54 (1998) Movie Script
"It was the late seventies,"
and Everybody was in the middle of it
"The recession, the mile-long lines
to the station"
The hostage crisis in Iran
"When I look back at it now,"
it is amazing I can remeber any of it
It feels like snap-shots from
someone else's life
All connected by one man...
"A guy named Steve Rubell,"
...had a dream...
to throw the best damn party
the world had ever seen
And to make it last forever
He built a world that was offered up
as reality
Where an eighty year old Disco Queen
could play until dawn
"Where models mingled with mechanics,"
...plumbers danced with princes
It was a place where all labels
were left behind
A place where there were no rules
In 1979 I was nineteen years old
And I had nothing
"Now my Dad would say I had more
than he did at my age,"
but you know what?
"To me,"
filling gas tanks at a
Jersey City station...
"going to the same dingy bar,
with the same guys"
"trying to pick-up on the same chicks,"
...was not tons of fun
I can't believe you came already!
Sorry
I'm sorry
It was just an...
Look at you! You're so...
Oh yeah... you want to go out tomorrow?
"Look, I know this place where the
pizza is dynamite"
What?
"I'm from Montana, right?"
And you are from Jersey city?
Yeah
So... I don't go out with guys
from Jersey city
I knew the real escape was right across
the river
But I didn't even have a car
"Even though New York was
three miles away,"
...it seemed like another world
I had been there before with my Mom
"She did makeup for this television show,"
...and took me to work a few times
It was incredible
Everyone wanted to be around the stars
"My mother always told me I could be
anything I wanted to be,"
and I believed her
Mom died when I was twelve
This was dad...
"... his idea of the good life was,"
"a can of "Schlitz" and a
"Jack Benny Special" on the tube"
I had to break out
I knew I had to make a change
"Alright, alright, alright"
What!
What you laughing at?
What is with the hair?
Look at this guy!
Where is my hair?
Look at this guy!
What are you talking about?
You look like Vidal Sassoon
"If YOU don't look good,
we don't look good!"
"Shit, I should have borrowed
my brother's platforms"
Do I look short?
"Hey you guys, you guys"
Before we go in. Check it out
Oh take me home baby!
"That is Julie Black from
"All of my Children"
She is my fucking dream girl
"Julie Black, she is from Alpine"
My aunt does her ma's hair
"Saw her once too,"
...hanging out at the Alpine Inn
Alpine Inn?
Yeah
We should stake her out
Where was this taken anyway
You know Studio 54
Have you never heard of it?
That place is full of freaks
And girls
And fags
Come on you guys
"Listen, you know who was there
last night?"
Jacqueline Bissette
You know who she is?
Yeah I fucked her
"Alright, you turkeys can stay here,"
and rot for all I care
But I'm going to go see if I can
get a look at Olivia
Olivia Newton-John?
We aren't there yet?
Fuck you Jersey!
We will save you a place in line!
You mothers!
You are going to leave me
with these freaks!
Hey! Hey!
A lot of people thought the door was
a better show than inside
People would try anything to get in
"Mark was the doorman,"
but it was Steve Rubell's club
And his door
I can't let you in here
You are wearing an ascot
You look like an asshole
"He was out in front, every night,
making sure only the right people got in"
Go home
No. No...
Hey come on!
Over there. Yeah
Excuse me! He just pointed at me!
Just you
Say what?
"Just you, not him"
"Hey man, these are my friends,"
you can't...
"Girls... Stand back, please"
Oh my God...
"Don't be a spaz man, go for it"
"Alright, don't wait for me"
I will find my own way home
"Okay you guys, come on"
"Get your fucking hands off me,
you jive-ass turkey!"
Sorry guy...
What?
Not with that shirt
Hey!
I said... not with that shirt
"Welcome to my party, handsome"
He choose me
I had never been chosen for
anything before
"You want to check that body, sugar?"
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall
Who is the fairest of them all?"
"Truman? Truman Capote, Where are you?"
Here sugar!
There you are
In honor of your fantastic new
face lift...
I thought I would get you
a couple of things
"And to make sure, the lift sticks"
"I thought we should all...
"Knock on Wood"
Oh Yeah!
"I don't want to lose, this good thing
... that I have got"
Because if I do... I would surely...
surely lose a lot
Because your love... is better...
than anything I know!
It's like thunder! Lightning!
The way you love me is frightening
ck... on wood! I said I better knock, knock on... oh baby... yes
Like thunder! Lightning!
The way you love me is frightening!
knock, knock on wood! Yeah baby! I better knock on wood
"The thing about stars is, they are short"
Did you talk to any of them?
Kind of...
Who?
"Well, like... I don't know"
But you should have seen
the photographers
I will bet you I even got in
one of their pictures
Do you think Farrah ever goes there?
Maybe
And Lee Majors?
Probably
What about Princess Grace?
"Sure, I bet she goes all the time"
Really?
Maybe we can touch her when she goes by
I told her mom named us after her
Hey kids
Hey dad
Hey squirt
"Hey dad, can I borrow the keys tonight?"
What for?
Shane was in city last night
And he wants to go back
The City?
Yeah Shane was just telling us how he
went to studio 54 last night
Studio 54
That is that big disco everybody is
talking about
Where all the stars go
"Yeah Dad, you should have seen it"
"Hey I saw a star once, Bob Hope!"
You see him there?
"Thanks for the memories Dad,
but it wasn't a Korean war show"
"What else, Shane?"
Well I went up into the balcony
It was pretty...
It was pretty dark
"The girl who cut my hair,"
"had this boyfriend, whose sister did
the books for Steve Rubell"
...and got me an interview
Steve Rubell... a regular Booklyn kid
"who got his start by running
a few steak houses,"
...and now on top of the world
He's gorgeous
"Gorgeous, see for yourself"
I was warned that Steve didn't hire
any dummies
And I should be on my toes
because he could ask some really
tricky questions
What is two plus two?
Huh?
You will be fine
"You are right, he is gorgeous"
Come on in!
"Where do bad little bartenders go,
if they don't go to Hell first?"
Xenon
Right. A fate worse than death
"So, as of tonight"
The new bartender will be...
Rhett
Choice
Oh and we got a new busboy
His name is Shane
"Shane! Shane, come here. Come here"
I couldn't find the right size
And remember
It is you boys who are truly
New York's finest
One Chablis! Hey kid!
Chablis
So what will it be?
What will it be?!
"Where did they get you "Rocky?"
Philadelphia?"
"No talking to the animals, busboy"
Hang in there baby
"Greg man, will you help me please"
This is how it works
Keep the bottles and the glasses
off the dance floor
Keep the champagne cold and
keep it flowing
You got to pay attention
to the V.I.P. area
Steve doesn't want them to ever pour
champagne for themselves
"Now, listen up... "
"After everybody is all gone,
check the banquettes"
We usually find some pretty good stuff
Is that Julie Black?
I think so. Are you ready?
There she was. Julie Black
"Man, she looked even better in person
than on TV"
She was from Jersey too
and she had made it
I really got to get out of here
and get some sleep
Stevie knew that we had no royalty
in this country
"We had celebrity and,"
"if he could provide opportunity for
regular people to dance with the famous,"
...The Studio would be one of a kind
And I was such a dumb kid
"All these famous people,"
and I didn't know who any of them were
"And they would all go,"
"Truman, Oh Truman"
"And I would be thinking,
who the fuck is Truman?"
Hey Fiorucci! How are you?
I'm such a big fan of yours
The windows are great. Fabulous!
"You are so Italian, and adorable,"
"I want to eat you with a spoon, come"
Come with me
I would say it was this big. At least
Did you get his number?
It ain't the size of the ship
It is the motion of the ocean
Did your mother teach you that?
His father
It sounds kind of defensive to me
I think we are freaking the new kid out
Hey how did you do tonight?
Good. I made quite a bit
He doesn't mean your tips
You went up to the balcony with Patty?
The word gets around fast I guess
So did she do the accent?
So how was she?
Really great
She is a model
Really?
Have we seen her in anything?
Yeah Vogue. French Vogue
She is moving on up
"She told me "Cosmo"
She told me Women's Wear Daily
Hey I don't care if it was
Sears & Roebucks. It was hot
She told you Women's Wear Daily?
Stop
"Oh, I feel a fight coming on"
No way sister
And the extra plate
Hey don't take anything until everybody
puts their stuff down
Didn't you get anything?
Oh wait
Hello friend
Sometimes you meet people and right away
they feel like family
That is how it was with Greg and Anita
She wanted to be the next Donna Summer
"Greg wanted to get ahead,"
...just wasn't sure how
Looks like your wedding was dynamite!
Oh put these away
Anita's studio
Far out. What is this?
"Oh these are just for motivation,"
like when you put a picture of
a fat person on the fridge
So play me something
"Yeah, she is unbelievable"
Play him something
"No, no I'm really tired. I'm really,
really tired"
I have been screaming all night
Okay I will play something simple
I can't do this
That was excellent
"No, it wasn't"
"Shane, follow me"
This place is bad man
You can stay as long as you want
Really?
Mi casa e su casa
In mi casa there are three basic
food groups
"Solids, liquids and hot smoke"
What will it be? What will it be?
Can I help you? Yeah. Can I help you?
I am looking for American foxes
with big American breasts!
I couldn't believe all the shit Greg
told me what was going on at the club
Bartenders. They had it made
"Drugs, Sex, Connections, Money"
There was an endless supply coming
across the bar
"Greg told me, half way through the night"
Steve had the bartenders... dump the cash
"Send it downstairs and,"
change the tape in the registers
It was a skim job straight out of
the Vegas Casinos
And Steve Rubell was making
a fortune off of it
Greg was on garbage detail
Anthony?
He would take it out the back door
and give it to this guy Anthony
he called the garbage man
Hey pisanno!
How you doing?
"I really scored, didn't I?"
Greg told me everything
"Alright cowgirl, put that on there
Easy, easy... "
Is it all there?
"Yeah, count it"
"How much they pay you to wait around
for me, huh kid?"
Enough
"Yeah, you are Italian right?"
Right on
"You ever need to increase your paycheck,
you come to me"
I got the best party favors in the place
Oh yeah!
Greg... Take it
But I have to...
Give it to him. Come on!
You have never seen my palace...
Empty it
Go ahead...
"Rhett the brand new bartender, quit"
He thinks he is going to model
Really?
"Yeah, he met Scavullo"
And thinks he has got it made
You are a handsome guy
I bet you could model...
if you were a little taller
It is a new world out there
Old labels and prejudice
don't apply anymore
Right
You do a special job for us
Important
Before you...
I only let bartenders deal with Anthony
But Viv trusts you
"It is a good job, I take it seriously"
She also says you are married to Anita
And that you never go with
the other boys
Yeah. I mean no
I'm not gay
Labels
"I'm sorry I forgot, Mister Rubell"
"Mister! Oh, that's good"
Well you know what? I'm not gay either
I want to suck your cock
I'm married
"No one gets married at your age,"
unless you are trying to prove something
"I have to go, sorry... "
Bartenders make a lot of this
I know
Come here
Come here
I can't
I'm married and she is waiting
You really are that straight
Sorry
"No, no, no"
I respect that. Let me apologize
Bye dad
Bye
Listen Gracy
"You know I'm sorry about leaving you,"
"and Kelly like this,"
but I should have been out of the house
two years ago
"No shit, Shaney"
Yes we want variety
Yes you got to toss the salad...
"... but no, that doesn't mean
letting in whores,"
"and yid's, like last night"
"They were your cousins, Stevie"
I don't care if it was my
Mother and my Father
They look like shit
"Okay, Stevie"
"No, no, no, no okay Stevie,
no it is cool"
"Family my ass, lets go"
"These fuckers are hot,"
what do you think?
Fabulous love. Now get out of here
Get out of here! Lets go!
Hey can I talk to you about maybe
putting somebody on the list
"You have to talk to Steve,"
and he has been working
seventy-two hours straight
So you tread lightly
"The IRS, oh please"
"Even though you pay me like a cashier,"
I'm the accountant in the place...
...and it is me who is going down
with you
You get caught by blabbing your
big mouth all over the place
"Do me a favor, throw away that
nasty weed of yours"
Because paranoia is setting in
Hi
Hi. How is the new kid?
You need a little something
for the night?
"Buck tells me, you have been doing
a good job"
What sign are you?
"Umm, Cancer"
"Cancer, good people Cancer"
What do you think Viv?
Crabs
"Steve umm, I wanted to
talk to you about... "
I got some friends I wanted to
find about putting them on the list
Do they look like you?
One is my cousin
"Let me explain something kid, okay... "
Once a month...
"the nephew of the King of Saudi Arabia,"
flies... 7000 miles
"to dance here for one night, all night"
Then gets back on his plane at sunrise
He tells me it is the only place
on Earth...
...that he feels totally free
"So naturally, I,"
"... we, have a responsibility"
So I repeat. Do they look like you?
They are my friends
Fine. I'll put them on the list
But they better look like you
Thanks
Julie
"You are a mess, come here"
Hey did you sleep with somebody
to get your job?
"My job, please"
"Listen Shane, you better watch how much
you party, or you will get fired"
Here
I don't do that crud
"Come on, you need an equalizer"
Come on. You look like Stevie
There you go
"Steve could be a rat-bastard,"
there is no question about it
"He took my friends off the list,"
as soon as I left his office
"Look again man. Shane invited us,
Shane O'Shea"
He works here
"I told them later that,"
Steve was always playing
little games like that...
"... just cruel,"
never figured out why
With the kind of power he had
Why play games?
He was weird that way
Like some nights he would keep
the club almost empty
"There would be a thousand people out
on the streets,"
...and only a hundred inside dancing
"Shane look, it is Billie Austin"
"Billie, what is her deal?"
She knows everybody
Especially everybody in
the music industry
"Help me out, she is into coke"
You want to meet her?
Oh thanks
"Diana, help herself to the
last of my snow"
Recording artist...
You know Anita is a recording artist too
"Oh? Wonderful, what label?"
Well I don't really have one yet
"Oh so send me a tape, I would
love to hear it"
Thank you! Thank you!
"As a matter of fact, I think I have
a tape here with me"
The recording is not that great
Home equipment...
Bye
They are cute
I just love discovering new talent
You have the body of David and the
face of a Bottchelli
Bottle of what?
"Just say thanks, darling"
It is really funky but
I don't think it is me
"Darling, I don't think you realize
what is you"
"I just want to look cool when I'm out,"
...like a New Yorker
"What you are, is part of
Billie's Big Bang theory"
Billie taught me how the world worked
How I had the power to get
whatever it was I wanted
Oh yes!
Rhett... When did he quit?
Tonight
Oh I was crushed
He was incredible
Whoa! Can't Wait
"Easy, easy"
Yeah! Now try this
"Ooh, you learn fast!"
I bet I could do that job
Should I talk to Stevie for you?
I don't know
My friend has been waiting for that job
But do you want it?
"Yeah, I want it"
What would you do to get it?
Who is it?
That ought to be illegal
May I help you?
Rhett quit. Job... you know...
Let me get this straight
You want a job?
Shouldn't I be taking my pants off?
Of course everyone knows
Rhett is history
And Shane will take his place
"Later on I learned that,"
Billie had spoken to Stevie
about my promotion
"I have to admit, I felt bad for Greg"
I name you Shane 54!
"We were both right,"
too short and I do not suck cock
Well there is nothing you can do
about being short
I'm going to make us some real money
I got other ideas
How about the best fuck of your lifetime
So I made it
Bartending was the best job in the world
"But for me the big thing was,"
"when you are a bartender at "54"
Everybody knew your name
You were famous
"Come on, I want to introduce you to him"
He doesn't want to be
photographed tonight
Steve didn't draw a line between
customers and employees
"Before "54","
most clubs would hide their help
"Not Steve, he flaunted his"
"People made such a big deal about
getting into "54"
"But they didn't know,"
because once you got into the door...
...you wanted to get into
the D.J.'s booth
Or the office where the best coke was
"Or the balcony where the people were
getting laid,"
or the basement where the
biggest names hung out
Steve was so fucking smart
I mean you would have to be
some kind of genius
"to take a dirty wet basement...
and turn it into a VIP room,"
which celebrities would kill
to get into
There was always another door
"Shane darling, I guess you
finally arrived"
Hi Andy
"Shane, Shane, this is Andy"
"Oh yeah, wow!"
"Andy loves it down here,"
"... don't you, Andy?"
"Oh yeah, it is really brown"
Even outside the club
I was always working it
"Getting an article placed in "Interview"
Mingling with the right people
I got it
Raising my profile
It was all coming together
"Billie got me and Anita an invitation,"
...to Liz Vangelder's
because she knew there would be
some great contacts for us
Her dinner parties were really
a big deal
Hi I'm Shane. This is Anita
We are Billie's friends
"Yes, of course. I'm Liz Vangelder"
"Well, the night life here is
amusing enough I suppose"
"Believe me, nothing compares to London
in the swinging sixties"
"Come on, where did you find them?"
L'universite de cinquante-quatre
"54?" The bartender at 54?"
You sly puss
Bringing a bartender to the table
Steve is holding auditions
for a New Years act
He says he wants something fresh
Nobody is as fresh as me
"I might even have a tape with, you know,
in my purse"
"Really, I have a tape deck in my... "
"So here I was,"
putting my Jersey moves on Park Avenue
I really believed I had come out of
there with some good connections
You have the essence of Errol Flynn
"Instead, I saw how far I have to go"
Who?
"Darling, you know who Errol Flynn is"
"Oh yeah, Arrow Flynn. Right"
You know you are the most gorgeous
troglodyte I have ever seen
Thanks
"Shane, I don't know who the fuck
Arrow Flint is either"
But don't you know what a troglodyte is?
"Yeah, it's like a diamond"
A troglodyte is like a caveman
He called you a caveman
And that makes me a cave woman
"Anita, are you ready?"
"Yeah, in a minute"
What are you doing?
He is giving me a break
"And Shane, lay off"
Where is the article?
"Shane 54, I can do anybody"
"See if you had let me be involved
in the photo-shoot,"
this wouldn't have happened
You should have known with a
magazine like this!
"Anita, lay off. Please"
"Come on, I know how to cheer you up"
So we are going to start with the hips
"One, two, three, four... "
For extra dough Anita taught
suburbanites how to disco dance
"Well, she tried anyway"
"Second thing, we are going to do
is attitude"
If you want to make it to Studio 54...
...the most important thing is
you've to have the right attitude
And the attitude is in face
"So we are going to go, watch me now,"
because this is a very
special step for attitude
"One, two, three, four. One, two, three,"
...attitude
"One, two, three, attitude"
Give me some attitude!
"Give me some attitude, show me! Show me!
Show me your stuff!"
"Think Travolta, come on!"
"Keep going, keep going"
I'm going to go for some inspiration
"Oh please, Shane just give me
some inspiration"
Hey!
Hey!
Keep your hands off my wife
"Don't smother me, Grego"
"Oh thank you, I was so hungry"
Are you going to stay for the busto'?
Sounds great but I got some
business of my own
"Shane, why don't you show us
how you do your splits"
"I'm not going to do that Mario,
you do that"
Alright
Shane!
"I leave you alone for one second,"
and look what happens!
"Are you alright, does it hurt?"
Just a little
Don't move. I'm going to go get some ice
I'm sorry
"'Ludes, Angel Dust... And this,
this is MDA"
"This is why the "Studio" is
such a great party"
This month anyhow
Thanks
"You can do it too, man"
Hey midget! I hear you got some
choice MDA
"Twenty each, for you... twenty-five"
"Oh eat me raw, Tom Thumb"
I never pay for my drugs
And I don't take medicare
"So tell me, how much money does
the club pull in?"
"I'd say, we... I make... "
"$750,000.00... Every night"
And that would be before Uncle Sam
gets his teeth into it?
"Let me put it this way,"
what the I.R.S. doesn't know
won't hurt them
"Let me put it this way,"
what the I.R.S. doesn't know
won't hurt them
"The secret is that I'm, I'm kind of
a philosopher... "
Can you believe the nerve of this man?
"He did Merv last week, Dick Cavet,"
...and now this!
I understand the path of excess
leads to the palace of wisdom
Do you ever read Blake?
I have
"Yeah, I love Blake. That is
my favorite poet"
You got to get to somebody in that place
"That is right, I love that
May I kiss your hand?"
"You know, I've been good
for the whole week now"
Yeah? Yeah
"Well, keep being good and quit
looking at me like that"
I'm not looking at you
Who would want to look at you!
"Hey, give me that"
Stop it
"C'mon, I want to help
Guys do everything"
"No... it's not because you don't, but... "
Are you trying to turn me on?
No. I'm trying to cook
Say that again
What?
"You're insulting me, babe,
because you know... "
"C'mon, let me go"
Oh right! I was just after the spoon
Spoon?!
You bastard. You jealous bastard
You won't just get away... Lay off
I didn't even do anything
Right! Right!
I told you nothing's going on
Bullshit
"Greg, baby, you're talking about Shane"
"If you like, doing... "
How can I?
I caught you
"You are a jealous maniac and you better
get over it,"
because I'm not sticking around for more
You're threatening me?
I told you before we got married
that I'm not your slave
"No smothering, Grego", right?"
Right!
Right? Right
"And you agreed, remember?"
You are the only one I love
You're my baby
My baby!
Hi
Hi. Do I...
Shane
"Nice to meet you, Shane"
"Lets go, Julie"
"No ticket, no coat"
Just look for it
"Do you know how many black
leather jackets,"
with poppers and a cock-ring in the
left pocket we got back here?
You are killing me!
Hey
What's wrong?
I started to take a leak and it felt
like razor blades
Oh oh
What?
Don't tell me it is your first
My first what?
"You got "the clap" man"
Shit
Wake up
"Penicillin, huh?"
We must be neighbors. I live just...
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me"
Thanks
Shit
"Thanks, Dottie"
"It is Mona,"
"but that is just between you and
me too, okay?"
Okay
"Grandma, look it"
"Oh, that is beautiful"
Now can you say hi to Shane
Hi
"Sweetmeat, sweetmeat, give Disco Dottie
her funky little treat"
"Hey Atlanta, we need more champagne
on the banquettes"
Anthony is having a cow
He said we were short a thousand
the other night
Yeah?
Yeah
"I have a friend at Xenon who will
put you to work,"
and not bitch about it
Why don't you go dance
It is slowing down out there
What?
"I'm letting you go, you are fired"
"You can't fire me,"
why would you want to?
"Your sticky little fingers,"
didn't you think Anthony would notice?
Notice what?
"Oh, you're embarrassing yourself
Here is your severance"
"Stevie, I have worked for you,
for ten years"
I helped you get your first steak house
You have been here too long
Your paranoia is getting to me
"If there is money missing,
look someplace else"
"Anthony is having a cow, okay!"
And somebody's head has to roll!
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Christmas present
from me to you"
Every night I think about staying home
But then I come to my senses and
give myself a good kick in the ass
"Man, look at this pit!"
Nicotine break
Right on
I thought this night would never end
"Thank God, it is Christmas"
Can't wait to get out of here
Are you going home tommorow?
No
I haven't talked to my Dad in
four months
"Why don't you come with me and Anita
to her Mother's,"
...It will be fun
Thanks
Yeah
Lets clean this place up
Lets get out of this hole
"Hey you hear, Romeo is quitting
New Year's Eve"
"If you think I'm ever
going to get that job,"
...you are dreaming
He is never going to promote me
"Listen, I'll talk to him"
Alright
"Anyway when we have our own place,"
"we will get to do all the hiring, right?"
Yeah right
"Alright, I'll meet you downstairs when
you are finished with this stuff"
Say what?
Steve doesn't want me to do anymore
of the bussing or anything
Are you for real?
What?
You're getting so conceited. It's like
don't know who I'm talking to anymore
"What is your problem, man?"
"You pour drinks,"
you hang out with some high-class
stuck up assholes...
"... and suddenly you are some big star,"
you can't get your hands dirty
"Look at you, dealing more drugs than
"Johnson & Johnson"
Hey that money is for Anita's studio
You know that
"Oh, I see"
"You know what, Shane, your head is
filled up with so much shit,"
you don't even know what you are
talking about
"Hey, Greg, cool it man. I'm your friend"
"Yeah, friend, who is trying to
scope my wife"
What the hell are you talking about?
She is the only girl this side of
Fifth Avenue you haven't balled
You don't know what you're talking about
"Fuck you, Shane 54"
Come on
Lay off!
Lets get out of here
Sit on it!
Fuck off!
I'm not your slave!
"You know, I told him before
we got married"
I told him what the deal was
"I said, I love you but need to be free,"
I need to have fun
"You know maybe not forever, but for now!"
"And he said, okay, okay. You know,
whatever you need"
I want you to be free
My ass!
"I could fucking kill him, when he
gets like that!"
What's wrong?
"Shane, Shane stop!"
"Shane, he is there"
Let him watch
This is bad for him
"The Dow Jones Industrial continued
its slide today,"
bringing the two day drop to forty
points. The news from Washington today
"Where you been, turkey!"
"Great to see you, Gracie!"
Are those for us?
Whoa! Tinsel teeth
"Thanks to you, I shouldn't have
taken your money"
"Lets go in, I'm freezing"
"Whoa, nice car. Is it yours?"
"I'm famous, you know"
"Yeah I know, we saw you,"
"in the paper, dancing with some old lady"
And I read that Princess Grace
showed up there too
Did you tell her about us?
I was off that night
"Come on, I'm starved"
"Why don't we go for a ride,"
I mean no one is home anyway
What?
They went to Aunt Mary's
Ricko's aunt got into the studio
one night
And she told us...
she saw you putting something
up your nose
She is such a liar
"Hey, maybe you can come in
I'll try to talk him into it"
No thanks!
"Don't make them right about you, Shane"
"There is nothing wrong with this stuff,
Gracie"
"He drinks,"
it is the same thing
Good. I want to try one of these
"In the morning, I went to breakfast
at the Alpine Inn,"
"like we used to, the day after Christmas
when mom was alive"
"Could I get a cappuccino, please?"
Excuse me?
Wrong side of the river!
Hey...
Hi
"I'm Shane, we met at the... "
"Yeah, I know who you are"
Would you mind? Could I...
Sure
What are you doing out here?
Spending the week with my parents
You look like you crawled out
from under a rock
Well it hasn't been the
greatest homecoming
I see
"Hey waitress, two cups of coffee, please"
When in Rome...
"It is a whole other world, huh!"
"You will learn. Two languages,"
"two sets of clothes, two sets of friends"
You kept your friends out here
"Well no, actually the clothes were
a lot easier"
"It is insane, isn't it?"
"I mean, Manhattan is a whole
other problem,"
"it is up one minute, down the next"
"Story of my life, one thousand percent"
Two thousand percent
"You know, I have had so much coffee,
I'm realy to take flight"
Bird of Paradise
Hold on...
So you remember today
Thank you
Whoa
Who would have thought!
What?
That you were so sweet
"You got to tell us what we want to
hear about him,"
or we are going to nail you
We are talking a audit that goes
all the way back
"And my friend, we find something
we don't like,"
"and believe me, we will"
"Guess what, your house, is gone
Your car, is gone"
You... are seriously gone
I'm talking 10 to 20 years
"You want to investigate, go ahead"
"My car, not in my name. My house,
not in my name"
"My back account, don't have one"
"You know what I got, Agates"
What about the drugs?
Were they in your name?
The were in the glove compartment
Yes!
"Wow, you are good"
"Four brothers, and I never lost a game"
Oh really. I have been meaning to
tell you something
It is sort of embarrassing
"You can tell me,"
...what are you talking about?
After I saw that picture of you
in that gossip column
"It was, you know, inspiring"
What?
"I mean it, just to see someone else,"
...from Jersey who made it
Made it? You are kidding right
I'm on Soap
Right
Wrong. Soap work is the pits
"Why do you think I'm at "54"
every night?"
I don't know
Maybe to meet somebody interesting?
Exactly
"In this business it is all about
who you know. And since,"
"I'm going to get a movie or die trying,"
"... there is no place better than "54"
"One big bender, with business cards"
"See the thing is, if you meet the right
producer like Ron Sax for instance,"
You got it made
"I mean, he has his hands in everything"
"Music, movies, clubs"
Right. But you don't need that
"Shane, come on,"
"you are a "54" bartender"
You know how things work
You know what this is all about
You have had to maneuver
"Sometimes you use your charms,"
...sometimes other things
Okay you got me
This place is really great
You can actually see people here
You are so cute
Starting the decade with
the perfect kiss
What could be better than that?
Picking up that 7-10 split
"Oh yeah, I'm going to do it first"
"No, you are not! It is mine"
"Forget it, come on, give me that ball"
Opps
"Yeah of course, you are on the list"
Okay
What is this?
It is the missing money. I took it
What money?
You know... Anthony's money
Oh that is adorable!
"Now Greg is very lucky,"
to have a friend like you to
cover for him
You knew?
Yeah. You know I see everything
that goes on here
"You don't think that I'm watching,"
...but I am
He would have never touched that money
if he had been made a bartender
in the first place
He is really a great guy Steve
He thought he would be a busboy for
the rest of his life
Yeah I'm sure
Can't you give him a break?
"So you want me, to make him
a bartender now?"
"You know, I am too nice for my own good"
People take advantage
"Thanks, Steve"
But don't you say anything to him. Okay?
I'll tell him myself
Why is everyone so sentimental
this time of year!
I hate the holidays
"Greg, hey man. It is great to see you"
I wasn't sure if you were coming back
"No way,"
I couldn't miss Anita tonight. Plus...
I should meet up with my
very possibly girlfriend?
Girlfriend? Is that where you have been?
"Yeah... Julie Black, man"
Bull shit!
"I'm not jiving you, I swear"
"Great, man"
I got to go find Anthony
You need any party materials?
"No thanks, not tonight"
Steve!
"Come on, I have been here every holiday"
It is New Year's eve
"Please, I'm so lonely"
"Go home, honey"
This is my home
Remember what happens tomorrow?
"The new decade, Turkey"
The new bartender gets announced
"Oh right. It is looking good for you
for sure, man"
Really?
Hey! Hey!
Your fairy tale wish just came true
I got a very special job for you tonight
"Grace Kelly is coming,"
and I want you to take care of her
No shit!
Yes
"but try not to say "shit" around her,
okay... "
"She is from Philly,"
but I don't think she does that anymore
"No, not tonight. Not tonight"
"Never, never, never come to me like that"
Kelly? Are you sleeping?
Is Gracie there?
"Well tell her, I'm going to meet
Princess Grace tonight"
Ahh! No kidding! No way!
I just wanted to wish you
good luck tonight
You are going to be great
Happy New Year!
"Hey, it is Errol Flynn"
"It is great to see you man,
I have been trying to reach you... "
Hold on
My date is getting crushed
Hi
Hi
I got a great idea
"Oh come on, it will be wild"
Some of us are going back to
Roland's house later
"He wants to know, you want to come?"
Actually it will be just us three
"There goes Donna, excuse me"
"I don't understand,"
"I thought we, you know, connected"
"Shane, I already explained this to you,"
my career is really important to me
right now
"Listen Shane, I like you, I really do... "
"... but drop the fantasy, okay"
"I'm building something here,
and I thought,"
...you wanted to get ahead too
Now Roland's the kind of guy that can
make that happen for you
Don't you want that?
Not that way
Happy New Year!
"Okay, first I wanted to tell you all
something"
That most of you already know
I love you
"We love you too, Steve!"
Secondly. There have been a few little
rumors floating around...
...about me and a certain
government agency
"But rest assured, that is all
taken care of"
Just try and tangle with me!
"And now, I want to introduce you
to a brand new talent"
A talent for the 80's
"That I discovered in the coat room,"
...believe it or not!
Please welcome... Anita!
Tonight is the night I fly. Spread my
wings and touch the sky!
Tonight is the night I see... everything
that's waiting for me
I'm loving this new world I'm in
You know it fits like second skin
Then they say it comes and goes so fast
But we got something built to last
"Oh baby, it's your love
that sets me free!"
Tonight is the night I fly
Spread my wings and touch the sky!
Tonight is the night I see everything
that's waiting for me
"Ohh, yeah, oohh right, tonight I fly!
Tonight is the night!"
I've got to be free!
Everybody gets down!
Turn on the lights!
Dottie? Dottie?
Mona?
"Hey, hey. Princess Grace is here
and she is thirsty"
What?
"This way, you are on. Come on"
No
Shaney... It has been a mean night. Okay?
And I'll cry about it tomorrow. I will
"But tonight, the show must go on"
Lets go
I can't. I can't talk to anybody
"We did it to her, this place did"
"Come on, come on. You can't
blame yourself,"
...if she couldn't handle her drugs
"Come on, lets go"
"It will calm you down. Come on, take it"
This isn't right
Princess Grace is here. Okay?
Princess Grace
We lost a friend tonight
"No, no, no. I lost a friend tonight"
"Alright, no offense,"
but you were just another
pretty face to her
She was my friend
"Oh, she was completely nearsighted"
She couldn't tell one of you
from the next
Now get it together and get downstairs
Hey! Don't forget how replaceable
you are. Little Lord Fauntleroy
"Try telling them that, Stevie! Remember?"
I'm one of New York's finest
I'm Shane 54!
Like there wasn't a Gabriel 54
and a Rhett 54
Bullshit!
"Don't tell me that is the first time
you ever read an "Interview" Magazine"
"Oh no, it is!"
"Fuck you, you troglodyte"
"Hey, where you going!
The door is that way!"
He is out!
I love you
I.R.S.
They are here
"Shane, I knew you would come to your
senses. Meine klein Shane"
"I went downstairs to get my keys,"
...and they are raiding the office
"Even from here, those suits look cheap"
"Steve, are you going to get out of here?"
Where would I go?
"Lets go, Shane"
What are you guys doing!
Steve wants you out!
"Get off me! Yo' Billy, come on, man!"
Get out of here!
I got to get my wallet
"Hey, these handcuffs are too tight!"
They will leave marks
What am I?
Public Enemy Number One
for Christ's sake
This is so tacky
Shane!
You want a ride?
"Look Shane, I'm sorry. I know I
acted like a fool,"
but you know how it is in there
Where is Roland?
I lost him in the balcony
I'm sorry. Come on
What about your career?
I thought that was your big priority
Yeah well... I'm not so sure anymore
Me neither
So now what?
"I like you, Shane"
"Lets face it,"
...we are Jersey
"Yeah, we are"
So... friends?
Friends
"Agents of the I.R.S. and the F.B.I.,"
"... raided the highly popular Studio 54,"
So that is how my decade ended
"In the year and a half that
Steve was in jail,"
...things changed a lot
Big corporations had taken over
the New York Club World
...doing what corporations do
Making everything safe and boring
The freedom was gone
I kept in touch with Julie
"She was doing alright,"
"she moved to Hollywood,"
and got a small part in a good film
I hadn't seen Greg and Anita in a while
Brought back too many memories
"They were still together, doing fine"
Anita recorded a great album
with Casablanca
but some people thought it was too disco
I had been taking business classes
at NY during the day
and managing a restaurant
in the Village at night
"As far as my dad went,
it was better there too"
I got to Jersey to see him and
my sisters about once a week
"When I heard about Steve's
welcome back party,"
...I couldn't resist
"After getting off with just
six months probation,"
...Greg gave up dealing
He got a good job in construction
It is so good to see you again
It is great to be back
"I was in the Bahamas, you know"
On a year and a half forced vacation
"Don't you love my Club "Fed" tan?"
"I want you to know,"
only my friends are here tonight
But I did put my parole officer
on the list
"You know, prison can be so
fucking dull at night"
"I guess, I just wanted to welcome
you all back to say... "
...this time I hope it does last forever
Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back
If you could read my mind love...
what a tale my thoughts would tell
"Just like an old time movie,
about a ghost from a wishing well"
"In a castle dark, or a fortress strong
with chains upon my feet"
You know that ghost is me. I don't know
where we went wrong
But that feeling's gone and
I just can't get it back
"If you could read my mind, yeah! Oh love
what a tale my thoughts would tell!"
"Just like in a novel, when you reach
the part where the heartache comes,"
the hero will be you!
But heros often fail
Never thought I'd feel this way. And I
got to say that I just don't get it...
"See, Steve Rubell had a dream,"
"but like all dreams, you wake up
to reality"
"Even though Steve was just
a consultant now,"
the new owners gave him this night
This one night!
...To bring all his friends back
To do it his way
"For one night, we pretended
nothing had changed"
But in reality....
The party was over
and Everybody was in the middle of it
"The recession, the mile-long lines
to the station"
The hostage crisis in Iran
"When I look back at it now,"
it is amazing I can remeber any of it
It feels like snap-shots from
someone else's life
All connected by one man...
"A guy named Steve Rubell,"
...had a dream...
to throw the best damn party
the world had ever seen
And to make it last forever
He built a world that was offered up
as reality
Where an eighty year old Disco Queen
could play until dawn
"Where models mingled with mechanics,"
...plumbers danced with princes
It was a place where all labels
were left behind
A place where there were no rules
In 1979 I was nineteen years old
And I had nothing
"Now my Dad would say I had more
than he did at my age,"
but you know what?
"To me,"
filling gas tanks at a
Jersey City station...
"going to the same dingy bar,
with the same guys"
"trying to pick-up on the same chicks,"
...was not tons of fun
I can't believe you came already!
Sorry
I'm sorry
It was just an...
Look at you! You're so...
Oh yeah... you want to go out tomorrow?
"Look, I know this place where the
pizza is dynamite"
What?
"I'm from Montana, right?"
And you are from Jersey city?
Yeah
So... I don't go out with guys
from Jersey city
I knew the real escape was right across
the river
But I didn't even have a car
"Even though New York was
three miles away,"
...it seemed like another world
I had been there before with my Mom
"She did makeup for this television show,"
...and took me to work a few times
It was incredible
Everyone wanted to be around the stars
"My mother always told me I could be
anything I wanted to be,"
and I believed her
Mom died when I was twelve
This was dad...
"... his idea of the good life was,"
"a can of "Schlitz" and a
"Jack Benny Special" on the tube"
I had to break out
I knew I had to make a change
"Alright, alright, alright"
What!
What you laughing at?
What is with the hair?
Look at this guy!
Where is my hair?
Look at this guy!
What are you talking about?
You look like Vidal Sassoon
"If YOU don't look good,
we don't look good!"
"Shit, I should have borrowed
my brother's platforms"
Do I look short?
"Hey you guys, you guys"
Before we go in. Check it out
Oh take me home baby!
"That is Julie Black from
"All of my Children"
She is my fucking dream girl
"Julie Black, she is from Alpine"
My aunt does her ma's hair
"Saw her once too,"
...hanging out at the Alpine Inn
Alpine Inn?
Yeah
We should stake her out
Where was this taken anyway
You know Studio 54
Have you never heard of it?
That place is full of freaks
And girls
And fags
Come on you guys
"Listen, you know who was there
last night?"
Jacqueline Bissette
You know who she is?
Yeah I fucked her
"Alright, you turkeys can stay here,"
and rot for all I care
But I'm going to go see if I can
get a look at Olivia
Olivia Newton-John?
We aren't there yet?
Fuck you Jersey!
We will save you a place in line!
You mothers!
You are going to leave me
with these freaks!
Hey! Hey!
A lot of people thought the door was
a better show than inside
People would try anything to get in
"Mark was the doorman,"
but it was Steve Rubell's club
And his door
I can't let you in here
You are wearing an ascot
You look like an asshole
"He was out in front, every night,
making sure only the right people got in"
Go home
No. No...
Hey come on!
Over there. Yeah
Excuse me! He just pointed at me!
Just you
Say what?
"Just you, not him"
"Hey man, these are my friends,"
you can't...
"Girls... Stand back, please"
Oh my God...
"Don't be a spaz man, go for it"
"Alright, don't wait for me"
I will find my own way home
"Okay you guys, come on"
"Get your fucking hands off me,
you jive-ass turkey!"
Sorry guy...
What?
Not with that shirt
Hey!
I said... not with that shirt
"Welcome to my party, handsome"
He choose me
I had never been chosen for
anything before
"You want to check that body, sugar?"
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall
Who is the fairest of them all?"
"Truman? Truman Capote, Where are you?"
Here sugar!
There you are
In honor of your fantastic new
face lift...
I thought I would get you
a couple of things
"And to make sure, the lift sticks"
"I thought we should all...
"Knock on Wood"
Oh Yeah!
"I don't want to lose, this good thing
... that I have got"
Because if I do... I would surely...
surely lose a lot
Because your love... is better...
than anything I know!
It's like thunder! Lightning!
The way you love me is frightening
ck... on wood! I said I better knock, knock on... oh baby... yes
Like thunder! Lightning!
The way you love me is frightening!
knock, knock on wood! Yeah baby! I better knock on wood
"The thing about stars is, they are short"
Did you talk to any of them?
Kind of...
Who?
"Well, like... I don't know"
But you should have seen
the photographers
I will bet you I even got in
one of their pictures
Do you think Farrah ever goes there?
Maybe
And Lee Majors?
Probably
What about Princess Grace?
"Sure, I bet she goes all the time"
Really?
Maybe we can touch her when she goes by
I told her mom named us after her
Hey kids
Hey dad
Hey squirt
"Hey dad, can I borrow the keys tonight?"
What for?
Shane was in city last night
And he wants to go back
The City?
Yeah Shane was just telling us how he
went to studio 54 last night
Studio 54
That is that big disco everybody is
talking about
Where all the stars go
"Yeah Dad, you should have seen it"
"Hey I saw a star once, Bob Hope!"
You see him there?
"Thanks for the memories Dad,
but it wasn't a Korean war show"
"What else, Shane?"
Well I went up into the balcony
It was pretty...
It was pretty dark
"The girl who cut my hair,"
"had this boyfriend, whose sister did
the books for Steve Rubell"
...and got me an interview
Steve Rubell... a regular Booklyn kid
"who got his start by running
a few steak houses,"
...and now on top of the world
He's gorgeous
"Gorgeous, see for yourself"
I was warned that Steve didn't hire
any dummies
And I should be on my toes
because he could ask some really
tricky questions
What is two plus two?
Huh?
You will be fine
"You are right, he is gorgeous"
Come on in!
"Where do bad little bartenders go,
if they don't go to Hell first?"
Xenon
Right. A fate worse than death
"So, as of tonight"
The new bartender will be...
Rhett
Choice
Oh and we got a new busboy
His name is Shane
"Shane! Shane, come here. Come here"
I couldn't find the right size
And remember
It is you boys who are truly
New York's finest
One Chablis! Hey kid!
Chablis
So what will it be?
What will it be?!
"Where did they get you "Rocky?"
Philadelphia?"
"No talking to the animals, busboy"
Hang in there baby
"Greg man, will you help me please"
This is how it works
Keep the bottles and the glasses
off the dance floor
Keep the champagne cold and
keep it flowing
You got to pay attention
to the V.I.P. area
Steve doesn't want them to ever pour
champagne for themselves
"Now, listen up... "
"After everybody is all gone,
check the banquettes"
We usually find some pretty good stuff
Is that Julie Black?
I think so. Are you ready?
There she was. Julie Black
"Man, she looked even better in person
than on TV"
She was from Jersey too
and she had made it
I really got to get out of here
and get some sleep
Stevie knew that we had no royalty
in this country
"We had celebrity and,"
"if he could provide opportunity for
regular people to dance with the famous,"
...The Studio would be one of a kind
And I was such a dumb kid
"All these famous people,"
and I didn't know who any of them were
"And they would all go,"
"Truman, Oh Truman"
"And I would be thinking,
who the fuck is Truman?"
Hey Fiorucci! How are you?
I'm such a big fan of yours
The windows are great. Fabulous!
"You are so Italian, and adorable,"
"I want to eat you with a spoon, come"
Come with me
I would say it was this big. At least
Did you get his number?
It ain't the size of the ship
It is the motion of the ocean
Did your mother teach you that?
His father
It sounds kind of defensive to me
I think we are freaking the new kid out
Hey how did you do tonight?
Good. I made quite a bit
He doesn't mean your tips
You went up to the balcony with Patty?
The word gets around fast I guess
So did she do the accent?
So how was she?
Really great
She is a model
Really?
Have we seen her in anything?
Yeah Vogue. French Vogue
She is moving on up
"She told me "Cosmo"
She told me Women's Wear Daily
Hey I don't care if it was
Sears & Roebucks. It was hot
She told you Women's Wear Daily?
Stop
"Oh, I feel a fight coming on"
No way sister
And the extra plate
Hey don't take anything until everybody
puts their stuff down
Didn't you get anything?
Oh wait
Hello friend
Sometimes you meet people and right away
they feel like family
That is how it was with Greg and Anita
She wanted to be the next Donna Summer
"Greg wanted to get ahead,"
...just wasn't sure how
Looks like your wedding was dynamite!
Oh put these away
Anita's studio
Far out. What is this?
"Oh these are just for motivation,"
like when you put a picture of
a fat person on the fridge
So play me something
"Yeah, she is unbelievable"
Play him something
"No, no I'm really tired. I'm really,
really tired"
I have been screaming all night
Okay I will play something simple
I can't do this
That was excellent
"No, it wasn't"
"Shane, follow me"
This place is bad man
You can stay as long as you want
Really?
Mi casa e su casa
In mi casa there are three basic
food groups
"Solids, liquids and hot smoke"
What will it be? What will it be?
Can I help you? Yeah. Can I help you?
I am looking for American foxes
with big American breasts!
I couldn't believe all the shit Greg
told me what was going on at the club
Bartenders. They had it made
"Drugs, Sex, Connections, Money"
There was an endless supply coming
across the bar
"Greg told me, half way through the night"
Steve had the bartenders... dump the cash
"Send it downstairs and,"
change the tape in the registers
It was a skim job straight out of
the Vegas Casinos
And Steve Rubell was making
a fortune off of it
Greg was on garbage detail
Anthony?
He would take it out the back door
and give it to this guy Anthony
he called the garbage man
Hey pisanno!
How you doing?
"I really scored, didn't I?"
Greg told me everything
"Alright cowgirl, put that on there
Easy, easy... "
Is it all there?
"Yeah, count it"
"How much they pay you to wait around
for me, huh kid?"
Enough
"Yeah, you are Italian right?"
Right on
"You ever need to increase your paycheck,
you come to me"
I got the best party favors in the place
Oh yeah!
Greg... Take it
But I have to...
Give it to him. Come on!
You have never seen my palace...
Empty it
Go ahead...
"Rhett the brand new bartender, quit"
He thinks he is going to model
Really?
"Yeah, he met Scavullo"
And thinks he has got it made
You are a handsome guy
I bet you could model...
if you were a little taller
It is a new world out there
Old labels and prejudice
don't apply anymore
Right
You do a special job for us
Important
Before you...
I only let bartenders deal with Anthony
But Viv trusts you
"It is a good job, I take it seriously"
She also says you are married to Anita
And that you never go with
the other boys
Yeah. I mean no
I'm not gay
Labels
"I'm sorry I forgot, Mister Rubell"
"Mister! Oh, that's good"
Well you know what? I'm not gay either
I want to suck your cock
I'm married
"No one gets married at your age,"
unless you are trying to prove something
"I have to go, sorry... "
Bartenders make a lot of this
I know
Come here
Come here
I can't
I'm married and she is waiting
You really are that straight
Sorry
"No, no, no"
I respect that. Let me apologize
Bye dad
Bye
Listen Gracy
"You know I'm sorry about leaving you,"
"and Kelly like this,"
but I should have been out of the house
two years ago
"No shit, Shaney"
Yes we want variety
Yes you got to toss the salad...
"... but no, that doesn't mean
letting in whores,"
"and yid's, like last night"
"They were your cousins, Stevie"
I don't care if it was my
Mother and my Father
They look like shit
"Okay, Stevie"
"No, no, no, no okay Stevie,
no it is cool"
"Family my ass, lets go"
"These fuckers are hot,"
what do you think?
Fabulous love. Now get out of here
Get out of here! Lets go!
Hey can I talk to you about maybe
putting somebody on the list
"You have to talk to Steve,"
and he has been working
seventy-two hours straight
So you tread lightly
"The IRS, oh please"
"Even though you pay me like a cashier,"
I'm the accountant in the place...
...and it is me who is going down
with you
You get caught by blabbing your
big mouth all over the place
"Do me a favor, throw away that
nasty weed of yours"
Because paranoia is setting in
Hi
Hi. How is the new kid?
You need a little something
for the night?
"Buck tells me, you have been doing
a good job"
What sign are you?
"Umm, Cancer"
"Cancer, good people Cancer"
What do you think Viv?
Crabs
"Steve umm, I wanted to
talk to you about... "
I got some friends I wanted to
find about putting them on the list
Do they look like you?
One is my cousin
"Let me explain something kid, okay... "
Once a month...
"the nephew of the King of Saudi Arabia,"
flies... 7000 miles
"to dance here for one night, all night"
Then gets back on his plane at sunrise
He tells me it is the only place
on Earth...
...that he feels totally free
"So naturally, I,"
"... we, have a responsibility"
So I repeat. Do they look like you?
They are my friends
Fine. I'll put them on the list
But they better look like you
Thanks
Julie
"You are a mess, come here"
Hey did you sleep with somebody
to get your job?
"My job, please"
"Listen Shane, you better watch how much
you party, or you will get fired"
Here
I don't do that crud
"Come on, you need an equalizer"
Come on. You look like Stevie
There you go
"Steve could be a rat-bastard,"
there is no question about it
"He took my friends off the list,"
as soon as I left his office
"Look again man. Shane invited us,
Shane O'Shea"
He works here
"I told them later that,"
Steve was always playing
little games like that...
"... just cruel,"
never figured out why
With the kind of power he had
Why play games?
He was weird that way
Like some nights he would keep
the club almost empty
"There would be a thousand people out
on the streets,"
...and only a hundred inside dancing
"Shane look, it is Billie Austin"
"Billie, what is her deal?"
She knows everybody
Especially everybody in
the music industry
"Help me out, she is into coke"
You want to meet her?
Oh thanks
"Diana, help herself to the
last of my snow"
Recording artist...
You know Anita is a recording artist too
"Oh? Wonderful, what label?"
Well I don't really have one yet
"Oh so send me a tape, I would
love to hear it"
Thank you! Thank you!
"As a matter of fact, I think I have
a tape here with me"
The recording is not that great
Home equipment...
Bye
They are cute
I just love discovering new talent
You have the body of David and the
face of a Bottchelli
Bottle of what?
"Just say thanks, darling"
It is really funky but
I don't think it is me
"Darling, I don't think you realize
what is you"
"I just want to look cool when I'm out,"
...like a New Yorker
"What you are, is part of
Billie's Big Bang theory"
Billie taught me how the world worked
How I had the power to get
whatever it was I wanted
Oh yes!
Rhett... When did he quit?
Tonight
Oh I was crushed
He was incredible
Whoa! Can't Wait
"Easy, easy"
Yeah! Now try this
"Ooh, you learn fast!"
I bet I could do that job
Should I talk to Stevie for you?
I don't know
My friend has been waiting for that job
But do you want it?
"Yeah, I want it"
What would you do to get it?
Who is it?
That ought to be illegal
May I help you?
Rhett quit. Job... you know...
Let me get this straight
You want a job?
Shouldn't I be taking my pants off?
Of course everyone knows
Rhett is history
And Shane will take his place
"Later on I learned that,"
Billie had spoken to Stevie
about my promotion
"I have to admit, I felt bad for Greg"
I name you Shane 54!
"We were both right,"
too short and I do not suck cock
Well there is nothing you can do
about being short
I'm going to make us some real money
I got other ideas
How about the best fuck of your lifetime
So I made it
Bartending was the best job in the world
"But for me the big thing was,"
"when you are a bartender at "54"
Everybody knew your name
You were famous
"Come on, I want to introduce you to him"
He doesn't want to be
photographed tonight
Steve didn't draw a line between
customers and employees
"Before "54","
most clubs would hide their help
"Not Steve, he flaunted his"
"People made such a big deal about
getting into "54"
"But they didn't know,"
because once you got into the door...
...you wanted to get into
the D.J.'s booth
Or the office where the best coke was
"Or the balcony where the people were
getting laid,"
or the basement where the
biggest names hung out
Steve was so fucking smart
I mean you would have to be
some kind of genius
"to take a dirty wet basement...
and turn it into a VIP room,"
which celebrities would kill
to get into
There was always another door
"Shane darling, I guess you
finally arrived"
Hi Andy
"Shane, Shane, this is Andy"
"Oh yeah, wow!"
"Andy loves it down here,"
"... don't you, Andy?"
"Oh yeah, it is really brown"
Even outside the club
I was always working it
"Getting an article placed in "Interview"
Mingling with the right people
I got it
Raising my profile
It was all coming together
"Billie got me and Anita an invitation,"
...to Liz Vangelder's
because she knew there would be
some great contacts for us
Her dinner parties were really
a big deal
Hi I'm Shane. This is Anita
We are Billie's friends
"Yes, of course. I'm Liz Vangelder"
"Well, the night life here is
amusing enough I suppose"
"Believe me, nothing compares to London
in the swinging sixties"
"Come on, where did you find them?"
L'universite de cinquante-quatre
"54?" The bartender at 54?"
You sly puss
Bringing a bartender to the table
Steve is holding auditions
for a New Years act
He says he wants something fresh
Nobody is as fresh as me
"I might even have a tape with, you know,
in my purse"
"Really, I have a tape deck in my... "
"So here I was,"
putting my Jersey moves on Park Avenue
I really believed I had come out of
there with some good connections
You have the essence of Errol Flynn
"Instead, I saw how far I have to go"
Who?
"Darling, you know who Errol Flynn is"
"Oh yeah, Arrow Flynn. Right"
You know you are the most gorgeous
troglodyte I have ever seen
Thanks
"Shane, I don't know who the fuck
Arrow Flint is either"
But don't you know what a troglodyte is?
"Yeah, it's like a diamond"
A troglodyte is like a caveman
He called you a caveman
And that makes me a cave woman
"Anita, are you ready?"
"Yeah, in a minute"
What are you doing?
He is giving me a break
"And Shane, lay off"
Where is the article?
"Shane 54, I can do anybody"
"See if you had let me be involved
in the photo-shoot,"
this wouldn't have happened
You should have known with a
magazine like this!
"Anita, lay off. Please"
"Come on, I know how to cheer you up"
So we are going to start with the hips
"One, two, three, four... "
For extra dough Anita taught
suburbanites how to disco dance
"Well, she tried anyway"
"Second thing, we are going to do
is attitude"
If you want to make it to Studio 54...
...the most important thing is
you've to have the right attitude
And the attitude is in face
"So we are going to go, watch me now,"
because this is a very
special step for attitude
"One, two, three, four. One, two, three,"
...attitude
"One, two, three, attitude"
Give me some attitude!
"Give me some attitude, show me! Show me!
Show me your stuff!"
"Think Travolta, come on!"
"Keep going, keep going"
I'm going to go for some inspiration
"Oh please, Shane just give me
some inspiration"
Hey!
Hey!
Keep your hands off my wife
"Don't smother me, Grego"
"Oh thank you, I was so hungry"
Are you going to stay for the busto'?
Sounds great but I got some
business of my own
"Shane, why don't you show us
how you do your splits"
"I'm not going to do that Mario,
you do that"
Alright
Shane!
"I leave you alone for one second,"
and look what happens!
"Are you alright, does it hurt?"
Just a little
Don't move. I'm going to go get some ice
I'm sorry
"'Ludes, Angel Dust... And this,
this is MDA"
"This is why the "Studio" is
such a great party"
This month anyhow
Thanks
"You can do it too, man"
Hey midget! I hear you got some
choice MDA
"Twenty each, for you... twenty-five"
"Oh eat me raw, Tom Thumb"
I never pay for my drugs
And I don't take medicare
"So tell me, how much money does
the club pull in?"
"I'd say, we... I make... "
"$750,000.00... Every night"
And that would be before Uncle Sam
gets his teeth into it?
"Let me put it this way,"
what the I.R.S. doesn't know
won't hurt them
"Let me put it this way,"
what the I.R.S. doesn't know
won't hurt them
"The secret is that I'm, I'm kind of
a philosopher... "
Can you believe the nerve of this man?
"He did Merv last week, Dick Cavet,"
...and now this!
I understand the path of excess
leads to the palace of wisdom
Do you ever read Blake?
I have
"Yeah, I love Blake. That is
my favorite poet"
You got to get to somebody in that place
"That is right, I love that
May I kiss your hand?"
"You know, I've been good
for the whole week now"
Yeah? Yeah
"Well, keep being good and quit
looking at me like that"
I'm not looking at you
Who would want to look at you!
"Hey, give me that"
Stop it
"C'mon, I want to help
Guys do everything"
"No... it's not because you don't, but... "
Are you trying to turn me on?
No. I'm trying to cook
Say that again
What?
"You're insulting me, babe,
because you know... "
"C'mon, let me go"
Oh right! I was just after the spoon
Spoon?!
You bastard. You jealous bastard
You won't just get away... Lay off
I didn't even do anything
Right! Right!
I told you nothing's going on
Bullshit
"Greg, baby, you're talking about Shane"
"If you like, doing... "
How can I?
I caught you
"You are a jealous maniac and you better
get over it,"
because I'm not sticking around for more
You're threatening me?
I told you before we got married
that I'm not your slave
"No smothering, Grego", right?"
Right!
Right? Right
"And you agreed, remember?"
You are the only one I love
You're my baby
My baby!
Hi
Hi. Do I...
Shane
"Nice to meet you, Shane"
"Lets go, Julie"
"No ticket, no coat"
Just look for it
"Do you know how many black
leather jackets,"
with poppers and a cock-ring in the
left pocket we got back here?
You are killing me!
Hey
What's wrong?
I started to take a leak and it felt
like razor blades
Oh oh
What?
Don't tell me it is your first
My first what?
"You got "the clap" man"
Shit
Wake up
"Penicillin, huh?"
We must be neighbors. I live just...
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me"
Thanks
Shit
"Thanks, Dottie"
"It is Mona,"
"but that is just between you and
me too, okay?"
Okay
"Grandma, look it"
"Oh, that is beautiful"
Now can you say hi to Shane
Hi
"Sweetmeat, sweetmeat, give Disco Dottie
her funky little treat"
"Hey Atlanta, we need more champagne
on the banquettes"
Anthony is having a cow
He said we were short a thousand
the other night
Yeah?
Yeah
"I have a friend at Xenon who will
put you to work,"
and not bitch about it
Why don't you go dance
It is slowing down out there
What?
"I'm letting you go, you are fired"
"You can't fire me,"
why would you want to?
"Your sticky little fingers,"
didn't you think Anthony would notice?
Notice what?
"Oh, you're embarrassing yourself
Here is your severance"
"Stevie, I have worked for you,
for ten years"
I helped you get your first steak house
You have been here too long
Your paranoia is getting to me
"If there is money missing,
look someplace else"
"Anthony is having a cow, okay!"
And somebody's head has to roll!
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Christmas present
from me to you"
Every night I think about staying home
But then I come to my senses and
give myself a good kick in the ass
"Man, look at this pit!"
Nicotine break
Right on
I thought this night would never end
"Thank God, it is Christmas"
Can't wait to get out of here
Are you going home tommorow?
No
I haven't talked to my Dad in
four months
"Why don't you come with me and Anita
to her Mother's,"
...It will be fun
Thanks
Yeah
Lets clean this place up
Lets get out of this hole
"Hey you hear, Romeo is quitting
New Year's Eve"
"If you think I'm ever
going to get that job,"
...you are dreaming
He is never going to promote me
"Listen, I'll talk to him"
Alright
"Anyway when we have our own place,"
"we will get to do all the hiring, right?"
Yeah right
"Alright, I'll meet you downstairs when
you are finished with this stuff"
Say what?
Steve doesn't want me to do anymore
of the bussing or anything
Are you for real?
What?
You're getting so conceited. It's like
don't know who I'm talking to anymore
"What is your problem, man?"
"You pour drinks,"
you hang out with some high-class
stuck up assholes...
"... and suddenly you are some big star,"
you can't get your hands dirty
"Look at you, dealing more drugs than
"Johnson & Johnson"
Hey that money is for Anita's studio
You know that
"Oh, I see"
"You know what, Shane, your head is
filled up with so much shit,"
you don't even know what you are
talking about
"Hey, Greg, cool it man. I'm your friend"
"Yeah, friend, who is trying to
scope my wife"
What the hell are you talking about?
She is the only girl this side of
Fifth Avenue you haven't balled
You don't know what you're talking about
"Fuck you, Shane 54"
Come on
Lay off!
Lets get out of here
Sit on it!
Fuck off!
I'm not your slave!
"You know, I told him before
we got married"
I told him what the deal was
"I said, I love you but need to be free,"
I need to have fun
"You know maybe not forever, but for now!"
"And he said, okay, okay. You know,
whatever you need"
I want you to be free
My ass!
"I could fucking kill him, when he
gets like that!"
What's wrong?
"Shane, Shane stop!"
"Shane, he is there"
Let him watch
This is bad for him
"The Dow Jones Industrial continued
its slide today,"
bringing the two day drop to forty
points. The news from Washington today
"Where you been, turkey!"
"Great to see you, Gracie!"
Are those for us?
Whoa! Tinsel teeth
"Thanks to you, I shouldn't have
taken your money"
"Lets go in, I'm freezing"
"Whoa, nice car. Is it yours?"
"I'm famous, you know"
"Yeah I know, we saw you,"
"in the paper, dancing with some old lady"
And I read that Princess Grace
showed up there too
Did you tell her about us?
I was off that night
"Come on, I'm starved"
"Why don't we go for a ride,"
I mean no one is home anyway
What?
They went to Aunt Mary's
Ricko's aunt got into the studio
one night
And she told us...
she saw you putting something
up your nose
She is such a liar
"Hey, maybe you can come in
I'll try to talk him into it"
No thanks!
"Don't make them right about you, Shane"
"There is nothing wrong with this stuff,
Gracie"
"He drinks,"
it is the same thing
Good. I want to try one of these
"In the morning, I went to breakfast
at the Alpine Inn,"
"like we used to, the day after Christmas
when mom was alive"
"Could I get a cappuccino, please?"
Excuse me?
Wrong side of the river!
Hey...
Hi
"I'm Shane, we met at the... "
"Yeah, I know who you are"
Would you mind? Could I...
Sure
What are you doing out here?
Spending the week with my parents
You look like you crawled out
from under a rock
Well it hasn't been the
greatest homecoming
I see
"Hey waitress, two cups of coffee, please"
When in Rome...
"It is a whole other world, huh!"
"You will learn. Two languages,"
"two sets of clothes, two sets of friends"
You kept your friends out here
"Well no, actually the clothes were
a lot easier"
"It is insane, isn't it?"
"I mean, Manhattan is a whole
other problem,"
"it is up one minute, down the next"
"Story of my life, one thousand percent"
Two thousand percent
"You know, I have had so much coffee,
I'm realy to take flight"
Bird of Paradise
Hold on...
So you remember today
Thank you
Whoa
Who would have thought!
What?
That you were so sweet
"You got to tell us what we want to
hear about him,"
or we are going to nail you
We are talking a audit that goes
all the way back
"And my friend, we find something
we don't like,"
"and believe me, we will"
"Guess what, your house, is gone
Your car, is gone"
You... are seriously gone
I'm talking 10 to 20 years
"You want to investigate, go ahead"
"My car, not in my name. My house,
not in my name"
"My back account, don't have one"
"You know what I got, Agates"
What about the drugs?
Were they in your name?
The were in the glove compartment
Yes!
"Wow, you are good"
"Four brothers, and I never lost a game"
Oh really. I have been meaning to
tell you something
It is sort of embarrassing
"You can tell me,"
...what are you talking about?
After I saw that picture of you
in that gossip column
"It was, you know, inspiring"
What?
"I mean it, just to see someone else,"
...from Jersey who made it
Made it? You are kidding right
I'm on Soap
Right
Wrong. Soap work is the pits
"Why do you think I'm at "54"
every night?"
I don't know
Maybe to meet somebody interesting?
Exactly
"In this business it is all about
who you know. And since,"
"I'm going to get a movie or die trying,"
"... there is no place better than "54"
"One big bender, with business cards"
"See the thing is, if you meet the right
producer like Ron Sax for instance,"
You got it made
"I mean, he has his hands in everything"
"Music, movies, clubs"
Right. But you don't need that
"Shane, come on,"
"you are a "54" bartender"
You know how things work
You know what this is all about
You have had to maneuver
"Sometimes you use your charms,"
...sometimes other things
Okay you got me
This place is really great
You can actually see people here
You are so cute
Starting the decade with
the perfect kiss
What could be better than that?
Picking up that 7-10 split
"Oh yeah, I'm going to do it first"
"No, you are not! It is mine"
"Forget it, come on, give me that ball"
Opps
"Yeah of course, you are on the list"
Okay
What is this?
It is the missing money. I took it
What money?
You know... Anthony's money
Oh that is adorable!
"Now Greg is very lucky,"
to have a friend like you to
cover for him
You knew?
Yeah. You know I see everything
that goes on here
"You don't think that I'm watching,"
...but I am
He would have never touched that money
if he had been made a bartender
in the first place
He is really a great guy Steve
He thought he would be a busboy for
the rest of his life
Yeah I'm sure
Can't you give him a break?
"So you want me, to make him
a bartender now?"
"You know, I am too nice for my own good"
People take advantage
"Thanks, Steve"
But don't you say anything to him. Okay?
I'll tell him myself
Why is everyone so sentimental
this time of year!
I hate the holidays
"Greg, hey man. It is great to see you"
I wasn't sure if you were coming back
"No way,"
I couldn't miss Anita tonight. Plus...
I should meet up with my
very possibly girlfriend?
Girlfriend? Is that where you have been?
"Yeah... Julie Black, man"
Bull shit!
"I'm not jiving you, I swear"
"Great, man"
I got to go find Anthony
You need any party materials?
"No thanks, not tonight"
Steve!
"Come on, I have been here every holiday"
It is New Year's eve
"Please, I'm so lonely"
"Go home, honey"
This is my home
Remember what happens tomorrow?
"The new decade, Turkey"
The new bartender gets announced
"Oh right. It is looking good for you
for sure, man"
Really?
Hey! Hey!
Your fairy tale wish just came true
I got a very special job for you tonight
"Grace Kelly is coming,"
and I want you to take care of her
No shit!
Yes
"but try not to say "shit" around her,
okay... "
"She is from Philly,"
but I don't think she does that anymore
"No, not tonight. Not tonight"
"Never, never, never come to me like that"
Kelly? Are you sleeping?
Is Gracie there?
"Well tell her, I'm going to meet
Princess Grace tonight"
Ahh! No kidding! No way!
I just wanted to wish you
good luck tonight
You are going to be great
Happy New Year!
"Hey, it is Errol Flynn"
"It is great to see you man,
I have been trying to reach you... "
Hold on
My date is getting crushed
Hi
Hi
I got a great idea
"Oh come on, it will be wild"
Some of us are going back to
Roland's house later
"He wants to know, you want to come?"
Actually it will be just us three
"There goes Donna, excuse me"
"I don't understand,"
"I thought we, you know, connected"
"Shane, I already explained this to you,"
my career is really important to me
right now
"Listen Shane, I like you, I really do... "
"... but drop the fantasy, okay"
"I'm building something here,
and I thought,"
...you wanted to get ahead too
Now Roland's the kind of guy that can
make that happen for you
Don't you want that?
Not that way
Happy New Year!
"Okay, first I wanted to tell you all
something"
That most of you already know
I love you
"We love you too, Steve!"
Secondly. There have been a few little
rumors floating around...
...about me and a certain
government agency
"But rest assured, that is all
taken care of"
Just try and tangle with me!
"And now, I want to introduce you
to a brand new talent"
A talent for the 80's
"That I discovered in the coat room,"
...believe it or not!
Please welcome... Anita!
Tonight is the night I fly. Spread my
wings and touch the sky!
Tonight is the night I see... everything
that's waiting for me
I'm loving this new world I'm in
You know it fits like second skin
Then they say it comes and goes so fast
But we got something built to last
"Oh baby, it's your love
that sets me free!"
Tonight is the night I fly
Spread my wings and touch the sky!
Tonight is the night I see everything
that's waiting for me
"Ohh, yeah, oohh right, tonight I fly!
Tonight is the night!"
I've got to be free!
Everybody gets down!
Turn on the lights!
Dottie? Dottie?
Mona?
"Hey, hey. Princess Grace is here
and she is thirsty"
What?
"This way, you are on. Come on"
No
Shaney... It has been a mean night. Okay?
And I'll cry about it tomorrow. I will
"But tonight, the show must go on"
Lets go
I can't. I can't talk to anybody
"We did it to her, this place did"
"Come on, come on. You can't
blame yourself,"
...if she couldn't handle her drugs
"Come on, lets go"
"It will calm you down. Come on, take it"
This isn't right
Princess Grace is here. Okay?
Princess Grace
We lost a friend tonight
"No, no, no. I lost a friend tonight"
"Alright, no offense,"
but you were just another
pretty face to her
She was my friend
"Oh, she was completely nearsighted"
She couldn't tell one of you
from the next
Now get it together and get downstairs
Hey! Don't forget how replaceable
you are. Little Lord Fauntleroy
"Try telling them that, Stevie! Remember?"
I'm one of New York's finest
I'm Shane 54!
Like there wasn't a Gabriel 54
and a Rhett 54
Bullshit!
"Don't tell me that is the first time
you ever read an "Interview" Magazine"
"Oh no, it is!"
"Fuck you, you troglodyte"
"Hey, where you going!
The door is that way!"
He is out!
I love you
I.R.S.
They are here
"Shane, I knew you would come to your
senses. Meine klein Shane"
"I went downstairs to get my keys,"
...and they are raiding the office
"Even from here, those suits look cheap"
"Steve, are you going to get out of here?"
Where would I go?
"Lets go, Shane"
What are you guys doing!
Steve wants you out!
"Get off me! Yo' Billy, come on, man!"
Get out of here!
I got to get my wallet
"Hey, these handcuffs are too tight!"
They will leave marks
What am I?
Public Enemy Number One
for Christ's sake
This is so tacky
Shane!
You want a ride?
"Look Shane, I'm sorry. I know I
acted like a fool,"
but you know how it is in there
Where is Roland?
I lost him in the balcony
I'm sorry. Come on
What about your career?
I thought that was your big priority
Yeah well... I'm not so sure anymore
Me neither
So now what?
"I like you, Shane"
"Lets face it,"
...we are Jersey
"Yeah, we are"
So... friends?
Friends
"Agents of the I.R.S. and the F.B.I.,"
"... raided the highly popular Studio 54,"
So that is how my decade ended
"In the year and a half that
Steve was in jail,"
...things changed a lot
Big corporations had taken over
the New York Club World
...doing what corporations do
Making everything safe and boring
The freedom was gone
I kept in touch with Julie
"She was doing alright,"
"she moved to Hollywood,"
and got a small part in a good film
I hadn't seen Greg and Anita in a while
Brought back too many memories
"They were still together, doing fine"
Anita recorded a great album
with Casablanca
but some people thought it was too disco
I had been taking business classes
at NY during the day
and managing a restaurant
in the Village at night
"As far as my dad went,
it was better there too"
I got to Jersey to see him and
my sisters about once a week
"When I heard about Steve's
welcome back party,"
...I couldn't resist
"After getting off with just
six months probation,"
...Greg gave up dealing
He got a good job in construction
It is so good to see you again
It is great to be back
"I was in the Bahamas, you know"
On a year and a half forced vacation
"Don't you love my Club "Fed" tan?"
"I want you to know,"
only my friends are here tonight
But I did put my parole officer
on the list
"You know, prison can be so
fucking dull at night"
"I guess, I just wanted to welcome
you all back to say... "
...this time I hope it does last forever
Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back
If you could read my mind love...
what a tale my thoughts would tell
"Just like an old time movie,
about a ghost from a wishing well"
"In a castle dark, or a fortress strong
with chains upon my feet"
You know that ghost is me. I don't know
where we went wrong
But that feeling's gone and
I just can't get it back
"If you could read my mind, yeah! Oh love
what a tale my thoughts would tell!"
"Just like in a novel, when you reach
the part where the heartache comes,"
the hero will be you!
But heros often fail
Never thought I'd feel this way. And I
got to say that I just don't get it...
"See, Steve Rubell had a dream,"
"but like all dreams, you wake up
to reality"
"Even though Steve was just
a consultant now,"
the new owners gave him this night
This one night!
...To bring all his friends back
To do it his way
"For one night, we pretended
nothing had changed"
But in reality....
The party was over