Leap Date:
September 9, 1969

Teaser:

As a young man romancing a much, much older woman, Sam must convince her not to move back to Cleveland with her straight-as-an-arrow son and his wife. And somehow he also has to get through a nude version of "Hamlet."

Audio from this episode:

Sam: I was just kind of smelling Hamlets' insanity.

TV Guide Teaser:

Sam falls into a May-December romance as a struggling actor dating a woman twice his age, and he tries to save his career and find her a break as a singer. Jane: Penny Fuller. Ted: Robert Pine. Neil: Daniel Roebuck. Liz: Anna Gunn. Sam: Scott Bakula. Al: Dean Stockwell

Place:

New York City, New York

Leap Date:

September 9, 1969

Name of Person Leaped Into:

Joe Thurlow

Broadcast Date:

January 8, 1992 - Wednesday

Synopsis & Review:

Sam leaps into silk sheets, grateful to be in a comfortable position. He thanks GFTW out loud, and realizes he is not alone as Jane says “no, thank YOU.” Jane gets fresh with Sam but they are quickly interrupted by her adult son Neil who walks in on them and asks what his dad would think. Oh boy!

Sam is happy to learn that Neil’s father has been dead for 3 years, so the situation is slightly less awkward than he initially thought. Enter Neil’s wife, Liz, who is pregnant and carrying a present for Jane. They have come to surprise her for her birthday, which is tomorrow. We learn that Sam is an actor named Joe Thurlow. Neil and Liz wait for them in the other room.

Jane had previously told Joe that her son was 19, but now she admits that he is 30. We see Sam’s mirror image, and it’s easy to tell that Joe is younger than Neil. With that comes the reveal that it’s not going to be her 40th birthday, but her 50th. Jane says she hates birthdays and surprises. Sam tells her she doesn’t look a day over 39.

Neil and Liz debate how to ask Jane about Joe, but chicken out and ask how she is enjoying living in New York instead of Cleveland. Jane says she is having the time of her life, singing for the 1st time in years. Her recording is playing, and Liz thinks she sounds great. Joe thinks she has a singing career ahead of her. He also took her on a peace march recently, which Neil clearly doesn’t approve of. Jane tells them that Joe is just a friend.

Jane gives Liz clothes for the baby, and Jane opens her gift - a watercolor set. Liz tries asking Jane about her relationship with Joe and alludes that she would be better off back home in Cleveland.

Meanwhile, Neil grills Sam for information about Joe that he doesn’t know. What did he do before becoming an actor? Where did he go to school? Sam’s inability to answer makes him not look so great.

Jane tells her son, and us, that Joe is 25. Sam doesn’t help the situation, by saying he voted in the Ford / Carter election, which won’t happen for another 7 years. Oops! He meant Nixon / McGovern. But that was still wrong, and Joe now looks like a flake.

Neil and Liz head to their hotel, saying they will take Jane out to dinner tonight. Jane gives us an “oh boy” that Sam 2nds. Neil complains about Joe to his wife on the way out. Sam apologizes to Jane for not being helpful. She apologizes for not telling her son that Joe is living here, and says maybe it isn’t the right time to get married. She knows that they want her to move back to Cleveland, and think the idea of her having a singing career is silly. She tells Sam he better hurry, and looks for his script. He is the lead in Hamlet! Sam gives us another “Oh Boy.”
Sam goes to rehearsal, and has a rough time of it. The Director tells him he is not smelling the part. Al finally arrives, and thinks The Director should be in a straightjacket. Sam successfully pulls off what The Director is looking for, and impresses Petra, who thinks that Jane is his mother until she kisses him. Jane tells him to meet her at a nightclub at 8 o'clock. Al thinks Sam would be better off going for Petra and says that Jane is too old for him. Sam thinks it's a bad double standard and supports the age difference.

Al tells Sam that in two days, Jane goes home to Cleveland and spends the rest of her life alone. Sam says he must be here to keep Joe and Jane together, but Al doesn’t know. Tomorrow night, Joe doesn’t go on as Hamlet and blows his career. He becomes an extra in movies and then goes into real estate. Al is convinced that Sam is here to make sure Joe goes on tomorrow night and has an acting career, but Sam wants to know about Jane’s singing career, which doesn’t ever happen. Al tells us that his 5th wife had dreams of being in the roller derby and it was hard to watch her fail. Al thinks that some dreams should stay up in the clouds, but Sam feels differently. Ziggy says there is a 91% chance that he is here to go on as Hamlet.

Jane sings while Sam plays piano. He encourages her to go for a career in music. She says no one has ever believed in her besides him. Sam admirers her for the courage it took to leave home and move to New York. They start kissing.

At the nightclub, Neil surprises her again, with the fact that her old friend Ted is here. He flirts with Jane. Sam asks him what he does, and he says he owns a company that makes uniforms for the military. Ted and Sam argue about the war., and Jane defuses the situation by asking Sam to dance.

Neil and Ted grumble that their plan isn’t working. Liz tells Neil he should just ask Jane to move home, and Ted should just ask her to marry him. Joe cuts in on the dance. Petra is here and flirts with Sam, but he simply tells her that he will see her tomorrow. Ted tells Jane she should come back to Cleveland and sing there.

Sam confronts Neil and Liz about wanting to bring Jane back to Cleveland. Neil doesn’t think her voice is anything special. Sam makes a deal with Neil and Liz that if he can prove Jane has something special, they will go back to Cleveland alone.

Sam goes to the band leader and arranges for Jane to sing The Look of Love. Jane says she can’t do it, but eventually agrees. The song plays, but Jane has stage fright and can’t perform, leaving the stage upset.

Sam and Jane have a heart to heart, and Ted interrupts. Jane seems convinced that her son is right. Al returns, and tells Sam he is pushing Jane too hard. He should be rehearsing Shakespeare. Neil demands an apology since Sam failed to prove that Jane had something special. He calls Joe unemployed, and Sam defends himself to Neil and Ted that he is a working actor. He invites them to the show tomorrow night. Liz tells Neil they need to leave because they have an early train to catch tomorrow, but he says they are staying to go to Joe’s show instead.

Sam prepares for the show while Jane goes shopping with Neil and Liz.

Before the show, Neil complains about the art house that is hosting the performance. Ted thinks that Jane is in for a big disappointment and that the show will be a joke.

The director gathers the cast and tells them that tonight will sadly be the last performance, unless they make some drastic changes immediately. He suggests that they perform nude, and Al surmises that this is why Joe didn’t go on in the original history. Petra and The King think it’s a great idea. Sam resists. He is striped down against his will. Sam tells Al that he can’t do this.

The curtains raise, and the audience is in disbelief. Jane looks mortified, and Al gives us an “Oh Boy.” Sam pulls off a good performance. Jane is proud of Joe as it took courage. Neil looks uncomfortable. Liz found the performance moving. Ted thinks he was correct in calling the whole thing a joke.

Sam tells Al that he has never been so humiliated in his life. Petra comes in. Sam accidentally drops his towel, and Petra takes this as an invitation to drop hers and hugs Sam. Jane and family walk in just in time to witness this. Sam gives us yet another “Oh Boy”. Sam pushes Petra out of the room, worried that he has lost Jane. Rob Jackson, an agent, comes to see Sam. He tells Sam he did a great job. He is more interested in Joe’s look than his acting, and offers him a modeling position with Boxer Boy. Ziggy says this will set Joe up for life.

Sam tells Rob he doesn’t think he can do it, unless they sign Jane to sing the jingle. Rob says he has to hear her sing first, and Sam tells him to meet them at the nightclub in an hour.

Neil chats with his mother, reciting a story of how he broke a platter when he was 5 years old. She had told him that the only thing worse than lying to someone, was lying to yourself. He thinks this is what she is doing now with singing, and it’s time she came home.

Sam rushes to the apartment and catches them on the way out the door to catch the train. He apologizes about Petra and says it's not what it looked like. Ted punches Sam. Sam tells Jane about the Boxer Boy offer, and her audition. She says she can’t do it, but Sam convinces her with a deep kiss.

Jane goes on stage and although she is unsure of herself, she manages to sing For Once in My Life. Rob likes it, and Al says they both end up signing with Boxer Boy. They get married in a week. Joe makes a fortune modeling. Jane doesn’t have much of a career, but she’s happy. Sam leaps. Synopsis by Stacie Wilcox

Personal Review by Rindi:

This is a good episode - one of those episodes that show Sam’s sweet romantic side. This episode makes you want to reach your dreams and to find that one love that will support you while you do it. It’s a touching episode.

Music:

"Goin’ Out of my Head" by Little Anthony & The Imperials is sung by Penny Fuller (Jane).

"Together Forever" (cover) by Aretha Franklin plays on Jane's tape.

"The Look of Love" by Dusty Springfield is sung by Jane.

"Born to the Wild" by Steppenwolf plays in the club.

"My Cherie Amour" by Stevie Wonder is mentioned by Jane.

"Time of the Season" by The Zombies plays at the club.

"For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder is sung by Jane for an audition.

Project Trivia:

There is no imaging chamber door the second time Al comes to Sam.

Sam Trivia:

Sam remembers events from "M.I.A." and "Last Dance Before An Execution."

Sam says "Oh Boy!" three times in this episode.

Sam recalls voting in a Jimmy Carter election.

Sam believes it is ok for women to marry younger men just as much as men being able to marry younger women.

Al Trivia:

Al’s fifth wife’s dream was to be in the roller derby.

Al’s fifth wife ran off with a bricklayer.

Al says "Oh Boy!" once in this episode.

Al appears 3 different times in this episode and each time he has a cigar.

Al’s Women:

Al likes Petra.

He mentions his fifth wife - she was a roller derby fan.

Al’s Outfits Worn in the Episode:

1^st appearance: Al was wearing a red jacket, a white button up collar shirt, a metallic bolo, black slacks, and sunglasses pin.

2^nd appearance: Same outfit as #1.

3^rd appearance: Al was wearing a light mustard jacket and slacks to match, metallic gold button up shirt with white spiral ovals placed sporadically over the shirt, a metallic goldish copper tie and shoes cant be seen.

Miscellaneous Trivia:

The title is a quote from Hamlet. In Act 2, Scene 2, he says “The play’s the thing; wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” (often modernised to “…to uncover the conscience of the king”). Hamlet is saying that Claudius’ guilty conscience will reveal itself when he is watching a play that Hamlet has arranged. Source

Jane Linhurst says "Oh Boy!" once in this episode.

Sam gets Joe a job as the new Boxer Boy (a play on the underwear Joe Boxer).

Bloopers:

Regular Cast:

Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett
Dean Stockwell as Al Calavicci

Guest Cast Notes:

Penny Fuller as Jane Lindhurst: Penny Fuller was born on July 21, 1937 in Durham, North Carolina, USA. She is an actress, known for All the President's Men (1976), Quantum Leap (1989) and The Elephant Man (1982). In 1970, starred opposite Lauren Bacall on Broadway in Applause, musical adaptation of the movie classic, All About Eve (1950). Bacall played fading Broadway star Margo Channing (Bette Davis ' role in the film) and Penny played conniving, grasping actress Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter's role). Won an Emmy Award for her performance in The Elephant Man (1982). Anne Bancroft played her role in the big-screen version. Trained for her craft at Illinois' Northwestern University.
Was twice-nominated for Broadway's Tony Award: in 1970 as best supporting or featured actress (musical) for Applause and, in 2001, as best actress (featured role - play) for Neil Simon's The Dinner Party. Made her Broadway debut in 1962 in A Moon Besieged. She later served as a starring replacement in popular '60s Broadway hits such as Barefoot in the Park, as Corrie, and Cabaret, as Sally Bowles. Has one daughter, Heather Kinlaw, who has graduated from public policy school. Penny and Paula Prentiss were both in the play, "Wonderful Town", at Northwestern University, where they were both students. She guest starred in two unrelated television series featuring a regular character named Sam Beckett: China Beach (1988) and Quantum Leap (1989).

Robert Pine as Ted: Robert Pine is an American actor who is best known as Sgt. Joseph Getraer on the television series CHiPs (1977-1983). Including CHiPs, Pine has appeared in over 400 episodes of television. Pine was born in New York City on July 10, 1941, the son of Virginia (née Whitelaw) and Granville Martin Pine, a patent attorney. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1963. He is married to Gwynne Gilford, who appeared in several episodes of CHiPs as Betty Getraer, the wife of Pine's character. They have two children, actors Chris and Katie. Appeared on commercials for Priceline.com with William Shatner. His son, Chris Pine, succeeded Shatner as Captain Kirk in Star Trek. Robert has also done voice over work for Star Wars video games.

Daniel Roebuck as Neil Lindhurst: Having made his feature film debut starring in the teen comedy Cavegirl Daniel Roebuck quickly realized that there was only one direction to travel in his career. Up! Soon after Cavegirl, Roebuck established himself as one of the industry's youngest character actors with his haunting portrayal as the teenage killer, Samson in The River's Edge. Now, nearly 30 years later, Roebuck has amassed a substantial resume as an actor, writer and director. He has moved easily between all mediums having continued working on television, in movies and on the stage. His film credits are myriad, having starred in blockbusters like The Fugitive, US Marshals,and final Destination, as well as popular titles including Agent Cody Banks and it's sequel, That's What I Am, Money Talks, Flash Of Genius and so many more. Lately, Roebuck has enjoyed working in a number of horror movies - his favorite genre. He has collaborated with filmmaker Rob Zombie on Halloween, Halloween 2, Devil's Rejects, and Lords of Salem (as well as a commercial for AMDRO, the insecticide). He also appeared in Don Coscarelli's cult favorite Bubba Ho Tep as well as the director's Reggie's Tales and John Dies At The End. Daniel has also been a familiar face on television for nearly 3 decades, he was a regular for three seasons on the evergreen hit drama, Matlock, portraying attorney 'Cliff Lewis," the junior partner of the law firm headed by Andy Griffith's beloved character, 'Ben Matlock.' Interestingly, his landing the role was the fulfillment of a promise made several years earlier with his first appearance on "Matlock" in its inaugural season. At that time, Roebuck was told that Griffith had been so impressed with his work that he would be back as a regular on the show. It took five seasons, two more guest shots as different characters, and a change of networks, but Griffith kept his promise and Roebuck indeed became a series regular. He portrayed the irascible Rick Bettina on many episodes of Nash Bridges and in the fall of 2003 Daniel returned to series television as Pete Peterson, the gay owner of a local diner in A Minute With Stan Hooper. As a television guest star, Daniel has played countless characters. Some of his most memorable are a cop who literally turns into a pig on Grimm, a Romulan on Star Trek, Next Generation, a gun toting hostage taker on NYPD Blue, a cranky studio owner on Sonny With A Chance and a grieving father on Glee. He played other memorable roles on New Adventures of Old Christine, NCIS, Ghost Whisperer, CSI, Boston Legal, CSI Miami, Law And Order, Desperate Housewives and Hot in Cleveland. On the popular show, Lost, Roebuck portrayed the infamous Dr. Leslie Arzt, the aggravating science teacher whose explosive exit in the finale of the first season remains one of television's most surprising and talked about moments. He has starred in dozens of TV Movies. Perhaps his most famous turn was his critically acclaimed portrayal of Jay Leno in The Late Shift. He stepped into another pair of famous shoes when he played Garry Marshall in Behind The Camera; Mork and Mindy, The Unauthorized Story. Other Movies for television include A Family Lost, A Glimpse Of Hell, Murder At The Presidio, Shredderman Rules, A Borrowed Life, Quints and many others. Daniel's voice over work includes Christmas Is Here Again (a film he also produced),The Haunted World Of El Super Beasto and the groundbreaking video game, L.A. Noire.

Anna Gunn as Liz Lindhurst: Anna grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico after her parents, Sharon (Peters) and Clemens Gunn, Jr., transplanted the family from Cleveland, Ohio to the Southwest in the late seventies. She discovered acting in a drama class at the Santa Fe Preparatory School and was fortunate to study with two formidable teachers from the Actor's Studio as a teenager. She continued her education and training at Northwestern University's renowned theatre department, winning a coveted scholarship award in her junior year. During her time at Northwestern, Anna went abroad for a semester to study with the British American Drama Academy and had the marvelous opportunity to perform in the school's final project at the famed Royal Court Theatre in London. Anna has moved between television, film, and theatre with much ease. In 2004, Anna landed her breakout television role, playing Martha Bullock on HBO's seminal show, Deadwood (2004) and later received a SAG nomination for Best Ensemble Cast in 2006. Anna's association with Deadwood (2004) creator David Milch began early on when she first worked with him on his hit drama NYPD Blue (1993), giving a memorable performance as Kimmy, a junkie longing to escape New York to swim with the dolphins. Anna made such an indelible impression on Milch, that almost nine years later she became the template for the pivotal and complex character of Martha. Another major recurring role for Anna was on David E. Kelley's The Practice (1997), delivering a notable turn as ADA Jean Ward opposite Dylan McDermott and Lara Flynn Boyle. Her extensive television credits also include starring roles in several made for TV movies and major guest starring appearances on such shows as Six Feet Under (2001), ER (1994), Boston Legal (2004), Law & Order (1990) and Seinfeld (1989). Highlights of Anna's feature film work include the dark comedy, Nobody's Baby (2001), in which she starred with Gary Oldman and Mary Steenburgen; the film premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. In 1998, she played opposite Jon Voight in Tony Scott's summer blockbuster, Enemy of the State (1998). Her first starring role was in 1995's independent thriller, Without Evidence (1995), along side Angelina Jolie. Anna was recently in Kevin Smith's Red State (2011). Her upcoming films include Little Red Wagon (2012) and Sassy Pants (2012), for which she received a nomination at the 2012 Milan Film Festival for Best Supporting Actress. Anna is also a highly regarded and much sought after actress of the stage. In early 2009 she created the leading role of photojournalist Sarah Goodwin in Donald Margulies' world premiere production of Time Stands Still, directed by Daniel Sullivan at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 1999 she starred as Isabella in Measure for Measure at the Ahmanson Theatre helmed by the famed director Sir Peter Hall. In 1997, Anna was brought east to make her Broadway debut alongside Roger Rees in The Rehearsal at the Roundabout Theater. Before that she played on the LA circuit, including the 1995 American premiere of Hysteria directed by Phyllida Lloyd at the Mark Taper Forum. Before settling in Los Angeles, Anna built an impressive background performing on stage in Chicago. She received exceptional reviews in Uncommon Ground at the Northlight Theatre, and playing opposite Jeremy Piven in Keith Reddin's Peacekeeper at the American Blues Theatre. She even landed her first professional acting role, playing Lucy Lockit in the critically acclaimed production of The Beggar's Opera at the Court Theatre while still an undergraduate at Northwestern University. In late 2011, Anna immersed herself in the role of Marie Curie for Alan Alda's world premiere of Radiance: The Passion of Marie Curie, directed by Daniel Sullivan at the Geffen Playhouse and received rave reviews. She starring as Skyler White on AMC's Emmy award-winning series Breaking Bad (2008); a role that garnered Anna a 2012 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Emmy Nomination until she won in 2013-2014, a 2012 Best Supporting Actress nomination by the Broadcast Television Journalist Association for a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a 2012 & 2013 Screen Actor's Guild Award for Best Ensemble Cast. The cast was also the recipient of the 2008 Peabody Award and won an AFI Award both in 2008 and 2011. The show was also nominated in 2013 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Golden Globe's as Best Television Drama until it won in 2014.

Craig Richard Nelson as The Director: Craig Richard Nelson was born on September 17, 1947 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Paper Chase (1973), 3 Women (1977) and Quantum Leap (1989).

Paul Collins as Rob Jackson: Paul Collins was born on July 25, 1937 in London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Peter Pan (1953), Dave (1993) and Instinct (1999).

Eva Loseth as Petra: Eva Loseth was born on December 20, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Quantum Leap (1989), The Dead Girl (2006) and Art House (1998).

Deem Bristow as King: Deem Reginald Bristow was an American actor known for providing the English voice of Dr. Eggman from 1999 to 2004. He voiced Dr. Eggman in Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes and Sonic Advance 3. He passed away January 15, 2005 in San Diego, California, USA due to a heart attack. He passed away the same year as fellow Dr. Eggman actor Long John Baldry. He was succeeded by Mike Pollock since Shadow the Hedgehog.

Will Schaub as Joe Thurlow (Mirror Image): Will Schaub is known for Executive Decision (1996), 17 Again (2009) and The Setting Son (1997).

Say What?

This episode takes place in 1969. All the errors here are due to the timeline:

There is a card with a barcode on the back, but barcodes weren't used until 1974.

Stock footage contains an advertisement for the show "Sly Fox", that opened in 1976.

The Twin Towers are seen in stock footage, but were not finished until 1973.

Quotable Quotes:

"Morning Tiger." --Jane Lindhurst

"…don’t you think maybe she’s a little um long in the tooth for you?" --Al "Her teeth look just great to me." --Sam " No, no, no, no, I mean don’t you think she’s more right for me…" --Al "Oh, no, no, no she’s much too sophisticated for you." --Sam

"Just goes to show you that (pause) some dreams are suppose to stay up in the clouds." --Al "What are you talking about, no, you can never give up on your dreams." –Sam

" …the only thing worse than lying to other people was lying to yourself." --Neil

Best Lines:

"Quantum leaping through time I’ve leaped into an electric chair, gun fights, and the variety of handcuffs. It looks like I finally rated a cushy time." "Thank You." (Talking to God) --Sam

"No (pause), Thank You." --Jane Lindhurst

Best Scene:

The best scene in this episode is at the beginning when Sam first leaps into Joe Thurlow an actor. He leaps into a bed of silk sheets and pillows. He thanks God for a comfortable landing and then an older woman rolls over, his girlfriend and Thanks him back, assumingly for the night before. Sam lye’s in bed naked and shy with a woman he does not know, not exactly the comfortable situation he thought.

I also liked the scene where Sam is trying to convince Jane to sing for an audition for the jingle singer for the Boxer Boy commercials and Al says, "Actions speak louder than words Sam," and he kisses her passionately to prove he loved her and supported her career.

Production Credits:

Theme by: Mike Post
Music by: Velton Ray Bunch
Co-Executive Producer: Deborah Pratt
Co-Executive Producer: Michael Zinberg
Supervising Producer: Harker Wade
Produced by: Jeff Gourson, Tommy Thompson
Produced by: Chris Ruppenthal, Paul Brown
Created by: Donald P. Bellisario
Written by: Beverly Bridges
Directed by: Eric Laneuville

Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Associate Producers: Julie Bellisario, James S. Giritlian
Coordinating Producer: David Bellisario
Director of Photography: Michael Watkins, A.S.C.
Production Designer: Cameron Birnie
Edited by: Jon Koslowsky, A.C.E.
Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow
First Assistant Director: R. John Slosser
Second Assistant Director: Kate Yurka
Casting by: Ellen Lubin Sanitsky
Set Director: Robert L. Zilliox
Costume Designer: Jean-Pierre Dorleac
Costume Supervisor: David Rawley
Art Director: Ellen Dambros-Williams
Sound Mixer: Barry D. Thomas
Stunt Coordinator: Diamond Farnsworth
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.

The characters and events depicted in this photoplay are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

Bellisarius Productions In Association With Universal Television, an MCA Company

Podcasts:

We must be courageous. We must be innovative. We must be. . . NUUUDE! Because The Play’s the Thing!

Smell the insanity as hosts Allison Pregler, Matt Dale and Christopher DeFilippis discuss Sam’s Leap as a young actor who must tread the boards in his all-together, while trying to spark the singing career of a girlfriend twice his age.

Listen to The Quantum Leap Podcast on this episode here: