Explore every episode of the podcast You Don't Know Jack

A Safe Place is Henry Jaglom's directorial debut. As a BBS Production, and with Jack Nicholson a key player in the BBS world, this little known indie feature would naturally offer Jack a supporting role. This week, Sarah is back with our "lost" episode!

The Fortune is a screwball comedy about two unsuccessful con artists trying to scam a flighty millionairess. This week, Sarah gleefully dives into this lesser known treasure. 

This week, Sarah takes on a film unlike anything else we've discussed before. A story of a man so unhappy with his own life, that he steals the identity of a deceased man. Starring Jack as David Locke, and co-starring Maria Schneider as "the Girl."

Jack's first feature appearance in 1975 would be as The Doctor in The Who's Tommy, starring Roger Daltrey as the titular character. Jack would also be joining a former costar, Ann-Margret, as Tommy's mother Nora. This week - with limited audio - Sarah is giving us the rundown of this classic gem.

With Jack already a bankable star, 1974 would bring us Chinatown, co-starring Faye Dunaway, directed by Roman Polanski and written by Robert Towne. This week, Sarah is joined by filmmaker and writer Melissa Torriero of Late Bloomer Productions to take an in-depth look at this classic.

In 1973, Jack would take the lead as Billy "Badass" Budusky in The Last Detail, a role that would showcase him as what he's best known for being: The anti-hero. This week, Sarah dives right in to this classic comedy-drama which would also introduce the world to a young Randy Quaid.

As we are unable to bring to you a review of 1971's A Safe Place, this week Sarah is moving right along into 1972's The King of Marvin Gardens, a drama depicting the dangers of having delusions of grandeur. Another hidden gem from BBS Productions.

With his star on the rise, Jack Nicholson takes a lead role in 1971's Carnal Knowledge, a film that was infamous in its time. This week, Sarah is joined by her first guest, CT Lottery's Mark Negralle to talk all about this groundbreaking feature, which also starred Art Garfunkel, Candice Bergen and Ann-Margret.

With Jack's star on the rise, in 1971 he would make his directorial debut with Drive, He Said, based on the novel of the same name by Jeremy Larner. This week, Sarah delves into this sport/indie feature, which would costar some very familiar faces from Jack's last few projects.

If 1969's Easy Rider was Jack's breakthrough role, 1970's Five Easy Pieces is the film that shot him to stardom. This week, Sarah breaks down this New Hollywood classic about angst and inner turmoil, and one of the most famous diner scenes of all time.

Jack's next project in 1970 would be two scenes in On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Barbra Streisand. This week, Sarah gives you the rundown on this adaptation from a Broadway stage production, as well as a special treat for you!

After the success of Easy Rider, 1970 would see the release of B-movie biker flick Rebel Rousers, featuring Jack Nicholson. This week, Sarah gives her thoughts on this low budget project riding on the wave of popularity of the movies that came before it.

This week, Sarah is reviewing Easy Rider, an ambitious, yet heart-wrenching story of two hippie bikers from L.A. making their way across America. It's a film that would give Jack his breakthrough role and earn him his very first Academy Award nomination.

Keeping in the spirit of late '60s counterculture, now we have entered into peak 60s psychedelic era with a young Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson producing Head, a surreal trip starring none other than The Monkees. This week, Sarah attempts to unpack this cult classic which would come out just as Jack was on the edge of making his big break in Hollywood. 

After an absence last week, we are back and talking more about the late '60s psychedelic era. Sarah is reviewing 1967's The Trip, another writing credit for Jack, and 1968's Psych Out, a leading role for Jack as a hippie guitarist in San Francisco.

This week Sarah is talking 1960s counterculture, and two new projects for Jack Nicholson in 1967: The St. Valentine's Day Massacre and Hells Angels On Wheels. But first, a couple appearances on a very popular TV show that you might not know about.

Ever the faithful Jack fan, Sarah is reviewing two more westerns this week, The Shooting and Ride in the Whirlwind, which were filmed back to back over a period of six weeks and financed by none other than Roger Corman. The twin projects would see Jack Nicholson as a producer, writer and lead actor.

In this week's episode Sarah has three movies to tell you about that kept Jack busy in 1964: a comedy with Ensign Pulver, a suspense thriller with Flight to Fury, and a World War II drama with Back Door to Hell.

Moving right along into 1963, the work kept on coming for Jack. In this week's episode, Sarah reviews The Raven - which starred Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff, with Jack in a supporting role; The Terror starring Jack and his then-wife Sandra Knight and Boris Karloff, and Thunder Island, which Jack co-wrote with Don Devlin.

He's played a killer, an overly aggressive teenager, a kidnapper/murderer, a pool hall bum turned rapist, and a masochistic dental patient. And now, in this week's episode, Sarah is reviewing Jack Nicholson's next big project. In 1962, Jack landed a role as a cowboy who breaks out of jail in The Broken Land, his first western.

Jack Nicholson sure was a busy boy in 1960. By the age of 23, he had completed four feature films in one year, and managed to get a few television guest spots. It's all about the hustle. In this week's episode, Sarah is reviewing Jack's four features from 1960: Too Soon To Love, The Wild Ride, Studs Lonigan and the original black and white Little Shop of Horrors, Jack's second project with Roger Corman.

In this first episode, join Sarah DiMeo, a 20+ year superfan of Jack Nicholson, as she introduces herself and reviews the first of Jack's long list of film credits, Cry Baby Killer (1958). Jack came from humble beginnings before he ventured out to California at the age of 17. Who would have ever guessed that this unknown, low-budget B-movie would be the catalyst for such a true Hollywood success story?