An Evening with Dominick Dunne

Back in NY I always looked forward to Dominick Dunne's reports from the trials of upper class high profile  perps. While I knew it was not high end investigative reporting I could always count on his literary and judgmental view of the proceedings.  He always knew who was guilty of some horrific crime (i.e. Menendez brothers) before the jury did.  And if you were found not guilty (like Phil Spector) he'd have a fit.  Last night's documentary (a full house at the Blanton) made by an Australian filmmaker was quite good.  It showed the man with his demons (alcoholism and perpetual social climbing) and an admission that the person he loved the most (his ex-wife Lenny) left because of his character.  During the Q&A his son said when his father returned from L.A. to live a humble life in NYC he was a changed man.  Every alcoholic character in NY knew him from the "rooms", the AA meetings.  Dominick was a great story teller.  His sister-in-law Joan Didion admired him and speaks warmly about his abilities as a writer.  Dominick Dunne left this world working at something he loved: mingling, story telling, and writing.