't when he says dress up where were you referring to tuxedos? Josephine Hall We are ladies and gentlemen at all times anyway we don't usually run around in jeans our business most of us Johnny is a lawyer and dance teachers so we are dressed. Alan Hall Well just carry over with you David Susskind but not how often a week do you go dancing? Josephine Hall Well, we are we the only one here who do not make a living dancing you see we fall Norma McLain Stoop because don't make a living dancing. Josephine Hall No, that's true. I we go as an extension of my marriage and it also though unlike the other couples, it is not the only thing we do. And it's not this fancy thing we go to the theater and after the theater we will go now we are not anti disco because we will go to Roseland which we do. We met in Roseland. We could narrate our pictures on the bulletin board out there. But we go to studio 54 We go to regimes when I feel like been pampered. And I have enough money. I think that's one thing. Don DeNatale Perhaps the world's most greatest Institution for Social dancing. There is no other place like it on earth. Mr Brecker Nick Parnell Have you ever been to Roselyn? David Susskind Nick, I'll tell you when I lived in Boston and went to college up there. It was a big event to come to New York on occasion because it was very expensive, couldn't do it. And Roseland was a big part of that itinerary. Of course, we'd go to Rose land, a couple of fellows and myself. We were looking for companionship, but we also wanted to dance. it was a happy place. Nick Parnell It is the only place in New York City now left for Ballroom dancing Nancy Brecker Leeds And David you know, I think the college people are beginning to come back again. As you mentioned first this business with the young people resurgence of this kind of dancing. They the young people are wanting do this kind of dancing. They even want to dress better than they did before. More care, there's more of a feeling of elegance about them. David Susskind Right? Do people come to Roseland and roselands all over the country that accept but you know, public ballrooms to which a slight admission charge is made? Do they come looking for dates with a couple of singles Nick Parnell But I would say they come to dance first. And secondly would be for that reason that Don DeNatale various nights there like for instance, on Thursday night, you get people that were interested in competition. Saturday, you'll get the single people on Sunday who gets the lovers of dance people who like to do Latin and Foxtrot and Tango. So you have a complete over picture of all types of people going there for various reasons John Luchese various reasons. That's the I would like Nick Parnell I would like to say that that was saying before about young people coming back into it I think that we have hustle to thank for. The hustle has brought them from that they want to learn the standard dances Alan Hall before all of the hustle steps they put together first it was the music. You have to new soft music, right, Barry White, there's some big bands as they get away from the acid rock, which I couldn't dance to social no way John Luchese You're talking about the musicians because it starts there. Musicians we can we David Susskind Do you get a headache from that other music. I mean, John Luchese any time let me any kind of if you're interested in music, you're interested in any kind of music or interested in data, you're interested in all kinds of data. Otherwise, you're really not a true exponent of the Don DeNatale I'll tell you. perhaps on reaching the stage, but I do after a half hour. I can't take studio 54 or New York, New York. It's just blast. I thing is I love disco. I love the hustle. But I know for a while, right? Like Foxtrot TWaltz and that's why I love Roseland David Susskind Hold it You know there's a room in our society 54 and Roseland. But I think the difference in the decibels is killing. I thank you very much for coming. I enjoy it. Thank you for being with us and join us again next week at the same time until then, good night. |
01:57:45 3480.8 |
END REEL
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