WATCH: The untold story of Studio One, West Hollywood’s salacious & star-studded gay nightclub
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.The following is an excerpt from “Long Live Queer Nightlife: How the Closing of Gay Bars Sparked a Revolution” by Amin Ghaziani, available now from Princeton University Press.“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.
