Piercing Pop Culture

It’s Thursday again. You know what that means! Our next installment in The Virginian Vault. This week, we’re turning our attention to “A Farewell to Honesty” (s3e27). This is an episode that’s really bringing the working-actor goodness we love so well in Piercing Pop Culture. While Douglas Henderson is really taking up space in Kim’s brain with some fascinating (and “new to her”) work, we’d be shirking our responsibilities if we didn’t call out perennial Kim favorite Richard Carlson, Kathleen Crowley, William Boyett, and Burt Mustin. There’s ALOT of actors at play in this crowded episode. There’s alot to discuss.

I’m sitting down for a bit of a shorter, informal piece this week. Today, we’re taking a peek into the Curator’s Notes for a look into what’s coming down the path here at Piercing Pop Culture. My ideas, my experiment,s and some of the pieces currently percolating in my brain. Stay tuned!

Friends, I disrespected William Smith for a long, long time. I didn’t know enough. I didn’t understand him. I certainly didn’t give him enough credit. I’ve been watching the final season of Hawaii Five-O this week, and I wanted to sit down to talk more about William Smith. He’s an actor who I spent most of 2025 catching up with, and there’s a complexity to him I knew nothing about. We know the bruising star persona, but there’s more there. I’m ready to learn more about William Smith.

Kids I've been deep-diving into The Virginian for the better part of a year, so there are plenty of episodes I've watched before beginning to regularly talk about them this month. I'll be stepping into the archive every so often to talk about some episodes I wrote about before starting the podcast. These were initially published on Piercing Cinema dot com, but some of the episodes are too good to miss.  This week, we're talking about Another's Footsteps along with Paul Petersen, my always and forever love of James Drury, and my (then!) struggle to understand John Agar.  Then I watched The Brain from Planet Arous, but that's another podcast.

In a new installment of After the Late Show, I’m sitting down after a week of Russ Meyer first-time watches. On the film docket this week? Supervixens, Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens, Motopsycho!, and Up!. I talk about some of my thoughts after viewing, as well as my varied viewing history with Russ Meyer, as I work towards completing his filmography… at some point in the future. Dolly Read is a Queen, and I will hear nothing more about it.

Ann-Margret is one of those actresses who's always been with me. I remember watching her movies for as long as I can remember. We're not even discussing the rendition of Bye Bye Birdie I tried desperately to stage in elementary school... never mind not really knowing how to read music.  As I've grown, watched more, and come ever closer to finishing her filmography (though I'm not there yet!) I've realized some things. Ann-Margret's work fascinates me. Truthfully, she occupies a fascinating space in early 1960s cinema, and there's so much more that can be said.  We’ve pigeonholed Ann-Margret. We see the mid-sixties “sex kitten”, but she’s also a transitional figure. Through her work, we see society shifting. Ideas of femininity evolving. Women moving from the strict ideals of the 1950s to the evolution of Second Wave Feminism.  Stay tuned!  

Kim returns to The Virginian Vault to find that Trampas (Doug McClure) hasn’t disappeared! He’s back… for this week at least. Meanwhile, Kim also has no choice but to talk about a crazily varied cast, from a baby Robert Pine to grizzled TV writer True Boardman. Stay turned! There’s lots more of The Virginian Vault coming soon. We will not tolerate any James Drury disrespect in this house.

Expectations can be a pain in the butt. Kim sits down to talk about Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. The first film was a favorite when it was released in 2019. Would this surprise sequel be able to tap into the same sense of the wacky? Stay tuned for more here on Piercing Pop Culture! Visit our companion Substack! 

This week, I return to The Virginian Vault for a crazily “Kim Coded” episode. Martin Milner and William Smith in one of the strangest star persona experiments I’ve seen in a long time. And it’s probably not a surprise to admit, I was invested. Check out my companion Substack for more. 

What's your "Gateway Film"? Kim sits down this week to talk about the reason she fell in love with movies. Singin' in the Rain. Here at Piercing Pop Culture, we don't gatekeep films. We watch, we experiment, and we find what we love. Episodes are available every Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday everywhere you get your podcasts. Checkout our companion Substack.  

In a new installment of Shag Carpet Cinema, Kim sits down to watch Yvette Mimieux in all her glory reach new levels of wacky. Kids, it seems I've never given Mimieux the credit she deserves. There may be a deep dive coming soon. 

Another minisode coming at you this week. Kim is back down her Clu Gulager rabbit hole and sat down to watch Piranha 3DD. This... was... an experience.  Check out my companion Substack for more, coming soon! 

Kim has been watching her way through The Virginian for the last year or so, and it seems like a good time to talk about the goodness of James Drury. Hopefully, this continues to be a recurring series as she continues to work her way through the massive series. Check out my companion Substack for more, coming soon! 

Sometimes a movie comes along that you have no choice but to talk about... now. Starring Loni Anderson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, this TV movie was a complex ball of wackiness. The Jayne Mansfield Story is currently available to watch on YouTube.  

I'm a baaaaaad little critic. Roger Corman and his work propelled Kim into some new and interesting areas when she watched his filmography in 2021. I want to enjoy a movie. I want to laugh with these works and honestly, I love the feeling that making a movie is obtainable even if you don't have 200 million dollars.  What movies give you joy?  Check out my companion Substack for more, coming soon! 

Kim is trying something new today! Shag Carpet Cinema is doing something... wacky. We're talking about TV movies. ABC, CBS, NBC... it doesn't matter. Today, Kim sits down in this minisode to talk about the 1972 TV movie The Screaming Woman (available to stream on YouTube). Stay tuned for more. 

On our newest installment of Late Night Contemporary Corner, Kim sits down to talk about Glen Powell and the upcoming remake of The Running Man.    Check out more of my work over at Piercing Pop Culture where I revel the joy in the media that your algorithm sometimes forgets… Letterboxd: @ kpierce624 Instagram: @ kpierce624

Kim’s been spending 2025 watching the long-running western series The Virginian and talking about it on my website and on TikTok. This is the first Piercing Pop Culture pop culture minisode where I hope to talk bout the episodes as I watch! This week? We’re talking Fabian as a poetry reading cowboy. However, when people start dying around him, it seems like there might be more going on than meets the eye. Check out more of my work over at Piercing Pop Culture where I revel the joy in the media that your algorithm sometimes forgets… Letterboxd: @ kpierce624 Instagram: @ kpierce624

Kim will hear no Cat Women of the Moon slander. Check out more of my work over at Piercing Pop Culture where I revel the joy in the media that your algorithm sometimes forgets… Letterboxd: @ kpierce624 Instagram: @ kpierce624 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Kim’s sitting down today to talk about a corner of the Tarzan universe that doesn’t get enough love. This is the time when Mike Henry stepped into the famous loincloth. She might have learned about Henry through Skyjacked, but his tenure as the “King of the Jungle” is proving fascinating. Check out more of my work over at Piercing Pop Culture where I revel the joy in the media that your algorithm sometimes forgets… Letterboxd: @ kpierce624 Instagram: @ kpierce624 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

In today’s brand podcast new series, “Vintage Video Vault,” Kim dives into some of the quirkiest watches in the strangest corners of the streaming universe. Our first installment? Frogs (1972). Get ready. Stay tune for more podcast content coming soon! Check out more of my work over at Piercing Pop Culture where I revel the joy in the media that your algorithm sometimes forgets… Letterboxd: @ kpierce624 Instagram: @ kpierce624

Kim sits down to talk about the surprisingly bleak 1972 TV movie, The Glass House. Check out more of my work over at Piercing Pop Culture where I revel the joy in the media that your algorithm sometimes forgets… Letterboxd: @ kpierce624 Instagram: @ kpierce624 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

In a trip into the Piercing Pop Culture Video Archive, m Laredo deep dive leads her to check out Interval from 1973. The Robert Wolders pull was just too strong. Check out the rest of my work over at Piercing Pop Culture. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

I venture into the archive today to talk about one of the movies this year I’m convinced hasn’t gotten the love it deserves: The Surfer. Full review available at Geek Girl Authority. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Full review coming soon to Geek Girl Authority. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Welcome back! In a bit of a wide ranging episode this week, Kim sits down to talk about the 1964 sitcom Broadside, complete with a deep into the period media coverage of the series. Lead by Kathleen Nolan (who we don't deserve!) the military comedy is a deep cut delight.  Stay tuned after the discussion for a discussion of Kim's cinematic confession about a certain Orson Welles film as well as a look at Zee and Co. as well as a bonus discussion about Neville Brand and Eaten Alive.  Content warning for 1965 period discussions of weight and body issues at the 10:06 minute mark. Clips Used:  Nick at Nite Promo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEaxSJUjfrc Broadside Opening Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5sXcsxF5w4 The Real McCoys Theme Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VWv4TDSVlw&t=26s The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l2hqoBHA5o The Ed Sullivan Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNYWl13IWhY "Flames on the Side of My Face": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92IkddsjtAA "Joke Sound Effect": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRs0OqV4uSc Broadside (Episode 20): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4fiLAZqHbg&t=1023s Doctor Who "Spoilers!": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGZSuWmZzo8 Rebel Without a Cause: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBOcWFBBB04&t=3s X Y and Zee trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKwx1yVZHqY&t=19s Eaten Alive Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHu6g-npdFE This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

This week, Kim tries to tackle all things "beach movie" because summer will be here before we know it. She talks her background with the beach films, AIP and more about 1960s teen culture before taking a deep dive into the 1964 delight Ride the Wild Surf.  Clips used this week:  "Beach Party": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CReAdMjpXIU "I Think/You Think": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Man5OPUUxtw Dick Dale "Surfin and A-Swingin'": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-GtC-pHUFo "Follow Your Leader": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AliFvKYIVVQ Timothy Carey in Beach Blanket Bingo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyOgG2rjXlc "Venus": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fakpqLDEQAo "Ride the Wild Surf": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxbjJbncMwE "Kookie, Kookie Lend Me Your Comb": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT9QZBGyXjU&t=4s "Reproduction": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ygx2qljUQM Tab Hunter Singing "Young Love": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCC5CeiL3-U This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Kim takes a flying leap into a discussion of Jay Ward and the underseen TV gem Fractured Flickers. Later in the episode, Kim gushes about the 1974 TV movie Scream of the Wolf starring Peter Graves and Clint Walker. *Spoilers discussed for this 51-year-old TV movie!*    Podcast is available where every you listen to podcasts! Come back every two weeks for a new episode.   Clips Referenced:    Johnny Carson and June Foray: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S3hbc0dQ88&t=135s Bullwinkle on Fractured Flickers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1kAzxc2HO0 Paul Frees on War of the Worlds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FWXICDg2bM Superchicken theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKss2pBYQ6Y Scream of the Wolf Segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ0fZEyhD2M George of the Jungle theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8rViF7V_oA George of the Jungle trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITlM041DW1U Rocky and Bullwinkle Outtakes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUDzuGECfdQ     This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

In this first episode of Piercing Pop Culture, film critic Kimberly Pierce takes a wide-ranging look into the TV westerns of the 1950s and 1960s as well as the career of Gunsmoke writer Kathleen Hite. Later, she takes a few minutes to chat about Steven Soderbergh's new release Black Bag before bringing everything to a close with a look at nudie cutie Adam and Six Eves as part of the Kino Lorber Nudie Cutie box set.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Kim sits down to talk about Invaders From Mars. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

When you stumble on a film called Lock Up Your Daughters that is also a period sex comedy… you check that out. Lord Foppington, ladies and gentlemen. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Kim sits down to talk about The Edge of Love, starring perennial Kim favorite, Kiera Knightley. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Kim takes a look at a deep cut (for her!) with 1954’s Woman’s World. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Kim sits down to talk about the documentary spotlighting legendary horror host, Vampira. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Kim sits down for some more Doris Day family goodness to talk about With Six You Get Eggroll. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Kim has been deep-diving into some Doris Day goodness so far. What are your thoughts about Romance on the High Seas? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Kim sits down to talk about the 1960 Bing Crosby collegiate comedy. Those are words we thought we’d never say. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Kim sits down to talk about Scoop, why this cast is incredible and what might be missing in the new Netflix drama. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com

Kim and Lisa sit down and talk the Dev Patel directed new release, Monkey Man. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nostalgiaqueen.substack.com