The Leap Home: Part 1 - November 25, 1969 

Sam leaps into himself as a 16-year-old boy to help his high school basketball team win the championship. He also tries to help the other members of his family including his father who died from smoking, his brother who was killed in Vietnam and his sister who married an abusive alcoholic.

Director:

Joe Napolitano

Writers:

Donald P. Bellisario (created by), Donald P. Bellisario

Stars:

Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, David Newsom

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Scott Bakula	...	Dr. Sam Beckett / John Beckett
Dean Stockwell	...	Admiral Al Calavicci
David Newsom	...	Navy Lt. Tom Beckett
Olivia Burnette	...	Katie Beckett
Hannah Cutrona	...	Mary Lou
Mai-Lis Kuniholm	...	Lisa Parsons
Caroline Kava	...	Mrs. Thelma Beckett
Mik Scriba	...	Coach Donnelly
Niles Brewster	...	Dr. Berger
Matthew John Graeser	...	Harley
Ethan Wilson	...	Sibby
John Tuell	...	'No Nose' Pruett (as John L. Tuell)
Adam Logan	...	Young Sam Beckett (as Adam Affonso)

Storyline

Sam leaps into himself as a 16 year-old and gets to re-live a very happy time in his life. His father is still alive, and his mother and sister are happy as well. Al tells him that he's likely there to re-play the big championship basketball game his high school lost. If they win, several members of the team will go on to greater careers that they have had, including college scholarships and professional basketball careers. Sam isn't sure he wants to replay the game as it will likely cause him to leap and he wants to stay with his family. He hopes to get his father, who will die in three years, to quit smoking, his sister not to elope with her boyfriend and to persuade his older brother Tom not to go to Vietnam.

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Plot Keywords:

payphone | basketball | pay phone | character says oh boy | indiana | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Katie Beckett was born in 1957.

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Goofs

When Sam hides his father John's cigarettes, his mother suggests to John that he's smoked his carton already. John remarks that a carton always lasts until Friday, and that it's only Tuesday. However, Sam leaped back to November 25, 1969, which was a Tuesday. The cigarette scene was the second day of his leap, 11/26/69, a Wednesday.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Navy Lt. Tom Beckett: Sam! Hoo-yah! All right, little brother!
Sam Beckett: [reaching for Tom] Toooo...
[Sam continues to yell while he leaps from the basketball court to a river in Vietnam, still reaching to Tom]
Sam Beckett:

• oooom!

[startled, the Seals start firing in all directions; Sam submerges until they stop]
Sam Beckett: [surfacing] Tom?
Navy Seal: [of body of an enemy Vietcong floating by] He's dead.
Sam Beckett: Damn, Magic!
Sam Beckett: Tom.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Instead of the usual ending theme, the credits roll atop an alternate angle take of Sam playing "Imagine" to Katie.

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Connections

References Hoosiers (1986)

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Soundtracks

Imagine
Written by John Lennon
Performed by Scott Bakula
Courtesy of Lenono Music (BMI), administered by CRGI Music Inc. (BMI)

User Reviews

Marquee episode of the Series

Poignant and emotionally evocative episode. There exists a reason why it holds the highest rating of all Quantum Leap's 97 episodes. That reason is self-evident.

Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1990 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Belisarius Productions, Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

48 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1