|
|
 |
|
|
|
register |
bbs |
search |
rss |
faq |
about
|
|
|
meet up |
add to del.icio.us |
digg it
|
|
|
|
Top 15 questions about the show Quantum Leap answe
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #1
IS THAT REALLY SCOTT SINGING? WHAT'S HIS BACKGROUND ANYWAY?
Yes! As befitting a Tony-nominated musical comedy star,
Scott Bakula is an accomplished singer, dancer, and pianist,
and plays some guitar also. Scott does all his own signing
on the show, and that's him playing the piano or guitar in
"Blind Faith," "Catch a Falling Star," "The Leap Home" and
other episodes. The necessities of tv being what they are,
Scott's singing is usually done in a recording studio rather
than on a soundstage. And yes, the guest stars in "Catch a
Falling Star" did their own singing too.
Scott Bakula was born October 9, 1954. The son of a
corporate lawyer, Scott grew up performing in all the
non-professional venues one might expect of a talented kid
growing up in the St. Louis area--singing in church, a rock
band in the fourth grade, playing the piano from an early
age, school plays and so on. He also played a lot of sports,
including varsity soccer and tennis in high school. Scott
went to the University of Kansas to study business and
pre-law like his father and brother, but soon dropped out
and moved to New York in 1976 to try his luck as an actor.
He soon got a job in a road company of Shenendoah, a musical
he appeared in several times over the years. Scott's first
Broadway show was Marilyn: An American Fable, in which he
played Joe DiMaggio and sang one or two songs. In 1980, he
performed in a musical called The Baker's Wife in
Cincinnatti, co-starring with Krista Neumann. He married
Krista the following year. They also appeared in Nite Club
Confidential together. The couple now has two children,
school-aged daughter Chelsea and young son Cody.
By 1985 Scott was also doing tv, including a Folger's
commerical ("Decaffeinated coffee? And I'm waking up?") and
one for Canada Dry Ginger Ale. His first tv series, Gung
Ho, premiered on ABC December 5, 1986, with Scott in the
role Michael Keaton played in the film. It died a quick
death. Between then and QL's premiere in 1989, Scott
starred in tv unold pilots/tv movies, Infiltrator and I-Man,
starred as Bud Lutz in the failed CBS series Eisenhower &
Lutz, made four appearances as Mary Jo's cute but morally
bankrupt ex-husband Dr. Ted Shively in Designing Women and
guest starred on Matlock and My Sister Sam.
During this period Scott also returned to the New York
stage to star in Romance/Romance and Three Guys Naked From
the Waist Down, both of which were released as cast albums
which are now out of print. Scott was nominated for a Tony
in 1988 for Romanace/Romance, and performed two songs on the
awards show with co-star Alison Fraser. Romance/Romance
consisted of two one-act pieces: "The Little Comedy," in
which two rich strangers meet in turn-of-the century Vienna
while disguised as poor people, and "Summer Share," in which
two old friends come dangerously close to adultery as their
spouses sleep. The Tony went to Michael Crowford in Phantom.
Three Guys Naked From the Waist Down was a somewhat
racier (but not extremely so) musical about stand-up comics.
Scott does many of his own stunts on QL, and has
directed three episodes to date, including "Permanent Wave,"
"Roberto!" and the upcoming "Promised Land." He has won
three Viewers for Quality Television awards a Golden Globe
and a Man/Woman of the Year award for his work on Quantum
Leap, and has had three Emmy nominations so far. His two
films so far are Sibling Rivalty and Necessary Roughness.
[33/50] (?+-AQSRE):
34/50 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #2:
Date: Sun Dec 27 21:35:26 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #2
WHAT'S THE STAR BRIGHT PROJECT? HOW DID SAM MEET AL?
In the mid-1980's, Sam and Al (and Donna before Sam got
there) worked on a secret government project called the Star
Bright Project. From a comment n the pilot, we think it may
have had something to do with a deep space probe. In hiring
Sam for Star Bright, Al gave Sam his "first break." But Sam
didn't actually meet Al until he actually started working
on Star Bright and came across Al drunkenly smashing vending
machine with a hammer because it ate his change. Sam saw "a
pretty terrific person" "underneath all that booze and all
that anger," and when the government wanted to fire Al from
the Project because of his drinking, Sam went to bat for al,
saving his job and helping him get his life back together.
When Star Bright ended, Sam started Project quantum Leap
and brought Al in on it. Al returned the favor by helping
to convince the government nozzles to fund Sam's
experiments. They've been helping each other ever since.
In several of the early episodes, Al wears a blue neon
star pin, a motif also found on the accelerator pedal and in
the back window of his car in the pilot episode. Goosie
also wears the star pin in the pilot. It has been theorized
that this was the Star Bright logo, and that Gooshie
therefore also worked on Star Bright.
The OTHER Star Bright Project was a fan cooperative
spearheaded by Christina Mavroudis which arranged for the
Luncheon on 2/29/92 (Leap Day) in honor of Dean Stockwell's
new Star that day on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The whole
Leap Day phenomenon of the Star, the ceremony when Dean got
it, and the luncheon afterwards came about through the
efforts of fans, country, who raised money for the Star
by recycling.
[34/50] (?+-AQSRE):
35/50 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #3:
Date: Sun Dec 27 21:36:59 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #3
WHO IS DONNA ELESEE AND HOW DID SAM END UP MARRIED TO HER?
Sam met Donna Elesee in 1984, just as she "had left the Star
Bright Project and was turning 30." Since Sam didn't meet
Donna until she'd left Star Bright, my guess is that Sam was
hired to replace her. Their first date, on Donna's
birthday, was at the Hacienda in Taos. A month later they
were engaged. Donna originally didn't show up for the
wedding, but Sam changed her past during one of his first
leaps ("Star-Crossed"). In that episode, Sam met a much
younger Donna and reunited her with her Vietnam-bound
father. Al never told Sam that by doing this he had
succeeded in overcoming Donna's fear of committment, so that
Donna married Sam after all.
Sam therefore didn't know he was married until "The
Leap Back." In that episode, he got home to 1998 (Al said
1999 but he was mistaken) and suddenly remembered his
marriage to Donna. Sam was appalled that he could have
forgotten her, and no one told him that in the original
history (which apparently left his memory, replaced by the
new one), she had not married him. Sam had to leap again to
save Al's life in 1945, and when he did so he again forgot
about Donna. Al is under strict orders from Donna not to
tell Sam about her, because "He couldn't do what he has to
do if he knew about us."
Donna is a very controversial figure in QL fandom.
Partly this is because people are uncomfortable with Sam's
unwitting adultery, but some of it is jealousy I think, and
also some fans didn't feel that Donna as portayed in "The
Leap Back" was believable, and/or that she was "worthy" of
Sam. But I like the idea that Sam has Donna to come home to
someday. Meanwhile Dr. Donna Elesee, a quantum physicist,
is a key member of the staff of her husband's Project. To
this day she has kept her mother's maiden name rather than
her father's name, Wojohowitz, or her husband's name
Beckett.
[35/50] (?+-AQSRE):
36/50 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #4
Date: Sun Dec 27 21:38:32 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #4
HOW OLD ARE SAM AND AL? WHY DOESN'T SAM EVER LEAP FARTHER
BACK IN TIME?
According to the Beckett-LoNigro String Theory of Quantum
Leaping, one can only leap within one's lifetime. Sam's
birthday was clearly established in the pilot episode as
August 8, 1953. In "The Leap Home" in November 1969, it is
mentioned several times that he was 16 that Thanksgiving.
And Sam again gives the same birthdate in "Star Light, Star
Bright" while under the influence of sodium pentathol
("truth serum").
Sam is therefore only capable of leaping back as far as
1953. In fact he has leaped into earlier in 1953 on two
occasions, so perhaps his mother's pregnancy with Sam
counts--or perhaps the dates given were wrong. Sam's only
leap farther back was when he used the Accelerator at the
Project to replace Al as Tom Jarrett in 1945. He was able
to do this that one time because he and Al had "simo-leaped"
due to a massive power discharge (including a bolt of
lightning), which merged parts of Sam's mind with parts of
Al's. Therefore Sam was able to leap within Al's lifetime.
He has not done so since, so presumably all of most of Al's
neurons and mesons are now back where they belong.
At the other end of Sam's lifetime to date, there have
been a number of references to suggest that Sam first leaped
in 1995, and that for Al is is "now" 1999 as of this season.
Sam will therefore turn 46 sometime this season. It has
been suggested that he does not age while "in transit"
between leap-out and leap-in, which may partially account
for his youthful appearance.
And hey, if Sam's age bothers you, try this on for size.
Based on references in "Jimmy," "The Leap Back" and "A Leap
For Lisa," we now know that Al was born June 15, 1934. So
Al turns 65 this season!
The date August 8th has turned up a few times as a leap
date as well, most recently during "Trilogy." There's a
reason for that date's popularity. It's Donald P.
Bellisario's birthday!
[36/50] (?+-AQSRE):
37/50 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #5:
Date: Sun Dec 27 21:39:29 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #5
WHY IS ZIGGY CALLED "HE" IN EARLY EPISODES AND "SHE" IN
LATER ONES? WHEN AND HOW DID IT CHANGE? WHO ARE ZIGGY AND
GOOSHIE ANYWAY?
Ziggy is the parallel hybrid computer with a big ego
that Sam designed to run Project Quantum Leap. Installing
the ego was a big breakthrough in the field of artificial
intelligence. Gooshie is Ziggy's head programmer, a "little
guy with bad breath" who is (or at least was as of "The Leap
Back") having an affair with Al's girlfriend Tina (who
incidentally owns a crocodile).
Until "The Leap Back," Ziggy was always referred to as
"he." In "The Leap Back," which opened the 1991-92 season
(Season Four), we finally got to see Ziggy. Ziggy had a
rather sexy female voice (played by Deborah Pratt), but was
still referred to as male. Don Bellisario told a table of
fans at the 1991 Viewers for Quality Television banquet that
he gave Ziggy Deborah Pratt's voice "to make it a surprise.
Then I went through three years of scripts and saw that we'd
always referred to Ziggy as a 'he.' I got out of it, though.
I had Sam say, 'Why did I have to give HIM Barbra
Streisand's ego?'"
The change in referring to the sultry-voiced computer as
female didn't actually take place until "A Leap For Lisa,"
the 1991-92 season finale. Sam tells St. John (pronounced
Sinjin) that "Al called her Ziggy." Later, when Al's back,
Sam asks Al, "She's still called Ziggy, right?" Then this
season (Season Five,), Sam, Al, and Gooshie have all called
Ziggy "she." My theory is that the gender change came about
as a side effect of Sam messing with Al's past in "A Leap
for Lisa."
Quantum Leap: The Novel by Ashley McConnell (Ace Books,
1992, available almost anywhere sf paperbacks are sold)
proposes a different theory, but as with so much of the QL
lore in the novel, it just doesn't fit the established
facts. In the novel, Tina tinkers with Ziggy and the voice
goes from baritone to soprano. However, the novel also
refers to "Shock Theater" as already having taken place in
Sam's and Al's personal pasts. Since "The Leap Back" takes
place immediately after that episode, Ziggy's voice should
have been female long before Tina tinkered with it!
40/50 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST* Common QL Questions #6
Date: Mon Dec 28 10:04:38 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #6
HOW IS SAM INFLUENCED BY THE PERSON HE LEAPED INTO?
Scott Bakula has said that when Sam leaps in, there is a
little piece of the other person's "soul" or personality
that stays in that person's time and influences Sam a little
bit. Since Scott said that in November 1990 the concept
seems to have beeen refined to imply a neurological link
between Sam in the past and the leapee in the 1990's Waiting
Room. This may be seen in "8 1/2 Months" when Sam
experiences pregnancy, and in "Trilogy" with Will Kinman's
stutter and Larry Stanton's heart condition. Also, on two
occasions--with Oswald in "Lee Harvey Oswald" and with Al in
"The Leap Back"--Sam has apparently ended up with some stray
"neurons and mesons" from the other person, which may or may
not be the source of Sam's "connection" to the leapee in
other episodes. The influence--mental and sometimes even
physiological--of the "leapee" on Sam varies from leap to
leap, possibly depending on how much Sam needs of the other
person to do what he needs to do. He tends to always be
influenced in minor details such as speech mannerisms and
other habits (sometimes including smoking, food and alcohol
preferences for example). All this helps him to "pass" as
the other person and empathize with their situation, and
possibly even become the other person just enough that he or
she influences and vicariously experiences Sam's actions. In
other words, Scott has said that enough of the other person
is left behind that when reminded of Sam's actions, he or
she can vaguely remember having done what Sam did.
In some cases, Sam takes on a lot more than just a few
mannerisms. Aside from Oswald and the pregnancy episode, a
good example is "Dreams," in which Sam remembers and is
traumatized by the leapee's childhood memory.
As stated earlier, all of this helps Sam to do his job,
but the danger is that after four years of leaping Sam will
start to lose a little of himself to this constant assault
on his real personality, so long adrift far from home and
(changing!) family. Watch for possible repercussions of this
aspect of leaping as the season continues.
It's probably worth going into a little more detail here
regarding the repeated leaps into Oswald. Sam's repeated
leaps into Oswald both contributed to Sam's identity problem
and resulted from it. Somehow, doing what he had to do
required Sam to experience a number of incidents in Oswald's
life, changing history in at least one time period prior to
the November, 1963 leap. But the physical cause, beyond the
Unknown Force (aka God/Time/Whatever) wanting things that
way, was that some of Oswald's neurons and mesons
"psycho-synergised" with Sam's. In other words, Sam had
part of Oswald's own mind, a problem the Project tried to
fix only to make things worse. If Sam had been entirely Sam
Beckett, he would never have taken the rifle to work with
him that day in 1963, and JFK would have lived, changing
history so drastically that Project Quantum Leap might never
have happened. If G/T/W wanted Jackie alive but JFK dead,
(assuming no second gunman, which in Sam's reality if
not necessarily ours seems to have been the case!) then Sam
had to be Oswald enough to shoot. But even though Sam became
more like Oswald in each succeeding leap--as may have
been G/T/W's intention--even in his very first leap into
Oswald Sam was already influenced enough to call Marina by
name, speak Russian and get physically rough with Marina,
none of which Sam would have done on his own.
[40/50] (?+-AQSRE):
41/50 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #7
Date: Mon Dec 28 10:07:07 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #7
WHO IS GOOSHIE? ISN'T IT SPELLED "GUSHIE?"
Gooshie's name has been spelled both of the above ways
on scripts and in show credits, but most frequently with two
o's. That is the spelling Dennis Wolfberg (who plays
Gooshie) prefers. The occasional spelling "Gushie" may be
due to Don Bellisario's other character named Gushie, a
wheeelchair-bound bartender in Don's old series Tales of the
Gold Monkey. It has been speculated that Gooshie may be
short for Dr. Gooshman, but that has NOT been established on
the series to date.
Most famous as the "little guy with bad breath," Gooshie
is the wild-eyed, absent-minded head programmer for Project
Quantum Leap's parallel hybrid computer Ziggy (which Sam
designed). He first appeared in the pilot episode (later
retitled "Genesis"), unhappily witnessing Sam's first leap
against Ziggy's advice. He has also appeared in "The Leap
Back," "Lee Harvey Oswald" and "Killin' Time."
Al frequently uses the handlink to talk to Gooshie while
in the Imaging Chamber. Sam cannot hear Gooshie's end of
the conversation because Gooshie isn't in the Imaging
Chamber and touching Al. However, Gooshie did once get his
neurons and mesons tuned to Sam's so that he could go into
the Imaging Chamber and contact Sam while Al was out chasing
escaped leapee Leon Styles ("Killin' Time"). It was a "rush
job," and didn't work well, but it worked.
Back in the first season episode "How the Tess Was Won,"
Al suspected that his girlfriend Tina was having an affair
with Gooshie. Tina eventually gave Gooshie a case of
mouthwash and sent him packing, and told Al she'd never
actually slept with Gooshie. Al professed to believe her.
However, in "The Leap Back," Ziggy told Sam that "Gooshie
and Tina are having an affair."
In the alternate history with St. John instead of Al
("The Leap Back"), Gooshie and Tina were married.
From the fact that Gooshie was a blue neon Star pin on
his shoulder in the pilot episode, an insignia Al also wore
and had on his car, it has been speculated that Gooshie
worked on the Star Bright Project with Sam and Al
before Project Quantum Leap began.
[41/50] (?+-AQSRE):
42/50 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #8
Date: Mon Dec 28 10:08:42 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #9
WHO IS TINA?
Tina is Al's current girlfriend. She met him over poker
in Las Vegas ("I had a full house, and she had a pair. Oh,
hat a pair!") and later joined Project Quantum Leap. In the
alternate history with St. John instead of Al ("A Leap for
Lisa") (oh boy I bet I messed of the title on my Goohie
note!), Tina was a pulse communications technician. She
probably is in the corrected history, too. Tina came to PQL
before Sam first leaped, since Al expected Sam to remember
her in "How the Tess Was Won," and even accused Sam of
having seen Tina's tattoo in some intimate part of her
anatomy. Also, Sam clearly recognized Tina when he got
home briefly in "The Leap Back."
Because Sam knows Tina, we now know that the woman with
a flat tire in the pilot episode (long version) was not A's
Tina despite being credited under that name. Al says of
that woman, "We've just met!" Tina was also once speculated
to be the female Admiral beside Al at the Senate hearings in
"Honeymoon Express," but that didn't turn out to be true,
wither. The female admiral was present at the Project along
with Tina and the others when Sam got home in "The Leap
Back."
Tina owns a crocodile, and has a sister, whom she has
left town to visit on at least one occasion.
See the Gooshie note for Tina's relationship with
Gooshie.
Al is NOT married to Tina, but he has been married five
times. Details on another note.
Al has not been especially faithful to Tina ("Denise!
Get in the closet!"--"The Right Hand of God"), but since
Tina hasn't been especially faithful to Al either it seems
to have worked out. Their relationship has lasted at least
four years so far, which is probably longer than one or more
of Al's marriages. But that's another sotry for another
note.
[42/50] (?+-AQSRE):
43/50 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #9
Date: Mon Dec 28 10:10:01 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #10
HOW MANY TIMES HAS ALL BEE MARRIED? TO WHOM?
Al's beeen married five times:
1. Beth. A Navy nurse, she married Al circa 1960, but
had Al declared dead in June, 1968 while Al was M.I.A. and
remarried, to a lawyer named Dirk Simon. Beth was "The only
woman I ever really loved...the only one I wanted to grow
old with. That's why all my marriages never worked out after
that. If you're lucky, life gives you one shot at true
love--and Beth was mine." Beth wanted kids, but Al didn't,
so they didn't have any.
2. The Hungarian. We don't know her name--and Al rends
not to remembr it--but she was well-versed in Hungarian
superstition.
3. Ruthie. Al's Jewish wife, a good cook. Never called
Al a mensch. From Al's wistful tone in talking about her,
it seems possibly that Ruthie died. "I never realized how
much family meant to me until Ruthie was gone."
4. Sharon. Had a bitter custory battle over their dog
chester. Sharon won. Periodically sues Al for more
alimony, but it may be partly an excuse to "see" Al again.
"He examined each other's briefs and decided to call it
even."
5. Maxine. Wanted to join the roller derby. Al was
99% sure she was cheating on him, but after they broke up he
discovered he was wrong. Al gave an alternate version of
the story later, but perhaps he was confusing Maxine with
Sharon. "She used to flavor her toes with mint leaves."
Al honeymooned with wives 1, 3 and 5 in Niagar Falls.
Al hass never been married to Tina.
[43/50] (?+-AQSRE):
44/50 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #10:
Date: Mon Dec 28 10:12:14 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #10
WHAT DEGREES DOES SAM HOLD, AND HOW MANY OF THEM DOES HE
HAVE, ANYWAY?
In the pilot episode (later retitled "Genesis"), and
again in "Star-Crossed," Al says that Sam has six
doctorates. But two years later, in "Shock Theater," Al
says Sam holds seven advanced degrees. What gives? What
are all those degrees for? We know some of them, but a
definitive answer is not established. However, here are the
degrees we do know about--and where we found out about 'em:
1. Medicine (M.D.)--the pilot ("Genesis").
2. Quantum Physics (PhD)--the pilot
3. Ancient Languages (PhD)--"Star-Crossed"
4. Music (PhD)--"A Song For the Soul"
Here are some strong probabilities, and episodes to
support them:
Astronomy--"Double Identity," "The Leap Back," "Star
Light, Star Bright." Sam has loved astronomy since
childhood, and can identify a lot of stars by name. If the
Star Bright Project did indeed have to so with a "deep space
probe" as the girl in Al's car speculated about the PQL site
in the 2-hour the pilot, than Astronomy or Astrophysics
would have been quite useful--and helpful on a resume.
Archaeology--"The Curse of Ttah-Hotep." Sam has always
been fascinated with this field, too, and we know he did at
least one thesis of some sort in this field or a related
one. Whether this was a doctorate, however, is not
established.
Computer Science/Artificial Intelligence--the pilot. Sam
designed Ziggy to have an ego, which was a big breakthrough
in the field of computers and artificial intelligence. Some
sort of degree in this field would almost certainly have
been needed to go so far beyond what anyone else has managed
to do with computers to this point.
Psychology or Neurology--the pilot, "The Leap Back."
Installing Ziggy's ego is an exercise in translating traits
of the human brain into electronic terms. Knowing a lot
about the human brain--possibly beyond the standard medical
degree--would be helpful. On the other hand, this may
simply have been a specialty within that medical degree (we
know it wasn't obstetrics!). Also, tuning Al's neurons and
mesons to Sam's so they can see each other holographically
is definitely a neurological breakthrough.
Degrees we know Sam does NOT have include Psychiatry
("Star-Crossed") and the law ("So Help Me God").
So is it six degrees or seven? There are three
possibilities:
1. Al misspoke in "Shock Theater"--but that's no fun!
2. The seventh advanced degree could be a master's
instead of a doctorate. But would Sam have six doctorates
and only one master's? It's possible, but seems unlikely.
3. Sam had his seventh doctorate about finished when he
first leaped, and had already defended his thesis. Al
submitted the final paperwork for Sam, and Sam got his
seventh doctorate while out leaping. That's my favorite.
[44/50] (?+-AQSRE):
[47/50] (?+-AQSRE):
55/63 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #11:
Date: Thu Dec 31 12:49:08 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: NANCY HENDERSON (WBMG24A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #11
DEAN STOCKWELL? WHERE HAVE I SEEN HIM BEFORE???
The answer to this question seems almost infinite! He has
appeared in over 60 movies and nearly as many television
shows!!
He was born Robert Dean Stockwell on March 5, 1936 in
Hollywood, CA. His parents, Harry and Betty Veronica
Stockwell were both from the theater. Harry was best known
as the voice of Prince Charming in the 1938 annimated
classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Betty had
worked on Broadway and in Vaudeville. Harry took his young
family, which now consisted of Dean and his older brother
Guy, on the road to Chicago and Boston. Finally Betty and
her children settled in New York. Soon after the Stockwell's
divorced. Dean was cast in his first Broadway play in 1942,
"Innocent Voyage." This lead to some radio work and finally
to his 1945 film debut in "Anchors Aweigh". A string of
sucessful movies followed and Dean became a child star. His
acting style appears inate, and there is a glimmer of his
genious in early films such as "Kim," "The Boy With Green
Hair," "The Happy Years," "Gentleman's Agreement," etc. He
made an estimated 22 films in the next 9 years and was
critically revered, but he felt trapped in the studio system
and once his contract was up, he set out to find himself. He
attended college briefly under an alias and took odd jobs.
He experienced life from a different perspective than his
working childhood had allowed.
In 1951 he returned to the screen, soon taking on dramatic
roles in films such as "Sons and Lovers," "Compulsion" and
"Long Days Journey into Night." The latter two were >>>>
favorites at the Cannes Film Festival, both winning the
combined cast awards for Best Actor. His return to films was
shortlived. The 1960's drew his attention and he once again
searched for his childhood. He made some important friends
along the way, such as Jack Nicholson and Dennis Hopper.
His third attempt at Hollywood proved less sucessful. He
got leading roles in small budget films, and the occasional
small roles in bigger box-office draws. The tide turned in
1983 when Dean had decided to retire from show biz and move
to Sante Fe, NM to raise a family with his 2nd wife, Joy
Marchenko. (Dean was briefly married to actress Millie >>
Perkins in the early 1960's). He placed an ad in Variety
stating "Dean Stockwell will help you with all your real
estate needs in the new center of creative energy."Ironical-
ly, this brought his name up in the business and soon he had
a small part in David Lynch's "Dune", and a larger role in
"Paris, Texas," another Cannes favorite. He then received
roles in a miriad of films, such as "To Live and Die in LA,"
"Beverly Hills Cop II," "Gardens of Stone" "Banzai Runner,"
"Palias Royale". Two of his briefest appearances are classic
performances: the role of Ben, the whacked-out transexual in
David Lynch's 1986 film, "Blue Velvet" and his portrail of
Howard Hughes in "Tucker, the Man and His Dream."
In 1988 Dean's career came full circle as he landed the
comical role of Tony Russo, the Mafia Don in "Married to the
Mob." It seemed now that Dean could write his own ticket,
and what he wanted was a television series. It almost
happened with a series based on this movie, but plans fell
through. When Donald Bellisario became aware of Dean's
interest in TV, he cast him as the wisecracking, lovable
hologram, Al on "Quantum Leap." It's been a long journey but
it seems that Dean is finally content with his life and
career!
[55/63] (?+-AQSRE):
56/63 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #12:
Date: Thu Dec 31 12:51:15 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #12
WHOW DOES SAM LOOK LIKE TO AL? WHO DOES SAM LOOK LIKE TO
SAM? WHO DOES EVERYONE LOOK LIKE TO EVERYONE? <G>
This is one instance in which all the available evidence
points firmly in both directions at once, at least on the
matter of what Al sees. Let's tackle him first:
In the pilot episode, later retitled "Genesis," Al tells
Sam about Tom Stratton's appearance back at the Project: "To
"Well, that was to be expected [Sam looking like Tom]. To
us, Tom looks just like you." So Al sees the leapee as
Sam--or does he? In "Pool Hall Blues," Al says, "When I
walked into the Waiting Room and saw Magic sitting there I
just couldn't believe it!" In "Lee Harvey Oswald," Al looks
down at the mirror reflection of Sam when he takes over
Oswald for a moment, rather than looking at Oswald looking
like Sam. Yet in "Killin' Time," Gooshie mistakes Styles
for Sam entirely.
And what about how Sam looks? In "What Price, Gloria?"
Al is so taken with Sam's appearance as a beautiful woman
that he gets a crush on Sam and can't perform with Tina as a
result of worries about his sexuality in falling for Sam.
But in "Nowhere to Run," Al seems to see Sam as Sam. And in
"The Leap Back," Sam and Al don't seem especially surprised
to see each other as, well, it's hard to say just WHO they
looked like to each other, but it's a safe bet that Sam, at
least, looked like Sam!
So what's the answer? The most workable theory is that
Al sees Sam's real body under the "illusion of the physical
aura," AND sees the physical aura superimposed over it. The
same would hold true for Al looking at the leapee, seeing
the real person beneath Sam's image, but all-too-aware of
the face of his absent friend. This would be because Al's
neurons and mesons are tuned to Sam's. To quote Al in the
pilot, Al's appearance to Sam (and presumably vice-versa) is
called a "neurological hologram," which Sam then defines as
"created by a subatomic agitation of quarks tuned to my
optic and otic neurons." At the time of "The Leap Back,"
this tuning in was much stronger than usual because of the
boosted signal from Ziggy, the massive power discharge from
the lightnign and the shock treatment, and the simoleap
itself, which gave them part of each other's minds. Sam may
well have seen Tom's aura over Al, because he sort of stared
at Al in surprise just before telling him to "Come here."
As for Al, even if he normally sees Sam as someone else, he
was too Swiss cheesed at the time to instantly pick up on
such details. After all, at the time Al thought his name
was Al Beckett!
As for Gooshie seeing Styles as Sam, that's to be
expected, because he's not normally tuned into Sam's neurons
and mesons as Al is.
What does Sam see? He sees the other person in the
mirror, but apparently sees himself as himself when looking
at his own body directly. In "What Price, Gloria?" Sam
refers to putting on the sexiest dress "I could stuff my
hairy body into." And in "Glitter Rock," Sam is unaware of
Tonic's webbed fingers until told about them. Once told,
Sam has to actually hold his hand out over a reflective
surface to see the webbing.
Who sees Sam as himself, and Al as well? Children under
the age of five ("preoperational"), the "mentally absent"--
that is, some crazy people, people near death, drunks and so
on--and angels. Psychics sometimes perceive Sam's and Al's
presence, but not as strongly.
[56/63] (?+-AQSRE):
57/63 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #13:
Date: Thu Dec 31 12:54:59 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #14
HOW MANY LANGUAGES DOES SAM KNOW? WHAT ARE THEY?
Al has said that Sam speaks 11 languages--seven modern
languages and four dead ones. Since hieroglyphics are not a
spoken language, and Sam reads hieroglyphics, it's not clear
whether that counts as one of the four dead languages.
However, the writer's guideline says "speaks 4 dead
languages" and then says "reads Egyptian hieroglyphs" as a
separate entry. The modern langauges we're sure of to date
are as follows:
English (all the episodes!)
German ("Good Night, Dear Heart")
Spanish ("All-Americans")
Japanese ("The Americanization of Machiko")
French ("Sea Bride")
Sam does not seem to speak Hebrew, oddly enough. We don't
know what the ancient languages are, save for the
hieroglyphs, but as an MD he would certainly know Latin at
least.
[57/63] (?+-AQSRE):
58/63 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #14:
Date: Thu Dec 31 12:55:56 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #14
WHY IS AL SUPERSTITIOUS ABOUT SOME THINGS AND NOT OTHERS?
When something odd happens, Al seems to genuinely believe
in supernatural/paranormal/unexplained forces such as
ghosts, the Devil, curses, and the Bermuda Triangle--the
same types of things Sam generally does not believe in. On
the other hand, Sam seems more open to such phenomena as
angels and UFO's than Al is. Why is this? Consider Al's
background. In "Leap of Faith" we learn of Al praying for
his father, only to see him die of cancer anyway. God, to
young Al's way of thinking, let him down. On the other
hand, in "M.I.A." when Sam says, "I don't believe in the
Devil, Al," (little suspecting his later encounter with "The
Boogieman"), Al replies that maybe Sam would if he'd been in
a cage in Vietnam, unable to either stand or lie down,
living on rainwater and weevil-infested rice, and coming
home to a wife who has left him for another man. Al
concludes, "There's a Devil, Sam. And he's trying to ruin
m-...Beth's life." Seeing more evidence of the Devil's
interference in his past than of God's, Al is thus more open
to the idea of negative forces--ghosts in "A Portrait for
Troian," the Bermuda Triangle in "Ghost Ship" and so on--
than to positive or potentially positive forces such as
angels ("It's a Wonderful Leap") and UFO's "Star Light, Star
Bright"). The fact that Al doesn't fully trust women due to
his mother and Beth both leaving him may have contributed to
his mistrust of Angela (pronounced An-heh-la) as well.
Sam, having a happier background and a more optimistic
outlook, has an almost opposite orientation on these issues.
Watch for more of this in "Blood Moon."
[58/63] (?+-AQSRE):
59/63 [2] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: *REPOST*: Common QL Questions #15
Date: Thu Dec 31 12:57:11 1992
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
TO: ALL
FROM: KAREN BLOCHER (TFWK80A)
SUBJECT: QL COMMON QUESTIONS #15
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT SAM'S EARLY YEARS?
Samuel Beckett (no middle name) was born 8/8/53 to dairy
farmer John Thomas Beckett and Thelma Louise Beckett. His
brother Tom was born circa 1946, and his sister Katherine
(Katey) was born in 1957. All three grew up on the family
farm in Elk Ridge, Indiana. Young Sam had two cats, Donder
(sic) and Blitzen. Sam idolized his brother Tom, who made
All-State in basketball in 1964 and also played in track and
football (at least). Sam tried to emulate Tom, although the
only sport we know Sam played was basketball for the Elk
Ridge Cougars. In the revised history, Sam's Cougars,
including his close friends Sibby Oslick and Herky LoNegro
(probably no relation to Prof. LoNigro) were state champs.
Sam considered getting a basketball scholarship to Indina
State, but of "about a dozen" colleges after Sam's brains,
Tom talked Sam into going to M.I.T. An M.I.T. professor--
probably Sebastian LoNigro--told Tom that "a mind like Sam's
comes along once in a generation...maybe once in a couple of
generations." Sam was a prodigy: he could read at two, did
calculus in his head at age five, and could beat a computer
at chess at age 10. He went through two piano teachers--Mrs.
Greenberg, whom he left when she couldn't teach him any
more, and Nicole, on whom Sam had a crush and who left for
Julliard when Sam was 15. Sam played piano at Carnegie Hall
as age 16. Sam has an IQ of 267, and knows the following
martial arts: sabatt, mu tai, karate, judo and jujitsu.
Sam had a happy childhood, but life got more tragic (and
harder to track chronologically) in the 1970s. On April the
8th, 1970, Lt. Tom Beckett, now a Navy SEAL, was killed in
Vietnam, a fact Sam was able to change by leaping into Tom's
squad for a few days. Sometime before August 8th, 1970
(probably summer term), Sam started at M.I.T., graduating
summa cum laude in just two years. Sam and Al both say in
"The Leap Home" that Sam's father died in 1972, but evidence
in previous episodes "Genesis" and "Freedom"--and the way
the chronology of other events works out--suggests that it
was 1974 (unless Sam actually caused him to die sooner by
changing history). Katey eloped at age 17 (1974) to Chuck,
an abusive alcoholic, probably to get away from the farm.
By the end of 1974 she had divorced and remarried, to Naval
Lt. Jim Bonnick. Sam's mom moved to Hawaii to live with
Katey and Jim after her husband's death (still 1974).
By 1972, Sam was done with undergrad work at M.I.T. and
working on his masters (we presume) and doctorates. By the
summer of 1973 Sam and Professor Sebastian LoNigro of M.I.T.
had worked out their String Theory of Quantum Leaping,
working on it mostly on weekends at LoNigro's cabin in the
Berkshires. Sam may also have attended CalTech or some other
southern California school before he was through, since he
shows familiarity with the L.A. and San Diego areas in "Thou
Shalt Not..." and "M.I.A." Since Sam never had a job
interview until his leap into Jimmy LaMotta, we presume that
1972 to sometime in 1984 was spent collecting at least one
master's degree and probably six of his seven doctorates. In
1984 Albert Calavicci hired Sam sight-unseen for the Star
Bright Project, starting the final chain of events which led
to Sam stepping into the Accelerator in 1995.
At some point Time Magazine called Sam "the next
Einstein." He's also won a Nobel Prize, although whether it
was before or after his leap is unclear. (Note: some
material from "Quantum Leap Story Guideline," April 11, 1991
edition.)
50
50/50 [1] Networked Quantum Leap
Title: Here's the address
Date: Thu Jan 07 07:37:24 1993 (1 days old)
Origin: Land of The Freaks (California) [714-962-0460]
From: King John #1 @27457 WWIVLink
RE: QL Misc ...
BY: Roger Colton #988 @15050
The address is:
Belisarius Productions
100 Universal City Plaza, Bldg 426
Universal City, CA 91608
While you're at it, the address for NBC is:
Warren Littlefield
Entertainment President, NBC
3000 West Alameda Avenue
Burbank, California 91523
|
|
|
To the best of our knowledge, the text on this page may be freely reproduced and distributed.
If you have any questions about this, please check out our Copyright Policy.
totse.com certificate signatures
|
|
|
About | Advertise | Bad Ideas | Community | Contact Us | Copyright Policy | Drugs | Ego | Erotica
FAQ | Fringe | Link to totse.com | Search | Society | Submissions | Technology
|
|
|
|
|
|
