S3E18: "Wake Up Call" with Janine Turner

Summary

Northern Disclosure – S3E18: "Wake Up Call" with Janine Turner

Date: February 17, 2026
Host: Janine Turner (Rob Morrow absent)
Guests: Kimberly Strassel, Victoria Bauman, Suzanne West, Tony Williams

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Episode Overview

This episode of Northern Disclosure dives into the beloved Northern Exposure episode "Wake Up Call" (Season 3, Episode 18), known for its mystical, spring-themed storylines and the memorable “bear falls in love with Maggie” moment. With Rob Morrow away, Janine Turner enlists a vibrant group of friends and relations—including superfan and journalist Kimberly Strassel, filmmaker cousin Victoria Bauman, finance executive Suzanne West, and historian Tony Williams—to share personal stories and analyze the episode's enduring magic, character arcs, and deeper themes of renewal, community, and spirituality in both the fictional Cicely, Alaska and real life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Northern Exposure’s Impact on Real Lives ([02:17]–[07:19])

• Kimberly Strassel’s Alaskan Journey:
  • Kimberly credits her Northern Exposure obsession with inspiring her move to Alaska.

    “It's not really because of Northern Exposure, but it's kind of because of Northern Exposure that, like, my whole life for the last nine years is Alaska.” – Kimberly Strassel [03:22]

  • Talks about the show's accurate depiction of the independent spirit prevalent in Alaska.
• Janine’s Family Connection:
  • Shares stories of her Texas-born father falling in love with Alaska and “usurping Texas for Alaska” after spending time flying there.

2. How "Wake Up Call" Captures Alaska’s Mysticism and Renewal

([08:04]–[18:00], [41:04]–[44:14])

• Seasons and Symbolism:
  • Discussion about how the episode (and the show in general) authentically portrays the anticipation of spring after the long, dark Alaska winters.

    “Alaskans love spring... We have this thing called breakup where the ice all breaks up on the river and you can finally go out in your boats again... Alaskans are all huge gardeners, so they're already planning gardening.” – Kimberly Strassel [08:05]

• Spiritual & Mystical Themes:
  • Janine discusses how the episode’s magical realism (the bear/man storyline, Shelly shedding skin) reflects indigenous Alaskan beliefs about shapeshifting and transformation.
  • Reference to author Eowyn Ivey and her novel about a shape-shifting bear, reinforcing the episode’s resonance with Alaskan lore.

    “There is an element of true to life here too. Alaskan native culture... this kind of shift shapeshifting between animals and humans.” – Kimberly Strassel [13:43]

3. Behind the Scenes: Acting, Filming & Lighting ([24:23]–[30:37])

• Janine on the Bear/Dance Scenes:
  • Recalls filming the cave scenes late into the night, the challenges of lighting, and her friendly critique of the Emmy-winning cinematography by Frank Prinzi.

    “You spend all this time setting up the cameras, the lights, and then actors get two minutes... That's why actors have to be primed emotionally and kind of like racehorses, you know, you can't get upset with an actor if they're a little bit emotional because we have to, like, on go.” – Janine Turner [25:46]

• Impact of Lighting:
  • Guests reflect on how vibrant, detailed visuals contribute to the show's unique mood, especially compared to the “darkness” of modern TV.

4. Character Dynamics and Memorable Moments ([04:48]–[18:00], [31:32]–[32:11])

• Maggie and the Bear:
  • The bear-man’s affection for Maggie is a metaphor for her vulnerability and openness to the mystical, embodying “the true Alaskan spirit.”

    “I love that mystical aspect... Maggie, in the true Alaskan spirit, when she sees the bear, she's like, is that you?” – Janine Turner [13:18] “I wouldn't kick him out of my hot tub.” – Kimberly Strassel [13:35]

• Joel’s Growth:
  • Joel learns lessons in compassion and active listening from Graham Greene’s character—a contrast to modern, time-pressed medical care.

    “Joel getting some real lessons in compassion in his sort of doctoring... he certainly had some bedside manner issues.” – Kimberly Strassel [16:33]

• Maggie’s Evolution:
  • Noted is the rare moment when Maggie calls Joel by his first name rather than “Fleischman”—a subtle but meaningful sign of her emotional growth.

    “She calls him Joel. She doesn't call him Fleischman. That was the first time... she ever called him Joel.” – Janine Turner [32:11]

5. Exploring Themes of Community, Independence, and Support ([53:36]–[57:35])

• Community Spirit:
  • Tony Williams discusses how the show reflects “the American character”—rugged individualism balanced with deep community ties:

    “We're dependent upon each other for our survival, for our well being... they make it work because, you know, they care about each other and, you know, so they form a community.” – Tony Williams [54:33]

• Neighborliness and Service:
  • Real-life parallels drawn between Cicely’s town halls and actual neighborly support and mutual aid during emergencies.

    “I have a great neighbor... we share a gate and she comes over and we help each other. We really help each other and we look after each other in the ice.” – Janine Turner [54:33]

  • The nonpartisan, unifying spirit of local communities is highlighted.

    “No one cares about your party... It’s only just a person sitting across from you at lunch, or a person sitting or, you know, doing a project together to help the community and to help others.” – Tony Williams [56:39]

6. Reflections on the Show’s Enduring Appeal ([21:50]–[32:30], [58:34]–[60:33])

• Fun, Lightness, and Artistic Beauty:
  • The group celebrates the way Northern Exposure weaves together levity, thought-provoking themes, and visual artistry—contrasting it with the darkness and superficial lighting styles of many modern TV shows.

    “When I've, you know, gone back and watched these episodes now, I just think that they're really fun... not every show is fun and dynamic and thought provoking all at the same time.” – Victoria Bauman [32:11]

• Women’s Strengths:
  • Janine and Suzanne reflect on Maggie as a role model for independent, capable women—then and now.

    “Maggie could do anything. I mean, she just literally could do anything. And I think of that as you as well.” – Suzanne West [38:03]

  • The difficulties and rewards of rural, self-sufficient life mirror Maggie’s “frontier woman” storylines.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Alaska’s Pull:

  “It gets in your soul, and then you can't.” – Kimberly Strassel [07:19]

• On Dr. Fleischman:

  “No, Kim Strassel and Joel Fleischman would not have lasted for two seconds... I was much more Maggie.” – Kimberly Strassel [04:07] “You're the most vile, odious, pernicious waste of corpuscles I've ever had this.” – Kimberly Strassel, quoting the show [04:48]

• On Mysticism:

  “I love that idea and the way that they sort of weave it in. And it's also so perfect that it happened to Maggie because... she was willing to embrace the idea that some strange, different things could happen in this magical, unusual land she lived in.” – Kimberly Strassel [15:03]

• On Dogs and Sensing Home:

  “We can take our dogs and they can be down in the back of the truck and you can get within a mile of home... they sit up and they know they're almost home.” – Kimberly Strassel [15:26]

• On Community:

  “We help each other. We really help each other and we look after each other in the ice...” – Janine Turner [54:33]

• On Artistic Direction:

  “You spend all this time setting up the cameras, the lights, and then actors get two minutes...” – Janine Turner [25:46]

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Important Timestamps for Reference

• [02:17] – Kimberly Strassel shares her Northern Exposure-inspired move to Alaska.
• [08:04] – The show’s realistic portrayal of Alaskan winter and spring.
• [13:18] – Discussion of the mystical "bear as man" storyline.
• [16:33] – Lessons in compassion for Dr. Joel Fleischman.
• [24:23] – Janine recalls filming the bear/cave scenes and lighting issues.
• [31:32] – Analysis of Maggie’s emotional vulnerability and unique moment calling Joel by his first name.
• [41:04]–[44:14] – Suzanne and Janine discuss the themes of renewal, community, and strength in Maggie’s character.
• [53:36] – Tony Williams on community, character, and American ideals in Northern Exposure.
• [56:39] – The nonpartisan, unifying spirit of neighborly life, both on the show and in reality.
• [60:33] – Janine recounts parallels of rural frontier living today.

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Flow & Style

The episode is filled with heartfelt, humorous, and thoughtful dialogue. Janine’s warmth and storytelling lead a seamless transition between nostalgia, behind-the-scenes tales, and thoughtful cultural reflection. The guests each add unique personal perspectives—as an Alaskan, a filmmaker, a childhood friend, and a historian—mirroring the ensemble nature of Northern Exposure. The shared appreciation for the show’s wit, visual artistry, and community spirit is palpable throughout.

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Final Thoughts

This lively, intimate episode serves as both an affectionate rewatch and a deep dive into Northern Exposure's cultural legacy. The stories, laughs, and poignant observations make it a must-listen for show devotees and newcomers alike—reminding us of the enduring power of good storytelling, neighborly kindness, and a touch of TV magic.

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For further episode detail, revisit these key moments:

• [04:07] Strassel on Fleischman/Maggie dynamic
• [13:18] Mysticism of the bear episode
• [16:33] Dr. Fleischman’s growth
• [24:23] Inside the opera-dance cave scene
• [32:11] Maggie calls Fleischman “Joel”
• [53:36] Tony Williams & the spirit of community

(Ad sections, intros/outros, and unrelated promotions have been omitted.)

Transcript

[Kimberly Strassel]

This episode is brought to you by FX's Love Story. John F. Kennedy, Jr. And Carolyn Bessette join host Evan Ross Katz on the Official podcast for FX's new series Love Story. John F. Kennedy, Jr. And Carolyn Bessette. And go behind the scenes with cast and special guests featuring Sarah Pigeon, Paul Anthony Kelly, Grace Gummer and Naomi Watts. FX's love story, John F. Kennedy, Jr. And Carolyn Bessette.

[Jeanine Turner]

Wherever you listen to podcasts, this episode is brought to you by Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home with agents who close twice as many deals. When you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it. Get [e-mail] own the dream. Hi, everyone. Welcome to Northern Disclosure. Guess what? I'm Jeanine Turner and I'm solo today. Rob Mora had a commitment and couldn't make it, but I'm not really solo. I have a stellar cast of friends who have fabulous careers and also happen to be fans of Northern Exposure. So we're going to have a lot of fun. We are going to talk about episode 18, season 3, season 3, episode 18, wake up call, it's called. And if you remember, if you want to be kind of triggered about what it's about, do you remember when the bear comes, falls in love with Maggie o' Connell, and we have a little dance, we're going to talk all about it. It's so mystical. It's one of my favorite Northern Exposure episodes, actually. Shelly Love loses her, you know, her skin goes crazy and she has to figure out how to shed her skin. And Dr. Fleischman gets a lesson from Graham Green. Anyway, my first guest today, everybody, is Kimberly Strossel, my good friend. Let me tell you a little bit about Kimberly Strossel. She's a member of the Wall Street Journal editorial board, and she's a book author, and she just happens to be a fan of Northern Exposure. Kimberly Strasso, welcome to the show. Hi.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Oh, my gosh, it's so great to be here. It is such an honor to get to. Come on. I am a super fan. I'm a huge fan. I am. I live in Alaska, and I am here in part because I was so obsessed with Northern Exposure.

[Jeanine Turner]

Oh, that's so cool. Tell us more about that. Tell us more about that. And tell us where you are. You know, generally, if you don't want to go in specific.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Yeah, not specifics. I live up on, like, mainland Alaska rather than down in Southeast, where the kind of islands are. But, you know, I. Northern Exposure ran when I was in college, and then I've worked with the journal for nearly 30 years now. And a lot of the time, in the beginning, I was overseas in London, Belgium, and I kind of missed America. And I just became obsessed with watching Northern Exposure. And it became this thing that I wanted to go to Alaska at some point and bucket list. And I never managed it until 2014. But I came up and I went to do a fishing trip here. The fishing trip didn't work out, but instead I met an Alaskan guy.

[Jeanine Turner]

And a few years later, I was living.

[Kimberly Strassel]

In Alaska, married to the Alaskan guy. And so, like, it's not really because of Northern Exposure, but it's kind of because of Northern Exposure that, like, my whole life for the last nine years is Alaska.

[Jeanine Turner]

Oh, that's great. I love that story. I have a very similar one with a movie that I was auditioning for with Home Improvement. What's his name? I can't think of his name right now. The star of Home Improvement. Anyway, I had a movie. Why? He's like, a huge star. Sorry, Tim. Tim. Is his name Tim something.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Tim Allen.

[Jeanine Turner]

Tim Allen. Yes.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Tim Allen.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yes, it was Tim Allen. And I had a movie role with him, and so not him. But I ended up meeting somebody in the similar type of scenario. But I'm so glad Alaska. Northern Exposure brought you Alaska and your husband.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Yes, I know. No, it's. I think of that show. We watch it all the time. My family watches it. So I am, like, really thrilled to be on. Although I have to tell you, I saw an episode you did with SC cup where she was talking about how she had a crush on Dr. Joel Fleischman. And I was thinking, no, Kim Strassel and Joel Fleischman would not have lasted for two seconds. Never. Uh, I mean, Rob Morrow, fantastic, amazing actor. Incredible. But, like, that character, I was much more Maggie. Like, you know, I remember when she just called him a helplessness junkie. And that was kind of my view of Dr. Fleischman through that show.

[Jeanine Turner]

Helplessness Junkie. There were some great lines to Rob Fleischmann, weren't there? Some helplessness junkie is one of them, or. You're the most vile, odious, pernicious waste of corpuscles I've ever had this.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Fortunately, you are an incessant, complaining nag, Fleischman Fleischman. I love how you used to say it too, Fleischman.

[Jeanine Turner]

That's hilarious. Well, I take it your Alaska man's very different then, is he?

[Kimberly Strassel]

No, he is. He is. No, Joel Fleischman. Yeah, he's most, most capable. Like. And this is something you find that I think was kind of really interesting about the show that you find that is true to life to Alaska. A lot of like 70% of people who live in Alaska chose to move to Alaska. And they're very independent, they're very kind of. And they're very. Because they made that conscious choice, they're happy to be there. And it was so funny because that was really. Joel Shtick, right? Is he was there against his will. But if you think of all the other characters, they loved it, they embraced their life there. And so it, it does sort of make for an interesting community of people who all tend to be very self reliant, want a little bit more danger in their day to day activity, a little bit more living on the edge and in big beautiful nature.

[Jeanine Turner]

Oh, true. Because it's truly the last frontier, isn't it? It, it is pioneer ism to the nth degree, exponentially, if you're going to live in Alaska. It's funny, my dad was a Texan through and through. He used to wear. He's from Athens, Texas, was a West Point graduate and flew in the Air Force and all this. But he'd always loved Tex, When I Die, Bring Me back to Texas. And he loved the. I'm not gonna remember this name either. The big miniseries with Tommy Lee Jones about Texas.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Oh, Lonesome Dove.

[Jeanine Turner]

Lonesome Dove, Lonesome Dove. And he was Lonesome Dove. As a matter of fact, I was sitting in Jeff Saganski's office, who was the president of cbs, and he had Lonesome Dove in like a brown box, you know, like a, with a, with a golden lit. And I said, oh, my father loves that show. And he goes, oh, here, take this to him. Take this to.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Oh my gosh, how wonderful.

[Jeanine Turner]

I got to take it to my father. But then he fell. He started flying in his late 60s, early 70s, Alaska for ConocoPhillips. And he would fly to the North Slope all the time. And he would literally drive his Airstream alone up the Alaskan highway and go to Alaska for months and leave us all, you know, and 9, 11, he was in Alaska and he was trying to drive home in the Alaskan highway to get home. And I'm, I'm trying to get home from la, but he loved Alaska, and Texas was usurped by Alaska.

[Kimberly Strassel]

It grows on you. We have a huge number of folks that, you know that were stationed here briefly in the military, and as soon as they get out service, they move back. They want to live in Alaska. It really gets in. It gets in your soul, and then you can't.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah, I may have to do that someday.

[Kimberly Strassel]

You gotta Nexus.

[Jeanine Turner]

But maybe. Maybe I'll come live near you. Yes.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Come in the summer.

[Victoria Bauman]

Yeah.

[Jeanine Turner]

Well, how do you deal with the. And I want to talk about the show briefly, but how do you deal with the long nights and the cold?

[Kimberly Strassel]

Well, you know, actually, I have to tell you one thing. You know, it's funny. It's a TV show, obviously, right. But one thing I actually really love about Northern Exposure is it gets to a lot of the things that are just enduring realities of Alaskan life.

[Jeanine Turner]

Right.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Like there's a lot of focus on the realities of living in winter, you know, of these very long, dark days in the winter. But also. No, there's that great episode, remember, where Joel doesn't sleep forever and then he finally goes to sleep and misses a basketball game because there's the midnight sun in the summer. And they really like in this episode that we're going to talk about, it's very much about that. It's about spring and the ritual of spring. And Alaskans love spring. Like, there's a lot of. A lot of focus on it, not just because we've waited a very long time for it to come. You know, I mean, winter comes here in late September, and it stays with us until like April or May. But, you know, Alaskans are all huge gardeners, so they're already like, planning their gardening. And we have this thing called breakup where the ice all breaks up on the river and you can finally go out in your boats again. So it's like a huge thing. My husband gave me my best advice when I moved to Alaska, which in winter, that you just need to snuggle in, you need to hire, you need to embrace it and recognize that it's.

[Jeanine Turner]

Too cold to go out.

[Kimberly Strassel]

And, you know, you're not raking the lawn because everything is covered in ice and snow. You can't really do DIY outside. You can't do anything other than have fun. You can snow machine and ice fish and things, but, you know, in the winter, you just. You get your books out, you have popcorn, you watch tv, you do puzzles. And I think it's been a very smart way of looking and embracing win.

[Jeanine Turner]

Well, I just remember that even in Seattle, because, you know, it would get dark so incredibly early. Of course, Seattle, it never really got warm. It was always about 32 and raining all year long. And when the sun came out, you were like, sun. If you're on the phone, you go, sunbreak. Gotta go. You know, And I had a. I got rid of it when I was pregnant. I had a little red convertible Corvette. That was part of my contract when I did those Chevrolet commercials. And when I was pregnant, I like sold it. And to this day I'm like, why? Why? It was like a little red Corvette with a convertible. The classic 2015 anniversary or something.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Fantastic.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah, but you can't really drive a convertible very much in. In Seattle, maybe Alaska. In those few, few days I was in Alaska, I'm gonna have to travel back because I was there. But it was like early October, so it was no man's land. It wasn't summer and it wasn't winter. So it was a little bit anti climatic. So I'll have to come up and visit you throughout the whole.

[Kimberly Strassel]

First of all, you have a standing invitation. But so are you saying throughout the whole show. I know it was filmed in Washington state, but did you guys like never even do like a little expl. Excursion to Alaska to like.

[Jeanine Turner]

No.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Really?

[Jeanine Turner]

And I think the reason is because we were so busy. I mean, we filmed 22 episodes a.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Year or 20 back in those days.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah, those days. And we were picked up for 50 at once. And that's when I bought my ranch and my, you know, my pickup truck and my horse and all this. But when we were picked up for 50, that's 25 episodes a year. So you're basically working 10 months a year. And if you want to go do a film like I did Cliffhanger in that small period of time, then you have.

[Kimberly Strassel]

I love that film.

[Jeanine Turner]

Oh, that's fun. That was. I've got the greatest, greatest stories around that. Even just being able to get out of Northern Exposure to go do that movie. But. And then I worked three months in. In Italy and then I was right back. So it was two solid years of work. So there's no time to like, excursion up to Alaska now. Rob did. You know, supposedly Rob got all these invitations. He got all these gifts. He got like sunglasses and parkas and an invitation. And I'm like, wait, what?

[Kimberly Strassel]

Maggie was so much cooler than Joel. I don't even get that. So I don't. She flew her own plane, for God's sake. Yeah, all we did is wine.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah, that's okay. I got the magazine covers and so I'll go with that. Right? Yes, exactly. Made him really mad, actually. But anywho. So let's talk about this particular episode because I happen to love this episode. It's called Wake Up Call. It's season three, episode eight. You can still watch it on Prime Video. You just might have to pay a couple bucks. It's still there. We were really worried a couple of weeks ago that it wasn't going to be there anymore. And the cast, because they took off the freedom element, but. But this had Graham Green in it. The. The unbelievable Graham Green. And this gorgeous Nordic, tall human being, you know, this man with long blonde hair that looked a lot like Mikhail Baryshnikov, if we might add, you know, and his name was Andreas Wininsky. And I don't know where he is now. It'd be so fun. We could get him on. But it looks like he wanted to do Die Hard and a lot of action adventure movies. But he was gorgeous.

[Kimberly Strassel]

But.

[Jeanine Turner]

But in my storyline, she's remiss, like, oh, my friends are getting married and whatnot. And then she. This man just keeps appearing. And I love this mystical aspect of the show that he actually was a bear who saw her, became a man, takes her to his cave, they have mead and he talks about his, you know, and they dance this beautiful opera. I know. They dance this beautiful opera song and this beautiful embrace that he does. And then he goes back and he becomes a bear again. And she recognizes it. Maggie, in the true Alaskan spirit, you know, was when she sees the bear, she's like, is that you? She realizes that was him.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Him.

[Jeanine Turner]

And I love that mystical. Not only the. But the dancing to opera, music and all that. But the lighting was gorgeous. The cave, the smoke behind the cave, it was just so incredibly mystical. And wasn't he gorgeous too? I'd love for him to push my child in that any day.

[Kimberly Strassel]

I wouldn't kick him out of my hot tub.

[Jeanine Turner]

That's the phrase we use.

[Kimberly Strassel]

No, I love it too. And you know, one of the things I actually loved about this episode is you're talking about the mysticism. And there is an element of true to life here too. Alaskan native culture. This is a huge aspect of it, the idea of sort of transformation, especially that kind of shift shape, shape shifting between animals and humans. We actually have this amazing author up here, a novelist named. And she just had a book come out, I think it was last year. And it is about a man who can become a bear. And Go back again. And it's. It was actually one of my favorite books of last year.

[Jeanine Turner]

I can't think of the name of.

[Kimberly Strassel]

The title, but Eowyn Ivy is her name and she's actually written. She wrote a book that was shortlisted for the Pulitzer a number of years back called the Snow Child. So she's a. She's an author of some repute, but this was her latest one and it was really great. So I recommend it if you liked this episode. But I, I love that idea and the way that they sort of weave it, weave it in. And it's also so perfect that it happened to Maggie because she was one of those, as you say, like, people who'd come up there and was willing to embrace the idea that some strange, different things could happen in this magical, unusual land she lived in.

[Jeanine Turner]

I love the shape shifting and the possibility of spirit, you know, the, you know, the Holy spirit, our spirits. You know, animals have spirits and, and just, just the whole other dimension that we. That's around us that we don't even really know about, but animals do. I mean, animals really have a sensory overload that we don't even have. They can feel our energies and our spirits and.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Do you have dogs? I mean, it's always interesting to me. We can travel nine hours away. You know, you drive a lot in Alaska, like, to get anywhere, because we only have like eight roads, right? And, and, and, and it's long distances everywhere. And we can take our dogs and they can be down in the back of the truck and you can get within a mile of home. And it's not like they're looking outside and all sudden they sit up and they know they're almost home. Like, I don't know if it's the smells, I don't know if it's what it is, but they have, they. They sense in ways that we have no idea.

[Jeanine Turner]

Well, and there's a story of the cat. I need to let you go. But there's a story of the cat that the, the family left behind in, let's just say, Michigan or something. And they moved to Florida and the cat followed them. It took months, but the cat figured out how to get to them. Now, tell me how that happened.

[Kimberly Strassel]

I have no idea.

[Jeanine Turner]

That's great. But Cynthia's storyline was wonderful, too, about shedding her skin. And Graham Greene talking about really listening to the actual person. And that really echoes modern medicine today. You know, you get your 10 minutes and let me throw a drug to you.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Oh, I love those storylines. Joel getting some Real lessons in compassion in his sort of doctoring, you know, which, by the way, yes, Sicily was darn lucky that Joel was there to, like, be looking after them.

[Suzanne West]

But he.

[Kimberly Strassel]

He certainly had some bedside manner issues, you know, and. And I thought this was sort of what. And that it was Graham Green doing it as well, too, and that Joel actually gets something out of it, but also Shelly and the skin. And. And if you watch that episode again, it's just also. Just the attention to details that your team had. The.

[Suzanne West]

The.

[Kimberly Strassel]

The endless number of scenes that had eggs and chickens and, you know, this whole, like, the whole theme of renewal and spring and. And Shelly's walking around everywhere. I don't know if you've noticed in that show, but she wears flowers on all of her clothes. And there's like all these little scenes with flowers in them as well, too. It was just like. It's the renewal thing.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yes. Like the maypole. My mother's May 5th, and she always talks about the, you know, the May. May 1, and the spring of May. And that's true. The overlap. Cynthia did a great job with that storyline. And. And of course, Rob ended up having a great. To learn about compassion from Graham Green. And the way Graham Greene takes him on and says, what does he say? You're just not that. He goes, you're boring. Isn't that what he says? He says, you're boring. He goes, what? He goes, you're boring. He goes, boring. You're insulting me. Tell me I'm boring. And then at the end, he goes. And then he gets mad. He goes, now you're mad? He goes, yes, I'm mad. He goes, well, at least that isn't boring.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Exactly, Exactly.

[Jeanine Turner]

Got to give that to the writing. I mean, the director was Nick Mark, and the. The writers were Andy and Diane, and they always did a great job with. With the mystical aspect. But. Okay, you're just gonna have to come back because this was incredibly fun.

[Kimberly Strassel]

I. This is so fun. I will come back anytime to talk.

[Jeanine Turner]

Northern Exposure with you. You tell me. You tell me the time to come visit you. I want to come. I'm gonna come up there to.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Do you like to fish?

[Jeanine Turner]

Yes, I love to do anything outdoors. Yes.

[Tony Williams]

Okay.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Summer. Yeah. Come up and we'll get. We'll go. We'll go hook some salmon fishing.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yes.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Yeah, that's my. That's what I do all summer long. That's what we do all summer long.

[Jeanine Turner]

Salmon. Oh, that sounds fun. I grew up fishing in South Texas, and Texas is just getting a little too Overgrown. You know, talk about. We've been learning all about Tucson with their light noise. You know, they don't want the light noise. And I used to be able to look out and see the stars. And now everybody's moving up here, and it's just. And everything's a warehouse. I don't know. I think I should ask a land commissioner.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Well, fun fact about Alaska. We are more than twice the size of Texas, which is something I do like to tell my. My very proud Texas friends.

[Jeanine Turner]

We're humbled. Okay. All right. Okay. All right.

[Kimberly Strassel]

But we only have 750,000 people in the state.

[Jeanine Turner]

Oh, that's great.

[Kimberly Strassel]

In the whole state. The little joke during COVID We had this little joke in Covid up here in Alaska when they said the public health officials said stand six feet apart. And Alaskans looked around and moved closer together.

[Jeanine Turner]

That's sounding better and better me every day. Maybe I may follow my father's heart. Heart. I'm come live by you, that's for sure.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Okay, well, this is an honor. I'll come back anytime.

[Jeanine Turner]

Please do. So much fun.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Thanks for having me. Yeah. Thanks.

[Jeanine Turner]

Take care, everybody.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Wall Street Journal.

[Jeanine Turner]

Bye. Out of work. Bye. See you later. We have my beloved cousin Victoria Balman with me today. So your grandpa and my grandma on my father's side. Is it. On your father's. Your mother's side.

[Victoria Bauman]

So it's my mother's side. So it's my. So my grandma and your dad were first cousins, and they were super good friends. And mainly because my grandma was an only child, so she sort of felt like her cousins were her siblings.

[Jeanine Turner]

There you go. There you go. So it was. My father's mother's brother is my. My grandma's brother was your grandparents. Grandpa. And so.

[Victoria Bauman]

Yeah, it was my grandma's dad. Yes.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Okay.

[Jeanine Turner]

Well, yeah. Closely related. Oh, I guess you're. You're a generation younger than me. Yes, I keep forgetting that. I know it's. Your mother and I are the same generation. Well, I connected with Victoria about, I guess when we launched my foundation constituting America and you went on our first road trip with us across America. And I have. I have fallen in love with my cousin Victoria. We text each other every night. Three positive things, don't we, Victoria? Yes. Three positive things about ourselves to. To combat. You know, when we have talk in our head that's not always positive. It is a beautiful thing. It really keeps us close. So I suggest that to everybody, text three positive things to somebody that you care about every night. And we're Pretty good at it. We're pretty good at it every night. We sometimes miss every now and then. But we're talking about Northern Exposure today, so. You know, I don't even know that you and I have talked about Northern Exposure that much. I just knew you were familiar with it. I'll just say Victoria as an artist herself. She's a movie producer herself. She went to an arts high school and studied art and filmmaking in Hollywood. And she is also has produced movies. So you're not just my cousin, you're also in the film industry and you have watched Northern Exposure. So tell us a little bit about your experience with Northern Exposure and then. Well, then we'll talk about this particular episode.

[Victoria Bauman]

So as a kid growing up, I. So in 92, when this episode that you've been. That, you know, we're going to talk about aired, I was nine years old, so I wasn't really allowed to watch Northern Exposure. It was a little too racy. But my parents watched it, and I always knew you were in it. And then my husband, who's 10 years older than me, he remembers watching Northern Exposure in college. So I don't know what night of the week it was on.

[Jeanine Turner]

I don't remember Monday, but.

[Victoria Bauman]

Okay. They would all get together and watch the episodes together. So that's kind of a fun thing.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yes, yes, it is funny. And you watched it, that. You finally watched it.

[Victoria Bauman]

So. Yes, I've seen it. Like, I. I have all of them on dvd and I. And I've seen it, you know, since. But first run. I didn't see it first run.

[Jeanine Turner]

Well, that's. That's okay. I mean, it wasn't racy often. There was occasionally a little something. But this episode was pretty good as far as a family friendly. I don't think much could have been misconstrued in. In this particular episode. So did you like this episode with the Dancing with the Bear?

[Victoria Bauman]

Yes, yes, I loved it and I loved the concepts of it just felt like rebirth and hope. I liked it.

[Suzanne West]

I liked it.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah. Yeah. And we talk about this a lot. The way. The way the characters intermingle, the way the storylines intermingle with each other. And this was written by Andy and Diane, our producers. They were a married couple who wrote together, and they always brought the wonderful mystical elements to our show the most. But the way Shelley loses her skin and sheds it and the way Graham Greene understands what's going on. And we were just talking with Kimberly Strossel about the whole. The way the Alaskans and the Native American Community. They really embrace that, you know, and. And the whole. The spiritual dimension of. Of. And then, of course, it happens with the bear. The bear comes back to dance with her. Was he the most gorgeous human being ever? Yes. Yeah. He kind of looks like your husband.

[Victoria Bauman]

I think you can say.

[Suzanne West]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jeanine Turner]

Okay. Paul. Yeah, yeah. Paul let his hair grow. I think we. Yeah, sure, if he had the long hair.

[Victoria Bauman]

Well, he really reminds me of Fabio. Remember when Fabio was so famous.

[Jeanine Turner]

Right.

[Victoria Bauman]

And like it's. Every woman was, you know.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah. Falling for it. Yeah.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Very similar.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yes.

[Victoria Bauman]

Very, very masculine. Yes.

[Jeanine Turner]

Very rugged. Yeah. And he had that kind of. He had an accent and he had that Mikhail Bursnock thing going for him too. Yeah, totally. He was very, very appealing and. But the way he. He. And it was so sweet. Something I didn't say in the earlier segment. The scene in the cave when, you know, after. When you film 110 episodes and it was 30 to 35 years ago. Okay.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Yeah.

[Jeanine Turner]

There's certain things you remember more than others. And I remember that scene. I don't really. I don't remember. I mean, when I saw it, I'm like, oh, yeah, when he carries me across the river. Which is really fun. But primarily what I remember are the cave scenes. And one of the things about them is that it was so late at night when we filmed it. I think it was about 2 in the morning.

[Victoria Bauman]

Oh, wow.

[Jeanine Turner]

2 in the morning. And we probably been. I'd probably been there since about noon or 10 o' clock in the morning, so it was late. And it just took them forever to light that beautifully, the way they lit it. And Frank Prinzi was our cinematographer and then. But when we walked in and I just finished directing something for Constantine, America with the Founding Fathers in this kind of short film and honoring America 250. And I had 20 actors on the set at the same time. But it's really tricky to. To. What's hard is that the camera spends so much time setting up lighting and camera and the. My co director of my musical, Ryan Brown, and I talk about all the time that there's. There's some famous director, I don't know who it was who was talking. You spend. Wait a minute. You spend all this time setting up the cameras, the lights, and then actors get two minutes. You get two minutes to go in and say, okay, you get three takes, four takes. Moving on, next. And it's really. That's why actors have to be primed emotionally and kind of like racehorses, you know, you can't get Upset with an actor if they're a little bit emotional because we have to, like, on go. It's got to be there. We don't. It's wild if. Sometimes I'm like, hey, guys, can I have just one minute? Just. Just a minute to try to, like, get some tears, you know? Like, just a minute. And the horrible thing about that is the whole crew's watch you.

[Suzanne West]

Right, right.

[Jeanine Turner]

They get really still, and they're just like. And nobody moves. And so then you become really conscious. A lot of pressure watching you, and you're like, oh, my God. Okay, never mind. But we had so little time as actors to film that. And I remember Frank Prince, who's a really good friend of mine, he. He said to me. I remember this. He said to me the next day, how did you love that lighting? I'm like, because. And his feelings were. He won the Emmy that year. You know what I mean? And he's like, what do you mean? I'm like, well, you know, there wasn't enough light on my face. And I just remember his face fell so much.

[Kimberly Strassel]

I love.

[Jeanine Turner]

I love you, Frank. And he knows I love him. I just keep in touch with him. But it's like, you know, But I look at it now, and it was beautiful lighting, actually. Right, right. Yeah.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Yeah.

[Victoria Bauman]

You can step back and now see the. The art of it.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah. Yeah. You really. You really can. I think the whole show.

[Victoria Bauman]

The whole season was. At least this season three, but all of them are very artistically beautiful, especially with the way shows are now. Also, shows now are very dark in comparison, and this show is very light on lots of levels. And so I just think. I think it's more fun to watch nowadays, too.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah, we talk about this a lot on the show, and. And. And you're right. But I can see now that what Frank was doing was cinematically beautif. When I was in profile and the light coming, and even it was just. Frank, sorry. I agree it was cinematically beautiful, but I just finished watching the third season of the Diplomat, Right. And I couldn't see anybody's faces. Well, that's the thing.

[Victoria Bauman]

Everything is so dark, and it's so. And it's tragic to me because I don't think that we really get to appreciate the talent that's going into making each of those scenes when you can't see the.

[Jeanine Turner]

See them. Well, is. Isn't that what's selling it, really, ultimately, anyway? I mean, everybody cares about their. But it's the actors that have. If you're not interested in the actors. If you don't have empathy for the actors, if you don't care about the actors, if you can't see the nuances and the idiosyncrasies of their face, which in filmmaking, it's. It's always I, when I was just directing this, I stood right by the cameras because I could really see the nuances of expressions in their face. That's what sells it in the long run. Of course.

[Victoria Bauman]

Of course.

[Suzanne West]

Absolutely.

[Jeanine Turner]

Absolutely. And then everything else is. I mean, not. I'm a frustrated cinematographer, so I'm not saying that I don't love cinematography and creative and all that. And I love, you know, I. On the flip side, I don't like the kind of hallmark lighting which is 360. Bright. Bright, bright. Right. Well, there's no depth.

[Victoria Bauman]

There's no dimension. Yeah, no dimension.

[Tony Williams]

No.

[Victoria Bauman]

It's not artistically attractive at all. And it looks.

[Suzanne West]

It looks cheap.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah, it looks. It looks like some. A really bad soap opera.

[Victoria Bauman]

Well, I was gonna say.

[Jeanine Turner]

Or soap opera.

[Victoria Bauman]

Well, and then totally. Also I get really annoyed and my husb. And like laughs at me. You know, a lot of high definition TVs, in my opinion, make beautiful cinema look horrible because it's not at all how it's meant to be.

[Jeanine Turner]

Right.

[Victoria Bauman]

And what it's meant to look like. So you have to, you know, change your settings and get them all correct to really see it the way the director and cinematographer desired you to see it.

[Jeanine Turner]

That's true. And I guess that would be movie. Is that what we go for? The movie? Yeah, well, different.

[Victoria Bauman]

Different TVs are a little bit different. I don't know. I play with it quite a bit before. It doesn't look like a soap opera tomorrow.

[Jeanine Turner]

Me. Yeah, well, I just don't like continuing seeing a mustache that I should have gotten off the upper lip. I'm like, wait, is. Aren't you wondering why they didn't tell you about it? There's like. I don't think it showed up in the original version. You know, it's like, that's so high. Well, that's the problem. That's the problem. Did they.

[Victoria Bauman]

Do, you know, did they shoot it on film?

[Jeanine Turner]

Oh, yes, yes. Right.

[Victoria Bauman]

Because that's the only thing too, like the best. The best shows are shot on film or were shot on film.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you can go back and look at those eight movies in the 80s and the 90s and. And go, okay, maybe. But I still love the way the. The depth of film.

[Victoria Bauman]

Me too.

[Jeanine Turner]

When I went to Cliffhanger and I had this great camera and David Frederick's a cameraman. I've got to have to let you go. But it said. Said, do you. Do you remember when you change those lenses and you're taking pictures? In Italy, when I was filming Cliffhanger, do you want to take a picture picture or make a picture? And I. I think people still make pictures today. It's not like that. Like, they don't. They're so beautiful. Beautiful work. But film. Film had. And I took a lot of pictures in Italy and I blew them up, like, huge. And they're in my House of Angels and this and that. And you really can't do that with digital.

[Suzanne West]

No, it's true.

[Victoria Bauman]

I know it's not quite the same. It's not the same, especially with.

[Jeanine Turner]

Is with photographs. Well, is there anything else you want to say about Northern Exposure or this episode before I let you go? I mean, there was many elements to it. There was even Chris, who had a Cold. Barry Corbin was very kind of. Everyone had their own little nuance about dealing with spring. Everybody wanted something different. Yes.

[Victoria Bauman]

I loved that. I loved that. It was. Yeah. Thematic and woven through. That theme was.

[Jeanine Turner]

Right.

[Victoria Bauman]

That, you know, new life, change. Change was happening for everybody. I mean, your scenes were the most interesting, though, because the bear, the cave. I mean, all the things we've talk about and that you were talking about, I mean, really very expressive and interesting. Well thought and unique and thought provoking and unique and, you know, leading you to different ideas about your character without being overt. I. I think it was good.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Yeah.

[Jeanine Turner]

And. And there was a vulnerability to Maggie that we were able to see that I don't think we see often that she doesn't show. And. And there was something that she said at the very end. And I don't know if all of you who are listening caught it. I don't know if you caught it. When Fleischman. Did you catch what she says to him? And I know you had to watch the episode really quickly today, because I got. Okay, she calls him Joel. She doesn't call him Fleischman. That was the first time. I think it's the first time she ever called him Joel. And the weird thing is, they didn't. I don't know if they cut back that really. They. That he caught that. But I thought, oh, my gosh, she just called him Joel instead of Fleischman.

[Victoria Bauman]

Well, was. Yeah, it was fun. That's the thing. When I've, you know, gone back and watched these episodes now, I just think that they're really fun.

[Jeanine Turner]

Fun.

[Victoria Bauman]

Which I think is great because not not every show is fun and dynamic and thought provoking all at the same time. Which Northern Exposure was which is part of why it's having a rebirth in general. And people are are wanting to watch it again.

[Jeanine Turner]

So true. And the younger generations really are enjoying it too. Which you are. I keep forgetting your entire younger generation than I. I love your mother. Tell her hi.

[Kimberly Strassel]

I will.

[Jeanine Turner]

All right. Thanks for coming on the show. Victoria Bauman, everybody. My beloved cousin. All right, see you later.

[Tony Williams]

Bye.

[Jeanine Turner]

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[Kimberly Strassel]

Hi.

[Jeanine Turner]

How are you? Yeah, going through. I've gone from host to to hero. Thanks to Cutwater, I can make real perfectly mixed cocktails in seconds. It's as simple as garnishing a glass, cracking my can of cut water open and pouring it over ice. Cut water Real cocktails, perfectly mixed. Copyright 2025 Cut Water Spirits, San Diego, CA. Enjoy responsibly. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Listening to this podcast Smart money move. Being financially savvy. Smart move. Another smart move. Having State Farm help you create a competitive price when you choose to bundle home and auto bundling. Just another way to save with a personal price plan like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer availability, amount of Discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state. Hi, everyone. Welcome back to Northern Disclosure. It's Jeanine Turner where we walked through all the Northern Exposure episodes. And Rob Morrow, my co star, my partner in crime, so to speak, had a commitment today. So I am solo and I'm like, oh my goodness, what am I going to do? And I guess I could have talked for an hour to myself, but I think that would have been a little weird and maybe probably boring. So I quickly texted a bunch of friends of mine and cousins that know about Northern Exposure. And first on the show was Kimberly Strossel with the Wall Street Journal. And then it was my who lives in Alaska. Alaska, who because of Northern Exposure, went to Alaska, met her husband in Alaska and moved to Alaska. So that's a lot of fun. And then my cousin Victoria, she was on because she's grown up, grown up with, with the show. And now Suzanne west, everybody. This is my dear friend Suzanne West. And talk about a diversity of careers that everybody has had on the show today. She is a seasoned cfo, a long time finance executive with deep experience, get this, an aerospace and defense industry. Industry Love that, especially the aerospace part. And we have been friends since childhood. Our fathers were in the Air Force together and they were both in the Strategic Air Command together. And we both were born, Weren't we both born in Nebraska together in Lincoln? Yes, yes. Suzanne and I were both born in Lincoln, Nebraska, and our parents were really good friends. So we always were together doing things with each other. But what I remember about Suzanne then, who now lives closer to me, but she was, they always, for a big part of their life, lived in California. And I went up to the hills and the mountains of California. And I just remember her mother brought out. Her mother was fabulous. So was her father brought out granola with whipped cream and blueberries. And of course I'm a, I was a Kellogg's Captain Crunch girl, right? I'm like, whoa, where am I? I mean, this is really unique and different, but also we would go to the beach and play the Beach Boys. So, so my whole life, anytime I heard the Beach Boys, I thought about Suzanne. And so we have reconnected later in life. But it's really fun, Suzanne, to have reconnected with you. And you're such a dear, sunshiny spirit, intelligent, beautiful woman. And you also happen to love Northern Exposure. So it was like a perfect guest. You're a perfect guest.

[Suzanne West]

Oh, it's a pleasure to be here. It's so fun actually, just to be here and just to go back and reminisce, certainly on our past, for sure.

[Jeanine Turner]

Tell me about your journey with Northern Exposure.

[Suzanne West]

I just remember. I mean, following you certainly, you know, and your. And your career, but I remember being so excited when Northern Exposure came on board, you know, in early 90s, and just watching the show. But I think more than anything, was just the character you played certainly was inspiring, but it really reflects you, Janine, and how you are in life and how, you know, you were just the perfect. Perfect person for that. But just the strong portrayal of women and just their independence. And Maggie could do anything. I mean, she just literally could do anything. And I think of that as you as well. So I just remember watching it over the years and just being excited to actually see the beauty of the Northwest and then certainly be able to, of course, see you and just follow the story. I mean, it was just. It was one of those comedies, but it was also had great, great drama, you know, to kind of go through. So, yeah, it was great.

[Jeanine Turner]

It had depth. It had depth. And I rem. Suzanne and I got together recently, and my mother was with us because my mom's living with me, and. And we were pushing my mother along in the wheelchair. The walker, I don't know at the time, and. But you brought your scrapbook, and there were pictures of us on the beach with the Beach Boys, and I think you had, like, an Airstream or something. It was so California.

[Suzanne West]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jeanine Turner]

And Suzanne has brothers and sisters. And there I'm in my yellow and white bikini with. With I'd worn on Dallas. It was the bikini I wore when I was discovered. And. And I had my first.

[Kimberly Strassel]

I forgot that.

[Jeanine Turner]

But I had this long hair, you know, this long brow and hot pink fingernails, and, boy, I cut all that off and. And I cut all my hair off right before I booked Northern Exposure. It was more like this. It wasn't the, you know, the boyish kind of look, but thank. You know, you look at how life pieces itself together, and I believe how God works in our lives, and you just. If you just hang on, if you just don't give up for the miracle and keep showing up the. Your dreams and the aspirations and the journeys and the passions of your heart that I believe God puts inside of you like a build, a bear, you know, they come to fruition if you just hang in there and. But all the steps that have to kind of. The fact that I chopped all my hair off, which my mother was very upset about, by the way.

[Suzanne West]

She was.

[Jeanine Turner]

My mother was like, what are you doing?

[Suzanne West]

Well, I can see that, too, because you had unbelievably gorgeous, long, beautiful hair. So, yeah, that probably would have stressed me a little bit as well.

[Jeanine Turner]

My mother never had long hair, but she. She always wanted me to have long hair. She wants everybody to have long hair. I guess everybody have the hair she didn't have. But. So it's a fun episode. And this particular episode, what were your thoughts about this one? Cause it was about. We have another one, spring break in the first eight or the second eight, which was about the snow melting and everybody going crazy and all the men running through the street naked. And Rob Moore and I have our big kissing scene in the pots and pans. And it was just. That was a great scene. That was a lot of fun. But this was another version of that. It was a little more subdued. But everybody's dealing with spring in their way, whether it's a spring awakening, physically or spiritually or mentally or emotionally. What were your thoughts about the episode?

[Suzanne West]

But I think, too, what the story does and what the show has always done is weave all those characters together. So you're exactly right. Just the reawakening in the springtime. But when you saw Maggie initially being nervous or scared about possibly a bear, and then you go back and you see her back in the. Just putting wood in the back of her truck and backing up and getting stuck, and. And then looks in a rearview mirror and sees this phenomenal person that's kind of behind her. She didn't even know he was there. And. But it's just kind of those things that. And then weaves that back into. Was it the bear? Was it not the bear? So. And then as spring kind of comes back through. But I just. I found it. And even the way that when Shelley was taking care of the egg when she was a. Not a baby, but when she was young and telling the story from her aunt and then watching, you know, some of the other characters also weaving and incubating eggs. So it's just really just awareness and opening up and just that kind of deep dream state that. That you were in, as you were. As you were kind of going back through and seeing what. Was that a bear? Was that not a bear? But just. Just the. The love, really, that everybody had. And also, I think the other thing, I guess, really that that stood out was just that relationship between. Between Joel, who's just this neurotic doctor from New York, and always trying to get things right and be very specific, and then just that very unique style that Leonard brought In terms of patience, kindness, understanding, and really getting to know your patients. And how Joel initially pushed back on that, but then really pulled back and said, that's a better way or could be a better way to treat your patients and treat the patients, not just the illness.

[Jeanine Turner]

His character had a really nice arc, and it was, you know, because he played it very intensely. I mean, it was really kind of intense. But you see that it went somewhere, you know, that he. It. He ended up coming around full circle. And a lot of times, it's hard as characters to be that dislikable. You know what I mean? You don't ever really want to be that dislikable because. But he did it, and he was brave to do it that way, because at the end, you see that he had. That he was able to learn his lesson. And I had a great acting coach, Mira Rostova. How I suddenly remembered her name, I don't know, because it was about 40 years ago.

[Suzanne West]

Beautiful name.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah. But she talked about what. What. What is your. What is your job in the context of the script. Not, you know, because actors always want to be somewhat likable, but what. How are you serving the script? And I think that was a. A big part of it, and just the spiritual awakening that everybody had in their way. I really liked that whole spiritual aspect. And I. I love the whole idea of. Of the spirit, whether it's even Barry Corbin, you know, Maurice playing the. The bagpipes on top of the roof.

[Suzanne West]

Right, right, right.

[Jeanine Turner]

You know, it's just. What show does that?

[Suzanne West]

I mean, like I said at the very ending, they always do such. It doesn't matter what episode you were watching. They. You kind of maybe forgot about this one aspect. But then they weave it all the way back in at the ending. And it was just always. I always ended leaving that show with just a good feeling. I mean, it was just a positive. Positive message more than anything. And just the way everybody got there was a little differently.

[Jeanine Turner]

And it's. It's stimulating. I also thought it was funny when I had that scene earlier where I saw the mustache on my. On my lip. We were talking about that earlier, and I'm like, we're talking about high def going. I'm like, is that a mustache? Like, wait, what? Now everyone's gonna go see that, right?

[Suzanne West]

Yeah, right, right.

[Jeanine Turner]

That's all. That's all you're gonna focus on. Pointed it out. Nobody would have seen it. But. But nevertheless, I'm in a scene with. With Darren, and she's like, there just aren't any good available men anymore. And she's saying it right to him, you know, and available and just. That was kind of. Kind of funny as well. But I have to tell you, I live on a ranch. I consider myself very outdoorsy like Maggie o'. Connell. And just. Even in the cold ice storm that we just had, I lost two beloved longhorns. And I thought I might. They were 20 years old. A steer that was about 20 and a cow that was about 20, and they were very old to begin with. And of course, it got days of ice and snow and whatnot. And I was trying to save everybody, but just having to stand out there over them as they're warm or they're dying or their eyes are still alive, and I'm trying to save them and praying over the. And loving on them and then having to, like, all myself, you know, figure it out how, you know, I got to not call somebody and get them buried or get the vet out here or whatever I have to do. And the strength that it takes to kind of be an outdoorsy person, to have to go out and deal if you're. If you're going to have all those animals, you have to deal with 30, you know, three decades of all the animals that come and go. But I think Maggie o' Connell's strength was. But something. But I was. I was laughing to myself because I was thinking, all the times I get my traction tractor stuck or my zero turn lawnmower stuck, right?

[Suzanne West]

Right.

[Jeanine Turner]

I want a man like him to come push it out. I'm like, hello, you do, but you don't need one. Like, I'm looking, I'm looking, right?

[Suzanne West]

I mean, but it's like, I think you have your inner. Your inner Maggie when you're out there on your own farm, Janine. I mean, because you want that, but you don't need that. And that's just. I mean, just the power and the strength of you. But just. Just really, you know, as we've talked about, even in our. In our prayer group, all of what, what you go through and is just the. The spirit and the. Of life and. And just the season of life and God's time.

[Jeanine Turner]

God's time. Yeah. I'm like, God, am I ever gonna be able to get married? I always joke at myself, honey, God's time. Yeah, Honey, would.

[Victoria Bauman]

Would you go like.

[Jeanine Turner]

Or, honey, would you go check on the longhorn? Or, honey, would you go clean out the stall? There's no honey. Yeah, it's just me, myself and I. But. Well, this is A lot of fun. Suzanne, thank you so much for coming.

[Suzanne West]

So nice to see you. Yes.

[Jeanine Turner]

Last minute. You look great.

[Suzanne West]

Absolutely. Good to see you.

[Kimberly Strassel]

All right.

[Jeanine Turner]

Aerosmith. Aerosmith is aerospace.

[Suzanne West]

Yeah, yeah, Aerosmith.

[Jeanine Turner]

Did y' all play a lot of Aerosmith at the aerospace?

[Suzanne West]

We did not, but I do love Aerosmith.

[Kimberly Strassel]

What did you.

[Jeanine Turner]

Tell us quickly. I've got to go to the next. But tell us, did you. What did you work on? I mean, I know you were financial, but is there anything that you were.

[Suzanne West]

So probably my most favorite program was F35. So really, it's just. I mean, my. Whether it's fixed wing or rotor wing, it's just listening to those aircraft and it's the sound of freedom. I mean, certainly where our fathers grew up and how we grew up with that appreciation of just the military. That's just faith, freedom, and just understanding what we do to support our men and women in the military. Military.

[Jeanine Turner]

So, yeah, my dad. My dad flew a bomber and then he was on the B58 Hustler. And what did your dad fly?

[Suzanne West]

B47. The B47.

[Jeanine Turner]

B47. And then my dad was a West Point. He got to the Air Force that way. Where. How did your dad get to the Air Force?

[Suzanne West]

He actually went through just normal channels, Oregon State. And then he went to the Air Force. And then he went on to be American Airlines. And then.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah, and then my dad went on to be Braniff.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Right.

[Jeanine Turner]

They were competitive aircraft, but they were good friends. Right?

[Suzanne West]

Exactly. For a long. Forever. I mean, forever.

[Jeanine Turner]

And they're in heaven together now.

[Suzanne West]

So they're enjoying. Absolutely, they are.

[Jeanine Turner]

They're watching us. We're having a lot of fun up here.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Jeanine Turner]

Absolutely. All right, thank you, Suzanne, Good to see you.

[Suzanne West]

All right, thanks, Janine. Talk to you soon.

[Jeanine Turner]

Bye. Welcome to Inside the Art House. The go to destination for cinephiles and the number one place for art. Art house cinema and filmmaker conversations. Each week, today's most visionary filmmakers pull back the curtain on the art of cinema. Sharing how stories are made and why they matter. Hosted by Greg Laemmle of the legendary Laemmle Theaters, a family that shaped the.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Movie business for over a century.

[Jeanine Turner]

And Raphael Sparge, actor and award winning director. Together they explore the creative process, the struggles and the triumphs behind the camera and the bold ideas shaping film today. From indie debuts, documentaries to international arthouse cinema, Inside the Art House dives deep into a world where passion meets craft and where the love of film lives. Loud Inside the Art House conversations with today's most visionary filmmakers listen or watch wherever you get your podcasts. So here I am, as I said before soloing the show. So I quickly texted, you know, a bunch of friends of mine, and last minute I had these four fabulous friends that said yes. And this particular friend of mine is Tony Williams. I'm gonna tell you a little bit about Tony Williams is a wonderful, wonderful person. He's a senior fellow at the Bill of Rights Institute and he's a fellow at my foundation constituting America, which is nonpartisan. We never take a political stance. And he's also the author of many books. But he has a new book, just in time for America 250, called divided over the Declaration. Divided over the Declaration. Differing points of view and with the Constitution and the Declaration and all the aspects of our great American founding documents. And so Divided over the Declaration. Divided over the Declaration. There we go. And it is available for pre order now and Amazon and will be available everywhere on June 2, just in time for July 4 in America 250. Why the super bowl did not focus. I mean, go ahead. I mean, have whoever you want to have. But why don't we integrate a little bit of the celebration of our 50th, you know, 250th anniversary of our founding documents. That, that just would have been so cool to have an element of that because next year it's, you know, of course there's more. We have 250 anniversaries of everything, including the Constitution upcoming someday soon. But Tony, welcome to the show and congratulations. I've written five books. The fact that your book is finished, you wrote it with David Bob, who's another really good friend of mine at the Bill of Rights Institute. And congratulations for getting it done, Jeanine.

[Tony Williams]

Thanks so much. And it's in part my work at constituting America over the years, as well as the Bill of Rights Institute and teaching that 35 years of thinking about, you know, the founding went into the making of the book. So we're, we're very pleased with it. Can't wait for it to come out.

[Jeanine Turner]

Wow, 35 years.

[Tony Williams]

I've been doing this a long time.

[Jeanine Turner]

Well, that's okay. That's okay. I'm. I'm that old. I'm not that you're old, but I've been at Northern Exposure. Another exposure was like 35 years ago too. But what are you saying was 35 years ago, you just.

[Tony Williams]

I'm saying I've been teaching and thinking about and writing about, you know, the American founding and the Declaration and, and American ideals and principles for a very long time.

[Jeanine Turner]

Well, I can relate to that because when I was eight years old, I asked my father, dad, if our founding fathers were to come back today, what would they be most disappointed about? And I don't know what 8 year old asked that question. And my dad's answer, by the way, after he was a man of few words, he looked down and he said, taxes. It was his answer. How do I even remember that? I don't know. But I had a great educator in fifth grade and we put on the musical 1770. And so that was my, that was my acting debut, but also the debut of my love of John Adams and the 1776 the Musical and our founding documents. So it's a great thing to put the arts together with, with history. And anyway, thanks for all the great work you do at constituting America because you've written so many essays for us. And I just, and you've been on my, my, my personal podcast, our constitutional chat podcast. So you're terrific and congratulations with your book. So. But for those that are listening today, we're talking about Northern Exposure and this particular episode, season three, episode 18, which was directed by Nick Mark and written by Andy and Diane, we call them Andy and Diane. And it was just extraordinarily mystical, beautiful, wonderful, thought provoking, charming episode. Yeah. Alexis de Tocqueville would have really loved this show, wouldn't he have? Alexis de Tocqueville would have loved it. He wrote Democracy in America. He observed. He, he was French and he came a French philosopher and he came over here and observed America and wrote this incredible book. We did a study on it at Constituting America, 90 Days of Essays. But Alexis de Tocqueville would have been, I mean, when, when those town halls happen in Northern Exposure and they're all there and they're all standing up with their hats and their snow, it's just like all Americana, you know, and they're all saying this and that and we can't forget that as Americans. And it's not, it's not. We can't do it from our bedrooms with the push of a button. You have to actually show up for those town halls. And there's something magical about when we do.

[Tony Williams]

Right? I think that's right. I think that the show really represented a lot of the American character in terms of individualism and that hardiness and being out on the frontier. Think of classical statements about that by Frederick Jackson Turner and so forth. But. And Tocqueville saw a lot of that as well. And so he recognized this about the American character, but he also recognized that the mores and the civic virtues and the manners that people practice as individuals help to form a community. They help to form civil society. And the show really, in a beautiful way, shows that we're dependent upon each other. We're dependent upon each other for our survival, for our well being. You know, Fleischmann's a doctor and you know, it's like I said, a bunch of quirky individuals. But they make it work because, you know, they care about each other and, you know, so they form a community.

[Jeanine Turner]

I really experienced that out here at the ranch. I was just joking that when my tractor gets stuck, you know, or my zero turn lawnmower gets in a rut, I was joking that I don't have this, you know, gorgeous Nordic human being that was a bear that turned into a man showing up to help me. But my neighbors do come to help me. I have a great neighbor who's one of my best friends and I call him like, can you help me? Or my horse is down or whatever. And, and, and she, she's, you know, I have a lot of acreage out here, but she, she gets her four wheeler and we share a gate and she comes over and, and we help each other. We really help each other and we look after each other in the ice. I kept. And you know, if you read the books like Little House on the the Prairie in that whole series, I read them out loud to my daughter and it was so much fun to do that. And it, it's just that kind of thing of survival. Everybody came, helped it came over to help dig the well together and looked after each other. And during the ice storm that we just had, I was calling Sabina, like, are you okay? Are you okay? I haven't heard from you all day. Are you okay? Are you okay? And as it so happened, she did. She fell and had had to go to the hospital and all this. So it, it. There is that aspect of neighborliness that we become so, so self independent. You know, we become independent human beings. We forget to reach out and think of each other as a community. And, and they say that a lot in those bad storms and whatnot. Look after, call your representative, call the elderly, make sure everybody's okay. And that is, that was a big part of the show, wasn't it? Didn't you love those town halls?

[Tony Williams]

Yeah, yeah, I know I absolutely did. It reminded me of some other shows, Gilmore Girls and others that, that do that kind of thing. And, But. But no, I. I love that part. But just.

[Kimberly Strassel]

Even.

[Tony Williams]

Just the daily interactions that it shows. And, you know, we just had a nice storm here in Virginia, too. And it was, you know, we didn't have any dancing bears either, maybe, thankfully, but, you know, it was okay. Like, who. Who has power? Who has a generator? Who's going to help out? You know, can we run to the store and get our, you know, elderly neighbors some milk and eggs and. And that kind of thing. Checking in on my mother in town. So, you know, all that's really important.

[Jeanine Turner]

And nobody cares about your political affiliation either.

[Tony Williams]

No, they don't. And that's what's beautiful. And I was just gonna. In line with that, I was going to say, you know, my wife was just president of Kiwanis about a year ago in town, and, you know, they have their lunches and speakers and community projects and do lots of service and give a lot of money to various charitable organizations around town. And again, it's nonpartisan. Right. And no one cares about your party, like you're saying, and there's no politics. It's only just a person sitting across from you at lunch, or a person sitting or, you know, doing a project together to help the community and to help others. And so it shows that spirit of a common purpose that we so desperately need in America. And I think we probably do have it, but. But we don't talk about it. Right. We just talk about all the polarization and all that. But we need to talk more about how closely knit together we are as a community, like on Northern Exposure.

[Jeanine Turner]

Yeah, well, that doesn't help the ratings, you know, for these shows that want to divide everybody all the time. You know, it's. It's much more, you know, and fortunately, when you have a really, you know, it's like, as an actress, you think, oh, I want to make it right. And part of making it is being on a magazine cover. And so you had that passionate, passionate desire to be on a magazine cover, and you see somebody else on a magazine cover, and you're like, I want that to be me. And then when it's you, you're kind of like, oh, that's me. I mean, it's just like, not the same feeling is that drive to get there, and then you get there. So it's. Everybody keeps us worked up all the time. And I think in the real world, it's probably not as much about that as it happens, but. But I'm glad you watched the show. What was it like watching the show in College. Were you watching it with. Well, it was Monday night, majority of time. Tell me what, because, and then, you know, it was a lot of chatting around, around the water cooler because there were only three channels and Fox was just starting. I remember Fox got the rights to the football games and everybody was flipping out. They were just starting Fox, the regular Fox, like just the network Fox.

[Tony Williams]

Yeah. You know, I, I think as a younger man, I mean, just, you know, it was, it was interesting because there were just, there were a lot of interesting kind of quirky individuals, but also kind of a lot of reflect, you know, was it. Chris on the Radio was kind of a very reflective, kind of philosophical kind of guy. I think I related to him a lot. The love interest with Maggie and Fleischmann kept me coming back, as it did for a lot of people, you know. And so who is the, the older guy?

[Jeanine Turner]

Barry Corbin or John?

[Tony Williams]

He was a great, great kind of gruff and yet, you know, underneath kind of a teddy bear kind of guy. So, you know, I, I, I remember really liking the show and, and, and didn't, didn't mind tuning in to see Maggie.

[Jeanine Turner]

No. That's fun. I remember the executives when I, when the show first started and, and even with Sylvester Stallone when I booked Cliffhanger, my role wasn't that big in Cliffhanger originally. And so we were in a read through through and Sylvester was standing there and he goes, if you put more of Janine in the movie, you up the movie 50%. You know, it's like you got to put Janine and more of the movie. And I remember the executives talking about that too. They were like, we need, you know, we need Maggie o'. Connell. And it wasn't just me. It wasn't me. It was just Maggie o' Connell was sort of, she was really, I mean, everyone had their representation in their unique way of, of Alaska. We were really an ensemble cast, but Maggie was just sort of the epitome and so was, I guess, Maurice, you know, in that kind of outdoor. But we all had it in our different side. But Wacky was a woman, right? I mean, you didn't, it was new, it was new for television to see a woman with short hair and parkas and chopping her own wood. And even in this particular episode, you know, she walks out with her shotgun because she hears the bear. And I can relate. When that trash fell over, she was the only one to pick that up.

[Tony Williams]

It's a great, yeah, it was great to see, you know, strong female character like that. And, and in Alaska, you know, you're out on the frontier, you know, women were forced to do that kind of thing. And yeah, the shotgun or, or fend off a bear or, or other wild animals or, you know, do equal work on, on the farm and that kind of thing.

[Jeanine Turner]

Well, I took a. We had Kimberly Strossel on earlier, you know, and she lives in Alaska and she was talking about what it, what it's like to really be up there. But I took a walk and we'll close with this, I guess. But I took a walk to the north 40, I call it, by myself the other day. I love to hike. I love to go up there. And I was in a hammock and I was watching all the, like the hawks and the birds and, and just enjoying it so much. And then I get up and I start walking. The two of my longhorns were there, just the two of them. I have a herd, but they were all by themselves. So it's like I felt like I interrupted their romantic picnic or something. It was like the steer and his girlfriend. I'm like, what is, what are the two of you doing up here all by yourself? But I was in the hammock and we were all just having a good time. And then I get up and I start walking back and huge deer had just jumped the fence and they lifted their tails and they were like white. There was white all underneath them. And they lifted their tails and they started honking. I didn't know deer's. Deer did that, right? It's like making this noises. I'm like, oh my God. And I start googling because I have.

[Kimberly Strassel]

My phone with me.

[Jeanine Turner]

You know what I mean? I'm like googling and I'm googling. Do deer attack. I'm thinking, how do I walk by these deer to get home? And you know, AI comes in back. Deer can attack when they feel threatened. And I'm like, okay. But they, they, they were the biggest deer I've ever seen in my life. They didn't have any horns. You know, deer will shed their horns. Longhorns don't. Longhorn cattle keep their horns always. They. So I don't, I don't really understand the whole deer horn thing, but, but they ran off. And I thought, well, I'm just going to tiptoe and hope I don't. I'll start looking for a tree because I have wild boar up here too. I'm thinking, but all my trees are not like big oaks, all of them. And if they are, they're this tall. So like what do I climb? How do I get away from this? And you have to go, you know, probably dash through barbed wire or something to get to safety, but it's a little bit like that out here, but it's. It's encroaching. My dad loved Alaska at the end of his life, so, I don't know, maybe at the end of my life, I'll end up in Alaska, too. In closing. Would you love to live in Alaska, Tony?

[Tony Williams]

You know, I would. It's. I. I think I would definitely love to visit. I haven't been up there yet, but we're meaning. No, I'm, you know, we're meaning to take at least an Alaskan cruise up there. I just had a friend move up there. Maybe I'll go stay with him. I mean, I love the outdoors. I love hiking. I love mountains. There's, you know, Alaska's calling me, for sure. We need to get up there.

[Jeanine Turner]

We used to have this coffee cup that. My dad. My dad is the most independent. I'm. I'm so much like him. I'm like both my parents, but I'm really a lot like my friends. And he had. He would just hop in his Airstream later in life and drive the Alaskan highway all by himself and go up there and park his Airstream and just, you know, cook Costco steaks and on some beautiful river with a mountain and just have the time of his life. He was also teaching. He was flying. He was working up there, but for conocophillips. But nevertheless, it was. He just loved it. And sometimes I feel like that's. That's something I might want to do. But he had a coffee cup, and it was. I survived the Alaskan highway. And it's like a cat with his. Like, it's all, like, fried. Because I think that Alaskan highway is pretty perilous, and he would do it by himself. But someday. Someday, maybe you and I will. You can get your wife, and I'll. Maybe I'll be married someday. We can. We can get an Airstream and travel up the Alaskan highway together. How's that?

[Tony Williams]

That sounds like a deal.

[Jeanine Turner]

Okay. All right. Well, take care. Tony Williams, thanks for joining us. I appreciate it so much. And. And I thank all of you for watching Today, my solo show. I know you missed Rob Morrow, but we got through it, and we had a good time. Rob, we'll see you next week. All right, signing off. I can't say in your dreams, Fleischman, because he's not here, but see you, Fleischman. And thank you all for watching and we'll see you next week. Bye, Brother.

[Suzanne West]

And Disclosure is a production with Evergreen pop podcasts and executive produced by Paul Anderson and Scott McCarthy for Workhouse Media.