Retro : The ‘70s Will Survive

“It was a bit wild, wasn’t it?,” acknowledges Bee Gee Maurice Gibb.

“I really, really enjoyed it,” enthuses Gloria Gaynor of “I Will Survive” fame. “The audience was wonderful. It was just exciting to be there with all of my peers.”

The occasion was the taping last month of A ‘70s Celebration: The Beat Is Back, airing Tuesday on NBC. The audience at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles definitely had “Saturday Night Fever.” Decked out in bell-bottoms, platform shoes, polyester and chokers--now suddenly back in fashion--the crowd was ready to boogie oogie oogie and shake their booties.

“A ‘70s Celebration” stars the Bee Gees (Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb), a major musical influence of the decade thanks to the group’s 1977 album “Saturday Night Fever,” the No. 2 soundtrack album in sales. Also on the bill are disco queen Donna Summer, the red hot Meat Loaf, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, the Spinners, the Stylistics, Randy Meisner of the Eagles, Sister Sledge, Thelma Houston, Vicki Sue Robinson and Gaynor.

Comedy is supplied by Martin Mull, Jimmy Walker of “Good Times” fame and Sony Bono. Olivia Newton-John, those “Dukes of Hazzard” John Schneider and Tom Wopat, Lenny and Squiggy (Michael McKean and David Lander) of “Laverne and Shirley” and, of course, the Brady Bunch are among the hosts.

And last, but not least, a streaker races down the aisle, ‘70s style (remember David Niven’s clever response to the ’74 Oscar streaker?) and surprises Mull with a hearty handshake. “That was planned,” says producer Ken Erlich (“The Grammy Awards”). “I’ll tell you nobody knew about it. My director didn’t know about it. Martin didn’t know about it. I just wanted to make sure we had one.”

Erlich thinks the timing for such a show couldn’t be better, with ‘70s music and fashion back in vogue. “I felt it was right. I always loved that music.”

Upbeat and infectious is how Gaynor describes the music. “A lot of the music was encouraging without being angry,” she says. “I think that’s the most attractive thing about it.”

“It seems to be sort of a period of innocence rather than decadence,” offers Gibb.

The Bee Gees perform their million-selling singles “Jive Talkin’,” “You Should Be Dancing,” “Lonely Nights” and a new single, “Paying the Price of Love.”

“You don’t take the music seriously,” Gibb says. “It’s fun, and in those times, people like lawyers and judges who never bought records and danced before, were taking dancing lessons and buying (“Saturday Night Fever.”) That was a fun period and a lot of people forgot that.”

People now want to remember, Gaynor says. “It’s obvious today isn’t showing us such a bright future. Whenever that happens, (people) look back upon the times they thought were better. Music is always indicative of the social climate, so that when the social climate gets sort of sad, people become sort of nostalgic.”

Gibb says he believes people have become tired of the “same old sound.” “Every rap artist is beginning to sound like every other rap artist. I think people are tired hearing about cop killers. It’s not fun. They’ve rediscovered the ‘70s music because they can dance to it and it’s got a melody.”

Erlich says ‘70s music, especially disco, has gotten a bad rap because the children of the ‘60s were too sanctimonious about the “flower power” decade. “I think there was a reaction that the ‘70s couldn’t match in any way,” he says. “What’s happened now is that all of a sudden the next generation, who have reached their 30s, are asserting themselves.”

And the ‘60s generation is taking a more realistic look back at their decade. “It’s not all that we thought it was cracked up to be,” Erlich acknowledges. “In fact, each generation has its good and its bad. There’s a lot of good and fun that we can look at in the ‘70s.”

“A ‘70s Celebration: The Beat Is Back” airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.