Griffin Dunne In Conversation With Amy Robinson Will Benefit The West Bank Cafe and Laurie Beechman Theatre

The West Bank Cafe will present an exclusive evening featuring Golden Globe-nominated actor Griffin Dunne and acclaimed producer Amy Robinson as they discuss Dunne’s newly released memoir, The Friday Afternoon Club. The evening will feature a short reading from the instant New York Times bestseller, followed by a lively conversation between the longtime friends and collaborators. All proceeds from the evening will go directly towards the campaign to help the West Bank Cafe and Laurie Beechman Theatre remain open and continue their vital contributions to New York’s cultural landscape.

On Wed, Oct 2nd Griffin Dunne, known for his iconic roles in An American Werewolf in London, Martin Scorsese’s After Hours, and as the director of the acclaimed Netflix documentary The Center Will Not Hold, about his aunt Joan Didion, brings to life his latest memoir, The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir. 

At eight, Sean Connery saved him from drowning. At thirteen, desperate to hook up with Janis Joplin, he attended his aunt Joan Didion and uncle John Gregory Dunne’s legendary LA launch party for Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. At sixteen, he got kicked out of boarding school, ending his institutional education for good. In his early twenties, he shared an apartment in Manhattan’s Hotel Des Artistes with his best friend and soulmate Carrie Fisher while she was filming some sci-fi movie called Star Wars and he was a struggling actor working as a popcorn concessionaire at Radio City Music Hall. A few years later, he produced and starred in the now-iconic film After Hours, directed by Martin Scorsese. In the midst of it all, Griffin’s twenty-two-year-old sister, Dominique, a rising star in Hollywood, was brutally strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend, leading to one of the most infamous public trials of the 1980s. The outcome was a travesty of justice that marked the beginning of their father Dominick Dunne’s career as a crime reporter for Vanity Fair and a victims' rights activist.

And yet, for all its boldface cast of characters and jaw-dropping scenes, The Friday Afternoon Club is no mere celebrity memoir. It is, down to its bones, a family story that embraces the poignant absurdities and best and worst efforts of its loveable, infuriating, funny, and moving characters—its author most of all.

Amy Robinson, best known for her producing work on Running On Empty and Julie and Julia, and as an actress in Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets, will join her longtime friend for a conversation about their experiences working together and their illustrious careers in film and television.

This event is a unique opportunity to hear from two Hollywood legends while supporting the future of one of New York City’s beloved cultural institutions. The Laurie Beechman Theatre, located on the lower level of the historic West Bank Cafe, has been a staple of the city’s arts scene for decades. This benefit will help ensure that the theatre and cafe can continue to host incredible performances and community events.