The Idol-Maker

Francesco Scavullo's 50 years under the lights

Court photographer to the 70s jet set and master of the fashion spread, Francesco Scavullo has glamorized the world's great nameseveryone from Liz to Liza, Truman to Madonna, Calvin to Claudia. This year the man who apprenticed with Horst at Vogue and helped popularize the "Cosmo Girl" celebrates five decades with his Hasselblad and reveals to GEORGE WAYNE the secrets of the Scavullo Studio's marathon run.

George Wayne:What does the o in Scavullo stand for? Francesco Scavullo: I don't know.

G.W.I think it stands for "ordinary. "

F.S. I don't think I'm ordinary. I don't like ordinary things. I like simple, but not ordinary. I love beautiful women, and I love beautiful men. I've never wanted to destroy beauty. I've always just wanted to make it more beautiful.

G.W. /know you've had a few nervous breakdowns, Francesco, but please don't have a fifth one before we get through our little chat.

F.S. I don't have any, not anymore. Now I only have mini ones.

G.W.Scavullo once said he knew in high school that he wanted to be a photographer.

And you had your first magazine contract [at Seventeen/ as a teenager. Did you ever look back and say, Gee, maybe I was a prodigy?

F.S. Well, no, I just thought I was lucky. I was working in Horst's studio as an assistant when I was 16.

I just thought I was lucky to be working for Horst.

G.W.And by now you've photographed them all.

From Liz to Liza to every supermodel. But didn't you have a famous feud with Raquel Welch?

F.S. [Muttering.] I get on really well with Raquel Welch, but she is difficult. She wants the best out of herself. What usually happens with Raquel is she starts crying, and I put my arms around her and tell her everything is gonna be fine. And then we go put the clothes on her and we go to work.z

G.W.G.W.'s favorite Scavullo classic is that portrait of Diana Ross Unplugged. Simple hair, little makeup, T-shirt, and jeans. It was radical for the time.

F.S. Diana Ross said she wanted a new look. And the only thing new we could do with Diana Ross was get rid of all the hair. Get rid of the makeup.

I wanted to see her like the little urchin. I wanted to see her back to what she was before she added everything. So she came here, we

threw on a pair of [the late supermodel] Gia's old jeans, and went to work. Once she saw the pictures, she didn't like them, really. Then she showed them to Cher. Cher said, "Girl, you've never looked so good," and then it became Diana Ross's favorite picture.

G.W.Scavullo and Brooke Shields are forever linked.

F.S. I met Brooke when she was seven months old. Everybody knows that story. I was doing an Ivory-soap commercial and all the babies were crying, and Nan Bush, my assistant at the time, said she had this hairdresser friend across the street with the most beautiful baby. I said, "Call her up immediately!" So, in comes Brooke Shields in her mother's arms, and she loved the camera. Even at seven months.

G.W.There is a faction in fashion that pooh-poohs Scavullo. Irrational snobs who call him a minor talent. In other words, he's no Richard Avedon!

F.S. [Long pause.] That I'm no Avedon? Certainly not! I'm Scavullo! I have been working for 50 years. And I've had a wonderful career, a wonderful time being a photographer. And I have a book coming out [Scavullo: Photographs, 50 Years] which highlights the 50 years of my photography! I have a style which I have developed, and I'm not going to change it every 15 minutes! G.W.Congratulations are in order, Mr. Scavullo! I think the one thing you still have to do is direct a music video.

F.S. Thank you. But you know I directed Crystal Gayle's first album special for CBS. But these videos are too quick. I did think about directing films. I was very good friends with Luchino Visconti. And he once said to me, "If you really want to direct movies, come to Europe and be an assistant director on my next film." I would have had to take a year off, and I thought about it. But then I said, "If I took a year off, no one would remember who I am when I got back to New York, and this studio would be useless."