Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie

By Sam Pancake

Actor and comedian Sam Pancake sits down with friends famous and funny to discuss the surreal, silly and nonetheless star-studded made-for-TV movies of the 1970s. It's a loving look at baffling not-qu... more

· TV & Film

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The podcast currently has 150 episodes available.

Best of Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie

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Number 1: A STRANGER IN THE MIRROR with Jim Rash
***Editors Note: This episode contains topics of sexual assault. Please be advised*** This week on Sam Pancake Presents the Monday Afternoon Movie, Sam welcomes actor, comedian, writer, director, Oscar winner, and Greendale Community College's most fashion-forward administrator, Jim Rash, for a watch-along of the deliciously unhinged 1993 TV movie A Stranger in the Mirror. You probably know Jim best as the gloriously inappropriate Dean Craig Pelton on Community, but he's also an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, having won Best Adapted Screenplay for The Descendants alongside Nat Faxon and Alexander Payne. Jim and Nat also wrote and directed The Way, Way Back, starring Sam Rockwell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney and Steve Carell. So yes, an actual Oscar-winning screenwriter has agreed to spend his afternoon watching THIS with Sam. We couldn't be happier. A STRANGER IN THE MIRROR (1993) Originally aired: October 24, 1993 (ABC) Directed by Charles Jarrott Based on the novel by Sidney Sheldon Starring Perry King, Lori Loughlin, Christopher Plummer, Juliet Mills and Geordie Johnson Perry King stars as Toby Temple, an ambitious comedian who claws his way to superstardom and develops an ego roughly the size of Southern California. Lori Loughlin is Jill Castle, an aspiring actress whose own pursuit of Hollywood fame puts her directly into Toby's orbit. Add Christopher Plummer, showbiz scheming, sex, betrayal, revenge and enough melodrama to power several weeks of daytime television, and we've got ourselves a classic recipe for an ABC Movie of the Week. Love what you hear? Want to show your support for Sam Pancake & The Monday Afternoon Movie? Make sure to follow the official Patreon page and pledge a few bucks if you are able! You'll get access to a new bonus episode every month, four behind-the-scenes exclusive videos, as well as all past episodes and content for hours upon hours of Pancake action. Sam's Patreon Page SHOW LINKS: Sam Pancake's Instagram Sam Pancake's Linktree Jim Rash's IMDb This episode was engineered & produced by Meika Grimm.
September 01, 20261h 51min
Number 2: KATE'S SECRET with Margee Magee
*This week's show contains topics regarding eating disorders. Please be advised.* Our movie of the week for this episode is Kate's Secret, orignally released in 1986. Joining Sam in studio today is Margee Magee. She has been a TV writer since 2010, working in all formats (multi-cam, single cam, animation, hybrid,… even muppets!) on all platforms (network, cable, and streaming). She has been staffed on numerous series, and has also sold, developed, and produced original projects, as well as series adapted from I.P. Prior to her TV writing career, Margee received her BFA in Musical Theater from The University of Michigan and went on to brief stints as a Radio City Rockette, an End-of-Life Doula, and proprietor of a bakery called hello cupcake! Continuing along that super linear career path, Margee became a member of The Groundlings, where she still teaches and performs. Kate's Secret (1986) is a made-for-TV drama that tackled eating disorders long before they were widely discussed. Directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman, produced by Stephanie Austin and Robert A. Papazian, written by Susan Seeger and Denise DeGarmo, with music by J. Peter Robinson, the film stars Meredith Baxter, Ben Masters, Edward Asner, Tracy Nelson, Shari Belafonte, Georgann Johnson, Leslie Bevis, and Mackenzie Phillips. Kate appears to have the perfect suburban life, but she's secretly struggling with bulimia. As hiding her illness becomes harder, the cracks in her carefully crafted image begin to show, forcing her family to face a problem they've never seen coming. The film focuses on the emotional toll of the disorder and Kate's difficult journey toward recovery. Filmed in Southern California, the movie used its suburban locations to reinforce the illusion of a picture-perfect family. Meredith Baxter's performance was widely praised, and the film was considered unusually honest for network television in the 1980s, helping bring attention to eating disorders years before they became common subjects in film and TV. Love what you hear? Want to show your support for Sam Pancake & The Monday Afternoon Movie? Make sure to follow on the official Patreon page and pledge a few bucks if you are able, and get access to a new bonus episode every month, 4 behind-the-scenes exclusive videos, as well as all past episodes and content for hours upon hours of Pancake action. Sam's Patreon Page Show Links: Sam Pancake's Instagram Sam Pancake's Linktree Margee Magee's Instagram Margee Magee's dog's TikTok This episode was engineered & produced by Meika Grimm.
July 29, 20261h 37min
Number 3: ARE YOU IN THE HOUSE ALONE? with Katie O'Brien
Note to isteners: this episode covers topics of sexual assualt and abuse. Discretion is advised. Joining Sam Pancake today is Katie O'Brien, an actress, writer, producer, and showrunner. With her comedy group, The Katydids, she co-created, wrote, executive-produced, and starred in TV Land's hit comedy Teachers, which ran for three seasons and fifty episodes. She went on to write and co-executive produce Disney+'s The Santa Clauses, starring Tim Allen. Most recently, she was the creator and showrunner of Tubi's first original scripted series, The Z-Suite, starring Lauren Graham and Nico Santos. Based on the award-winning novel by Richard Peck, Are You in the House Alone? is a 1978 made-for-television thriller directed by Walter Grauman and adapted for the screen by writer Judith Parker. The film centers on Gail Osborne, played by Kathleen Beller, a bright and artistic high school student whose ordinary suburban life spirals into terror after she begins receiving anonymous threats from a mysterious stalker. What begins as unsettling notes in her locker and disturbing phone calls soon escalates into psychological torment, leaving Gail isolated and increasingly fearful that no place — not even her own home — is truly safe. Her parents, portrayed by Blythe Danner and Tony Bill, struggle to understand the growing horror surrounding their daughter as suspicion falls on several young men in her life, including a volatile character played by a young Dennis Quaid. Unlike many sensationalized thrillers of the era, the film approaches its subject matter from a very grounded place, focusing less on graphic violence and more on the emotional devastation caused by fear and victimization. Director Walter Grauman, known for his work in television suspense dramas, gives the movie a stark realism that makes its moments of terror feel disturbingly plausible. The haunting score by composer Charles Bernstein — who would later score A Nightmare on Elm Street — heightens the atmosphere with an uneasy orchestra that underlines Gail's growing paranoia and helplessness. Produced for CBS during the height of late-1970s psychological thrillers, Are You in the House Alone? was filmed in several California locations, including the historic Ahmanson Mansion in Hancock Park, Los Angeles, scenes around Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and John Burroughs Middle School in Los Angeles, which doubled as the movie's high school campus. Love what you hear? Want to show your support for Sam Pancake & The Monday Afternoon Movie? Make sure to follow on the official Patreon page and pledge a few bucks if you are able, and get access to a new bonus episode every month, 4 behind-the-scenes exclusive videos, as well as all past episodes and content for hours upon hours of Pancake action. Sam's Patreon Page Show Links: Sam Pancake's Instagram Sam Pancake's Linktree Katie O'Brien's Instagram Teachers on Paramount+ This episode was engineered & produced by Meika Grimm.
May 26, 20261h 30min
Number 4: ALL THE KIND STRANGERS with Melanie Hutsell
Today's Monday Afternoon movie involves overalls, Stacy Keach, backwoods Tennessee children, willow switches, and rattlers! ALL THE KIND STRANGERS is a 1974 ABC Move of the Week starring Stacy Keach and Samantha Eggar. When photojournalist Jimmy sees a young boy carrying a heavy load back to his house, Jimmy offers to take him home. What he finds when gets there is a family of children with no clear adults present but always the promise of one to arrive. What strange direction will this Lord of the Flies vibe take us? Sam's has asked friend, colleague, and SNL alum Melanie Hutsell back to the show for another round of wacky made for TV goodness. Follow her Instagram to keep up with her latest shenanigans, or also check out the link below to check out her previous episode with Sam. Love what you hear? Want to show your support for Sam Pancake & The Monday Afternoon Movie? Make sure to follow on the official Patreon page and pledge a few bucks if you are able, and get access to a new bonus episode every month, 4 behind-the-scenes exclusive videos, as well as all past episodes and content for hours upon hours of Pancake action. Sam's Patreon Page Show Links: Sam Pancake's Instagram Sam Pancake's Linktree Melanie Hutsell's Instagram Melanie's previous episode: Daughter of the Mind Link to Mother's Little Helpers This episode was engineered & produced by Meika Grimm.
September 30, 20251h 55min
Number 5: DEADLY MESSAGES with Mario Diaz
The mystique and intrigue of the Ouija board is on full display this Monday afternoon. What will its' connection to the spirit world reveal to Mr. Pancake and his guest? More importantly, who, or what, is Dick Pizza? DEADLY MESSAGES is a 1985 ABC made-for-TV horror film starring Kathleen Beller and Michael Brandon. When main character Laura finds a Ouija board, her roommate decides to use it behind her back to talk to a murder victim that was supposedly killed in their apartment. When this leads to someone beginning to stalk her, they begin to realize that it may be more than just a game... Sam's guest brought in to handle the heart-shaped planchette with him today is none other than actor, promoter, L.A. club King and long time friend Mario Diaz. Love what you hear? Want to show your support for Sam Pancake & The Monday Afternoon Movie? Make sure to follow on the official Patreon page and pledge a few bucks if you are able, and get access to a new bonus episode every month, 4 behind-the-scenes exclusive videos, as well as all past episodes and content for hours upon hours of Pancake action. Sam's Patreon Page Show Links: Sam Pancake's Instagram Sam Pancake's Linktree Mario Diaz's important links This episode was engineered & produced by Meika Grimm.
August 25, 20251h 29min