1 00:00:04,019 --> 00:00:06,180 Speaker 1: Happy Monday, everyone out there in Hollywood land. It's the 2 00:00:06,220 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: good doctor, Zeth Lundy, welcoming you to The Working Week, 3 00:00:09,660 --> 00:00:12,240 Speaker 1: which means another peek into our archive of stories at 4 00:00:12,289 --> 00:00:15,690 Speaker 1: the intersection of Hollywood and true crime. Today, we've got 5 00:00:15,730 --> 00:00:18,409 Speaker 1: our fully scripted and sound design episode for you on 6 00:00:18,510 --> 00:00:22,770 Speaker 1: Jack Nicholson. I became obsessed with Jack Nicholson's filmography back 7 00:00:22,810 --> 00:00:24,970 Speaker 1: when I was in high school. It was probably One 8 00:00:25,030 --> 00:00:27,850 Speaker 1: Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest that sparked my fascination with him, 9 00:00:27,950 --> 00:00:30,610 Speaker 1: or perhaps it was A Few Good Men, which came 10 00:00:30,690 --> 00:00:33,030 Speaker 1: out when I was a sophomore. But What I really 11 00:00:33,070 --> 00:00:36,980 Speaker 1: latched onto was the authority-defining rebellion of the characters that 12 00:00:37,020 --> 00:00:40,540 Speaker 1: he portrayed in the 1970s in films like Cuckoo's Nest 13 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,820 Speaker 1: and also The Last Detail and Five Easy Pieces. I 14 00:00:43,900 --> 00:00:45,680 Speaker 1: think there was a little bit of Jack in all 15 00:00:45,740 --> 00:00:49,830 Speaker 1: those characters. The sailors, the inmates, the jokers, even the 16 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,129 Speaker 1: devil himself. And in our episode about his wild life 17 00:00:53,170 --> 00:00:55,410 Speaker 1: that you're about to hear, you're going to find out why. 18 00:00:55,430 --> 00:00:58,530 Speaker 1: I hope you dig this episode on Jack Nicholson, and 19 00:00:58,570 --> 00:01:00,630 Speaker 1: I hope you join me again here on Wednesday for 20 00:01:00,650 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: the wrap party episode where I'll respond to your messages, 21 00:01:03,380 --> 00:01:05,860 Speaker 1: and then again on Friday for a new installment of 22 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,220 Speaker 1: The Screening Room, in which I'll do a deep dive 23 00:01:08,330 --> 00:01:12,670 Speaker 1: into the 1975 Michelangelo Antonioni film, The Passenger. 24 00:01:14,670 --> 00:01:17,850 Speaker 2: This episode contains content that may be disturbing to some listeners. 25 00:01:18,390 --> 00:01:22,190 Speaker 2: Please check the show notes for more information. Hollywoodland is 26 00:01:22,230 --> 00:01:23,610 Speaker 2: a production of Double Elvis. 27 00:01:26,030 --> 00:01:28,940 Speaker 1: Order in the courts! What's the first case on the 28 00:01:28,970 --> 00:01:29,950 Speaker 1: docket this morning? 29 00:01:29,970 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 3: A man charged with shoplifting. All right, officer, bring him in. 30 00:01:33,860 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: I want to see a man that's strong enough to 31 00:01:35,780 --> 00:01:38,300 Speaker 1: lift a shop. Here he is, your honor. 32 00:01:38,540 --> 00:01:41,300 Speaker 3: Where is he? Here. I don't see him. Why, this 33 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:42,320 Speaker 3: is the man beside me. 34 00:01:42,660 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 1: What, that little bit of a snip? 35 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:46,380 Speaker 3: Say, officer, he's no shoplifter. 36 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 1: Sure, that consumptive-looking little guy couldn't. 37 00:01:48,700 --> 00:01:49,300 Speaker 3: Lift a baby. 38 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: Just charged. 39 00:01:53,220 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 3: The stories about Jack Nicholson are insane. He was attacked 40 00:01:58,020 --> 00:02:01,380 Speaker 3: in his private studio bungalow by his girlfriend of 17 41 00:02:01,380 --> 00:02:06,190 Speaker 3: years after numerous betrayals. His house was a major Hollywood 42 00:02:06,250 --> 00:02:09,430 Speaker 3: party scene in the 70s and also the site of 43 00:02:09,530 --> 00:02:13,670 Speaker 3: one of Hollywood's most shocking crimes. He fought the Motion 44 00:02:13,710 --> 00:02:18,530 Speaker 3: Picture Association and the Los Angeles Police Department. He didn't 45 00:02:18,570 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 3: play by the rules because he didn't acknowledge that the 46 00:02:21,460 --> 00:02:24,900 Speaker 3: rules existed. Just ask the guy who feared for his 47 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,750 Speaker 3: life as Jack smashed his windshield in a bizarre road 48 00:02:28,810 --> 00:02:34,630 Speaker 3: rage meltdown. And Jack Nicholson made great films. He played 49 00:02:34,650 --> 00:02:36,610 Speaker 3: some of the most iconic roles in some of the 50 00:02:36,650 --> 00:02:40,530 Speaker 3: most influential films of all time. Unlike that clip I 51 00:02:40,570 --> 00:02:42,810 Speaker 3: played for you at the top of the show. That 52 00:02:42,910 --> 00:02:43,550 Speaker 3: wasn't from. 53 00:02:43,470 --> 00:02:44,070 Speaker 2: A great film. 54 00:02:44,910 --> 00:02:47,250 Speaker 3: That was a fair use sample from the Library of 55 00:02:47,340 --> 00:02:52,820 Speaker 3: Congress of Steve Porter performing a police court scene in 1919. 56 00:02:53,050 --> 00:02:55,410 Speaker 3: I played you that clip because I can't afford the 57 00:02:55,490 --> 00:02:59,450 Speaker 3: rights to a clip from Tom Shadyak's Ace Ventura Pet Detective. 58 00:03:00,310 --> 00:03:03,100 Speaker 3: And why would I play you that specific slice of 59 00:03:03,419 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 3: alrighty then, cheese, could I afford it? Because that was 60 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:13,459 Speaker 3: the number one movie in America on February 8th, 1994. 61 00:03:13,460 --> 00:03:17,049 Speaker 3: And that was the day that Jack Nicholson violently bashed 62 00:03:17,110 --> 00:03:22,190 Speaker 3: an idling Mercedes-Benz with his two iron. On this episode, 63 00:03:22,580 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 3: An attack in a private bungalow, a road rage meltdown, 64 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:33,250 Speaker 3: the MPAA, the LAPD, and here's. 65 00:03:32,010 --> 00:03:34,169 Speaker 2: Johnny Jack Nicholson. 66 00:03:35,030 --> 00:04:10,500 Speaker 3: I'm Jake Brennan, and this is Hollywoodland. The Boston Garden 67 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 3: was electric. Thousands of fans on their feet, screaming at 68 00:04:14,260 --> 00:04:17,159 Speaker 3: the top of their lungs. Green and white rally towels 69 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:19,860 Speaker 3: flapping in the humid air. Sneakers up and down the 70 00:04:19,900 --> 00:04:24,060 Speaker 3: parquet floor. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wiped the sweat from his goggles. 71 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:27,340 Speaker 3: Larry Bird thought about how good the first three Budweisers 72 00:04:27,380 --> 00:04:30,430 Speaker 3: were going to taste. And from a private box high 73 00:04:30,490 --> 00:04:34,990 Speaker 3: above the action, Jack Nicholson was yelling. Not that anyone 74 00:04:35,029 --> 00:04:38,790 Speaker 3: could hear him. The garden was loud as fuck. He 75 00:04:38,850 --> 00:04:41,910 Speaker 3: yelled anyway, because he couldn't help himself. He was always 76 00:04:41,950 --> 00:04:47,050 Speaker 3: yelling at Lakers games. And Jack Nicholson didn't miss Lakers games. 77 00:04:48,589 --> 00:04:51,510 Speaker 3: He caught them courtside at the Forum in L.A. He'd 78 00:04:51,529 --> 00:04:54,210 Speaker 3: been the team's most vocal season ticket holder since the 79 00:04:54,250 --> 00:04:57,510 Speaker 3: early 70s. But he couldn't be courtside because he was 80 00:04:57,620 --> 00:05:00,340 Speaker 3: on set. He'd do everything in his power to wrap 81 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:02,979 Speaker 3: production early so that he could catch the action on 82 00:05:03,020 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 3: a TV set in his trailer. 83 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:06,599 Speaker 2: Jack didn't miss a game. 84 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:10,060 Speaker 3: Even if that meant flying from Los Angeles all the 85 00:05:10,100 --> 00:05:13,370 Speaker 3: way to Boston to catch Game 7, which is exactly 86 00:05:13,410 --> 00:05:17,930 Speaker 3: what he did on June 12, 1984. The Lakers climbed 87 00:05:17,950 --> 00:05:21,210 Speaker 3: to the top of the heap year after year. Division titles, 88 00:05:21,330 --> 00:05:25,210 Speaker 3: conference titles, championships. Just like Jack was king of his 89 00:05:25,290 --> 00:05:27,750 Speaker 3: own heap, he stood on top of that heap with 90 00:05:27,790 --> 00:05:31,100 Speaker 3: an Academy Award in each hand. And also, like his 91 00:05:31,180 --> 00:05:36,050 Speaker 3: precious Lakers, Jack Nicholson didn't take losing very well. So 92 00:05:36,130 --> 00:05:39,770 Speaker 3: Jack was understandably beside himself as he watched his team 93 00:05:39,870 --> 00:05:43,770 Speaker 3: fall to a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Jack 94 00:05:43,830 --> 00:05:45,650 Speaker 3: wished he was an earshot of the refs like he 95 00:05:45,690 --> 00:05:48,729 Speaker 3: was back home, or the opposing team's coach on the 96 00:05:48,790 --> 00:05:52,110 Speaker 3: sidelines near his coveted seat. He'd like to give KC 97 00:05:52,170 --> 00:05:54,630 Speaker 3: Jones a piece of his fucking mind right about now. 98 00:05:55,470 --> 00:05:58,650 Speaker 3: The Lakers suddenly got their mojo back. They cut the Celtics' 99 00:05:58,710 --> 00:06:02,849 Speaker 3: lead to 12 points, then 10, 8. With 26 seconds 100 00:06:02,890 --> 00:06:06,530 Speaker 3: to go, the Lakers were down by 7. Jack ran 101 00:06:06,570 --> 00:06:09,550 Speaker 3: his fingers through his wild hair, and that devilish grin 102 00:06:09,589 --> 00:06:13,070 Speaker 3: of his suddenly sprouted on his face. They were doing it, 103 00:06:13,650 --> 00:06:16,750 Speaker 3: climbing to the top of the heap. But not before 104 00:06:16,770 --> 00:06:19,870 Speaker 3: the Celtics' Dennis Johnson could wipe that grin off Jack's 105 00:06:19,930 --> 00:06:23,570 Speaker 3: face when he sank two free throws with only seconds left. 106 00:06:24,450 --> 00:06:27,950 Speaker 3: The clock counted down to zero, and the buzzer sounded. 107 00:06:28,830 --> 00:06:34,010 Speaker 3: The Lakers lost the championship game. Up in his private box, 108 00:06:34,370 --> 00:06:36,850 Speaker 3: Jack wasn't able to properly vent his frustration at the 109 00:06:36,910 --> 00:06:39,590 Speaker 3: striped shirt rulekeeper or some asshole townie. 110 00:06:40,310 --> 00:06:43,930 Speaker 2: No matter. Because unlike the Lakers, Jack didn't play by 111 00:06:43,950 --> 00:06:44,430 Speaker 2: the rules. 112 00:06:45,089 --> 00:06:47,390 Speaker 3: He took the L the only way a defiant rule 113 00:06:47,430 --> 00:06:50,690 Speaker 3: breaker could. He turned his back on the court, pulled 114 00:06:50,730 --> 00:06:53,909 Speaker 3: his shorts down, bent over, and then he mooned all 115 00:06:53,910 --> 00:06:58,110 Speaker 3: 15,000 people in attendance with his bare ass. Only a 116 00:06:58,170 --> 00:07:01,250 Speaker 3: handful in attendance actually noticed, but those who did catch 117 00:07:01,310 --> 00:07:04,670 Speaker 3: it never forgot. Not just anyone could pull off a 118 00:07:04,700 --> 00:07:10,630 Speaker 3: stunt like that. Public nudity, disorderly behavior. But by 1984, 119 00:07:10,630 --> 00:07:15,130 Speaker 3: Jack Nicholson had earned the right to be outrageous. He 120 00:07:15,170 --> 00:07:18,890 Speaker 3: had more Academy Award nominations than any American actor in history. 121 00:07:19,350 --> 00:07:22,970 Speaker 3: He commanded the screen and stole every scene. He ordered 122 00:07:23,010 --> 00:07:25,410 Speaker 3: chicken salad on wheat toast but told the waitress to 123 00:07:25,470 --> 00:07:27,330 Speaker 3: hold the toast and when she asked where should I 124 00:07:27,390 --> 00:07:31,380 Speaker 3: hold it, he responded, between your knees. When his career 125 00:07:31,420 --> 00:07:34,820 Speaker 3: took off in the 1970s, he sought out quirky roles 126 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,440 Speaker 3: that quickly made him stand out unlike any other actor. 127 00:07:38,140 --> 00:07:41,860 Speaker 3: Sui Generis. He turned down the role of Michael Corleone 128 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,980 Speaker 3: in The Godfather and instead delivered one of his earliest 129 00:07:45,060 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 3: iconic roles as Billy Badass Badowski in The Last Detail. 130 00:07:49,430 --> 00:07:52,550 Speaker 3: He passed on sci-fi fantasies like Close Encounters of the 131 00:07:52,610 --> 00:07:56,670 Speaker 3: Third Kind, opting for smaller human stories with bigger human 132 00:07:56,770 --> 00:08:00,610 Speaker 3: stakes like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Jack Nicholson 133 00:08:01,010 --> 00:08:06,010 Speaker 3: was defined by an exhilarating unpredictability. Audiences couldn't take their 134 00:08:06,130 --> 00:08:09,770 Speaker 3: eyes off of him. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 135 00:08:09,830 --> 00:08:13,920 Speaker 3: got Jack his first Academy Award after four previous nominations. 136 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:18,540 Speaker 3: His second Golden Statuette came in 1984 for his comedic 137 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:22,260 Speaker 3: turn in terms of endearment, just months before Jack dropped 138 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:28,610 Speaker 3: Trow and issued that now-legendary Moon Over Boston. The next year, 1985, 139 00:08:28,610 --> 00:08:31,410 Speaker 3: The Lakers got sweet revenge on the Celtics to win 140 00:08:31,450 --> 00:08:35,020 Speaker 3: the NBA championship. But Jack was looking more and more 141 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:37,040 Speaker 3: like the 1984 version. 142 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 2: Of his beloved basketball team. Like the winning streak was 143 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:43,500 Speaker 2: coming to an end. And it was all because of 144 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:48,559 Speaker 2: one movie. The movie was called The Two Jinx. 145 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:52,940 Speaker 3: It was a sequel to Chinatown, the 1974 film noir 146 00:08:52,980 --> 00:08:57,050 Speaker 3: that had solidified Jack's status as a Hollywood A-lister. Chinatown 147 00:08:57,090 --> 00:09:00,940 Speaker 3: screenwriter Robert Towne had returned to pen the sequel's script. 148 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:05,500 Speaker 3: Then Robert Evans, aka Bob Evans, Paramount's mighty production exec, 149 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 3: he was back too. But Robert Towne wasn't just writing 150 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,890 Speaker 3: the two Jakes. He was directing, too, for the first time. 151 00:09:13,450 --> 00:09:16,290 Speaker 3: And Bob Evans wasn't just the producer. Bob Evans was 152 00:09:16,330 --> 00:09:18,870 Speaker 3: going to act in one of the film's lead roles, 153 00:09:19,230 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 3: opposite Jack Nicholson. Bob, Jack, and Robert thought that hiring 154 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 3: a non-director to direct a non-actor. 155 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:27,960 Speaker 2: To act was a good idea at the time. 156 00:09:28,900 --> 00:09:31,820 Speaker 3: An incredible act of hubris that only these two Bobs 157 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:36,380 Speaker 3: and one Jack could have. However, as principal photography for 158 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 3: the two Jakes neared, it became obvious to Robert Towne 159 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:42,969 Speaker 3: that one of those two things was most definitely not 160 00:09:43,110 --> 00:09:46,410 Speaker 3: a good idea. So before the cameras even started to roll, 161 00:09:46,830 --> 00:09:51,630 Speaker 3: Robert Towne, the director, fired Bob Evans, the producer. Jack, 162 00:09:51,790 --> 00:09:56,390 Speaker 3: the star, was bullshit. Everyone knew that Bob Evans couldn't act. 163 00:09:56,890 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 3: The guy hadn't even appeared in front of a camera 164 00:09:58,780 --> 00:10:01,630 Speaker 3: in something like 40 years. but that wasn't the point. 165 00:10:02,220 --> 00:10:04,900 Speaker 3: The point was that Bob Evans was a friend, and 166 00:10:04,940 --> 00:10:07,160 Speaker 3: he didn't deserve to be shit-canned before he even had 167 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 3: a chance to prove himself. And that's what Jack thought anyway. 168 00:10:11,100 --> 00:10:15,720 Speaker 3: So too did Paramount, of course. Production stalled. Jack fought 169 00:10:15,780 --> 00:10:19,340 Speaker 3: with Robert Towne. Robert Towne fought with Paramount. And then 170 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:25,340 Speaker 3: Robert Towne failed. Paramount pulled funding. Lawsuits were filed. The 171 00:10:25,380 --> 00:10:27,819 Speaker 3: two Jakes was dead in the water and the internal 172 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:31,380 Speaker 3: squabbling between the two Bobs and Jack was splayed all. 173 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:32,540 Speaker 2: Over the industry papers. 174 00:10:33,220 --> 00:10:36,130 Speaker 3: It was a bad look. A Hollywood A-lister betting on 175 00:10:36,140 --> 00:10:40,150 Speaker 3: the wrong horse. A stubborn star who let relationships curdle 176 00:10:40,210 --> 00:10:42,110 Speaker 3: simply because he only did things one way. 177 00:10:42,610 --> 00:10:43,090 Speaker 2: His way. 178 00:10:43,809 --> 00:10:46,329 Speaker 3: And that's not how Jack Nicholson got to be so 179 00:10:46,410 --> 00:10:49,660 Speaker 3: popular and so in demand. Jack Nicholson got to be 180 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:52,720 Speaker 3: so popular and so in demand because people liked him 181 00:10:52,820 --> 00:10:57,450 Speaker 3: so damn much. At any given party in the swinging 70s, 182 00:10:57,500 --> 00:11:01,010 Speaker 3: with Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, and Jack Nicholson 183 00:11:01,050 --> 00:11:05,689 Speaker 3: in attendance, all the women gravitated to Jack. That grin, 184 00:11:05,850 --> 00:11:09,030 Speaker 3: that smile. Some said it was devilish, others said it 185 00:11:09,070 --> 00:11:12,670 Speaker 3: was the devil himself. The best parties, of course, were 186 00:11:12,690 --> 00:11:15,790 Speaker 3: the parties at Jack's house. Up in the Hollywood Hills 187 00:11:15,870 --> 00:11:21,170 Speaker 3: on Mulholland Drive, Eight-room A-frame stucco pad, sliding glass doors 188 00:11:21,230 --> 00:11:25,630 Speaker 3: overlooking a ravine, pool, jacuzzi, Matisse, and Picasso on the walls. 189 00:11:26,250 --> 00:11:29,500 Speaker 3: Jack bought it for 80 grand in 1970. If you 190 00:11:29,540 --> 00:11:32,439 Speaker 3: were in the know, then you knew about Jack's place. 191 00:11:33,780 --> 00:11:35,300 Speaker 3: The door was always. 192 00:11:35,140 --> 00:11:37,609 Speaker 2: Open to friends. Even Roman Polanski was welcome. 193 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:41,570 Speaker 3: Little Napoleon, despite the fact that he cast John Cassavetes 194 00:11:41,650 --> 00:11:44,770 Speaker 3: instead of Jack in Rosemary's Baby, had once smashed the 195 00:11:44,809 --> 00:11:47,949 Speaker 3: TV set in Jack's trailer when Jack bailed on Chinatown 196 00:11:47,990 --> 00:11:51,870 Speaker 3: rehearsals to watch the Lakers game. Some called Jack's house 197 00:11:52,130 --> 00:11:56,229 Speaker 3: the epicenter of the era's drug-soaked scene. Author Bob Woodward 198 00:11:56,550 --> 00:11:59,590 Speaker 3: claimed that Jack's house contained downstairs. 199 00:11:59,070 --> 00:12:01,100 Speaker 2: Drugs and upstairs drugs. 200 00:12:01,770 --> 00:12:04,740 Speaker 3: The downstairs drugs were for whoever happened to drop by, 201 00:12:05,140 --> 00:12:09,699 Speaker 3: Mikasa Tsukasa, but the upstairs drugs... Those were high quality 202 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:13,440 Speaker 3: and were reserved only for very special company. And when 203 00:12:13,500 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 3: it came to special company, Jack had all kinds, from 204 00:12:18,059 --> 00:12:22,890 Speaker 3: one-night stands to long-term flings. But no love affair lasted 205 00:12:22,929 --> 00:12:25,750 Speaker 3: as long as the one Jack had with Angelica Houston, 206 00:12:26,510 --> 00:12:31,490 Speaker 3: the daughter of the cinematic titan John Houston. Angelica accompanied 207 00:12:31,550 --> 00:12:33,440 Speaker 3: a friend one night in 1973 to attend a party 208 00:12:33,460 --> 00:12:38,079 Speaker 3: at Jack's house. Anyone could see that he was a rake, 209 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:42,680 Speaker 3: a rogue, a Lothario. He was both charming and capital-T Trouble, 210 00:12:43,270 --> 00:12:47,230 Speaker 3: a paradox. He was just like Angelica's father, actually, who'd 211 00:12:47,270 --> 00:12:49,510 Speaker 3: made a name for himself in Hollywood not only as 212 00:12:49,550 --> 00:12:53,410 Speaker 3: a director, but as a great seducer of women. And so, 213 00:12:53,530 --> 00:12:57,580 Speaker 3: perhaps against her better judgment, Angelica allowed herself to be 214 00:12:57,660 --> 00:13:01,620 Speaker 3: seduced by Jack. She spent the night, and then she 215 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:05,350 Speaker 3: moved in. Angelica's rocky relationship with Jack over the next 216 00:13:05,350 --> 00:13:09,309 Speaker 3: 17 years would be the longest of Jack's life. Angelica 217 00:13:09,350 --> 00:13:14,410 Speaker 3: even weathered Jack's infidelities, well, most of the infidelities. She 218 00:13:14,429 --> 00:13:17,500 Speaker 3: was even there, at Jack's house on Mulholland, hidden in 219 00:13:17,510 --> 00:13:20,340 Speaker 3: the Hollywood Hills, when the cops showed up for the 220 00:13:20,380 --> 00:13:24,319 Speaker 3: first time in 1977. But they weren't there to break 221 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:28,580 Speaker 3: up one of Jack's notorious parties. They came because Jack's 222 00:13:28,620 --> 00:13:52,699 Speaker 3: house was the scene of a terrible crime. Jack Nicholson 223 00:13:52,740 --> 00:13:55,980 Speaker 3: was in Aspen when he got the call. Angelica's voice 224 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 3: was frantic. LAPD was at the house. 225 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 2: Jack's house. 226 00:14:01,220 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 3: They found a container of hash in the bathroom. Half 227 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:08,260 Speaker 3: a gram of coke in Angelica's purse. Jack panicked. What 228 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 3: about the other stuff? The good stuff? The upstairs drugs? Luckily, 229 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:15,270 Speaker 3: the cops hadn't found the good shit stashed in fake 230 00:14:15,350 --> 00:14:19,610 Speaker 3: shaving cream containers. But wait, just what the hell were 231 00:14:19,650 --> 00:14:22,470 Speaker 3: the LAPD doing at his house in the first place? 232 00:14:23,470 --> 00:14:28,710 Speaker 3: Angelica asked Jack if he was sitting down. Roman Polanski 233 00:14:28,930 --> 00:14:31,870 Speaker 3: had used Jack's empty house for a photo shoot while 234 00:14:31,930 --> 00:14:34,910 Speaker 3: Jack was out of town. He was guest editing an 235 00:14:34,950 --> 00:14:38,350 Speaker 3: upcoming issue of the French edition of Vogue, and Jack's 236 00:14:38,390 --> 00:14:41,830 Speaker 3: house had the Hollywood Hills vibe he needed. And since 237 00:14:41,910 --> 00:14:45,050 Speaker 3: Jack was out of town, his house also offered Roman 238 00:14:45,090 --> 00:14:46,070 Speaker 3: the other thing he needed. 239 00:14:47,010 --> 00:14:47,570 Speaker 2: Privacy. 240 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:52,560 Speaker 3: Because the model that Roman Polanski was photographing was not 241 00:14:52,620 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 3: a jet-setting denizen of the international haute couture. She was 242 00:14:56,520 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 3: a 13-year-old. In the photo session, well, that may have 243 00:15:01,660 --> 00:15:04,390 Speaker 3: just been a ruse. because Roman had more on his 244 00:15:04,450 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 3: mind than a roll of film. What Roman had in 245 00:15:07,700 --> 00:15:12,620 Speaker 3: mind involved champagne, quaaludes, and Jack's jacuzzi. When the girl 246 00:15:12,660 --> 00:15:16,180 Speaker 3: became drowsy and disoriented, Roman took her to the upstairs 247 00:15:16,260 --> 00:15:20,500 Speaker 3: bedroom and sexually assaulted her. Angelica just happened to come 248 00:15:20,560 --> 00:15:23,730 Speaker 3: home in the immediate aftermath and, much to her surprise, 249 00:15:24,270 --> 00:15:28,550 Speaker 3: found Roman and the girl there. Jack knew that Roman 250 00:15:28,570 --> 00:15:31,979 Speaker 3: had been devastated when members of the Manson family brutally 251 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:35,340 Speaker 3: slaughtered his wife Sharon Tate and their unborn child back 252 00:15:35,380 --> 00:15:40,980 Speaker 3: in 1969. That fucked with everyone in Hollywood. Jack himself 253 00:15:41,060 --> 00:15:43,660 Speaker 3: slept with a hammer under his pillow for weeks afterwards. 254 00:15:44,420 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 3: But eventually, as time marched on, Jack and everyone else 255 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 3: in Hollywood started to sleep a little easier. 256 00:15:51,660 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 2: Not Roman. 257 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 3: He almost didn't recover. When he did get back on 258 00:15:55,760 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 3: his feet and started working again, Roman made Chinatown. Not 259 00:16:00,380 --> 00:16:02,860 Speaker 3: only one of the defining movies of the decade, but 260 00:16:02,900 --> 00:16:07,380 Speaker 3: the best film he would ever make. But now, Roman 261 00:16:07,420 --> 00:16:13,510 Speaker 3: had done something truly awful. It was disgusting. A 13-year-old girl. 262 00:16:14,070 --> 00:16:17,610 Speaker 3: And Roman knew she was underage. He'd actually gone to 263 00:16:17,670 --> 00:16:20,810 Speaker 3: her parents' house to ask their permission to take photos 264 00:16:20,870 --> 00:16:23,910 Speaker 3: of her. No one thought that Roman Polanski, of all people, 265 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:28,400 Speaker 3: would ever be capable of such a thing. When Jack 266 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:32,130 Speaker 3: got back to LA, Roman was sitting behind bars. The 267 00:16:32,190 --> 00:16:36,210 Speaker 3: cops were waiting for Jack at his house. Not satisfied 268 00:16:36,250 --> 00:16:40,690 Speaker 3: with busting a celebrity director, the LAPD wanted the leading man, too. 269 00:16:41,770 --> 00:16:43,729 Speaker 3: They'd heard all about the shit that went down at 270 00:16:43,770 --> 00:16:47,250 Speaker 3: Jack's house. The stories weren't as crazy as the stories 271 00:16:47,270 --> 00:16:50,220 Speaker 3: they'd heard about the 48-hour orgies over at Harry Dean 272 00:16:50,260 --> 00:16:54,330 Speaker 3: Stanton's place. Honestly, They were all set with seeing Harry 273 00:16:54,350 --> 00:16:57,290 Speaker 3: Dean Stanton in his birthday suit. But now that they 274 00:16:57,330 --> 00:16:59,850 Speaker 3: had this container of hash they had confiscated from the 275 00:16:59,910 --> 00:17:03,700 Speaker 3: upstairs bathroom, they wanted to pin it on Jack. Two birds, 276 00:17:04,140 --> 00:17:07,140 Speaker 3: one stone. The cops asked Jack to tell them about 277 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:10,159 Speaker 3: the hash. This was the first Jack was hearing about it, 278 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:12,580 Speaker 3: and that's what he said. The cops wanted a set 279 00:17:12,619 --> 00:17:14,359 Speaker 3: of Jack's prints so they could run them against the 280 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:15,260 Speaker 3: prints in the containers. 281 00:17:15,820 --> 00:17:17,580 Speaker 2: Jack refused. Fuck rules. 282 00:17:17,980 --> 00:17:20,480 Speaker 3: Hell, he'd fought the MPAA back in 1971 when they 283 00:17:20,700 --> 00:17:23,550 Speaker 3: tried to slap an X rating on his directorial debut. 284 00:17:23,970 --> 00:17:26,170 Speaker 2: A little-seen film called Drive, he said. 285 00:17:26,869 --> 00:17:28,389 Speaker 3: They wanted to give it an X rating for an 286 00:17:28,430 --> 00:17:31,550 Speaker 3: audible orgasm and a shot of a guy's cock. And meanwhile, 287 00:17:31,630 --> 00:17:33,810 Speaker 3: Dirty Harry slides in with an R rating for his 288 00:17:33,869 --> 00:17:35,070 Speaker 3: magnum force violence. 289 00:17:35,430 --> 00:17:35,950 Speaker 2: Fuck that. 290 00:17:36,369 --> 00:17:40,369 Speaker 3: Jack fought the MPAA and won. If the LAPD wanted some, 291 00:17:40,609 --> 00:17:42,859 Speaker 3: they could come and get it. If it was a 292 00:17:42,910 --> 00:17:46,820 Speaker 3: bluff by Jack, the LAPD called it. It wasn't the 293 00:17:46,900 --> 00:17:49,600 Speaker 3: only thing they called. The cops rang up their friends 294 00:17:49,660 --> 00:17:52,530 Speaker 3: at the Aspen, Colorado Police Department and were able to 295 00:17:52,570 --> 00:17:55,150 Speaker 3: get a set of Jack's prints. Jack didn't even know 296 00:17:55,170 --> 00:17:57,830 Speaker 3: how that was possible. The good news was that the 297 00:17:57,950 --> 00:18:00,830 Speaker 3: Aspen prints didn't match the prints on the hash container 298 00:18:00,890 --> 00:18:03,830 Speaker 3: back at his house. The bad news was that the 299 00:18:04,010 --> 00:18:07,010 Speaker 3: LAPD wasn't satisfied and they were going to get a 300 00:18:07,060 --> 00:18:10,239 Speaker 3: fresh set of prints one way or another. So they 301 00:18:10,260 --> 00:18:14,619 Speaker 3: issued a warrant for Jack Nicholson's arrest. What bothered Jack 302 00:18:14,690 --> 00:18:17,340 Speaker 3: most about the whole dust-up was that a secret was 303 00:18:17,380 --> 00:18:20,440 Speaker 3: going to get out. Not the secret about Roman. That 304 00:18:20,619 --> 00:18:24,660 Speaker 3: deserved to get out. Roman absolutely deserved whatever was coming 305 00:18:24,700 --> 00:18:27,640 Speaker 3: to him. But there was something private and special about 306 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:30,980 Speaker 3: being an A-list mover and shaker in Jack's orbit. There 307 00:18:31,020 --> 00:18:33,379 Speaker 3: were things that happened at Jack's place that stayed at 308 00:18:33,460 --> 00:18:37,520 Speaker 3: Jack's place. Movie stars enjoyed the discreet environment. Toke on 309 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:40,180 Speaker 3: some grass, do a line, talk shit about that actor, 310 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:42,270 Speaker 3: you know the one. Now, it was not only a 311 00:18:42,350 --> 00:18:44,209 Speaker 3: crime scene, but a place where no one would ever 312 00:18:44,230 --> 00:18:48,590 Speaker 3: want to go again. Marlon Brando, who happened to be 313 00:18:48,630 --> 00:18:51,590 Speaker 3: Jack's neighbor, was one of those who sometimes took advantage 314 00:18:51,630 --> 00:18:55,590 Speaker 3: of Jack's private hospitality. Brando didn't come around for the parties. 315 00:18:56,170 --> 00:18:58,800 Speaker 3: He wandered into Jack's house and made a beeline straight 316 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:01,679 Speaker 3: to the fridge. He had padlocked his own fridge to 317 00:19:01,740 --> 00:19:05,100 Speaker 3: curb his food cravings. But Jack's was always open, even 318 00:19:05,140 --> 00:19:07,399 Speaker 3: if sometimes all it had in it was milk and beer. 319 00:19:08,220 --> 00:19:10,679 Speaker 3: Jack didn't mind if Brando wanted to raid his fridge. 320 00:19:11,310 --> 00:19:14,830 Speaker 3: He was Marlon Brando. Jack called him the man on 321 00:19:14,869 --> 00:19:19,409 Speaker 3: the hill. Jack also called him Marloon. That was Jackspeak 322 00:19:19,490 --> 00:19:22,290 Speaker 3: for Marlon. See, if you were in Jack's intimate orbit, 323 00:19:22,530 --> 00:19:24,270 Speaker 3: you got a nickname. It made you feel like you 324 00:19:24,290 --> 00:19:25,430 Speaker 3: were part of a special club. 325 00:19:25,970 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 2: Jack's club. 326 00:19:27,170 --> 00:19:31,200 Speaker 3: Angelica Houston was Toots. Diane Keaton was Special K. Bruce 327 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 3: Dern was Dernsy. Art Garfunkel was Art the Garf. And 328 00:19:34,540 --> 00:19:37,119 Speaker 3: Warren Beatty was Master B or the Pro on account 329 00:19:37,140 --> 00:19:38,320 Speaker 3: of how goddamn. 330 00:19:37,980 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 2: Good he was at picking up chicks. 331 00:19:40,250 --> 00:19:42,820 Speaker 3: Bob Rafelson, the director who worked with Jack on five 332 00:19:42,859 --> 00:19:47,200 Speaker 3: films throughout his career. Jack called him Curly. Screenwriter Robert 333 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:50,850 Speaker 3: Towne was Beaner. Jack assigned nicknames to people as far 334 00:19:50,910 --> 00:19:52,389 Speaker 3: back as when he was a kid and called his 335 00:19:52,470 --> 00:19:53,210 Speaker 3: own mother Mud. 336 00:19:53,730 --> 00:19:54,950 Speaker 2: He called her Mud until. 337 00:19:54,750 --> 00:19:57,190 Speaker 3: The day she died and continued to call her by 338 00:19:57,210 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 3: that name even when he found out, years later, that 339 00:19:59,859 --> 00:20:04,980 Speaker 3: Mud wasn't actually his mother. Shortly before Chinatown began production, 340 00:20:05,540 --> 00:20:08,060 Speaker 3: Jack discovered that the woman he knew as his mother 341 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:11,770 Speaker 3: was actually his grandma. and June, the woman he thought 342 00:20:11,810 --> 00:20:16,310 Speaker 3: was his sister, was actually his mother. June, his actual mother, 343 00:20:16,690 --> 00:20:19,230 Speaker 3: had dropped out of school to become a professional dancer 344 00:20:19,270 --> 00:20:22,270 Speaker 3: with the band leader, Eddie King. She got married to 345 00:20:22,330 --> 00:20:24,810 Speaker 3: a man who was secretly already married, and by the 346 00:20:24,850 --> 00:20:28,090 Speaker 3: time she annulled her brand new marriage, June was pregnant, 347 00:20:28,590 --> 00:20:31,490 Speaker 3: and she was still a teenager. To avoid the shame 348 00:20:31,550 --> 00:20:33,750 Speaker 3: of having a baby out of wedlock, and also to 349 00:20:33,790 --> 00:20:36,629 Speaker 3: allow June to continue to pursue a career as a showgirl, 350 00:20:37,190 --> 00:20:41,389 Speaker 3: Mud became Jack's mutter, for all intents and purposes. It's 351 00:20:41,430 --> 00:20:44,290 Speaker 3: a plot twist straight out of Chinatown, minus the incest, 352 00:20:44,350 --> 00:20:47,410 Speaker 3: and considering the timing of when Jack found out, it's 353 00:20:47,450 --> 00:20:51,199 Speaker 3: very possible that the long-held family secret informed the shocking 354 00:20:51,260 --> 00:20:53,600 Speaker 3: twist at the end of the movie. Just like the 355 00:20:53,660 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 3: scene in The Shining where Jack loses his mind at 356 00:20:56,540 --> 00:20:59,610 Speaker 3: Shelley Duvall was based on a real moment in Jack's marriage. 357 00:21:00,230 --> 00:21:02,430 Speaker 3: And just like the scene in the diner in Five 358 00:21:02,510 --> 00:21:05,429 Speaker 3: Easy Pieces, when Jack tells the waitress to stick the 359 00:21:05,470 --> 00:21:08,030 Speaker 3: chicken salad between her legs was based on a real 360 00:21:08,090 --> 00:21:11,250 Speaker 3: moment in Jack's life as well. They say that art 361 00:21:11,290 --> 00:21:16,500 Speaker 3: imitates life and vice versa. In 1977, that's exactly what 362 00:21:16,540 --> 00:21:19,639 Speaker 3: the LAPD was hoping for when they arrested Jack on 363 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 3: that warrant and dragged him downtown to get a clean 364 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 3: set of fingerprints that they could run against the prints. 365 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:26,160 Speaker 2: Found on the hash container. 366 00:21:26,980 --> 00:21:30,870 Speaker 3: If life imitates art, well, than Jack Nicholson just had 367 00:21:30,910 --> 00:21:33,570 Speaker 3: to be every bit the stoner burnout he played to 368 00:21:33,609 --> 00:21:35,050 Speaker 3: a T in Easy Rider. 369 00:21:35,830 --> 00:21:38,390 Speaker 2: Spoiler alert. Of course he was. 370 00:21:39,010 --> 00:21:41,570 Speaker 3: Jack's hard partying ways meant that on some mornings he 371 00:21:41,609 --> 00:21:43,040 Speaker 3: woke up in a tree or on the edge of 372 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:43,880 Speaker 3: a cliff. 373 00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:45,359 Speaker 2: 100% true, you can look both up. 374 00:21:45,780 --> 00:21:48,520 Speaker 3: But on this day, the cops wouldn't get the satisfaction 375 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:52,060 Speaker 3: of busting Jack on their suspicions alone. The new prints 376 00:21:52,100 --> 00:21:54,320 Speaker 3: they took in L.A. matched up with the prints that 377 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:56,820 Speaker 3: had been taken in Aspen. But they didn't match the 378 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:58,160 Speaker 3: prints on the hash container. 379 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:00,110 Speaker 2: So Jack, was free to go. 380 00:22:00,910 --> 00:22:04,330 Speaker 3: And perhaps surprisingly, everyone continued to feel free to be 381 00:22:04,369 --> 00:22:08,929 Speaker 3: themselves at Jack's house, except for Roman Polanski. That pederast 382 00:22:08,950 --> 00:22:10,950 Speaker 3: had skipped the country and was hiding out in Europe. 383 00:22:11,430 --> 00:22:13,810 Speaker 3: He could rot there as far as Jack was concerned. 384 00:22:14,780 --> 00:22:19,179 Speaker 3: Roman had disrespected Jack's house, and worse, betrayed Jack's trust. 385 00:22:20,020 --> 00:22:22,700 Speaker 3: Not that Jack wasn't above betraying the trust of someone 386 00:22:22,740 --> 00:22:26,379 Speaker 3: close to him. Rules were meant to be broken, and 387 00:22:26,460 --> 00:22:28,180 Speaker 3: so too were hearts. 388 00:22:31,010 --> 00:22:32,869 Speaker 2: We'll be right back after this. 389 00:22:32,810 --> 00:22:34,290 Speaker 1: Word, word, word. 390 00:22:38,630 --> 00:22:42,870 Speaker 3: The assistant behind the desk immediately recognized Angelica Houston when 391 00:22:42,910 --> 00:22:46,280 Speaker 3: she stormed into Jack Nicholson's bungalow on the Paramount lot. 392 00:22:47,100 --> 00:22:50,800 Speaker 3: The assistant asked Angelica to hang tight. She'd alert Jack 393 00:22:50,859 --> 00:22:51,940 Speaker 3: that Angelica was there. 394 00:22:52,580 --> 00:22:53,480 Speaker 2: Wouldn't be necessary. 395 00:22:54,020 --> 00:22:58,240 Speaker 3: Angelica didn't stop. She kept walking. Right past the front 396 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,550 Speaker 3: desk and towards Jack's office. She wanted the element of 397 00:23:01,609 --> 00:23:04,770 Speaker 3: surprise on her side, and she had it. She caught 398 00:23:04,850 --> 00:23:07,909 Speaker 3: Jack coming out of the bathroom, still working on his zipper. 399 00:23:08,530 --> 00:23:12,609 Speaker 3: Angelica wasted no time. Jack had barely thrown his hands 400 00:23:12,730 --> 00:23:16,379 Speaker 3: up when she threw the first punch. She connected, direct 401 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 3: hit to the head. Jack tried to bob and weave 402 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:22,740 Speaker 3: like a prizefighter, but the over-under favored Angelica, a fist 403 00:23:22,780 --> 00:23:25,550 Speaker 3: to the face, another to his ear. Jack wrapped his 404 00:23:25,619 --> 00:23:29,420 Speaker 3: arms around his head, so Angelica aimed lower, Any exposed 405 00:23:29,460 --> 00:23:32,600 Speaker 3: part of Jack's body was fair game. Her fist found 406 00:23:32,619 --> 00:23:36,080 Speaker 3: his chest, his back, his shoulders. Her face was beet red. 407 00:23:36,540 --> 00:23:37,960 Speaker 3: Tears ran down it. 408 00:23:38,420 --> 00:23:42,030 Speaker 2: Jesus, Jack thought. The suit. Watch the goddamn suit. 409 00:23:43,150 --> 00:23:46,730 Speaker 3: It was 1989, but Jack was trying his best to 410 00:23:46,770 --> 00:23:50,369 Speaker 3: look like it was actually 1948. He had managed to 411 00:23:50,430 --> 00:23:54,869 Speaker 3: resurrect the two Jakes, the long-gestating sequel to Chinatown. and 412 00:23:54,890 --> 00:23:57,389 Speaker 3: was wearing a tan suit to resurrect his role as 413 00:23:57,470 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 3: Private Dick Jack Giddes. That was the same year that 414 00:24:01,340 --> 00:24:04,159 Speaker 3: Jack helped breathe new life into the comic book movie 415 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:05,760 Speaker 3: when he played the Joker. 416 00:24:05,380 --> 00:24:06,700 Speaker 2: In Tim Burton's Batman. 417 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:10,879 Speaker 3: For the two Jakes, they were still using Robert Towne's script, 418 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:14,720 Speaker 3: but Bob Evans was paying Jack $ 11 million to star 419 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:19,070 Speaker 3: and to direct. It seemed that once again, Jack Nicholson 420 00:24:19,350 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 3: was unbeatable. Angelica Houston thought otherwise, and she proved it 421 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 3: by beating the shit out of her boyfriend of nearly 422 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:30,889 Speaker 3: 17 years inside his private bungalow. She didn't get the 423 00:24:30,930 --> 00:24:34,730 Speaker 3: satisfaction of having the entire Paramount lot witness it, but 424 00:24:34,790 --> 00:24:37,510 Speaker 3: she did get the satisfaction of knowing that the beatdown 425 00:24:37,609 --> 00:24:39,070 Speaker 3: was more than justified. 426 00:24:40,010 --> 00:24:41,050 Speaker 2: She had found love. 427 00:24:40,890 --> 00:24:43,850 Speaker 3: Notes from strange women in the past, not to mention 428 00:24:43,869 --> 00:24:46,030 Speaker 3: the time when he and Angelica went to see Carole 429 00:24:46,070 --> 00:24:49,080 Speaker 3: King play in Central Park and Joni Mitchell decided to 430 00:24:49,140 --> 00:24:52,119 Speaker 3: sit on the ground between Jack's legs throughout the whole show. 431 00:24:53,010 --> 00:24:55,790 Speaker 3: Jack had brushed both instances off. It was meant for 432 00:24:55,830 --> 00:24:59,609 Speaker 3: someone else, and we're old friends. But his infidelities had 433 00:24:59,650 --> 00:25:03,310 Speaker 3: been escalating as of late. Or at least Angelica's awareness 434 00:25:03,350 --> 00:25:06,459 Speaker 3: of his infidelities. As she could only imagine the way 435 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:09,740 Speaker 3: Jack looked at Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer on 436 00:25:09,780 --> 00:25:12,900 Speaker 3: the set of The Witches of Eastwick. They were three bombshells, 437 00:25:12,980 --> 00:25:16,230 Speaker 3: and he held the match to light the fuse. The 438 00:25:16,270 --> 00:25:19,760 Speaker 3: night before Angelica went ballistic on him, Jack revealed to 439 00:25:19,820 --> 00:25:21,920 Speaker 3: her that he had had an affair with another woman, 440 00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:26,899 Speaker 3: which honestly was not entirely shocking. What was shocking was 441 00:25:26,940 --> 00:25:30,100 Speaker 3: that Jack had also revealed that the other woman was pregnant, 442 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:34,980 Speaker 3: and Jack was the father. Incredibly, that's not the only 443 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 3: thing that sent Angelica Husta to Jack's bungalow in a 444 00:25:37,859 --> 00:25:42,129 Speaker 3: full-blown rage. In addition to Jack's confession, was a recent 445 00:25:42,170 --> 00:25:47,129 Speaker 3: interview that Playboy model Karen Mayo Chandler Karen said that 446 00:25:47,190 --> 00:25:50,730 Speaker 3: Jack was, quote, a non-stop sex machine. He's into fun 447 00:25:50,780 --> 00:25:56,100 Speaker 3: and games like spanking, handcuffs, whips, and Polaroid pictures. To Angelica, 448 00:25:56,540 --> 00:25:58,240 Speaker 3: it was humiliation squared. 449 00:25:58,880 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 2: What did she expect? 450 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:03,440 Speaker 3: Nearly 17 years later, she called him the Hot Pole, 451 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:05,919 Speaker 3: for Christ's sakes. And that was the nickname she had 452 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,400 Speaker 3: given Jack back when Jack was handing out nicknames to. 453 00:26:08,340 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 2: His closest friends. 454 00:26:10,140 --> 00:26:12,770 Speaker 3: If it's not obvious why Angelica called him the Hot Pole, 455 00:26:12,850 --> 00:26:15,990 Speaker 3: it's because Jack Nicholson's libido ran like a fucking SST 456 00:26:16,070 --> 00:26:20,050 Speaker 3: engine He thought about sex all the time, talked about. 457 00:26:19,910 --> 00:26:22,250 Speaker 2: Sex all the time, had sex all the time. 458 00:26:22,990 --> 00:26:26,810 Speaker 3: After working with Jack on Batman, Kim Basinger famously said, 459 00:26:27,170 --> 00:26:30,330 Speaker 3: He is the most highly sexualized individual I've ever met. 460 00:26:31,430 --> 00:26:34,040 Speaker 3: It was rumored that Jack had an underground tunnel that 461 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:36,480 Speaker 3: ran from his house in the Hollywood Hills directly to 462 00:26:36,540 --> 00:26:39,899 Speaker 3: the Playboy Mansion. It was also rumored that he had 463 00:26:39,980 --> 00:26:43,040 Speaker 3: had an affair with Margaret Trudeau, wife of the former 464 00:26:43,060 --> 00:26:47,110 Speaker 3: Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and mother of current Canadian 465 00:26:47,150 --> 00:26:51,010 Speaker 3: pajama boy Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Now that is a 466 00:26:51,030 --> 00:26:55,250 Speaker 3: man who moves like Jagger. He fathered six children by 467 00:26:55,350 --> 00:27:00,070 Speaker 3: five different women. His one and only marriage ended in 1968. 468 00:27:00,070 --> 00:27:03,190 Speaker 3: His entire angle when playing Randall McMurphy in One Flew 469 00:27:03,210 --> 00:27:05,640 Speaker 3: Over the Cuckoo's Nest was that his character was trying 470 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:09,300 Speaker 3: to seduce and sleep with Nurse Ratched. That's literally how 471 00:27:09,340 --> 00:27:12,119 Speaker 3: he approached that role. He even admitted to getting turned 472 00:27:12,300 --> 00:27:17,230 Speaker 3: on by the motherfucking Lisa. Jack's sexually charged reputation may 473 00:27:17,250 --> 00:27:21,690 Speaker 3: have been the reason why, in 1996, when Jack was 63, 474 00:27:21,690 --> 00:27:25,770 Speaker 3: a prostitute sued him for assault. She claimed that Jack 475 00:27:25,810 --> 00:27:28,050 Speaker 3: hired her and another woman to come to his house 476 00:27:28,109 --> 00:27:30,990 Speaker 3: in little black dresses, that he refused to pay their 477 00:27:31,060 --> 00:27:35,220 Speaker 3: agreed-upon rate of $ 1, 000 each, that he dragged her around 478 00:27:35,260 --> 00:27:37,399 Speaker 3: by the hair and slammed her head on the floor. 479 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:41,100 Speaker 3: She also claimed that one of her breast implants ruptured 480 00:27:41,140 --> 00:27:44,600 Speaker 3: during the altercation, and she needed money for the medical bills. 481 00:27:45,700 --> 00:27:48,880 Speaker 3: The cops were called to Jack's Mulholland Drive house, but 482 00:27:49,260 --> 00:27:52,440 Speaker 3: like the time when they investigated the Roman Polanski scandal, 483 00:27:52,830 --> 00:27:55,930 Speaker 3: they once again left with no evidence of Jack's guilt. 484 00:27:56,630 --> 00:28:00,030 Speaker 3: Despite that, Jack settled out of court with his accuser 485 00:28:00,130 --> 00:28:06,389 Speaker 3: for a total of $ 92, 000. But back in 1989, there 486 00:28:06,430 --> 00:28:09,650 Speaker 3: were no cops called to interfere with Angelica Houston's assault 487 00:28:09,790 --> 00:28:14,760 Speaker 3: on Jack Nicholson. And that was 100% justified smackdown. And 488 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:17,360 Speaker 3: it also gave Jack pause when he licked his wounds. 489 00:28:17,900 --> 00:28:22,560 Speaker 3: Perhaps he wasn't the invincible A-lister he saw himself as. Perhaps, 490 00:28:22,700 --> 00:28:25,590 Speaker 3: as Jack had feared that one time when he watched 491 00:28:25,650 --> 00:28:28,350 Speaker 3: Ferris Bueller's Day Off in a theater surrounded by a 492 00:28:28,430 --> 00:28:32,190 Speaker 3: cackling audience, his version of a movie star was on 493 00:28:32,210 --> 00:28:36,190 Speaker 3: the verge of extinction. Perhaps this Chinatown sequel was a 494 00:28:36,250 --> 00:28:38,190 Speaker 3: giant turd of a picture like they all. 495 00:28:38,090 --> 00:28:41,620 Speaker 2: Had suspected from day one. But one thing... was for sure. 496 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:45,350 Speaker 3: Jack's failure to be faithful and follow the simple rules 497 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:50,570 Speaker 3: in a monogamous human relationship led to one thing, emotional annihilation. 498 00:28:51,410 --> 00:28:55,510 Speaker 3: And those were Jack's own words. I was annihilated emotionally 499 00:28:55,570 --> 00:28:58,970 Speaker 3: by the separation from Angelica, he said, referring to their 500 00:28:59,020 --> 00:29:02,760 Speaker 3: split following Angelica's display of anger. He gave her a 501 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 3: pearl and diamond bracelet that Frank Sinatra had once given 502 00:29:05,900 --> 00:29:09,040 Speaker 3: to Ava Gardner for Christmas that year, but the damage 503 00:29:09,100 --> 00:29:09,740 Speaker 3: was already done. 504 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:11,690 Speaker 2: And since breaking the. 505 00:29:11,710 --> 00:29:14,680 Speaker 3: Rules and breaking hearts was no longer working out for him, 506 00:29:15,210 --> 00:29:17,610 Speaker 3: it was only a matter of time before Jack would 507 00:29:17,670 --> 00:29:21,770 Speaker 3: find something else to break. And this time, Jack Nicholson 508 00:29:22,450 --> 00:29:40,690 Speaker 3: would be the one assaulting somebody else. When The Two 509 00:29:40,770 --> 00:29:45,470 Speaker 3: Jakes was finally released in August of 1990, it bombed. 510 00:29:46,130 --> 00:29:49,690 Speaker 3: The movie only did $ 10 million in domestic gross, which 511 00:29:49,730 --> 00:29:52,060 Speaker 3: was a third of the take that Chinatown had made 512 00:29:52,130 --> 00:29:56,800 Speaker 3: back in 1974. $ 10 million wasn't even enough to cover costs. 513 00:29:57,340 --> 00:30:00,350 Speaker 3: Reviews were mixed. Plans for a third movie in the 514 00:30:00,390 --> 00:30:04,950 Speaker 3: Chinatown series were permanently canned. Within the span of little 515 00:30:04,970 --> 00:30:07,920 Speaker 3: more than 12 months, Jack Nicholson had gone from a 516 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:11,540 Speaker 3: box office success with his unforgettable performance as the Joker 517 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:15,520 Speaker 3: in Tim Burton's Batman to a forgettable box office failure. 518 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 3: Critical and commercial redemption came in 1992 with the release 519 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:24,580 Speaker 3: of A Few Good Men. Jack received his 10th Academy 520 00:30:24,620 --> 00:30:28,310 Speaker 3: Award nomination to date for his intense performance as Colonel 521 00:30:28,370 --> 00:30:32,290 Speaker 3: Nathan Jessup. Doubters be damned, they still needed him on 522 00:30:32,330 --> 00:30:35,980 Speaker 3: that wall. But redemption at the box office wasn't enough. 523 00:30:36,740 --> 00:30:40,140 Speaker 3: Jack continued to weather emotional fallout from his breakup with 524 00:30:40,220 --> 00:30:44,680 Speaker 3: Angelica Houston. The woman Jack had left Angelica for, Rebecca Broussard, 525 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:47,480 Speaker 3: had two children with Jack before she, too, left him 526 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:51,250 Speaker 3: in 1994. For the first time in a long time, 527 00:30:51,770 --> 00:30:56,470 Speaker 3: Jack found himself unattached. Perhaps his days as Hollywood's preeminent 528 00:30:56,530 --> 00:30:59,950 Speaker 3: lady killer were behind him. Jack knew that for there 529 00:30:59,970 --> 00:31:02,510 Speaker 3: to be good times, there also had to be bad times, 530 00:31:02,630 --> 00:31:05,690 Speaker 3: and for good days to exist, bad days were necessary. 531 00:31:06,570 --> 00:31:10,670 Speaker 3: And February 8th, 1994 was going to be a very 532 00:31:10,850 --> 00:31:17,270 Speaker 3: bad day. Jack Nicholson sat in traffic on Moore Park 533 00:31:17,350 --> 00:31:20,620 Speaker 3: in the San Fernando Valley just north of L.A. He 534 00:31:20,660 --> 00:31:23,500 Speaker 3: was on his way to play golf, a leisure activity 535 00:31:23,540 --> 00:31:25,720 Speaker 3: he'd taken up to try to pass the time and 536 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:30,310 Speaker 3: keep the blood pressure down. Traffic inched along. The pace 537 00:31:30,410 --> 00:31:35,030 Speaker 3: was frustratingly slow. Jack began to feel more and more impatient. 538 00:31:35,630 --> 00:31:38,390 Speaker 3: As he approached a red light at the intersection of Riverside, 539 00:31:38,790 --> 00:31:41,600 Speaker 3: a big Mercedes-Benz came out of nowhere and cut him off. 540 00:31:42,260 --> 00:31:47,180 Speaker 3: No blinker, no warning, no nothing. Jack slammed on his horn. 541 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:49,500 Speaker 3: He threw his hands up in the air. and that 542 00:31:49,620 --> 00:31:52,420 Speaker 3: asshole in the Mercedes was just sitting there, idling at 543 00:31:52,460 --> 00:31:56,540 Speaker 3: the light. Jack put his car in park, stepped outside, 544 00:31:56,580 --> 00:31:57,720 Speaker 3: and walked around to the back. 545 00:31:58,060 --> 00:31:58,840 Speaker 2: He opened the trunk. 546 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:02,660 Speaker 3: He saw his golf bag inside. He selected the graphite 2-iron. 547 00:32:02,980 --> 00:32:05,890 Speaker 3: He never used the 2-iron on the course. Few people did. 548 00:32:06,210 --> 00:32:08,110 Speaker 3: For one, it was long as shit, and it had 549 00:32:08,190 --> 00:32:10,070 Speaker 3: one of the lowest loss of any club, which is 550 00:32:10,130 --> 00:32:12,150 Speaker 3: to say that the club head had little angle and 551 00:32:12,190 --> 00:32:14,610 Speaker 3: was flat. It was hard to hit a golf ball 552 00:32:14,650 --> 00:32:17,350 Speaker 3: with a 2-iron, but Jack wasn't going to hit a 553 00:32:17,390 --> 00:32:20,630 Speaker 3: golf ball. Jack made a determined walk to the Mercedes 554 00:32:20,670 --> 00:32:23,230 Speaker 3: in front of his car, two iron in hand. He 555 00:32:23,270 --> 00:32:26,570 Speaker 3: thought about Angelica leaving him, and then how Rebecca had left, 556 00:32:26,870 --> 00:32:29,490 Speaker 3: and they all left. He raised the two iron into 557 00:32:29,540 --> 00:32:31,740 Speaker 3: the air and brought it down hard on the Mercedes' 558 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:35,000 Speaker 3: front windshield. The thing cracked like an egg. Shards of 559 00:32:35,060 --> 00:32:38,360 Speaker 3: glass shot out like sparks from a live wire. Inside 560 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:42,220 Speaker 3: the car, the driver shrieked and recoiled. Jack raised the 561 00:32:42,260 --> 00:32:44,670 Speaker 3: two iron again. He thought about the failure of the 562 00:32:44,710 --> 00:32:47,370 Speaker 3: two Jakes and that other failure, Man Trouble. And then 563 00:32:47,390 --> 00:32:48,730 Speaker 3: he thought of the movie he was in the middle 564 00:32:48,750 --> 00:32:51,270 Speaker 3: of making, a movie called Wolf, and how he had 565 00:32:51,350 --> 00:32:53,850 Speaker 3: quarreled with the screenwriter over the script so much that 566 00:32:53,890 --> 00:32:56,540 Speaker 3: the screenwriter stormed off the set, quit on the spot, 567 00:32:56,560 --> 00:33:00,120 Speaker 3: and vowed never to return to Hollywood again. Good riddance, pal, 568 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:02,440 Speaker 3: Jack thought, as he slammed the golf club against the 569 00:33:02,500 --> 00:33:05,800 Speaker 3: car one more time. The driver inside was curled up 570 00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:07,440 Speaker 3: like a baby and cursing. 571 00:33:07,100 --> 00:33:07,860 Speaker 2: A blue streak. 572 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:12,130 Speaker 3: And then, Jack walked calmly back to his car threw 573 00:33:12,150 --> 00:33:16,050 Speaker 3: the two iron back in the trunk, pulled a passive-aggressive 180, 574 00:33:16,050 --> 00:33:20,310 Speaker 3: and sped away. It just wasn't a good day to 575 00:33:20,350 --> 00:33:24,730 Speaker 3: go golfing, after all. And later that day, the doorbell 576 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:25,930 Speaker 3: rang at Jack's house. 577 00:33:26,930 --> 00:33:27,620 Speaker 2: LAPD. 578 00:33:28,620 --> 00:33:30,860 Speaker 3: Jack quietly went with the cops to the Van Nuys 579 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:33,180 Speaker 3: station in the valley, where he was charged with two 580 00:33:33,260 --> 00:33:37,080 Speaker 3: counts of assault. The driver of the Mercedes managed to 581 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:40,440 Speaker 3: take down Jack's license plate before he sped off. And 582 00:33:40,460 --> 00:33:43,660 Speaker 3: there were other eyewitnesses, too. And the driver followed up 583 00:33:43,700 --> 00:33:46,700 Speaker 3: the charges with a civil suit for his injuries and trauma. 584 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:50,440 Speaker 3: This wasn't the Boston Garden, and Jack hadn't simply shown 585 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:53,080 Speaker 3: his bare ass in a fit of frustration. He had 586 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:56,280 Speaker 3: violently attacked someone else's vehicle with the intent to inflict 587 00:33:56,440 --> 00:34:01,140 Speaker 3: maximum damage. Before the case went to court, Jack settled 588 00:34:01,180 --> 00:34:05,290 Speaker 3: with the driver for an undisclosed sum. Allegedly, Jack coughed 589 00:34:05,370 --> 00:34:09,719 Speaker 3: up 500 grand. He also made a public apology. Jack 590 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:12,860 Speaker 3: admitted that his road rage was, quote, a shameful incident 591 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:15,700 Speaker 3: in my life. He was worked up. He had a 592 00:34:15,739 --> 00:34:18,880 Speaker 3: lot on his mind. It's just one of those fucking days. 593 00:34:19,739 --> 00:34:22,609 Speaker 3: And who knows? Maybe the driver hadn't cut him off 594 00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:25,830 Speaker 3: after all. Maybe Jack was just looking for an excuse 595 00:34:25,850 --> 00:34:29,870 Speaker 3: to unleash some of that pent-up energy. Months later, near 596 00:34:29,890 --> 00:34:33,850 Speaker 3: the end of 1994, a letter arrived at Jack's Mulholland 597 00:34:33,870 --> 00:34:37,090 Speaker 3: Drive house. It was from the driver of that Mercedes. 598 00:34:37,810 --> 00:34:39,090 Speaker 3: The letter was an apology. 599 00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:40,180 Speaker 2: To Jack. 600 00:34:41,060 --> 00:34:44,060 Speaker 3: The driver admitted that he had cut Jack off, that 601 00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:47,440 Speaker 3: he had flagrantly disregarded the rules of the road, that 602 00:34:47,540 --> 00:34:51,810 Speaker 3: he had been in the wrong. Jack couldn't believe what 603 00:34:51,850 --> 00:34:54,330 Speaker 3: he was reading. He didn't care about the money that 604 00:34:54,350 --> 00:34:56,130 Speaker 3: he paid out or what the incident had done to 605 00:34:56,170 --> 00:34:59,450 Speaker 3: his record or reputation. He was Jack Nicholson, after all. 606 00:34:59,969 --> 00:35:02,969 Speaker 3: He'd had an incredible career for over 20 years, and 607 00:35:02,989 --> 00:35:04,970 Speaker 3: he had at least another 20 years of good movies 608 00:35:05,030 --> 00:35:07,890 Speaker 3: and bad movies ahead of him. He'd focus on the good, 609 00:35:08,450 --> 00:35:11,160 Speaker 3: And he'd relish the good days, like this day. 610 00:35:11,989 --> 00:35:15,680 Speaker 2: He felt pardoned. He felt acknowledged. He felt that. 611 00:35:15,660 --> 00:35:19,279 Speaker 3: Feeling of a reversal of fortune on the horizon. The 612 00:35:19,340 --> 00:35:24,830 Speaker 3: kind of feeling that ought to be in pictures. I'm 613 00:35:24,890 --> 00:35:42,759 Speaker 3: Jake Brennan, and this is Hollywoodland. Hollywoodland was created by 614 00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:47,839 Speaker 3: Years Truly and is produced in partnership with Double Elvis. Follow, like, rate, 615 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:50,500 Speaker 3: and review Hollywoodland wherever you get your podcasts and get 616 00:35:50,540 --> 00:35:53,120 Speaker 3: in touch with us on social media at Double Elvis. 617 00:35:53,860 --> 00:35:55,799 Speaker 3: If you like Hollywoodland, check out my other show, the 618 00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:59,040 Speaker 3: award-winning Disgraceland, which looks at the world of music through 619 00:35:59,060 --> 00:35:59,640 Speaker 3: the lens. 620 00:35:59,420 --> 00:36:00,080 Speaker 2: Of true crime. 621 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:02,969 Speaker 3: Just search for Disgraceland wherever you get your podcasts.