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[0:14] Robert Bannon: Well, welcome to the round table, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon. You're watching us on Broadway World or listening to us on the Broadway Podcast Network. I will say our next guest is a director, is someone who worked on this project through COVID for years. I understand. And Marc, Marc Saltarelli, sounds like a good Italian boy like me. Mark, I've had some fun nights in West Hollywood back in my day. Tell me about this film.

[0:40] Marc Saltarelli: Oh, hey, Robert. First, thank you so much for having me on the show and promoting our film. It's amazing. Okay, well, I started this film in 2019, end of 2019. And it's basically the story of Studio One that many gay men of a certain age remember very deeply because it existed in West Hollywood for almost 20 years. It's celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, starting in 1974. We kind of cover all of it, warts and all. The fascinating thing about Studio One that really drew me to the project is that it had a New York-style cabaret club called the Backlot. And the incredible, the wonderful, iconic Chita Rivera is the person who really launched that club to become one of the hottest places in the 70s. Because Liza, well, let's tell the whole story of Chita.

Because I know your audience would probably want to hear about that. So Chita was, of course, working on the original production of Chicago. And Bob Fosse famously had his heart attack, and the production rehearsals were shut down for six months to a year. So Chita had a lot of time on her hands. And Liza convinced her to put a one-woman show act together. Kander and Ebb wrote the songs for this one-woman show. She actually performed one of the songs from Chicago, and "All That Jazz," of course. And she tried it out in New York, and then they said you have to do it in LA. There's this new club. It's kind of floundering. Nobody's going to their shows. So Liza and her dad Vincent, who was a very big film buff, met with Scott Forbes, who was the founder of Studio One, the disco and the nightclub.

And Vincent Minnelli actually loved Hollywood history. And the building itself was an old factory building that produced the cameras that made "The Wizard of Oz." So I always like to say it was kind of gay, this place from the very start. And they booked Chita for two weeks. Liza got all of her friends, you know, from Cary Grant to Jimmy Stewart, Bette Davis, you name it, who's who of legendary old Hollywood stars would come into this gay club and see a show. So it was really the very first mingling of the Hollywood elite with the gay community. It's such a fascinating story because as a New Jersey who's a fake New Yorker here on the East Coast, we, and as a queer man, we hear so much about disco, we hear so much about Studio 54.

We know that Studio 54 is now a Broadway theater, you know, 54 Below is the VIP room of Studio 54, and it still exists. But as the East Coast, I've never heard, I never knew these stories. I've been to West Hollywood, I have gone out, you know, in evenings and etc. But I did not know the history here is insane. The press release talks about the day that Jimmy Stewart walks in or the day that Bette Davis walks in to see these shows. That was a huge deal because at this time, as is still in some places, being gay and the gay community was a very taboo subject, especially in Hollywood, where people were not able to be out. What made it so accessible? What made it such a famous place in Hollywood?

[4:23] Marc Saltarelli: I think it's all due to Chita, you know, Chita's influence and Chita's friends and Liza too. It's so wonderful that, you know, reading this history, I too had no idea. I did go to Studio One in the 80s, but I always assumed it was like a ripoff of the Studio 54, we're gonna make that here. Turns out Studio 54 was inspired by Studio One. Steve Rubell and Halston actually were friends of Scott Forbes, the Studio One owner, and they came, they saw what was going on, and all of a sudden, a couple years later, Studio 54 happens. But you know, 54 was around for less than three years. This place was around for almost two decades. So, but it's sort of like you said, it's sort of a lost history. There were two women, Kate and Chrissy, who really wanted to save the building from being demolished by the developers that was kind of on the plan.

This big ugly factory building that was crumbling, it was over 100 years old. They started Save the Factory. They wanted to build another disco there. And the survivors of, you know, that generation, call it the lost generation of gay men who lost so many people during those 80s years and 90s, got together, petitioned the West Hollywood City Council, which had to approve, of course, the developers' plans, and they were able to in some way save it. I can't tell you how, you have to watch the movie. It's still kind of in the works, but it meant so much to gay men of a certain age, you know. Not only was it their youth, that building represented that. And in the 70s, it was the excitement, you know, of finally having a place they could go without sneaking in the back corner.

All of the bars before Studio One were basically hidden. You know, you had to go in the back door, they were shuttered. Because people were afraid, you know, if your boss found out you'd be fired, you could have somebody beat you up. It was a different time, and most people of a younger age don't understand that. And hopefully the film will kind of, you know, be some sort of a warning because, you know, those rights that we've fought for can be gone in a second. But anyway, Studio One, you had to stand in line outside of the building and then go up these stairs. And when you entered Studio One, it was this massive, massive disco. It was like heaven because you were safe here, you could be yourself.

And it was really the first place where people felt that way, I think. Of course, standing in line, you were subject to a bottle being thrown at you or gay slurs or whatever, but it was worth it to go up in this place.

[7:09] Robert Bannon: Well, while we're talking about it, I just want people to know that there is a chance if you are at Landmark Sunset, there is going to be a theatrical release on the 13th to the 19th. And if you're no matter where you are in the world, we'll be on video on demand starting October 8th. You can go to studio1forever.com. So go to studio1forever.com if you want information about how you can see this. You have assembled, Marc, the all-star line, like you have guests and people that participated in this that are either relatives of or firsthand people, or people who have heard or talked about what does it mean in queer culture in Los Angeles and West Hollywood in particular, the Mecca of gay culture over in the Los Angeles area. You have people like you got Chita before we lost Chita.

[7:51] Marc Saltarelli: Is that me? And may I say something about that?

[7:55] Robert Bannon: Uh yeah, I knew the history, I knew the importance of Chita, and I thought this film really needs to have Chita in it because she's the reason for that. And I talked to Rosie, her wonderful assistant for many, many years, and she talked to Chita, and she told me that she was so excited to be a part of the film because she really wanted to solidify her reputation as the one who basically created the Backlot, which she did. And she even built this stage because, you know, her show had dancing, obviously. And they rebuilt the stage for her and they kept it. So she literally built the Backlot and got it to be the hottest ticket in town. And we had a trip to New York planned. We rented a nice suite, and it was just the highlight of my life to meet her and to work with her.

And yeah, I was just so devastated when she passed because even though she was 92 or whatever, nobody ever thought she was going, you know, performing, doing everything until the very end. So I'm just honored that she is a part of this film. And Rosie was able to see it in London at the BFI when we screened it. And she said Chita would be proud. So that makes me so happy.

[9:12] Robert Bannon: Well, we everyone adores Chita Rivera as a national treasure. She was here on this show the year before she passed away. We love Rosie. We love Lisa Mordente and everybody that's over there. So love to the whole Chita Rivera clan. And it's narrated by another friend to our show, Bruce Vilanch, who is another person who has literally iconically been a part of this community. What was it like to get him to use his voice to lend to this movie?

[9:39] Marc Saltarelli: Oh, I've known Bruce for quite a few years. I remember telling him the first time, you know, that we're gonna actually make this movie. And since then, I mean we had an initial interview, and then I asked him to come back maybe three or four times, I forget. I should have paid more attention to t-shirts because he's in various t-shirts throughout, but you get a new joke every t-shirt, so it's okay. But yeah, Bruce has been one of our biggest supporters. He's been to several festivals with us. They actually flew him out to Dallas Film Festival, and they had a huge truck, you know, a billboard truck, and we drove in and it's Bruce's face, Bruce Vilanch presents Studio One Forever. They love him in Dallas.

And he also, if you have a Blu-ray player, we have an amazing Blu-ray and DVD available actually for pre-order now on Amazon, and Bruce does a commentary track with me and Stephen Israel, our producer. And I should also mention Alan Eichler, who if you saw the film, he is the man who Geraldine Fitzgerald was his client and she came to LA to honor Bette Davis for her AFI award, and Alan was able to ask if she would introduce Geraldine before her show at the Backlot, and she said yes.

[11:06] Marc Saltarelli: And uh when I found Alan through Facebook, he reached out to me and realized that he had not only this incredible story, but all of the photographs of that night with all of these amazing people, uh and Bette Davis literally smoking in the back lot, uh but more if you want. Uh I was thrilled and even more thrilled, maybe but equally thrilled, uh, when he came to a screening, a fundraiser screening. Uh he loved it so much, and he's been our angel along with Gary Carnow and several others in helping us get this to the finish line. Music licensing is so expensive, so thank you, Alan Eichler, for everything. Well, what's amazing about this, and you have done, you know, dance documentaries and one and all sorts of things that you've done and shows if it's Palm Springs, if it's in London, your work has been around and been nominated and been doing these kinds of projects, but it costs people don't understand.

A documentary is not just you show up with a camcorder and it's free. You know, it costs a lot of money, and you made this film. You got people, Rosalind Kind, Thelma Houston, Melissa Rivers, people that are Sam Harris, people who are in this film talking about this experience, and then you got the licensing, and you got it to be distributed and be out. Uh, it's quite the feat, Mark.

[12:26] Robert Bannon: Oh, yeah, it was. Yeah, it was uh it was a tough uh thing. Um I mean, I kind of went into it. I knew somewhere down the line we're gonna have to find quite a bit of money to pay for the music. Uh, but this film has to have some original music. Uh, and I just I just felt that if I could put together something that inspired people, uh that would come and it has. Um, I mean, I'm not gonna lie, there were times throughout this years-long process that I almost gave up on it. You know, a lot of life happened. We had COVID happen like a couple months after we started filming in November of 2019, COVID happened a little bit later. And it was tough. I continued shooting single camera interviews during COVID, you know, because it was pretty safe or far away and masked, and they were safe without a mask.

Um but it like any documentary, it kind of reveals itself. I had an idea what the structure would be. Uh, I made an outline, and a lot of it is what ended up being in the film. Um, I always knew the third act would be this reunion that happened that we filmed of all the backlot people coming back and opening up the dance floor with Thelma Houston doing Don't Leave Me This Way. That all is there. And I always knew that was kind of the end point of the film. But so many things were revealed as we filmed. Um I think one of the main people in the film, the heart of the film is Michael Coth, who was the front bartender for so many years. He was the first face people saw. People saw people remember him.

Everybody remembers him still. If you went there, you knew Michael. And um, and his story is just so beautiful, heartbreaking in a way, but inspirational, and his willingness to share that is what makes the film, I think. Because I think in some ways we can all, people who went through those years can all sort of relate to his story in some ways.

[14:27] Robert Bannon: That's what I was I was gonna say to you. It was so touching. I've gotten to see the film, so you have to make sure you watch the film as well. It's shot beautifully, it's got a beautiful arc and storyline, and it gives a lot of history, which is not easy to find because in this time, the history of that time is kind of gone. You talk about a forgotten generation. We very um significantly we in our own little way here on the show, try to honor uh all of the people before us, the HIV AIDS pandemic epidemic that happened and lost a generation of uh queer people around the world. And to this day, still we need to talk about it and to stigmatize this. You go into the good, the bad, the ugly of the whole entire situation. Is that the was that the hardest part to talk about? Was that the hardest part to shoot?

[15:07] Marc Saltarelli: Are you talking about the controversial uh parts of Studio One?

[15:10] Robert Bannon: Yeah.

[15:11] Marc Saltarelli: Well, I didn't want to whitewash it. Um, and for me, I don't ever want to make just a kind of puffy movie, you know, that is just a lot of fun. I mean, it is a lot of fun though, we gotta admit, but it also has something beside that that's deeper. So um, so just knowing that this place existed from those years, those critical years in LGBTQ history is what really attracted to me, attracted me to it, uh, because I was able to kind of show that entire time period and the changes and everything that we all went through through this club. And that's uh that was the draw for me. Um, and yes, I wanted to, you know, Scott Forbes was an interesting, wonderful character. He was an optometrist who wanted to own a disco.

Um, he used to wear the tight leather pants, you know, to show off his physique. And uh he loved hanging around stars and he wanted to be a star himself. Um, but in the 70s, in the beginnings at least, uh he his vision was it for it to be a place for gay white men.

[16:21] Robert Bannon: Okay.

[16:21] Marc Saltarelli: Looking at back at that from our lens, that's pretty racist, pretty horrible. And indeed, back then, even there were uh protests and a boycott. Uh the LA Times had a front-page article about it. Uh, because uh he had the infamous no open-toed shoes policy to keep women out. Uh I had to kind of find out was that really because people got their toes cut, and his longtime partner, Carol Taylor clarified no, it was just an excuse. Uh, but she feels that's what made the club so popular. Okay, so you can judge yourself. It was Scott racist, uh, I don't know. But he later peeled or evolved, and uh by the 80s, you know, uh women and people of color were allowed in. So uh we'll we deal with all of that for sure.

It is an honest undertaking, and it's done in a very great way, so make sure you check it out. Like we said, um, while we're still talking about it, I just want people to know October 8th, you can get it on demand, or if you're in the Los Angeles area landmark sunset, the 13th to the 19th, go to Studio One Forever.com. You'll have to be actually available for pre-order on Apple TV right now. You can go to my website, the link is there. And go to Amazon, you could get a DVD or Blu-ray with a sort of content.

[17:46] Robert Bannon: He's a you know an out and proud pop star, superstar. Why was it important to kind of tie this story to modern day? Like why the art brings you to that?

[17:56] Marc Saltarelli: Well, I mean, obviously, our core audience are people of a certain age, but uh what I really hope will this film will reach are the younger generation of uh LGBTQ who are kind of the beneficiaries of everything that their forefathers, you know, fought for, died for, uh to provide the world that we live in now. And obviously, with the political climate now, you know, it's on the verge of being lost. Uh, but I have a lot of hope. Um, so Lance Bass kind of represents the future. Uh, he opened up a new disco in West Hollywood, and Lance is a real uh lover and uh proponent of sharing gay history. Uh he owns a bar called Rocco's, which is right across the street from his disco. And there's a wall of LGBTQ history uh as you go to the bathroom.

Um he knows the importance of everybody understanding where we came from. And Rocco's is named for Pat Rocco, who was one of the very first uh LGBTQ, I guess you would say, journalists. Uh he a lot of his footage, a lot of his skills are in our film. You know, this was back in the 60s and 70s when it was pretty brave to be that and to do that. Um, and so he is honored by Lance Bass. And so he was a natural. And my friend Polly Parrett, who is also uh an executive producer, is very close friends with him, and she hooked me up. And um, he's just been so generous and grateful. We've had our last year at Outfest, he let us use Rocco's for our after party, and he's doing it again for our event this coming October when we launched the streaming release. So thank you, Lance.

[19:44] Robert Bannon: So it's so exciting. It's wonderful to hear the history and to know where we came from. We owe a great debt of gratitude for the brave people who stood online and open places and safe places for people to love and be expressive of who they are. And it's so important nowadays because we're talking about things that were decided and settled many years ago that are back up again. So it's so important for this representation and to kind of see the history so we don't not repeat it. Um you make sure you check this out. It's not just a movie for for any particular group, it's not just a gay movie. This is a movie for people in general, especially if you want to know a little bit more about history that we don't always talk about. Go to Studio One Forever.com, pre-order uh it on Apple TV or get the DVD or a Blu-ray and be ready. Go check it out. Go see it.

[20:30] Marc Saltarelli: Thank you so much, Robert. Really appreciate it.

[20:31] Robert Bannon: Of course, Mark, what you do, what you've done with Andy Warhol, what you do with Studio One, what you do with these icons of culture in this community is not lost on us, and we appreciate you for putting a light in history to what you do.

[20:42] Marc Saltarelli: Thank you.

[20:43] Robert Bannon: Thank you. I I it's overwhelming after uh living with this film for so many years and traveling with it to festivals over the past year and and seeing the reactions from the audience. It's just makes me feel uh humbled and overwhelmed. I I mean, this history is so important to so many people, and they come up to me and tell me that. And I really don't take that for granted or take it lightly. I I know it's a responsibility, and um, I just hope that it reaches you know everybody. Beyond even the LGBT uh community, because it's healing to understand and to uh to understand us and humanity in general and freedom. I like to say the film is all about freedom.

[21:26] Marc Saltarelli: Yes.

[21:26] Robert Bannon: So well, congratulations, the sure reached me, and it's gonna reach us. So thank you so much for being here.

[21:31] Marc Saltarelli: Thank you, Robert. Appreciate it so much.