I just finished my synopsis for "Private Dancer."
It went from this:
Sam leaps into the body of Rod "The Bod" McCarty (leapee played by Chris Solari) a male dancer and the featured attraction at a strip club called Mario's Hideaway in New York City.
According to Al, he's there to prevent a waitress and aspiring ballet dancer, Diana Quinna (Rhondee Beriault), from turning to prostitution to make ends meet. Diana is quite innocent in many ways. She would love to be a professional dancer but is deaf, and lacks the self esteem to make it on her own. Mario (Louis Mustillo), the club owner has other plans for Diana, hoping to turn Diana into one of his bachelor party "dancers", which Al reports, through Ziggy, would lead her into a life of prostitution, drug arrests and eventual death by AIDS by 1986.
At the club is Joanna Chapman (played by Debbie Allen, who also directs the episode), choreographer of a major jazz dance company. Having wowed her with his own dance moves, Joanna informs him of an open audition she is holding. After hours, Sam finds Diana practicing a dance routine and offers to walk her home. Despite her protests that she does not want him around, Sam persists and on the walk home the two grow very close.
Sam works out a deal with Mario, offering to do another performance for the club if Mario keeps Diana from dancing at bachelor parties. Mario agrees but Diana is not happy – she has no money and she thinks that Sam is being patronizing. Sam confronts her and convinces her to give Joanna's audition a try.
Diana does well at the audition – until instructions are given that she can't see. Upon learning that Diana is deaf, Joanne turns her down. Diana is shattered and things are made worse by the fact that her home has been towed away. With no one else to turn to, Diana returns to the club and talks to a Valerie Nevsky (Heidi Swedberg), who's Mario's assistant at the nightclub.
Valerie, who runs an escorting business on the side, sets Diana up on an arranged "date" as an escort. Sam learns of this, he's furious, and then seeks her out at the hotel that the "date" with a prospective John has taken her. Risking being dragged away by security, Sam bursts into the room demanding to talk to Diana, who also escorts, and has had a past history of prostitution arrests herself, and asks her not to take the job. Diana makes the right choice and Sam talks Joanne into giving Diana a second chance.
This time, Diana makes the cut and Sam leaps out as she thanks him.
To this:
Sam leaps into the body of a male exotic dancer and the featured attraction at a strip club called Mario's Hideaway in New York City. He is dresses in a Zorro-like outfit complete with mask and black fedora. Chippendale's dancers gyrate behind him as women wave money around and one grabs and kisses him! The club owner announces to everyone to give it up for Rod "The Bod!"
Sam is dragged from the stage and women start to pull clothing off of him. Sam is out of his element and tries to cover up with his hat as Al arrives and begins to dance along amongst the ladies, who move through his holographic image. Sam escapes to the dressing room and slams the door behind him, ladies attempting to follow him in. He says, "I've never been degraded like that in--" with Al interrupting with, "I'd give anything to be degraded like that!"
Al informs Sam that he is Rod McCarty, a former split end for U.S.C., but his career was sidelined when his knee was blown out. Ever since, he's been touring with the Chippendale's. Sam says this is horrible and Al disagrees saying most guys would kill to be in a room with sex-crazed women. Al says they don't know why he's there yet and it might be 24 hours before Ziggy predicts. In the meantime he tells Sam to "Shake your booty." Al fades out, but doesn't use the Imaging Chamber door.
Back in the club, Sam is dressed and goes to the bar for a beer. A waitress comes up next to him to pick up a drink order. The bartender tells her to wait because he has a margarita coming. She ignores him and walks away with the other drinks. The club owner, Mario, comes by and the bartender tells him that the blonde has been ignoring him all night long. Valerie Nevsky, Mario's assistant comes up behind Mario and they all talk about Rod staying another night since the club is making so much money. Sam says, no, he's looking forward to his "next" gig.
At a table nearby, Diana Quinna, the waitress is cleaning off a patron's table, who starts to hit on her. She doesn't answer his remarks, and the guy grabs her arm and says "Hey! I'm talking to you." Sam goes over and tells him not to get too friendly with the waitresses. They walk away. Sam introduces himself as Rod, and she simply says, "Diana."
On the dance floor is Joanna Chapman (who goes by Joanne for most of the episode), choreographer of a major jazz dance company. She sees Sam and dances to him. He indulges her with some pretty good dance moves! Diana joins in on the dance floor. Mario pulls her off the floor and says she needs to work. Having wowed her with his own dance moves, Joanna informs him of an open audition she is holding. Sam says he doesn't dance, but Joanna says he did some pretty good moves with her on the floor. Sam says, no... that's work. Joanna wants to see him "work." He tells Joanna and her friend that he will see them later, and she says, "You can count on it." As he walks away, she says to her friend, "Get my phone number, honey!"
Sam walks through the club and notices Valerie giving a card to the man who earlier had grabbed Diana's arm. Back at the bar, the bartender asks Diana a question, but she doesn't answer. He asks her what's the matter with her. Sam realizes, "She's deaf." Al pops in and says, "Which is the reason you're here."
According to Al, he's there to prevent Diana from turning to prostitution because she can't keep a job. In the original history, she gets arrested 26 times for soliciting before she dies of AIDS in 1986. Sam says he has never been around a deaf person before. Al says he had a thing for a deaf girl once, who was his lab partner at M.I.T. and she wouldn't sleep with him. Sam tells Al that he overheard Mario talking about Diana dancing at some bachelor parties. Al says that's striping, and probably how she got into hooking.
Sam talks to Mario alone in the dressing room. He informs Mario that Diana is deaf and makes a deal with him that if he keeps her as just a waitress and not a stripper, Sam will cancel his next gig and dance there. Mario says "Call me Monty Hall" and they shake on the deal.
After hours, Sam finds Diana with the music turned up loud, practicing a dance routine. Once Diana realizes he is watching her, she stops the music, annoyed that he was watching her. Sam offers to walk her home and makes motions with his fingers to try and explain what he means. She shows him in real sign language how to say "walk." The she waves at him and asks if he knows what that means. He responds, "Bye." She nods and walks away. Sam stops her and says it's too dangerous to walk alone. Diana asks Sam if she wants her to protect him!
Sam follows her anyway and, on the street, she says to stop following her. Sam spots a hot dog stand and says he's just going to get a hot dog. He asks if she wants one and she says she doesn't eat meat. The stand operator recognizes her and asks if she wants her usual. Diana smiles after Sam guesses her usual is mustard on a bun. The operator gives her the sign for "thank you." She signs back, "You're welcome." Sam tries to learn it.
As they walk on, Sam asks Diana why she doesn't tell people she's deaf. Diana responds that people treat her different, "like I have the plague." Sam says that might be because hearing people don't want to feel stupid. He says he doesn't know how to talk to her. She tells him just to speak to her; that she can read lips. Unless they speak to fast or cover their mouth. Sam realizes that's why she couldn't understand Otto, the bartender, because of his thick mustache. Sam asks Diana if she can hear at all. She says while signing, "White noise, fake sound." She says she can feel the rhythm and beat. She explains that when she turns the music up, it's like she can hear the music. She feels the vibrations passing through her body. "When I dance, it feels like a dream." She says she knows music in a way Sam will never know. "When I look around, I see music everywhere. There's music in the stars; the way they sparkle. I feel them. There is music in the lights as they dance on the water at night. And how the leaves chase each other, laughing like children at play. When I feel the wind on my face, the wind is my music." She and Sam smile at each other.
As they walk on, Diana explains that she came to New York to dance, and waitressing is just a way to survive until she gets a break. Sam lets her know there was a choreographer at the club earlier. Diana knows of Joanne Chapman, who she says is incredible. Sam asks her to go to the open audition on Monday. Diana asks, "What if I'm not good enough." Sam responds, "What if you are?" She smiles and kisses him softly and says goodnight. She enters an apartment building as Sam walks on, whistling happily. However, moments later, Diana exits the building and gets into her VW bus parked on the street. She opens the moon roof and lays on her bed, looking up at the Empire State building. She didn't want Sam to know she was homeless.
The next day at the club, Mario tells Diana that Rod said she wasn't interested in dancing at parties. Diana says he had no right to tell him that. Mario says he already booked the gig, but if she's short on money, they can find another way to pay him back. She shakes her head and walks over to Valerie nearby. Valerie says she might be able to help her and to come back tomorrow.
In the dressing room, Sam is learning sign language from a book. Al comes in through the Imaging Chamber door and jokes that he thought Sam was out of Kleenex or something, from the sign he was practicing involving a movement close to his nose. Sam ask what he has on Joanna Chapman. While he keys it into the handlink, Sam shows him the sign for "Quantum Leap." Sam says he thinks he's there to get Joanna to give Diana a dancing job. Al is skeptical since Diana hasn't even graduated high school. Sam says she can do it there in New York while she's dancing. Al says, "As what? A stripper at bachelor parties?" Sam says he's already taken care of that. A knock comes at the door and it's Diana, furious at Sam. She smacks him and says he had no right to tell Mario about not dancing at parties. She tells Sam to stay away from her and storms out.
Sam goes back to the apartment building where he left Diana before. A woman sweeping outside directs him to the VW parked across the street. Sam notices the parking ticket on the windshield and knocks on the glass. Diana comes out and is mad that Sam is still bothering her and that she thinks he sees her as a poor little deaf girl who needs hearing people to protect her. Sam says it's not about that, and that she is good enough to get into Joanne's dance company. Diana begins to sign to Sam without speaking. Sam says he can't understand her. She says, "Good, now you know what the world feels like to me!" Sam says this isn't about her being deaf, it's about her being afraid to fail. Diana says she can't dance Joanne's style. Sam says she's at a turning point. Diana asks if he is doing this because she's deaf. He responds, "No, because you're good." She smiles and they both sign, "Okay."
That night, Diana practices her dance technique with Sam looking on. She becomes frustrated and Sam starts dancing with her to the song, "Daybreak." (See a clip of this scene in the
music section on this page.)
The next day, Diana does well at the audition. She makes it through two cuts, but then Joanne instructs them to improvise, which Diana doesn't see. Joanne stops the dancers and asks her what's wrong. We see from Diana's perspective as the sound is cut from the episode and she can't hear what is being said. Sam tells Joanne that she's deaf. Joanne tells Diana that she is a lovely dancer, and she'd like to give her a shot, but she doesn't think she can give her the attention she would need to succeed with her company.
Diana leaves to find her van being towed. She goes to see Valerie and asks if she found a dance job yet. Valerie says she has a job available, but it's like a date. Just the one time to tide her over until she gets a dance gig. Valerie offers her a small loan to go buy a new dress and shoes. Diana reluctantly takes the card Valerie offers her and leaves.
Sam arrives and asks Valerie if she has seen Diana. Valerie evades the question. The bartender tells Sam that Diana was just in there talking to Valerie. Sam confronts Valerie. She admits she set Diana up with a date. Al says Valerie was arrested in 1974 for prostitution. Valerie says she's not ashamed of what she does. Sam then asks her, if she could go back to the first time, would she do it? Al says Ziggy found Diana at the Park Grove Hotel room 1203. Sam runs out to find her.
Sam bursts into the room demanding to talk to Diana. The man in the room says he will call security, and Sam says to call them. He pushes past and finds Diana in the bathroom. She is angry again and says she failed at the audition and what she does is none of Rod's business. She tells him that he sells himself every night. Sam explains that he sells an illusion - it's not him. Diana says this is all she has left. Sam says that isn't true, that she is very talented. Security arrives and asks Diana if Sam is harassing her. Diana says no, and they leave together. Sam says it's going to be okay.
Sam goes to see Joanne Chapman again. Sam asks her to reconsider Diana. Joanne explains that it's taken a lot to get her dance company off the ground and being black didn't make it easier to do that. Sam states that somebody gave her a chance, and she should consider giving one to Diana. She agrees. Diana dances for Joanne. It's a beautiful dance and Al says she's really terrific. Joanne watches in awe.
When Diana finishes her demonstration, Joanne slaps Sam as the other dancers applaud. He asks what that was for and she responds, "For almost letting her get away from me!"
Al says Diana makes it big. In three years she becomes Joanna's lead dancer and finishes high school. "You did it, Sam." Sam replies, "No, she did it."
Joanne apologizes to Diana and says she was so wrong to turn her away. Diana asks, "So you teach me?" Joanne says, "Maybe we'll teach each other." They hug.
Al says, "Well, Sam. I think it's time to..." making the "Quantum Leap" sign with his hands. Diana signs, "Thank you" and Sam responds with the sign for "You're welcome." Al waves as Sam leaps.
That was fun!
Sam leaps into the role of a male exotic dancer who must help a hearing-impaired dancer avoid falling out of step and into a tragic life---and death.
www.quantumleap-alsplace.com
