What better Christmas present could Monday Afternoon Movie offer you than a holiday special with special guest Lauren Graham? Not only is she one of the titular Gilmore Girls, she’s also a bona fide Christmas movie star in her own right as a result of starring in both Bad Santa and appearing in this year’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. And she’s also Sam’s IRL bestie, and they’re joining forces to discuss 1972’s THE HOUSE WITHOUT A CHRISTMAS TREE, starring Lisa Lucas and Jason Robards.

Watch the film on YouTube.

We don’t like to brag on this podcast — we don’t, we swear! — but presented for your holiday delight is possibly the best union of guest and subject matter we’ve done so far: kickass drummer Patty Schemel and the 1968 made-for-TV Christmas classic, The Little Drummer Boy. Yes, this is a non-scary episode of the podcast, unless you find the Rankin/Bass stop-motion animation slightly unsettling, and many of us do. Listen to Sam and Patty reminisce about the 90s, her days in the band Hole, drugs and also holiday TV.

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Welcome to a special Halloween edition of Monday Afternoon Movie, in which we discuss not a hilarious made-for-TV gem that is enjoyable on a camp level but instead a TV movie that is actually scary. We speak of GHOSTWATCH, a 1992 BBC broadcast that took many an at-home viewer by surprise when it first aired. To say too much would ruin a first-time viewing experience, so Sam — joined by returning guest Roz Hernandez! — will not be giving away the whole plot. Instead, let their conversation inspire you to tune in for yourself.

Happy Halloween!

And BTW, you can watch this film yourself right now (and for free!) on Tubi!

A hero returns just when we need him most! Is it Darren McGavin’s Carl Kolchak? No! It’s Sam Pancake, here to discuss the second of the Kolchak movies in which a host of crabby white men go on and on in the face of supernatural peril. This time, Sam is joined by professional funny-acting person Jack Plotnick, to discuss the highs and lows of the made-for-TV horror subgenre.

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You might think that if anyone was going to follow up the iconic film Rosemary's Baby with further tales of the plucky Woodhouse family, they would do so with the skill and thoughtfulness that made the original so celebrated. Well, you woulnd't be correct, because the 1976 ABC TV movie LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ROSEMARY'S BABY tosses out the prestiga of the original for the wackadoo kookiness that you'd find in any made-for-TV horror flick of the era. Fortunately for Sam, his guest for the exploration of this sequel-that-should-not-be is none other than Stacie Ponder, of the celebrated Final Girl blog and more podcast episodes about scary stuff than we can count. Was Ruth Gordon justified in returning for this one? Find out!

And if you're a fan of Stacie's appearances on the Evolution of Horror podcast, be sure to check out her new Twin Peaks podcast, The Detective and the Log Lady! (Spoiler: She's the Log Lady.)

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Have you ever been watching reruns of That Girl and felt like Ted Bessell seemed too villainous to be playing Marlo Thomas’s boyfriend? If yes, then we’ve got the movie for you. Originally airing in 1973, SCREAM, PRETTY PEGGY has Bessell starring opposite Bette Davis and Sian Barbara Allen in a thriller that sure wants to earn the adjective “Hitchcockian.” Sam is joined by Andrew Hopf to discuss whether it earns it.

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Also known as Night Drive, this 1974 made-for-TV thriller stars none other than Valerie Harper as a lady motorist pursued by a psychopath. Is it a distaff Duel or an even scarier Crossroads? Here to answer that question are two of Sam's comedy chums, performers Carrie Aizley and Christen Sussin.

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Warning: This episode (and this TV film) concerns child pornography and might be upsetting for some listeners.

What’s this? A return to the “teen trauma” wave of TV movies? YES! And it’s all thanks to this week’s guest, Margaret Cho, who made the suggestion that Sam look into this real doozy of a telefilm. FALLEN ANGEL stars Melinda Dillon as the mother of a tween who runs afoul of child pornographers. So yeah, this is heavy, but Sam and Margaret treat it like a real-life horror film… because it is.

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Will Shelley Winters finally have her revenge on Sam Pancake and the Monday Afternoon Movie?  Now that we're back to the horror genre, Sam has invited iconic filmmaker and confirmed cult leader Peaches Christ into the fold to talk about REVENGE!, the 1971 ABC movie of the week starring Sam's nemesis, Dame Shelley Winters, Bradford Dillman, and Stuart Whitman.  In what very much feels like a precursor to the classic Stephen King story Misery, a vigilante mother will do anything to get revenge against the man who she believes is directly responsible for her daughter's untimely death. Will her plot to destroy him go too far?  Will Peaches' perspective on all things Shelley finally convince Sam to show her some love? Or will Sam's deep and passionate disdain for her just grow stronger with each scene stealing blocking and each passing huff and wheeze?

Help support Monday Afternoon Movie by pledging a few bucks a month on our Patreon! The top subscribers can get a lunch date with Sam, just saying. 😉

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Facebook / X / Spotify / Google Play / Apple Podcasts This podcast was recorded & edited by Meika Grimm. Follow her on X or Instagram 😊

This is a TableCakes production, a woman owned, Los Angeles based podcast company

Just like the Langoliers, the Monday Afternoon Movie marches on. Covering part two of the Stephen King (or Stephanie Queen if you prefer the drag version) two-part miniseries The Langoliers. The film stars some heavy hitters of television at the time: Bronson Pinchot from Perfect Strangers, Dean Stockwell from Quantum Leap, and three-time Emmy winner Pattricia Wettig from Thirtysomething. 

Help support Monday Afternoon Movie by pledging a few bucks a month on our Patreon! The top subscribers can get a lunch date with Sam, just saying. 😉

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Sam Pancake's Instagram Jonathan Cerda-Rowell's website Visit the Monday Afternoon Movie website

Facebook / X / Spotify / Google Play / Apple Podcasts This podcast was recorded & edited by Meika Grimm. Follow her on X or Instagram 😊

This is a TableCakes production, a woman owned, Los Angeles based podcast company

Let the horror continue on the new season of Monday Afternoon Movie, with your host Sam Pancake.  We are bringing out Stephen King for this episode, specifically the 1995 TV mini-series THE LANGOLIERS, starring Patricia Wettig, Dean Stockwell, Bronson Pinchot, and Tom Holland (no, not Spider-Man). Joining Sam on this mysterious departure into the light is a returning guest, comedian and writer Jonathan Cerda-Rowell!  A group of passengers on a plane are flaberghasted when they fly through a strange light in the sky and most of the plane instantly disappears. Will they figure out what has happened to them before it's too late? Be on the lookout for part 2 with Sam and Jonathan next week!

Help support Monday Afternoon Movie by pledging a few bucks a month on our Patreon! The top subscribers can get a lunch date with Sam, just saying. 😉

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Facebook / X / Spotify / Google Play / Apple Podcasts This podcast was recorded & edited by Meika Grimm. Follow her on X or Instagram 😊

This is a TableCakes production, a woman owned, Los Angeles based podcast company