4x07 "The Wrong Stuff"

Leap Date:

January 24, 1961

Episode Adopted by: Carol <aka> C_Dean n C_Al
Additional info provided by: Brian Greene

Synopsis:

Much controversy was caused by this leap as Bellisario leaps Sam into a chimp in the chimponaut corps. His job is to get the chimp into the space program - or he'll disappear forever due to unethical helmet testing methods. He also must avoid the advances of a female chimp in the next cage!

Audio from this episode

TV Guide Synopsis
Place
Leap Date
Name of the Person Leaped Into
Broadcast Date
Synopsis & Review
Project Trivia
Sam Trivia
Al Trivia
Al's Women
Al's Outfits Worn in the Episode
Miscellaneous Trivia
Bloopers
Kiss with History
Guest Stars
Guest Cast Notes
Say What?
Quotable Quotes
Best Scenes
Awards
Production Credits
Podcasts

Production # : 67308

Sam leaps into a chimpanzee in the space program whose life may be in danger if he's not selected as an "astrochimp." Leslie: Caroline Goodall. Dr. Winger: Gary Swanson. Dr. Tucker: Albert Stratton. Kenny: Kim Robillard. Sam: Scott Bakula.

Place:
Cape Canaveral, Florida

Leap Date:
January 24, 1961 – Tuesday

Leapee:
BOBO (Chimp #52)

Synopsis & Review:

Sam leaps into a chimp named Bobo who is being trained for the space mission. He initially doesn't realize that he isn't human and so talks to the doctor, Dr. Leslie Ashton (Caroline Goodall), like he would anyone else. When she takes off his space suit and he finds himself in a diaper, he catches sight of himself in the mirror and panics. Al is little help when he arrives and just laughs at Sam's predicament in between staring at Leslie. He tells Sam that he has to qualify for the space mission or else he is going to disappear. Sam panics and writes out that his name is Sam to try to communicate with the doctors but they believe someone is joking. Leslie meets a new doctor, Dr. Frank Winger (Gary Swanson), and agrees to go out with him after the space launch.

Unfortunately, Sam is not good at being a chimp and worse at being an astronaut. He resists having his diaper removed and getting in a cage and spits out his food once he hears there are caterpillars in it. He has never seen any of the training equipment before and so has difficulty making the times that the well-trained chimps are able to make. He fails out of the program. A fellow chimp, Cory, has a crush on Bobo and fails because he distracted her. They are both set to move on to different research projects.

The information is all classified and so it takes awhile to get the results, but Al eventually discovers that Bobo's autopsy reveals he died from massive head trauma and Cory's revealed the same. Two antagonistic workers take Cory to Dr. Winger's instead of the chimp he asked for because Cory spits on one of them when he torments her. Leslie comes back and immediately notices that Cory is gone. Through elaborate hand gestures, Sam is able to make her understand that the workers took Cory to Dr. Winger's lab where he does experiments with head trauma when he tests helmets for human astronauts.

Dr. Winger promises to return Cory and use a different chimp but insists his research is valid and saves human lives. Leslie disagrees that the results are applicable because chimps have stronger heads than humans so while the tests could show that a helmet would definitely kill a human, they cannot show if it will let the human live. Winger asks for another chimp and the workers decide to bring them Sam. Sam gets out of his cage and shocks everyone by using martial arts to defend himself but they are armed and he is not and eventually they shoot him with a tranquilizer.

Now, with Sam strapped into his seat and seconds away from having 5,000 lbs. applied to his head, Al desperately tries to wake Sam up. At the last second, Sam unbuckles the restraints and tumbles out of the chair. He grabs a tranquilizer gun and frees Cory and takes her on the run. With Al's help, they make it out across a lake by walking across a pipe. Sam is having difficulty getting Cory beyond the barbed wire standing between them and freedom when Winger spots them and tries chase after them. He goes too fast, though, and loses his balance.

Sam can't just let him drown so (despite the fact that chimps can't swim because they have too little body fat) he jumps in and pulls the doctor to safety. Leslie and the workers arrive then and Winger is grateful for his life. He decides to end his experimentations on chimps but still ends up developing a helmet that saves lives and is still in use in 1999. Cory gets ahold of a tranquilizer gun and shoots the worker that had been harassing her earlier. Leslie opens up her own vet practice and starts a sanctuary for ex-research and abandoned chimps and Bobo and Cory have a baby. Source

Personal Review by Carol <aka> C_Dean n C_Al:

This was an especially interesting episode because Sam and Al could talk to each other with out anyone being the wiser. But the one-liners that Dean and Scott were throwing at each other was hilarious to me. The first time I saw this episode I laughed so hard I missed some of it. Luckily I was taping it and I got the re-play it over again. LOL … The chimps were so cute too. Scott actually kissed one a couple times too! Another time the chip was fixing his hair and had it’s arm around Scott’s neck. Awww … All in all … this is one of my favorite ~QL~ episodes!

Project Trivia:
The hand link is the ‘Gummy Bear’. Multi-colored little squares that flash, beep and squawk.

Al is seen using the Imaging Chamber door to leave and is heard when he enters.

Ziggy is referred to as male in this episode.

Al sees Sam leap into the next adventure.

Sam Trivia:

Sam remembers that he got a Nobel Prize in physics and that Al used to be an astronaut.

Sam says, "Even though my memory was Swiss cheesed, I couldn’t forget the early days of the space race. In our mad dash to beat the Russians we quickly put together a space program and shot anything and everything up into the air. I only hoped I wouldn’t be one of the anythings."

Al Trivia:

Al smoked 4 cigars.

Al popped in and out 4 times.

Al and Beth were married in June 1961

Al was an astronaut on Apollo. He circled the moon 10 times and recited Genesis on Christmas Eve.

The wrappers on Al’s Cheval cigars are made in Cameroon, West Africa, which is where Dr Ashton grew up.

Al’s Outfits:

(1) Blue suit w/ light blue shirt. Blue print odd cut tie. Gold color watch on left wrist. Dark gold color ring on ring finger of right hand.

(2) Pale Red Jacket w/ Black & White ruffled shirt and Black pants. Red shoes.

Al's Women:
Al seems to like Dr. Ashton a lot!

Miscellaneous Trivia:

During his role as project observer, Admiral Al Calavicci on the sci-fi series QUANTUM LEAP / NBC / 1989-93, Dean Stockwell, puffed on Honduran handmade Zino brand cigars that cost $185 a box. He smoked about one box per episode.

Sam writes “my name is Sam” on a scrap of paper, much like in the Planet of the Apes movie where the main character writes “My name is Taylor” on a scrap of paper.

The title of the episode refers to The Right Stuff, a book/movie about astronauts on Project Mercury.

The first chimpanzee in space:
On Jan 31, 1961, NASA launched the first fully equipped operational Mercury capsule suborbital with a primate, Ham, onboard in MR-2. Ham’s story spans the globe and into the reaches of space. Born in Cameroon in approximately 1957, Ham was captured and brought to a facility in Florida called the Miami Rare Bird Farm. In July 1959, Ham was transferred to Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, NM, to be trained for space flight as part of Project Mercury. Ham at the time was known as Chang, or #65, and was renamed at the time of his spaceflight after the acronym for “Holloman Aero Medical.” Ham and other young chimpanzees, including Minnie (the mother of two STC residents, Rebel and Li’l Mini) and Enos (who would become the first and only chimpanzee to orbit the Earth), were habituated to long periods of confinement in a chair, and trained to operate levers in response to light cues. After 18 months of training, Ham was selected as the chimpanzee whose life would be risked to test the safety of space flight on the ape body. On January 31, 1961, after several hours of waiting on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, FL, 3 ½ year old Ham was propelled into space, strapped into a container called a “couch.” Ham’s flight lasted approximately 16 ½ minutes. He travelled at a speed of approximately 5800 mph, to a height of 157 miles above the earth. He experienced about 6 ½ minutes of weightlessness. Incredibly, despite the intense speed, g-forces, and weightlessness, Ham performed his tasks correctly. After the flight, Ham’s capsule splashed down 130 miles from its target, and began taking on water. It took several hours for a recovery ship to reach Ham, but miraculously he was alive and relatively calm considering his ordeal. When he was finally released from the “couch” however, his face bore an enormous grin. Although interpreted as a happy smile by many people, Ham’s expression was one of extreme fear and anxiety. That fear was demonstrated again sometime later through an act of defiance. Photographers wanted another shot of Ham in his “couch.” Ham refused to go back into it, and multiple adult men were unable to force him to do so. Unlike the rest of the space chimps, Ham was spared decades of biomedical research, but he did have a lonely existence for many years. He was transferred to The National Zoo in 1963, where he lived alone for 17 years, before finally being sent to the North Carolina Zoo where he could live with other chimps. He died 22 years after his historic flight into space, on January 18, 1983, at the estimated age of 26. Ham’s flight is remarkable for many reasons. Ham not only survived the flight, but performed his tasks correctly, despite the rigors of space flight and the fear he must have experienced. His courage and heroism paved the way for Alan Shepard, Jr., the first American in space. But perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this story is often lost in all of the writings about Ham: he was a baby. If Ham had not been kidnapped and his mother killed, he still would have been nursing at age 3 ½, dependent on his mother for survival. Humans are often considered more intelligent than chimpanzees, yet it is hard to imagine a human toddler performing as well as Ham in this challenging task. It speaks to Ham’s  character, intelligence, and bravery. Source

On November 29, 1961, the first chimpanzee to orbit the Earth was Enos, in MA-5.

Bloopers:

Kiss With History:
Al states in less than a week, the first American chimp would be sent into outer space. On January 31, 1961, a chimp named Ham became the first.

Regular Cast:
Scott Bakula as Dr Samuel Beckett
Dean Stockwell as Admiral Albert "Al" Calavicci

Guest Cast:

Caroline Goodall as Dr. Leslie Ashton
Peter Murnik as Second Military officer
Kim Robillard as First Military officer
Albert Stratton as Dr. Max Tucker
Gary Swanson as Dr. Frank Winger

Guest Cast Notes:

Caroline Goodall as Dr. Leslie Ashton: Born in Britain to Australian parents, Caroline Goodall is internationally known as a leading actress who has starred in some of the biggest blockbusters of the 90's, including Schindler's List (1993), Hook (1991), Cliffhanger (1993), Disclosure (1994), White Squall (1996) and The Princess Diaries (2001). She is a graduate of Bristol University where she gained a BA Hons. in Drama and English, and studied alongside other notable screenwriters such as Jeremy Brock (Mrs. Brown). As a writer, in addition to "The Bay of Silence" for Radiant Pictures, credits include screen adaptations of Rupert Thomson's "Dreams Of Leaving" for HKM Films. A former member of The Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre of Great Britain, Caroline appeared extensively on stage before being chosen by Steven Spielberg to star in Hook (1991) in 1991. Since then, she has worked on film and TV projects in the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia, striking a balance between Independent and Studio films, as well as maintaining a TV presence in Britain and Australia. She was nominated for Best Actress by the Australian Film Institute in 1990 for Cassidy (1989) and again in 1995 for Hotel Sorrento (1995). There followed a Logie nomination for Best Actress for A Difficult Woman (1998) which also won best TV mini series at the New York Festival in 1998. She is married to Nicola Pecorini and has two children, Gemma and Leone. She is sister to producer Victoria Goodall, who is married to actor/director Dallas Campbell. She was in "Hook" as ‘Moira Banning’.

Peter Murnik as Second Military officer: Peter Murnik was born on December 14, 1965 in Concord, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor, known for Mindhunter (2017), Armageddon (1998) and Granite Flats (2013).

Kim Robillard as First Military officer: Kim Robillard was born on June 16, 1955 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. He is an actor, known for Rain Man (1988), Always (1989) and The Fan (1996). Birmingham, Alabama native Robillard has appeared in more than 60 feature films and television series, including Rain Man (1988), Meat Loaf: To Hell and Back (2000), Django Unchained (2012), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Hart of Dixie (2011), Carnivąle (2003), Kingdom (2014), Shameless (2011), How to Get Away with Murder (2014), and Dirty John (2018).

Albert Stratton as Dr. Max Tucker: Albert Stratton was born on October 23, 1937 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), Baywatch (1989) and Wonder Woman (1975). He died on April 26, 2011 in Sarasota, Florida, USA.

Gary Swanson as Dr. Frank Winger: After completing his degree in English Literature and graduating with honors from C.W. Post College, Gary Swanson put aside a career as a professional high diver on The Atlantic City Steel Pier and began working immediately as Greg Mercer on NBC Daytime Soap Opera, "Somerset" in New York City. While starring in the popular daytime drama, he met with the famed acting teacher and father of The Method, Lee Strasberg. Swanson studied with Strasberg both privately and at The Actors Studio after auditioning and becoming one of the very few lifetime members accepted into this elite acting company. Under Strasberg's tutelage, Swanson became one of the highest rated actors on television. Swanson continued his work with Strasberg for eight years while building his career as a working actor in New York and Los Angeles. His movie career kicked off in 1974, and since then he has starred in fifteen feature films. He has guest starred in numerous television series and films, theatrical productions and hundreds of national network commercials. He has starred and worked with some of the greatest directors in the world - Arthur Hiller, Willaim Friedkin, Peter Masterson, Nicolas Roeg, and Philip Noyce. Swanson's teaching credits are numerous, he began with Carlin Glynn at Tajas Productions in 1983. Credits include a summer at Circle In The Square. He taught basic technique at The Actors Studio where he continues to collaborate. In 1994, James Lipton and the executive committee of The Actors Studio, Paul Newman, Norman Mailer, Ellen Burstyn, Estell Parsons, Arthur Penn, asked Gary to be one of four teachers tasked with launching the Masters Program at the New School of Social Research, which came to be known as "Inside the Actors Studio," for three years.

Say What?
Al says we was part of the Apollo mission that circled the moon ten times on Christmas Eve. Apollo 8 did launch on December 21, 1968 and circled the moon ten times, but Al would have been a P.O.W. in 1968.

Sam has a chain around his neck with a tag that reads "#52" all through the show. But at the end just before he jumps in the water, to save Dr. Frank Winger, it's there and after he pulls him out of the water it's not there. So ... did it come off when he dove in or did the prop guys goof?

Quotable Quotes:

Sam: "I got a Nobel Prize in physics and get to keep my diaper on, what’s next?"

Al: "You’ve leaped into the space program!"

Sam: "I’ve leaped into a diaper!"

Al: "Why don’t you take the banana and … peel it!"

Al: "Chimps are our closest relatives. They’re so close you could share your blood with a chimp."

Sam: "I’m in the body of a chimp! That’s too close!"

Sam: "Spending the night as an astro-chimp wasn’t as bad as it might seem. My bed was … firm, the food was free and the company was … more than friendly. The only thing I really needed was … a shave. Over my entire body."

Sam: "She can see you Al!"

Al: "Of course all animals can see me. But she’s only has eyes for you."

Al: "Oh Sam, look who’s coming to tuck you in …lucky. Boy … makes me wish I was an ape."

Sam: "You’re actin’ like one!"

Best Scenes:

Al: "What about the Quantum rules? You have to at least pretend that you are who you leap into".

Sam: That’s if I’m a human, I’m not human I’m a chimp. We don’t have rules for chimps, do we?"

Al: "You can’t get off on a technicality."

Sam: "Ok wise guy, then what am I here to do?"

Al: "Join the circus?"

Sam: "This isn’t funny Al. This is not funny!"

Al: "Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

Sam: "Yah! Yah, I looked in the mirror lately"

Al: "Look, I dare you, go ahead look. Look!"

Sam: "I don’t wanna look."

Al: "You look, I dare you! And if you don’t think that’s funny. HooHooHooHoo."

Sam: "Ha-Ha Al!" (Scott gives Dean a raspberry and the ‘squinty eye’ look)

Al’s Best Scene & Al’s Best Lines:

I love this scene. Dean is such a great actor and every character he plays he puts his heart into the emotion. Sam has tried his best to ward of the guards. They now shoot him with a dart gun. Even though Dean is yelling at Sam, it's with feeling.

Al: "Sam! He’s got the dart gun! AHHH! … Awww no! SAM!"

Sam: "Al …"

Al: "SAM! Can you hear me?"

Sam: "I can’t feel anything …" [He’s being wheeled away on a flat bed cart]

Al: "Get up Sam! … YOU GOTTA GET UP!"

Sam: "I can’t …"

Al: "If you don’t get up … you’re not gonna live!"

*The next scene is in the experiment lab and Sam is strapped to a chair, wearing a helmet with a mallet about 6 inches from his head.

Al: "You okay? … Come on Sam … WAKE UP! Wake up Sam! Good! Wake up! Wake up!"

*In the background Dr. Winger is speaking into a recorder and getting the apparatus ready for testing.

Al: "Can you see me? Sam … are you all right? … You gotta wake up SAM! WAKE UP! … SAM WAKE UP! … SAM WAKE UUUPPP!!! … Sam we got a problem here! … SAM WAKE UP DAMIT!!! … SAM!!! HEY! HEY! WAAAKE UUUPPP!!! … SAM!!! HEY! HEY! … Wake up!" [Sam opens his eyes a little and now begins to regain consciousness] "Can you see me?"

Sam: [Coughs, he has a tube in his mouth]

Al: "You all right? You okay?"

Sam: "Am I dead?"

Al: "Are you dead? No you’re not dead! But you’re gonna be dead if you don’t get outta there! … Learn to unbuckle yourself! Hurry up Sam! Unbuckle and get outta there! That’s it … yah … that thing … your hand right …flip it out … lift it out … [The plunger plunges toward Sam’s head just as he falls forward] "OH GOD! … All right Sam, get up outta there! You gotta get outta here or you’re gonna be road kill! … The Doc put his gun there … SAM HURRY UP! Go grab the gun! Grab the tranquilizer gun! Sam hurry up!!! GET ITTT!!! Okay …"

Awards:
Genesis Award for Raising Awareness of Animal Issues

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: Paul Brown
Directed by: Joe Napolitano

Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Associate Producers: Julie Bellisario, James S. Giritlian
Coordinating Producer: David Bellisario
Story Editor: Paris Qualles
Director of Photography: Michael Watkins, A.S.C.
Production Designer:  Cameron Birnie
Edited by: M. Edward Salier, 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

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 © 1991 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 and Universal, an MCA Company

Podcasts:

Quantum Leap Podcast - The Wrong Stuff

Listen to The Quantum Leap Podcast on this episode here: