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| New York Friars Club | |
|---|---|
| Name | Friars Club |
| Formation | 1904 |
| Type | Private social club |
| Headquarters | 1 East 62nd Street, Manhattan, New York City |
| Region served | United States |
| Membership | Entertainers, comedians, actors, writers |
New York Friars Club The Friars Club, founded in 1904, is a private social club in Manhattan associated with entertainment industry figures, particularly comedy and vaudeville performers; it has hosted roasts and gatherings for celebrities such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball and Bob Hope. The Club's membership and events have intersected with institutions like Radio City Music Hall, The Apollo Theater, The Metropolitan Opera and festivals including Montreux Jazz Festival, gaining attention from publications such as The New York Times and Variety. Its history reflects ties to performers from Broadway, Hollywood, television, stand-up comedy and cartooning communities.
The Club was established by a group of entertainers including Harry Houdini, Mark Twain admirers and vaudeville figures, with early membership overlapping with Ziegfeld Follies performers and managers from Keith-Albee circuits and Orpheum Circuit vaudeville chains. During the 1920s and 1930s the Club's activities paralleled careers of Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan, Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson, while benefitting from cultural shifts tied to Tin Pan Alley, Radio Corporation of America (RCA), and the rise of Hollywood studios like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros.. Postwar connections brought in figures from television such as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and later generations included comedians linked to The Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live, Late Show with David Letterman and Netflix specials by performers like Jerry Seinfeld and Dave Chappelle.
The Club has occupied several Manhattan locations, culminating in townhouse properties near Central Park and the Upper East Side, with facilities used for banquets, dining rooms, private libraries and performance spaces often compared to clubs like Algonquin Hotel and The Players Club. Interiors have housed artwork, caricatures and archives linked to artists such as Al Hirschfeld and memorabilia associated with the Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Tony Awards and Grammy Awards. The building's zoning and renovation projects have involved interactions with New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission processes and municipal agencies including New York City Department of Buildings and local preservationists.
Membership has included comedians, actors, writers, directors, producers and agents such as Bela Lugosi, Sid Caesar, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Billy Crystal, Don Rickles, Phyllis Diller, Richard Pryor, George Burns, Shecky Greene, Norm Crosby, Sam Levenson, Mort Sahl, Lenny Bruce, Joan Rivers, Andy Kaufman, Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Steve Martin, John Cleese, Peter Cook, Dawn French, Carol Burnett, Martha Raye, Mae West, Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Milton Berle, George Carlin, Redd Foxx, Phyllis Newman, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Groucho Marx and talents from Saturday Night Live ensembles. Honorary and associated members have included executives from CBS, NBCUniversal, WarnerMedia, Disney and writers from publications like Playbill and The Hollywood Reporter.
The Club became famous for its roasts, black-tie dinners and comedic tributes to personalities such as Dean Martin Roast, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Donald Trump (celebrity roasts in broader culture), and many TV specials featuring guests from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Roasts have provided stages for routines by Don Rickles, Richard Pryor, Chris Farley, Andrew Dice Clay, Paul Reubens, Mort Sahl, Rita Rudner and ensembles from Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade. The Club also hosted charity galas, award dinners and anniversary events that attracted presenters from Tony Awards ceremonies, presenters from Emmy Awards broadcasts, and tributes involving guests from SAG-AFTRA and Actors' Equity Association.
Beyond entertainment, the Club has organized benefits supporting causes tied to performers' health, legacies and arts education, partnering with institutions like The Actors Fund, The Shubert Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts and museums such as Museum of the City of New York and The Paley Center for Media. Its caricature collection and oral histories have informed scholarship at universities including New York University, Columbia University, Yale University and archives in institutions like the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The Club's cultural influence extends into comedy studies, broadcast histories and biographies of entertainers documented by biographers of Frank Sinatra, Jack Benny and Bob Hope.
The Club has faced lease negotiations, tax matters and litigation involving landlords, creditors and real estate interests including interactions with law firms, trustees, and municipal tax assessment processes. Past disputes over building renovations, membership dues structures and licensing of events have involved legal practices similar to cases seen in other private clubs and nonprofit organizations represented in courts including New York Supreme Court and administrative hearings before city agencies. Financial pressures have paralleled broader industry shifts affecting performers' clubs, private membership organizations and hospitality venues in Manhattan.
The Club has been referenced in films, television shows and books, appearing in works associated with The Godfather era performers, Some Like It Hot stars, biopics of Frank Sinatra and documentaries produced by HBO, PBS and BBC. It has been depicted or alluded to in fiction by authors linked to The New Yorker, Nora Ephron pieces, and scripts associated with writers for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, while media coverage has appeared in outlets like Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone.
Category:Social clubs in the United States