My holiday gift to you is the early upload of what is easily one of the five funniest episodes of Watch With Jen that I've released so far. Joining me for another chat-a-thon is one of my wisest & wittiest besties, Priscilla Page, who tackles the legendary, iconoclastic 20th-century filmmaker John Frankenheimer with me in her rollicking, rowdy, & incredibly articulate return. Needing to check that explicit language box almost immediately, as one does with Frankenheimer, we celebrate the man, the mythos, & the master of automotive action in the films GRAND PRIX & RONIN. Going on a few memorable tangents about Steve McQueen, James Garner, zen & the art of racecar driving, David Mamet, Robert De Niro, & how obsession with continuity is stupid, this episode serves up plenty of laughter & stories, though none are greater than the ones shared in the last section of the podcast by two of my other awesome friends.

My wonderful honorary kid brother from Oz - Mr. Blake Howard - hooked me up with some amazing audio he recorded in 2021 with incredible actor & dear friend Donal Logue where Donal shared some heartfelt & hilarious memories of working with Frankenheimer on the holiday actioner REINDEER GAMES. (I'd heard a couple of these from Donal in the past & they're the best!) Originally released by Blake Howard in his One Heat Minute Productions pod spinoff "Rum & Rant" which has since been dubbed "Roast & Rant," I'm thrilled to include these stories with you at the tail end of the episode as a way to honor the late great John Frankenheimer's legacy.

The best way to de-stress as you prep for the holidays, cinephiles will adore this one. It's a true pleasure to highlight gifted pals on the podcast, particularly as we begin to wrap up 2023, & Watch With Jen will return once more in December with a final S4 episode featuring the awesome Sean Burns on Robert Altman. Additionally, our spinoff pod MIDNIGHT RUN-THROUGH, co-hosted by Blake Howard, is premiering shortly & you'll also find it here, so get psyched!

Priscilla's Bio: One of the brightest & most popular lights of Film Twitter, Priscilla Page writes about cars, movies, and cars in movies, focusing mostly on your dad's favorites: actioners, thrillers, westerns, etc. Her bylines include Hagerty, Autoweek, Empire Magazine, The Guardian, Polygon, Birth.Movies.Death., and Bright Wall/Dark Room. You can keep up with Priscilla's outstanding work through her Patreon.

Originally Posted on Patreon (12/18/23) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/94880027

Theme Music: Solo Acoustic Guitar by Jason Shaw, Free Music Archive

Shop Watch With Jen logo Merchandise in Logo Designer Kate Gabrielle's Threadless Shop