"Quantum Leap" Genesis: Part 1 - September 13, 1956 (1989)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

David Hemmings

Writers:

Donald P. Bellisario (creator)
Donald P. Bellisario (writer)

TV Series:

"Quantum Leap" (1989)

Original Air Date:

26 March 1989 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Family | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Although the Project Quantum Leap isn't ready yet, Sam Beckett doesn't listen to supercomputer Ziggy...

Plot Keywords:

TV Series Pilot | Pregnant Wife | 1950s | Time Travel | Reference To The Lone Ranger

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy.

Cast

Scott Bakula	...	Dr. Sam Beckett
Dean Stockwell	...	Admiral Al Calavicci
Jennifer Runyon	...	Peggy Stratton
John Allen Nelson	...	Capt. Bill 'Bird Dog' Birdell
W.K. Stratton	...	Dr. Berger
Newell Alexander	...	John Beckett
Lee de Broux	...	Coach (as Lee DeBroux)
Larry Poindexter	...	Capt. Tony LaMott
Bruce McGill	...	Weird Ernie
Barbara Horan	...	Tina (as Barbra Horan)
David Trent	...	Capt. Doug Walker
James F. Dean	...	Dr. Blaustein
Lela Ivey	...	Lucy
Dennis Wolfberg	...	Gooshie
Lydia Cornell	...	Sally

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:PG

Filming Locations:

The Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, USA

Company:

Belisarius Productions

Trivia:

In this episode we learn that the telephone number at the project is 555-2231

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Early on, Al is seen by Sam in the back of the cargo plane with his clothing flapping in the wind. Though, to Al, his surroundings are nothing but a hologram, and thus, nothing around him should have any physical effect on him - including wind.

Quotes:

Sam: Who created this Ziggy?
Al: You. Quantum Leap is your baby. You're the genius behind it. At least you were before your brain got magnafoogled.
Sam: No, no, see, I'm a medical doctor. I found that much out.
Al: You hold six doctorates, Sam. Medicine is just one. Your special gift was quantum physics. Time magazine even called you the next Einstein. The truth is, if there's one guy who could figure how to bring you back... its you.
Sam: And I can't even remember my name!
Al: [Pausing, and deciding to break Sam's own rule, even though Al knows Sam will use the information to contact his father] Beckett. Sam Beckett

Movie Connections:

Features "Howdy Doody" (1954)

Soundtrack:

Hound Dog

a smile on my face everytime I watched it

I loved this show, so okay - its got more time-travel holes than say the Terminator or Star Trek series, and it doesn't concetrate on the physics, science and stuff as it should do - and yes, perhaps at the end it became a religious thing turning to god, etc...

You can say all that, but I still loved this show, it was great viewing, most of the early episodes were really inspiring, intresting, even some could argue intelletucal - but the shows became too formalic, too much the same. The writers injected more ideas with the introduction of an evil leaper (possibly from the future, or from a foreign power - we never get to find out), and the interesting social commentary it sutley presents.

Its more family viewing than say the slam bang action, over the top sci-fi special effects laden technobabble that you get say from Star Trek or from other shows, but it has heart, it has enjoyment.

I've started to notice that a lot of shows copy the idea of leaping around - StarGate SG1, Sliders, and so much more...they more or less sound like the same thing, but they lack the heart and social commentary that this series had.

The last series (or last but one) reintroduced the character of Dr.Sam Beckett - we get to see him leap into Lee Harvey Oswald (who we see as an unstable character - Beckett struggling to leap out of his body before Oswald/Beckett shoots JFK), then in the last episode he leaps into himself - and decides to devot his life to fixing the past - as god's worker.

Although it was a pretty touching end, and we got hints of a TV/movie sequel (his daughter was working on the Quantum Leap project, etc - this could have meant his daughter trying to look for him), it never materialised - which is a real shame, most of the fans were upset that Beckett never returns home - they wouldn't accept it...I certainly didn't - I kept thinking there was a twist in the end titles were it said: "Dr.Sam Beckett never returned home" or similar...I always thought - well that could mean "because he never left home" or something.

Anyway, this is a great TV show, and as more and more producers try and fail to copy this show - we, as fans, can only hope a one off feature film or similar. They owe us that at least.