• Intelligencer
  • The Cut
  • Vulture
  • The Strategist
  • Curbed
  • Grub Street
  • Subscribe to the Magazine Give a Gift Subscription Buy Back Issues Current Issue Contents New York Shop
    Subscribe to New York Magazine
  • Subscribe
  • Profile
    Sign Out
The Cut
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
Style
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Parties & Red Carpet
  • Fashion Shows
  • Cathy Horyn
  • The Cut Shop
Self
  • Health & Wellness
  • The State of the Uterus
  • Parenting
  • Advice
  • Sex & Relationships
  • Horoscopes
Culture
  • Books
  • Television
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Celebrity
Power
  • Politics
  • Work
  • Money
  • Rebecca Traister
More
  • Latest Stories
  • Video
  • About Us
  • nymag.com
  • New York Magazine
  • Intelligencer
  • Vulture
  • The Cut
  • The Strategist
  • Grub Street
  • Curbed
gallery
May 17, 2017

See Celebrity Polaroids From a Legendary 1980s Nightclub

By Hyunjee Lee

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
Photo: Contour by GettyImages

Boys & Girls was a popular celebrity nightclub in 1980s Los Angeles. Except for a Polaroid camera owned by the club’s founders, no cameras were allowed inside (and no one had iPhones with cameras). The late Chris Daggett snapped Polaroids of stars like Anjelica Huston, Richard Gere, and Janice Dickinson late into the night — his photos appear in the first issue of LALA magazine, an L.A.–based arts-and-culture magazine that launched this week.

“The big fashion photographers, models, young actors all came: Madonna, Sean Penn, Al Pacino, Thierry Mugler, Julien Temple, to name a few,” Bret Witke, an architect who owned the club and ran the door back then, tells LALA. “It was everyone before plastic surgery and everybody dressed up.” Chris Daggett was his life and business partner, running around with the camera. Once inside, everyone enjoyed free beer and Witke’s famous blue punch (made with vodka and blue curaçao).

The candid photos often look like inside jokes. In one frame, the late singer George Michael and his then-girlfriend Kathy Jeung caress a plastic baby doll. (Witke explained the two played Joseph and Mary Magdalene at a New Year’s Eve party and pretended to give birth to baby Jesus.) Other images show Richard Gere in conversation, Deborah Falconer on the dance floor, and a slew of random objects amid the partying — white tulips, a disco ball, and a white telephone. “You can’t live like this, nobody feels that comfortable in any given moment anymore,” Witke says. “Back then, there weren’t even paparazzi outside.”

Click ahead to see images from LALA magazine’s spread.

View
1 / 11 Photos
Richard Gere, Sally Hershberger.  Photo: Polaroids: Chris Daggett; Reproduction of Polaroids: Jeff Vespa
Chris Daggett, Janice Dickinson.  Photo: Polaroids: Chris Daggett; Reproduction of Polaroids: Jeff Vespa
Anjelica Huston.  Photo: Polaroids: Chris Daggett; Reproduction of Polaroids: Jeff Vespa
George Michael, Kathy Jeung, baby Jesus.  Photo: Polaroids: Chris Daggett; Reproduction of Polaroids: Jeff Vespa
Deborah Falconer.  Photo: Polaroids: Chris Daggett; Reproduction of Polaroids: Jeff Vespa
Bret Witke's famous blue punch.  Photo: Polaroids: Chris Daggett; Reproduction of Polaroids: Jeff Vespa
Tatjana Patitz, Rodney Rowland.  Photo: Polaroids: Chris Daggett; Reproduction of Polaroids: Jeff Vespa
Liz Goth.  Photo: Polaroids: Chris Daggett; Reproduction of Polaroids: Jeff Vespa
Nick Love, Lisa Love.  Photo: Polaroids: Chris Daggett; Reproduction of Polaroids: Jeff Vespa
Chris Daggett.  Photo: Polaroids: Chris Daggett; Reproduction of Polaroids: Jeff Vespa
Bret Wilke, Chris Daggett.  Photo: Polaroids: Chris Daggett; Reproduction of Polaroids: Jeff Vespa
1 / 11

Tags:

  • cut homepage lede
  • gallery
  • slideshows
  • polaroids
  • celebrity

More Galleries

May 26, 2023
Cannes Film Festival 2023: Red Carpet  There’s more than movies to be shown. Here are all of the looks at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. 
keeping up with the royals May 6, 2023
All the Looks From King Charles III’s Coronation  Robes, crowns, and Katy Perry. 
By Brooke LaMantia
met gala 2023 May 2, 2023
Met Gala 2023: All the Looks  See all the dresses, some on-theme and some, well, not so much — honoring Karl Lagerfeld at the Met Gala. 
By Brooke LaMantia
oscars 2023 Mar. 12, 2023
Oscars Red Carpet 2023: Every Look  Rihanna! Florence Pugh! Michelle Yeoh! They’re all here. 
celebrity Feb. 19, 2023
All the Best Looks From the 2023 BAFTAs Red Carpet  Florence Pugh, Barry Keoghan, and Angela Bassett brought color to the red carpet. 
grammys 2023 Feb. 5, 2023
Every Look From the 2023 Grammys Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Adele, Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, and more.
By Brooke LaMantia
golden globes 2023 Jan. 10, 2023
All the Looks From the 2023 Golden Globes  Sheryl Lee Ralph, Jenna Ortega, Jessica Chastain, Julia Garner, Jeremy Allen White, Angela Bassett, and more. 
parties! Sept. 23, 2022
Katie Holmes, Chloë Sevigny, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Chanel, Mejuri, and more celebrate. 
parties! Sept. 16, 2022
Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week  Fendi, Frame, and Coach all celebrated NYFW. 
emmys 2022 Sept. 12, 2022
Emmys 2022: All the Red Carpet Looks  Updating: What Hollywood is wearing to the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards. 
By Olivia Luppino
nyfw spring 2023 Sept. 9, 2022
Gigi Hadid, Chlöe Bailey, and More of the Bestest Party Pics of the Week  Saks Fifth Avenue, Longchamp, and more celebrate the beginning of NYFW. 
rip Sept. 9, 2022
The Queen Sure Did Love to Color-Coordinate  Monochrome for decades. 
red carpet Sept. 6, 2022
The Venice Film Festival Is a Major Fashion Event  Valentino and Gucci and Armani, oh my. 
red carpet June 5, 2022
All the Best Looks at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards  Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Hudgens, Jay Ellis, and more! 
parties! May 20, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Harry Styles > everyone! 
parties! May 13, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Bury me in Dove Cameron’s Saint Sintra skirt. 
parties! May 6, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  Cue the Met Gala after-party FOMO. 
met gala 2022 May 2, 2022
Met Gala 2022: All the Looks [Photos]  Billie Eilish, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Yeoh, Hailey Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Blake Lively, and more. 
parties! Apr. 29, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  This one goes to Olivia Rodrigo and her sweater vest. 
parties! Apr. 22, 2022
The Bestest Party Looks of the Week  “Fuck those Zoom tops.” 
  • Style
  • Self
  • Culture
  • Power
  • About The Cut
  • About New York Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Media Kit
  • We’re Hiring
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Ad Choices
  • Do Not Sell My Info
  • Accessibility
The Cut is a Vox Media Network. © 2023 Vox Media, LLC. All rights reserved.