Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie

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 . Sam Pancake's X (Formerly known as Twitter)

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 pornogra...

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 precur...

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 su...

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 Jon...

Welcome back to the Monday Afternoon Movie! Sam's return to horror continues with this 1975 episode of ABC's Wide World of Mystery that features the premiere of the one and only Kate Mulgrew. Here to probe into this 70's television masterpiece is none other than drag queen, activist, actor and Drag Race veteran Nina West, aka Andrew Levitt. A lonely teen struggles emotionally after the loss of her...

Let the new season of horror begin! Sam Pancake is here in the new year to get back to the Monday Afternoon Movie roots, which is all that is shocking and scary and sometimes ridiculous. He's asked actor and now returning guest Alec Mapa to sit down with him to watch the 1972 film THE PEOPLE, starring William Shatner, Kim Darby, and Diane Varsi.  A school teacher takes a job teaching at a very rur...

OMG OMG OMG Bruce Vilanch! Okay, now that that is out of the way... Part two of the Monday Afternoon Movie holiday special has arrived, and it has brought with it not frankincense and myrrh, but definitely two wise men in Sam Pancake and THE legendary Bruce Vilanch. We just had to include him in any conversation revolving around the Star Wars holiday special as he was one of the writers of this "t...

It wouldn't quite feel like the holidays without a Monday Afternoon Movie holiday special. For that special, why not cover the infamous pinnacle of all holiday variety shows, The Star Wars Holiday Special?! The whole crew is begrudgingly and contractually back to bring a truly forgettable viewing experience to your late 1970's television sets. Mark Hamill is here as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford i...

It's the Halloween Special part two, covering the fourth installment of one of the most famous horror series ever. That infamous New England house is back in Amityville: The Evil Escapes aka A HIDEOUS GAY LAMP IS KILLING MY FAMILY aka DON'T STICK YOUR HAND IN A GARBAGE DISPOSAL aka DON'T OPEN YOUR MOUTH UNDER AN OPEN SEWER PIPE. Joshua Tonks is back, all the way from England (supposedly) to share...

Ok y'all- for my Halloween episode(s) this year, I decided to take us on a trip to that fated Dutch Colonial Mansard-Roofed House of Horror with the Glowing Demonic Window/Eyes. I had never seen the fourth installment and first TVM iteration of the frenetic "Amityville Horror" franchise, 1989's AMITYVILLE HORROR: THE EVIL ESCAPES aka AMITYVILLE 4: THE EVIL ESCAPES aka A HIDEOUS GAY LAMP IS KILLING...

Time to drop back into the satanic panic of 1982 with the second half of the Tom Hanks led TV film Mazes and Monsters, also starring Wendy Crewson and Chris Makepeace. Joining Sam again is TableCakes own Meika Grimm, editor of this very podcast. She has also edited a number of our sister podcasts, including Smart Mouth. She is an L.A. based digital creator, musician, and audio/video engineer.  We...

You're going to want to bring out the 20 sided dice, blacklights, and Mountain Dew for this one. We're staying in the year 1982, but after a string of teenage wasteland themed episodes, it's time to get back to the show's roots. That right! Horror! Specifically the Tom Hanks led film Mazes and Monsters, also starring Wendy Crewson and Chris Makepeace. Joining Sam today is TableCakes own Meika Grim...

We're back in good ol' 1982 for part two of the apex of the teenage wasteland movies, Desperate Lives, starring Helen Hunt, Diana Scarwid, and Doug McKeon. Joining Sam again for the conclusion is actor, writer, and comedian Arden Myrin (Secret Chef, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel). Two high school kids from anytown, USA get involved with the wrong crowd and fall heavily into drugs, causing progressively wo...

The pinnacle of the teenage wasteland made for TV specials is here and Sam has asked actor, writer, and comedian Arden Myrin (Secret Chef, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) to join him in breaking down the hard to find 1982 CBS movie Desperate Lives. It stars Helen Hunt, Diana Scarwid, and Doug McKeon.  Two high school kids from anytown, USA get involved with the wrong crowd and fall heavily into drugs, caus...

The end of Summer Sam-a-thon continues with COTTON CANDY Part 2 with podcast giant Sarah Marshall! It's the conclusion of the 1978 Ron Howard film Cotton Candy, starring Clinton Howard, Leslie King, Charles Martin Smith, and Kevin Lee Miller. Fellow podcaster and writer Sarah Marshall returns to breakdown Torbin's fashion habits and lack of tact, Clint Howard's choice writing, and the long lost my...

The movie of the week this time around is the 1978 Ron Howard film Cotton Candy, starring Clint Howard (naturally), Leslie King, Charles Martin Smith, and Kevin Lee Miller. Joining Sam is fellow podcaster and writer Sarah Marshall , of the popular podcast You're Wrong About. Listen as they talk about trying to make "flush you" a thing, as well as the intricacies of "donkey basketball." When high s...

The exciting conclusion! Rejoin Sam, his nephew Nic, and his niece Julia (real kids from the valley!) as they wrap up the second half of the 1979 made-for-TV movie The Survival of Dana, starring Melissa Sue Anderson, Robert Carradine, Marion Ross, & Judge Reinhold. When a high school girl's family moves from North Dakota to the San Fernando Valley in California, she finds a world far different fro...

Happy Monday Afternoon to you all. The troubled teens theme continues, this time with real teens as guests! Sam is joined by Julia and Nic, two actual teens from the valley who were forced to watch all 95 minutes of THE SURVIVAL OF DANA for this podcast. This CBS made-for-TV movie originally aired in 1979, and starred Melissa Sue Anderson, Robert Carradine, Marion Ross, Talia Balsam, and Judge Rei...

Sam Pancake and the amazing Gedde Watanabe are back for part two of their walkthrough of Angel Dusted, the NBC TV Special starring Jean Stapleton and Arthur Hill. An affluent family's son begins to have violent outbursts while away at college and they soon discover that he has fallen into drugs, specifically the dangerous new trendy drug called PCP, otherwise known as Angel Dust. Will parents Bett...

This week, Sam is here to help teach us all about the dangers of PCP, through the 1981 NBC Monday Night at the Movies film ANGEL DUSTED, starring Jean Stapleton, Helen Hunt, and Arthur Hill. Who better to "sift" through this flick with Sam than someone who knows a bit about teen movies? Why not legendary screen and stage actor Gedde Watanabe (Pretty in Pink, Pacific Overtures, Ronin 47, & Sex Live...

We return with the thrilling yet ambiguous conclusion to The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, the 1976 ABC TV movie starring John Travolta, Diana Hyland, and Robert Reed. As usual, Sam is not tackling this task alone. Sarah Burns is back and ready to offer her perspective and opinions regarding horses with no names, toxic teenage traits, and who she considers to be comedic royalty.   Will Todd Lubich ev...

Sam Pancake Presents: The Monday Afternoon Movie continues to roll along! Sam sets his sights this week on the 1976 ABC release The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, starring John Travolta, Diana Hyland, and Robert Reed.    This week, Sam has called on his friend, the always talented and hilariously affable actress Sarah Burns (Barry, I Love You, Man, Drunk History) to help get through this made for TV m...

After a brief Patreon-only summer break, Monday Afternoon Movie is now officially back on the public feed! What better way celebrate the 100th episode than with a good old fashioned clip show? Join usual host Sam Pancake as he sits in the guest chair this time to discuss and reminisce about all of the laughs, scares, highs, and lows of the first 100 episodes of the Monday Afternoon Movie. Your spe...

The movie discussed in this episode depicts violent and traumatic physical and psychological situations, including rape, abuse, and self-harm. Please be advised. Sam and the amazingly talented Julie Brown are back for part two of their coverage of the highly controversial 1974 film BORN INNOCENT, starring Linda Blair. The second half of the movie isn't any eaiser than the first, but the show must...