Dominick Dunne’s ‘Vanity Fair’ Coverage Of The OJ Trial Is Still The Best
Now that the whole OJ Simpson drama has been rehashed for entertainment, the stand-out star of the event, Dominick Dunne, has gone silent, as he has passed away. But still around are his missives from the courtroom, published in Vanity Fair and reprinted now in time for the debut of two OJ Simpson miniseries.
According to The Inquisitr, Kris Jenner seems to believe the time around the OJ trial was all about her, though there is barely a mention of her in Dominick Dunne’s writings. She did testify during the trial, and at the time, she was already married to the then Bruce Jenner. Kris Jenner referred to herself as Nicole Brown Simpson’s best friend, yet she also said she had an affair with Nicole’s then husband, OJ Simpson. An associate of Simpson’s claimed there was nothing special about the affair, as “Kris Jenner slept with everyone back then.”
Before #ACSFX, brush up on Dominick Dunne’s complete coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial for Vanity Fair https://t.co/rfQsRdoXP7
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 3, 2016
Vanity Fair has provided an index to all of Dominick Dunne’s articles from the trial, including what happened after hours at dinner parties and whispered in the hallway. Dunno came to journalism through a tragic path, which was the murder of his daughter. Most of Dunne’s articles were written in a diary style.
“The Simpson case is like a great trash novel come to life, a mammoth fireworks display of interracial marriage, love, lust, lies, hate, fame, wealth, beauty, obsession, spousal abuse, stalking, brokenhearted children, the bloodiest of bloody knife-slashing homicides, and all the justice that money can buy.”
Dunne also was often a press ring leader in what sometimes seemed like a circus.
“Starting this Tuesday, June 6, K-EARTH 101, Oldies Radio, will give viewers of the O. J. Simpson murder trial something to do during the countless sidebars…. Every time Judge Ito calls for a sidebar, viewers should turn on their radio to K-EARTH 101.1 FM. During the sidebar, we’ll play the K-EARTH 101 ‘O.J. Sidebar’ jingle and immediately take the first five callers, who will each win a special O.J. watch…. These collectible wristwatches depict the infamous white Bronco being pursued by the California Highway Patrol.” —Commercial on L.A. radio station K-EARTH 101 FM.
Dunne also gave background, and his thoughts about OJ Simpson’s health from the perspective of Simpson’s daughter from his first marriage, Arnelle.
“Arnelle said that owing to rheumatoid arthritis O.J. had had to give up tennis and had been unable to dig a grave for the family’s pet dog. Eunice, who also suffers from arthritis, rose from her wheelchair and—with a cane and an assist from defense lawyer Carl Douglas—hobbled to the stand, her body bent over.”
O.J. Simpson fever is back. Revisit Dominick Dunne’s first V.F. story on the murder trial of the century https://t.co/1qY4EQmPYt
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) February 3, 2016
And Forbes wrote that any movie about the OJ Simpson trial could not be told without casting someone as Dominick Dunne, and the casting had to be right, though some of the other choices were questionable, like David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian.
“Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as the defendant, backed by John Travolta (playing attorney Robert Shapiro), Nathan Lane (F. Lee Bailey), Sarah Paulson (Marcia Clark), David Schwimmer (Robert Kardashian), Courtney B. Vance (Johnnie Cochran), Sterling K. Brown (Christopher Darden), Robert Morse (Dominick Dunne) and many others. Based on a book by Jeffrey Toobin, it’s the first season of what’s intended as an anthology series.”
Sonia Saraiya reviewed the miniseries for Salon, and also agrees that the casting of Robert Morse as Dominick Dunne was spot-on.
“In a telling scene before the trial starts, Vanity Fair writer Dominick Dunne (Robert Morse) and Judge Lance Ito (Kenneth Choi) discuss how Dunne might be able to be a comfort to the bereaved parents of the victims, given that Dunne’s own daughter was murdered in 1982—a conversation tinged by compassion and respect. Then Ito shows Dunne correspondence he received just that morning. It’s an autographed glossy 8×10 of Arsenio Hall, wishing the judge good luck on the eve of one of the biggest trials in history. Ito’s beaming, thrilled that Arsenio Hall has even noticed him. Dunne’s face, as delivered by Morse, is priceless. Not even the judge was immune to celebrity; the trajectory of the trial is clear in that room even before opening arguments were heard.”
Do you think Dominick Dunne’s take on the OJ trial was the best yet?
[Photo by Photo Pool/Getty Images]
