There used to be this organization called the Friars Club which was basically a social club for comedians. There was a branch in New York and one in Los Angeles and while they put on shows (usually for good causes) in each, their main function was to be a place where members could hang out, dine, play cards and sometimes enjoy a gymnasium. The L.A. club was rocked in the sixties by a scandal when it turned out that the card games — which since they involved gambling, were probably illegal in the first place — turned out to have often been rigged.
The L.A. branch closed down in 2008 and the building that housed it was demolished a few years later. I wrote about it here. The New York branch closed down in 2022 after its own money-related scandal but it was on the way out anyway. Members kept dying off and there simply weren't enough new ones to sustain such an expensive-to-run organization.
Just recently, the lovely old building that housed the club in New York was sold to a creditor for $17.2 million. Here's a news story about that. Because the building has landmark status, it'll be difficult for its new owners to tear it down but they don't seem quite certain what they can do with it. They seem to want to resurrect the Friars Club or something similar.
I visited both Friars Clubs a number of times and the Manhattan one had more history, more character and — when I was there — a daily round table of old Jewish comedians usually headed up by Henny Youngman. It will be hard to replicate that table.
My first time there — this would have been in the eighties — I was back in New York on business and one of my meetings involved a lunch at the Friars Club. During this trip, I was also trying to connect with a wonderful comedian lady I knew (and know) named Louise Duart. I was supposed to call her when I got into town and she was waiting for my call…but somehow, the phone number I had for her was wrong and I couldn't find a correct one.
So one very rainy day, I took a cab to the Friars Club at 57 East 55th Street, between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue for this scheduled luncheon with a TV producer. As I headed in, there was a lady struggling with a rolling suitcase that wouldn't roll, trying to get it up the front steps. I went over to help her and it turned out to be Louise…another of the incredible coincidences in which my life has abounded.
We got in and she invited me to join her and her friends at their lunch table. I told her thanks but I was there to meet someone, then I told the Maître d' who I was there to meet. He then told me the producer had called and said he'd be about a half-hour late due to an emergency…so I happily joined Louise's table. Seated around it I found not only Mr. Youngman but also Corbett Monica, Mal Z. Lawrence, Freddie Roman, Dick Capri and Jackie Gayle. I said almost nothing…just sat there listening to these folks swap jokes and anecdotes, hoping my producer date would never show up.
Alas, he did. We had a nice lunch and then after he departed, I wandered around the club a bit until Freddie Roman spotted me and offered to give me the grand tour. There was a great story about every piece of furniture, every wall ornament, every doorway, every pay phone…even every stain on the carpet. It was one of the most fascinating and funny afternoons I ever spent. I sure hope that place survives in something resembling the way it was then. Unfortunately, Freddie Roman died two years ago and there may be no one else alive who could tell all those stories with any sense of authority. I sure couldn't.
