Fifty years ago, the West Hollywood nightclub Studio One opened its doors to the public, changing the course of LGBTQ+ history forever.
Recognized as one of the first gay discos in the country (yes, even before Studio 54!), queer folks—and shirtless gay men in particular—from all over flocked to the destination, which offered a “kind of alternative reality” where they could freely flirt and dance the night away without a care.
As Studio One caught on, it became a hub of Los Angeles nightlife, and celebrities began to take notice, too. Connected to the disco was trendy supper club The Backlot, which saw famous faces like Cary Grant and Bette Davis pass through. Not to mention, the venue’s stage would welcome an endless parade of legendary performers new and old—everyone from Tina Turner to Rosie O’Donnell to Chita Rivera.
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“All of these great stars were coming through this dance hall—I thought the worlds were combining,” the late Rivera once said, highlighting Studio One as the rare mecca where queer culture and the mainstream entertainment world could come together.
But it wasn’t all just for fun: The club also became a vital gathering space—at the forefront of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in Los Angeles and a pivotal venue for community organizing in the fight against the AIDS epidemic.
Yes, the walls of Studio One sure saw their fair share of history…
After it closed in 1993, the space went through a series of new owners and name changes, but the building was sadly demolished in the 2010s, effectively wiping an iconic landmark off the face of the Earth.
And while the club may be gone, it will not be forgotten—at least, if filmmaker Marco Saltarelli has anything to do with it. His new documentary, Studio One Forever, aims to immortalize the venue in a sparkling cinematic vision, sharing its untold story, as told by those who experienced it and those who still feel its influence today.
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“For a generation of gay men who came of age during the era of Scott Forbes’ Studio One, the significance of the club and the turbulence of the times hold a profound place in their hearts and minds,” Saltarelli previously shared in a press statement, speaking to its lasting legacy for the community.
“Anybody that tells you they were there in the ’70s—and remembers—it wasn’t there,” prolific gay writer Bruce Vilanch recalls with a laugh.
Of course, he’s only joking, because he’s just one of many notable subjects who share their memories from wild nights at Studio One in the doc. Others include the aforementioned late, great Chita Rivera, performer (and sister to Barbra Streisand) Roslyn Kind, original Village People member Felipe Rose (who remembers filming their musical Can’t Stop The Music at the club), Melissa Rivers, legendary drag performer James “Gypsy” Haake, Lance Bass, signer Thelma Houston, tons of formers employees, club-goers, and more.
After a crowd-funding effort to finish post-production in 2020, Studio One Forever finally premiered at LA’s Outfest in 2023, and has been screened at festivals across the country in the year since.
Now, the documentary has a brand new trailer—complete with a quote from yours truly!—ahead of its official theatrical release courtesy of Gravitas Venutres. Studio One Forever opens in select theaters on September 13, and will be available via digital VOD services beginning October 8.
Check out its fabulous trailer below:
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It’s the next best thing to actually being there.
War On Free Speech
I went there in the late 80’s when I moved to LA. One night I went there and there were new people at the front door that wanted to charge me a cover charge. I told them that they always let me in free. One of them said, “Hold on,” and left. He came back with the regular door person who took a look at me said, “Yes, we let him in free.” One of the advantages of being young, beautiful and having muscles at Studio One.
Chrisk
The Ryan Phillipe taking off his shirt at Studio 54 moment if ever there was..
Great documentary. Hard to believe that the bartender Michael Koth looks as good as he does today. Talk about aging well.
Rueerty
Saw this in a preview in Dallas, highly recommended, no wonder why Studio 54 was named like the original one after Steve Rubell came to visit it and he’s named in the documentary.
louievee
Wow! Spent a lot of time dancing the night away in the early 80s. Great times and fantastic music! Worked in Beverly Hills. Danced in West Hollywood. Lived in Hollywood. Happy and joyful memories. Great Live performances including Sylvester and Patrice Rushen. Happy times before we started losing friends and loved ones to AIDS.
jp47
I was there (almost every night!) and I do remember it. A wonderful place and so much fun! I don’t remember ever paying a cover charge to get in throughout the late 70’s. I was young, beautiful and had muscles too I guess.
mikeTigg
I remember being taken there on my very first visit to Los Angeles back in the mid-seventies. Being from staid at the time Canada, it was a fascinating and hot experience! Best of all I went to see a show at the Backlot theatre. The performer was Tanya Welk Lawrence’s daughter. She was good too!
PoetDaddy
I was new to Los Angeles in 1976, and I found Studio One almost immediately. I spent a lot of time there in the disco era, and at the Backlot. I hope the documentary doesn’t omit a sadder side of the story, which was Studio One’s racism and sexism. Women and people of color were not encouraged to attend (i.e. were turned away at the door). Studio One, and West Hollywood in general, were definitely the playground of young and attractive gay white men. And I honestly have no recollection of Studio One ever having had anything to do with the LGBTQI+ rights movement or organizing during the first devastating wave of AIDS, except that you would frequently run into the same people at Studio One that you would meet in the trenches.
Mack
Went there a many of times in the beginning. I managed a restaurant in West Hollywood at the time. Those were fun days.
winemaker
I lived in Los Angeles in the 1970’s and Studio One was the first gay bar I went to when came out. As I recall you went in, paid the door charge of $2.00 (if you got there after 9PM, or if before it was free entry) and went upstairs to the disco. There were several bars in the club and there were cute bar boys wandering around taking drink orders. As far as the dance floor, it was very often elbow to elbow but somehow everyone was able to shake their booty. This was in 1977 when Anita Bryant came out with her ‘save the children campaign’ that energized the gay community to fight back and boycott Florida citrus products. I moved to San Francisco in 1981 and left this behind but read awhile back that Scott Forbes the owner died of AIDS in the early 1990’s thus ending the era of Studio One and the place closed shortly thereafter. It was vacant for many years and then was resurrected as the Abbey. Is the building that was originally a warehouse that housed Studio One been demolished or still there or is the lot vacant?
mujerado
I was 27 when Studio One opened, a Vietnam vet, and a fringe partyer. L.A. was one of the places to be in those years, and I’m happy to have been here to experience it all. As a member of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, I knew a lot of people in the life, and Scott Forbes’ palace was a great place to meet and mingle and let our hair down. Studio One was a safe space, such as had never existed when I was growing up. Underneath the dancing and music and excitement, my overriding experience was simple relief. It wouldn’t last; AIDS and the Briggs Initiative and ACT-UP and the fight for gay rights overcame the party, and the community, if not all of us in it, had to grow up. It was the childhood of my life as a realized gay man, and it remains unforgettable.
myloginname
I used to go there when I was about 19. 1988-ish.
If you were that really cute Latin kid that brought me a bouquet of flowers and I unceremoniously gave it away. I am so very sorry. I owe you a huge apology. I was so wrong and regret my behavior, And let me add what I also didn’t say back then. Thank you for the flowers and being so thoughtful. I was an a–hole.
Mack
@myloginname, We all made dumb mistakes when we were young. I know I went through quite a few lovers in youth. Fell head over heels with a “straight” guy, who kept leaving me for women. Every so often he would come back. Finally I got married to woman and ended it. Seven years later got divorce and started all over again-because of that I missed a big part of the AIDS epidemic so I guess I was lucky then. Fast forward 50 years I’m on a cruise going through the Panama Canal and get a text from my long lost “straight” lover. We texted back and forth and he’s still “straight” lives in Florida with a guy, owns a antique business together and Trump supporter. I said good bye very quickly.
Mike
Went there when I was a senior in high school 1980-81. Never once had any trouble getting in.
sinhtour
amazing
lou lou de la falaise
I wonder why LOL.
marshal phillips
Oh, yes, I remember it well from the beginning. What a place! To die for. I lived and worked in Hollywood in the entertainment industry during the 70s and 80s. We were young and gay. Now retired and living abroad.