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Paper Dolls: 1982 TV Movie about the Treacherous World of Teen Modeling starring Darryl Hannah, Joan Hackett, Craig T Nelson and Joan Collins!

At first glance Paper Dolls, the 1982 TV movie which spawned a short-lived primetime soap, looks like glittering 80's camp wearing neon pink blush, wrapped in a gold lamé Nolan Miller dress. But the movie reveals itself to be a smart, sensitive examination of the modeling industry––how it uses and sexualizes teenage girls, and the price those girls pay. Darryl Hannah, excellent in an early starring role, plays a barely disguised version of Brooke Shields, hounded by her stage mother (Joan Hackett). Alexandra Hall plays a suburban teenager, new to modeling, with no idea what's in store for her. Glamorous Joan Collins is the jaded modeling agent who makes it all happen. Directed by Oscar-winner Edward Zwick (Courage Under Fire, Legends of the Fall), Paper Dolls is an amazing mix of high-camp 80's fashion and genuinely moving performances and filmmaking.

A Cry For Help: The Tracey Thurman Story--A Brutal True Crime Story About Spousal Abuse, Attempted Murder and Misogynist Cops!

For Valentines Day, we're covering the 1989 TV movie "A Cry For Help: The Tracey Thurman Story," based on a true story, starring Nancy McKeon and Dale Midkiff. You'll be relieved you're single! Tracey Thurman tried to escape her abusive husband Buck, but he followed and relentlessly stalked her. No matter how many time she reported him to the police, they refused to help her. Then one day, Buck stabbed Tracey 13 times in broad daylight, in front of a cop! When she recovered, Tracey sued the police department and helped put a new law in place protecting victims of abuse. Your hosts filmmaker Katie Madonna Lee and writer Louis Jordan, with special guest Autumn Welker, discuss the effect Tracey Thurman's case on changing laws and raising awareness about spousal abuse. We also discuss Lisa Bianco, whose tragic death at the hands of her husband helped spark change, and talk about why portrayals of abuse in TV movies get it right more often than theatrical movies.

A Smoky Mountain Christmas: Dolly Parton's 1986 Christmas TV Movie Where She Fights An Evil Mountain Witch!

For our Christmas Episode, we're covering A Smoky Mountain Christmas, Dolly Parton's 1986 TV Movie that retells Snow White with an Appalachian twist, co-starring Lee Majors, Anita Morris and John Ritter and directed by Henry Winkler (!). Dolly stumbles upon seven orphans in a cabin, and then must fight off an evil mountain witch and sexually harassing, false-arresting crooked cops to save the kids from the orphanage. A Smoky Mountain is so genuinely sweet and so over-the-top camp, it's a perfect Christmas movie. Katie and Louis talk about the tragic events in Dolly Parton's life that may have inspired the movie, scream about Anita Morris as the witch Jezebel, and discuss how the one flaw in Dolly's performance is the same thing that has allowed her to be so beloved for so many years. Happy Holidays everyone! Have a holly Dolly Christmas!

Elvis and Me: Sophia Coppola's Priscilla and the 1988 TV Movie Based on the Same Book!

Sophia Coppola's 2023 biopic "Priscilla," starring Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, wasn't the first film about Priscilla Presley! The two-part 1988 TV movie "Elvis and Me," also based on Priscilla Presley's memoir, starred Susan Walters and Dale Midkiff. "Elvis and Me" went deeper and darker than "Priscilla," showing a version of Elvis Presley who was more abusive and cruel than Jacob Elordi's portrayal of the star as an overgrown manchild. Katie and Louis dive into why Sophia Coppola softened the story's edges, and how society's view of Elvis and Priscilla's relationship has slowly shifted from "grand romance" to "grooming."

The Ryan White Story: Landmark AIDS TV Movie starring Judith Light, Sarah Jessica Parker, George C. Scott and Lukas Haas

During the late 80's, Ryan White was the public face of AIDS. Ryan was a heterosexual teenage boy from Kokomo, Indiana who got HIV from infected blood products used to treat his hemophilia. His legal battle to be able to attend school after being diagnosed became a national sensation, and his case won the hearts and minds of middle Americans who had seen AIDS as a gay disease. This 1989 TV movie was a major part of Ryan White's legacy and shows just how culturally important TV Movies can be. Louis talks with his co-host Katie about her memories of growing up in Indiana during the peak years of Ryan White's fame. We look at how the city of Kokomo was negatively affected by this TV movie, how the real life story was actually worse than how its presented onscreen, Ryan's friendships with Elton John and Michael Jackson, his media narrative as an "innocent victim" of AIDS, and Ryan's lasting influence on HIV treatment.