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Fever

The Complete History of Saturday Night Fever

Author Margo Donohue
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Hardcover
$29.00 US
Kensington | Citadel
5.72"W x 8.52"H x 0.82"D   | 15 oz | 36 per carton
On sale Aug 26, 2025 | 272 Pages | 9780806543925
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The music! The dancing! The clothes! The hair! (Watch the hair!) Celebrating almost 50 years of the iconic Saturday Night Fever, this first-ever complete history includes exclusive interviews, rare photographs, behind-the-scenes stories, and brand-new insights into the cult-hit phenomenon that’s been stayin’ alive for generations . . .

Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother, it’s impossible to resist the throbbing disco beats—and lasting cultural impact—of Saturday Night Fever. Released in December 1977, the low-budget “disco movie” was the surprise gift that kept on giving. It made millions at the box office, earned an Oscar nomination for TV-actor-turned-movie-star John Travolta, catapulted the Bee Gees’ music career into the stratosphere with a record-breaking, Grammy-winning soundtrack album, and ignited a “disco inferno” that burns to this day. From Travolta’s iconic white polyster suit and legendary dance moves to the flashing lights and illuminated floor of the 2001 Odyssey disco in Brooklyn, Saturday Night Fever captured the era like no other film—and launched a phenomenon that changed the world forever.

Here, for the first time, is the complete history of Saturday Night Fever. From the New York magazine article that inspired the film—“Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night” by Nik Cohn—to the on-and-off-set dramas of Travolta, director John Badham, and producer Robert Stigwood, this deep dive into the making of a movie classic also includes special interviews with actors Donna Pescow and Joseph Cali, among others. It explores the huge impact of the film on the industry—including the “Death to Disco” backlash—as well as on American culture itself.

With modern-day insights into its 1970s-era portrayals of gender, sex, and race, this is a richly detailed, delightfully entertaining celebration as glittering and multifaceted as a mirrored disco ball. It’s a must-have for every movie and music lover who’s ever caught the Fever . . .
Praise for Fever

“With a keen reportorial eye and sharp critical apparatus, Margo Donohue provides a consistently compelling chronicle of the making of one of the most galvanic musicals of the 20th century.” —Glenn Kenny, author of Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas

“A behind-the-scenes story of the classic disco drama. Donohue dives into the shooting of the film, including the famous dance club sequences, filmed at the 2001 Odyssey disco in Brooklyn, New York—the crew added the now-iconic disco floor for the shoot. Based on her interviews and those of others, Donohue covers nearly every aspect of the movie, notably its still-inescapable soundtrack, outsized effect on popular culture, and memorable choreography.” —Kirkus
Margo Donohue is the co-host, co-creator, editor, and producer of several podcasts, including Book Vs. Movie, Dorking Out, Not Fade Away, and What a Creep. She is a writer and content creator with more than 20 years of experience in entertainment, features, films, and lifestyle media.
Margo Donohue View titles by Margo Donohue

About

The music! The dancing! The clothes! The hair! (Watch the hair!) Celebrating almost 50 years of the iconic Saturday Night Fever, this first-ever complete history includes exclusive interviews, rare photographs, behind-the-scenes stories, and brand-new insights into the cult-hit phenomenon that’s been stayin’ alive for generations . . .

Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother, it’s impossible to resist the throbbing disco beats—and lasting cultural impact—of Saturday Night Fever. Released in December 1977, the low-budget “disco movie” was the surprise gift that kept on giving. It made millions at the box office, earned an Oscar nomination for TV-actor-turned-movie-star John Travolta, catapulted the Bee Gees’ music career into the stratosphere with a record-breaking, Grammy-winning soundtrack album, and ignited a “disco inferno” that burns to this day. From Travolta’s iconic white polyster suit and legendary dance moves to the flashing lights and illuminated floor of the 2001 Odyssey disco in Brooklyn, Saturday Night Fever captured the era like no other film—and launched a phenomenon that changed the world forever.

Here, for the first time, is the complete history of Saturday Night Fever. From the New York magazine article that inspired the film—“Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night” by Nik Cohn—to the on-and-off-set dramas of Travolta, director John Badham, and producer Robert Stigwood, this deep dive into the making of a movie classic also includes special interviews with actors Donna Pescow and Joseph Cali, among others. It explores the huge impact of the film on the industry—including the “Death to Disco” backlash—as well as on American culture itself.

With modern-day insights into its 1970s-era portrayals of gender, sex, and race, this is a richly detailed, delightfully entertaining celebration as glittering and multifaceted as a mirrored disco ball. It’s a must-have for every movie and music lover who’s ever caught the Fever . . .

Praise

Praise for Fever

“With a keen reportorial eye and sharp critical apparatus, Margo Donohue provides a consistently compelling chronicle of the making of one of the most galvanic musicals of the 20th century.” —Glenn Kenny, author of Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas

“A behind-the-scenes story of the classic disco drama. Donohue dives into the shooting of the film, including the famous dance club sequences, filmed at the 2001 Odyssey disco in Brooklyn, New York—the crew added the now-iconic disco floor for the shoot. Based on her interviews and those of others, Donohue covers nearly every aspect of the movie, notably its still-inescapable soundtrack, outsized effect on popular culture, and memorable choreography.” —Kirkus

Author

Margo Donohue is the co-host, co-creator, editor, and producer of several podcasts, including Book Vs. Movie, Dorking Out, Not Fade Away, and What a Creep. She is a writer and content creator with more than 20 years of experience in entertainment, features, films, and lifestyle media.
Margo Donohue View titles by Margo Donohue

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