The Friday Afternoon Club - Not Exactly a Book Review

 

I read a book this week that I thought had no Beatles content. I was surprised to find some Beatles information, so this isn't really a book review, as I typically write for "Wednesday Review," but just sharing a little bit about the Beatles stuff in the book. 

I read The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne. Griffin is an American actor best known for his part in "An American Warewolf in London."   I wanted to read the book because I was interested in hearing about the tragic story of his sister, Dominique. 

What I didn't realize was that Griffin and Dominique were the children of movie producer Dominick Dunne. They grew up in Hollywood surrounded by rich and famous people. He talks about how he and his brother used to act like they were the Beatles, playing pretend guitars in front of the mirror in 1964. 

Because of their connection to famous Hollywood folks, the Dunne children attended the charity event in Benedict Canyon, where the Beatles sat on stools and shook hands with children. The Dunne family frequently had fancy parties in their home and entertained top 1960s celebrities. The kids were made to come into the party at bedtime and say goodnight, with little Dominique doing a curtsy at her mother's insistence.   So when the Dunne kids met The Beatles on that summer day in 1964, they treated it much like they did when they said goodnight to the grown-ups at their parent's parties.   They shook hands and spoke politely, and four-year-old Dominque curtsied in front of Paul.   Paul was quite tickled by the act by the little girl, as you can see in the photo. 

Griffin goes on to speak about his little brother Alex's memory of the day, stating, "Alex was before us in line and had just met George, his favorite Beatle....but the picture was taken just moments after and shows a woman steering him from the line. In the way a single image can trump reality, Alex's memory of that day is that the woman who steered him away kept him from meeting any of the Beatles and only Dominque and I were allowed." 

I find that interesting because it is a great example of how a photograph can alter a memory. Alex met all four Beatles, just like his siblings. However, the photographs do not show him interacting directly with one of them, and that image has overwritten his memory of meeting them. The human brain and how we remember things fascinate me, and it makes my hobby as a Beatles researcher that much more challenging. 

Anyhow -- in 1980, Griffin gets a job as a personal assistant to two separate elderly ladies who just happen to live in the Dakota Building in New York City.  He was fortunate to ride in the elevator with John, Yoko, and Sean.  Each time John saw Griffin, he called him "young man" in a cheeky way.   Griffin gives details on what he was doing at the time of John's murder (the play he was in was a really bad one to be in during that time) and what he did. 

That is really all of the Beatles content in the book.  But as I said, I wasn't expecting any.  It was a really good memoir, and I liked it much more than I thought I would.   It was a sad story, with Dominique being murdered by her boyfriend just as she was becoming famous.  And the trial was horrendous and difficult to believe.  Griffin knew just about every famous person you can think of and was best friends with Carrie Fisher.   I can't recommend the book as a "Beatles book" but it was good book and I finished it quickly.  

https://amzn.to/3WKluV4

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