507 "One Little Heart"     Trilogy Part I

Leap Date:

August 8, 1955

Episode Adopted by: M. J. Cogburn
Additional info provided by: Deborah Hendryx and Brian Greene

Synopsis:

In the first of a three-part saga, Sam leaps into the father of young Abagail Fuller, a girl accused by a local townswoman, Leta Aider, of killing her husband and daughter. Leta is the only survivor of her family and believes Abagail to be cursed.

Audio from this episode

TV Guide Synopsis
Place
Leap Date
Name of the Person Leaped Into
Broadcast Date
Music
Sam Trivia
Al Trivia
Al's Outfits Worn in the Episode
Miscellaneous Trivia
Guest Stars
Guest Cast Notes
Guests who appeared in other Quantum Leap episodes
Say What?
Quotable Quotes
Best Scenes
Awards
Synopsis & Review
Production Credits

Production # : 68105

TV Guide Synopsis:
Sam is a small-town sheriff whose young daughter has a suspicious connection to a mysterious death. Part 1 of three. Laura Fuller: Meg Foster. Leta: Mary Gordon Murray. Abagail: Kimberly Cullum. Al: Dean Stockwell.

Place:
Potterville, Louisiana

Leap Date:
August 8, 1955

Leapee:
Sheriff Clayton Fuller

Broadcast Date:
November 17, 1992 - Tuesday

Music:
"Mockingbird" (A lullaby) – depending on the time in the show, it can be anywhere from sweet and calming to eerie.

"Ain't That A Shame" by Fats Domino plays in the bar.

Sam Trivia:
Sam has Leaped in on his 2nd birthday!

This Leap is also the same date as "The Color of Truth", so Sam is in two places at once.

Al Trivia:
Al doesn’t like dead people – it is just re-iterated in this episode as he comes into the room where Bart Aider’s body is placed for doing an autopsy.

Al's Outfits:

1) Light blue shirt
Pink neon shiny tie
Multicolored (pink, red and blue) vest
Blue suit pants
Black belt.

2) White suit
Black string tie
Talisman on lapel.

Miscellaneous Trivia:
Each time Al appears through a doorway, it costs the prodution about $12,000!

Abagail Fuller's name is spelled "Abagail" in the script.

Although it is not acknowledged in the episode, the date of this leap (August 8th 1955) is the same day Sam leapt into Jesse Tyler in The Color of Truth. This meant that three versions of Sam were present in the same time period: his 2-year-old self in Indiana, the one who leaped into Jesse in Alabama and the one from this episode. Source

Miscellaneous Trivia of Episode Characters:

Bart Aider:
Abagail Fuller was the last person to see him alive. When Sam Leaped in, he found Bart dead of what appeared to be a blow to the head, but the local doctor pronounced it to have been a heart attack. The question was did the blow happen before or after?

Leta Aider:
Her daughter, Violet was presumed dead in 1953 and her husband was killed two years later, and Leta believed Abagail Fuller was responsible for both deaths.

Violet Aider:
Next to Abagail fuller, she was the prettiest girl in the parish in 1953, but she vanished after the two girls had an argument over a locket. The entire parish searched for her until they found hre bloody sweater and decided a pack of wild dogs roaming in the area must have killed her. They destroyed the dogs and Sheriff Clayton Fuller closed the case.

Abagail Fuller:
The whole town believed this little girl was cursed crazy because her mother and grandmother were "touched". When Sam leaped into her father Clayton, Abagail had just found the body of Bart Aider, father of Violet, a girl Abagail had been accused of murdering two years before. The girls had gotten into a fight over a locket, and Abagail said Violet had run off and that was the last she had seen of her. Violet’s body was never found, but her bloody sweater was. Clayton was the sheriff, and he closed the case, saying a pack of wild dogs must have killed the girl. Violet’s mother Leta never stopped haranguing Abagail, insisting she killed Violet. And when her husband Bart died under mysterious circumstances, she believed Abagail killed him, too. Leta tried to get Abagail to admit she killed Violet, and then set the Fuller house on fire, hoping to kill Abagail. Sam rescued Abagail and Leaped just before Clayton was killed.

Clayton Fuller:
Sam found himself as this Louisiana sheriff with a murder investigation on his hands. He and his daughter Abagail were going to die in a house fire on August 9, 1955, unless Sam changed history. The fire was started by Leta Aider, who had lured Abagail to the house in hopes of getting the child to confess the murder of her daughter. Sam rescued Abagail and leaped seconds before Clayton died.

Laura Blanchette Fuller:
Clayton Fuller’s wife. After Sam leaped into Clayton, he was under the impression that Laura was dead., but saw a "vision" of her when a gust of wind blew closed his bedroom door. He found out from Abagail that the night Violet Aider died, Laura and Clayton had a terrible argument and she left. Sam found out that she had been committed to Peach Hill Home fore the Mentally Ill that night. He visited and found her uncommunicative, rocking in a chair and staring into space, though she did seem to notice Al.

Reta Blanchette:
Laura Fuller’s mother killed all of her children except Laura after she lost her husband and her money. Then she cut her own throat. The local story was that she preferred to kill her babies than to see them starve. Mr. Devareaux, who found the carnage, said she’d lost her mind. The local legend had it that the family had one cursed child every generation. First Reta, then Laura, now Abagail. Later it came out the reason Laura wasn’t killed was that she had slipped down between the beds and was not seen by her mother.

Marie Beth Billings: She worked as the housekeeper for the Fuller family for thirty years.

Willis Gunerson Kinman:
Will Kinman was the son of a local doctor, and spoke with a stutter.

Doc Kinman:
Doctor in a small Louisiana town where Sam found himself as sheriff. He couldn’t determine the cause of death of Bart Aider, and had to have the coroner from Shreveport come in. His son is Will Kinman.

Bo Loman:
Clayton Fuller’s deputy who also helped to take Bart Aider’s body to Doc Kinman.

Guest Cast:

Mary Gordon Murray as Leta Aider
Stephen Lee as Sheriff Bo Loman
Fran Bennett as Marie Beth Billings
Travis Fine as Will Kinman
Kimberly Cullum as Abagail Fuller
Meg Foster as Laura Fuller
W.K. Stratton as Laurence “Larry” Stanton, III
Heather Lauren Olsen as Violet Aider
James Whitmore, Jr. as Clayton Fuller (Mirror Image)

Guest Cast Notes:

Mary Gordon Murray as Leta Aider: Born on November 13, 1953 in Ridgewood, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress, known for Junior (1994), Quantum Leap (1989) and Poison Ivy (1992). Nominated for Broadway's 1982 Tony Award as Best Actress (Musical) for a revival of "Little Me." She was awarded the 1991 Drama-Logue Award for Performance for "The Most Happy Fella" in the 25th Anniversary Season presented by Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson at the James A. Doolittle Theatre (University of California) in Los Angeles, California.

Stephen Lee as Sheriff Bo Loman: Born in Englewood New Jersey in 1955. Having lived in Europe the first 15 years of his life, Stephen comes from a "casino" background with his father selling and making slot machines. Stephen started acting when he came to the U.S in 1970 and eventually getting a partial scholarship to Avila College in Kansas City, Missouri.He has appeared in over 200 TV shows, 5 TV series and over 20 pilots. He has also played in 39 movies including: La Bamba (1987), WarGames (1983), Purple Hearts (1984), RoboCop 2 (1990), The Negotiator (1998), Dolls (1986)  and many others. He speaks English, German, French and Spanish. His interests include golf, tennis, horseback riding (when time permits) and biking around his Sherman Oaks, CA neighborhood.Other guest staring appearances are NCIS (2003), Fear Itself (2008), Boston Legal (2004) (for which he received critical acclaim), Bones (2005) and 'Til Death (2006) . He is grateful everyday for a roof over his head and hopes for a more prosperous future for himself and everyone who has experienced such hard times.

Fran Bennett as Marie Beth Billings: Graduated from the University of Wisconsin with an M.A. and subsequently spent twelve years acting and as voice and movement director with the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Her Broadway debut was a leading role in the short-lived play Mandingo at the Lyceum Theater in 1961. Thereafter, Bennett concentrated on stage acting and education, serving for many years on the faculty of the California Institute of the Arts, latterly as head of acting and director of performance at the CalArts School of Theater (1996-2003). Her credentials included a teaching spell at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and voice production workshops at several American universities. As an ensemble member of the Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company, her dramatis personae tended to be powerful individuals (Othello, King Lear, Oberon, and others). Bennett's screen work has likewise shown a predilection towards sober, resolute authority figures: doctors, judges, head nurses, community leaders and family matriarchs, even a Fleet Admiral on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). Her TV debut was as early as 1952 but she did not become prolific in that medium until the late 70s. From then on, she regularly guest-starred in episodes of popular fare, ranging from soapies (The Bold and the Beautiful (1987), Dynasty (1981)) to crime drama (Simon & Simon (1981), Crossing Jordan (2001), NCIS (2003)) and science fiction (The Twilight Zone (1985), Quantum Leap (1989)). The Arkansas native was a 2005 inductee into Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. Her honours have included an NAACP Theatre Award and the inaugural AEA/AFTRA/SAG Diversity Award.

Travis Fine as Will Kinman: The writer, producer, director and editor of award-winning independent films, Travis Fine does not shy away from challenging or provocative material. THE SPACE BETWEEN, starring Academy Award winner Melissa Leo, takes audiences on a cross country journey with a young Pakistani boy on September 11, 2001, as he desperately tries to determine the fate of his father. In the 1970s period drama ANY DAY NOW, starring Alan Cumming and Garrett Dillahunt, Fine explores the definition of family as two gay men attempt to adopt a young boy with Down Syndrome. THE SPACE BETWEEN debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival, received a Special Jury Award for Leo's performance, and was purchased by the USA NETWORK and served as special programming for the cable network to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11. ANY DAY NOW received over 20 Audience and Best Picture awards at film festivals all over the world, including Tribeca Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, and Outfest. The film was also recognized by the prestigious gay rights organization GLAAD with their 2013 Media Award for Best Film. After debuting on just one screen in Tokyo in April 2014, ANY DAY NOW became a cultural phenomenon in Japan, with long lines at the theaters, huge box office numbers, a one plus year theatrical run, and unprecedented media coverage for an indie film. ANY DAY NOW was remade in Korea, and in 2020 its world premiere as a stage musical in Japan.

Kimberly Cullum as Abagail Fuller: Born on November 29, 1981 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Quantum Leap (1989), Maverick (1994) and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). Daughter of Leo Cullum, a cartoonist for New Yorker magazine.

Meg Foster as Laura Fuller: Blue-eyed brunette Meg Foster was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on May 10, 1948 to David and Nancy. She has four siblings and grew up in Rowayton, Connecticut. Foster studied acting at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse.Foster's first role came about in 1969, when she appeared in an episode of NET Playhouse (1964). Throughout the '70s, she guest starred in numerous TV shows including Barnaby Jones (1973), The Six Million Dollar Man (1974), and Hawaii Five-O (1968), and played Hester Prynne, a young woman who has an affair with a pastor, in the miniseries The Scarlet Letter (1979). Foster did not really come to attention until 1982, though, when she replaced Loretta Swit as Christine Cagney in Cagney & Lacey (1981); she herself was later replaced by Sharon Gless (CBS reportedly wanted a more "feminine" actress playing the role of the detective). Foster began to appear in more movies throughout the late '80s, primarily Masters of the Universe (1987), in which she played the nefarious Evil-Lyn. Other notable films include the satirical science fiction flick They Live (1988), the horror sequel Stepfather II: Make Room for Daddy (1989), and the comedic martial arts movie Blind Fury (1989) (Terry O'Quinn also appeared in the latter two). Foster continued to work prolifically throughout the '90s, mostly appearing in science fiction films. She also guest starred in many popular television shows such as Quantum Leap (1989), ER (1994), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Murder, She Wrote (1984), and Sliders (1995). After appearing in a 2000 episode of Xena: Warrior Princess (1995), Foster took a decade-long break from the acting industry. She returned in 2011 with roles in indie flicks 25 Hill (2011) and Sebastian (2011), and had a villainous role as a revenge-seeking witch in Rob Zombie's '70s-esque horror movie The Lords of Salem (2012). Additionally, Foster appeared in the TV show The Originals (2013), as well as Pretty Little Liars (2010) and its short-lived spin-off Ravenswood (2013). She re-teamed with Rob Zombie in 2016 for his horror film 31 (2016), in which Foster plays a kidnapped carnival worker. Foster has a son, Christopher, with Ron Starr. At one point, she was married to actor Stephen McHattie.

W.K. Stratton as Laurence “Larry” Stanton, III: Born on August 2, 1950 in Front Royal, Virginia, USA. He is an actor, known for Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World (2011), Shoot 'Em Up (2007) and Machete (2010). He is married to Maureen Denise Lacoste. Appeared in the pilots of four different series created by Donald P. Bellisario: Magnum, P.I. (1980), Airwolf (1984), Quantum Leap (1989) and JAG (1995). Holds the unique distinction for having "flown" (in character) a Corsair, a Viper, and Airwolf. (three aircraft used in Bellasario productions).

Heather Lauren Olsen as Violet Aider: Born on November 12, 1982 in San Jose, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Quantum Leap (1989), Days of Our Lives (1965) and Internal Affairs (1990).

James Whitmore, Jr. as Clayton Fuller (Mirror Image): James Whitmore Jr. was born on October 24, 1948 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and actor, known for Black Sheep Squadron (1976), Hunter (1984) and Tequila and Bonetti (1992). He has been married to Salesha Ali since March 28, 1972. They have four children. He appeared in The Twilight Zone (1985) while his father James Whitmore appeared in The Twilight Zone (1959).  Son of James Whitmore, father of James Whitmore III, stepson of Noreen Nash, ex-stepson of Audra Lindley, brother of Steve Whitmore and Dan Whitmore, and stepbrother of Lee Siegel. Has directed Scott Bakula in episodes of four different series: Quantum Leap (1989), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1996), Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), and NCIS: New Orleans (2014). Played Capt. Jim Gutterman in Black Sheep Squadron for the first season but was not in the Second Season (no explanation given as to why or what happened to his character). Whitmore appeared at the Peterborough Players Theater in Peterborough, New Hampshire in the play "Tuesdays With Morrie" with his father, James Whitmore in June and July, 2006.

Guests Who Appeared in Other Quantum Leap Episodes:
W.K. Stratton also appeared in the episodes "Genesis", "Good Night, Dear Heart," two different radio despatchers in "Black on White on Fire" and "Hurricane", and the trilogy episodes "For Your Love," and "The Last Door."

Fran Bennett also played in "Justice."

James Whitmore, Jr. (Clayton Fuller's Mirror Image) also played Bob Crockett in "8½ Months" and hthe Police Captain in "Mirror Image."

Say What?
The calendar in the sheriff's office has 30 days, but it's August, which always has 31.

Sam's shirt magically produces sweat stains between shots.

The newspaper with headlines “Search for Violet Aider Abandoned” is from the 1990's.

Violet's file has a death certificate for a male person, but Violet is female!

As Sam is driving hurriedly to Clayton’s house, he is driving through the dark, but suddenly in one shot it's somehow earlier with a lighter footage.

Quotable Quotes:

Abagail: Daddy?
Sam: Yeah?
Abagail: Tell me all the ways that you love me.
Sam: Well… I love you like the stars love the sky… like the sea loves the sand… like the flowers love the bees.
Abagail: I love you daddy.

Al: Sweet kid. That’s such a great age around 9 or 10.
Sam: Shhhh!
Al: So who’s gonna hear me? When is the last time a hologram woke someone up?

Sam's first thought on the Leap:
Leaping in Time has brought me into many strange new encounters but coming face to face with a dead man is probably my least favorite. It happened if I remember correctly, twice before and each time the same words echo through my brain. ‘I’m late. I’m too late.’

Best Lines:

Al’s Best Line:
Ohhhhhh… noo… dead people. I don’t like dead people.

Sam’s Best Line:
It’s okay to talk to people who have gone away. It helps to keep them in your hearts.

Best Scenes:

# 1: When Sam sees the vision of Laura Blanchette Fuller standing in the hallway beyond his bedroom door! AWESOME effects!

# 2: When Sam tells Al about the Blanchette family… it’s interesting to see the reactions!

Al: Clayton’s wife isn’t dead.
Sam: What?
Al: She’s in a private aslym just off Parish Road called Peach Hill for the mentally ill.
Sam: That’s great Al. She’ll be able to give us some answers.
Al: Yeah, if she’s not too mentally ill.
Sam: Listen Al, I need you to have Ziggy find out what happened to Laura’s family. The Blanchette family. Blanchette.
Al: Whaddaya mean, what happened to them?
Sam: Well… except for Abagail’s mother, Laura, they were all murdered.
Al: By who?
Sam: Laura’s mother -- Reta Blanchette and then killed herself.
Al: Get outta here! She killed her own kids?
Sam: Yeah, she… she slit their throat then she… slit her own throat.
Al: This is too weird. Well, we know that Laura’s still alive. No wonder she’s in the nut house. Where you going?
Sam: To meet my wife.

# 3: Sam leaping into the arms of a beautiful woman making love to her.

Awards:
Kimberly Cullum won the Young Artists Award Best Young Actress Guest Starring in a Television Series for all three episodes of the Trilogy.

Michael Watkins received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Series in 1993.

Synopsis & Review:

Sam leaps into the body of Clayton Fuller, the sheriff of a small Louisiana town who's also the father of young Abagail Fuller (Kimberly Cullum).  Abagail is accused by a local townswoman named Leta Aider (Mary Gordon Murray) of killing her husband, Deputy Sheriff Bert Aider, who succumbed to a heart attack, and their daughter Violet. Leta is the only surviving member of her deceased family and believes Abagail to be cursed.

Leta, who is unstable, blames Abagail for her husband's death, and that of her daughter Violet, after Abagail had been the last person to see Violet before she disappeared and presumably killed by a pack of dogs two years before.

Sam's mission is to save young Abagail from the raging wrath of Leta, who winds up cornering her in the Fuller house, demanding that she confess to the crimes of murder of her husband and daughter. In the original timeline of events, Abagail died in a house fire after Leta set it ablaze with her in it on the night of August 8, 1955.

Sam visits the mental hospital where Clayton's wife, Laura Fuller, is hospitalized in hopes of trying to get more information about Leta, who had two years earlier a heated argument with her, insulting her and calling her crazy. She said  Laura should be committed and "not allowed to have anymore crazy children". Al, with Ziggy's help, warns Sam that Leta is at the Fuller home, tormenting and threating Abagail, trying to get a murder confession out of her, as she then sets the home ablaze. It's now Sam's mission to save and rescue Abagail from the house by breaking an upper hallway window and getting her to jump out of it. Although Abagail escapes, he confronts Leta, but she is able to sneak out of a backroom door as the fire blazes. Ceiling beams afire collapse over Sam just as he leaps. Source

Personal Review by M. J. Cogburn:

I love the Trilogy. I always have. It’s one of the best stories that is out there involving so many people in a leap! It’s great and I don’t care how many times I see it… I always see something new… and this time was no different! Small nuisances always make the show even better!

Production Credits:

Theme by: Mike Post
Musical Score By: Velton Ray Bunch
Co-Executive Producer: Deborah Pratt
Co-Executive Producer: Chas. Floyd Johnson
Supervising Producers: Richard C. Okie, Harker Wade
Supervising Producer: Tommy Thompson
Producer: Robin Jill Bernheim
Created by: Donald P. Bellisario
Written by: Deborah Pratt
Directed by: James Whitmore, Jr.

Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Associate Producers: Julie Bellisario, Scott Ejercito
Coordinating Producer: David Bellisario
Director of Photography: Michael Watkins A.S.C.
Production Designer: Cameron Birnie
Edited by: Michael S. Stern
Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow
First Assistant Director: Ryan Gordon
Second Assistant Director: Brian Faul
Casting by: Ellen Lubin Sanitsky, C.S.A.
Set Director: Robert L. Zilliox
Costume Designer: Jean-Pierre Dorleac
Costume Supervisors: David Rawley, Katina Kerr
Art Director: Ellen Dambros-Williams
Sound Mixer: Barry D. Thomas
Stunt Coordinator: Diamond Farnsworth
Make-up: Jeremy Swan
Hairstylist: Andrea Mizushima
Fashion Concepts: Jean-Pierre Dorleac
Sound Editor: Greg Schorer
Music Editor: Bruce Frazier
Special Visual Effects: Roger Dorney, Denny Kelly

Panaflex ®  Camera and Lenses by: Panavision ®

This motion picture is protected under laws of the United States and other countries. Unauthorized duplication, distribution or exhibition may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

Copyright © 1992 by Universal City Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Some of the characters portrayed in this motion picture are based upon actual persons. Although some of those events have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes, otherwise the characters and events depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Bellisarius Productions and Universal Television, an MCA Company

Quantum Leap Podcast: Trilogy Part I: One Little Heart