312   "8 1/2 Months"

Leap Date:

November 15, 1955

Episode adopted by: Sherdran <aka> Eleiece
Additional info provided by: Brian Greene

Synopsis:

Being strapped in stirrups is something Sam has done many times. But the kind of stirrups he is in this time are not what he had in mind! As a very pregnant teenage girl, Sam has to find a way for Billie Jean (the leapee) to keep her baby instead of giving it up for adoption. To make matters worse, Sam begins to have hot flashes, cravings, and finally... contractions.

Audio from this episode

TV Guide Synopsis
Place
Leap Date
Name of the Person Leaped Into
Broadcast Date
Music
Kiss With History
Project Trivia
Sam Trivia
Al Trivia
Al's Outfits Worn in the Episode
Miscellaneous Trivia
Guest Stars
Guest Cast Notes
Guests who appeared in other Quantum Leap episodes
Say What?
Quotable Quotes
Best Scene
Synopsis & Review
Production Credits

Production # 66421

TV Guide Synopsis (TVGuide.com):
Sam must labor to make things right when he becomes an unwed pregnant teen, and he must find a way for her to keep the baby. Dotty: Lana Schwab. Bob: James Whitmore Jr. Keeter: Hunter von Leer. Effy: Tasha Scott. Mrs. Thailer: Anne Haney. Sam: Scott Bakula.

TV Guide Synopsis (Original):
Sam (Scott Bakula) really must labor to make things right when he leaps into the body of Billie Jean, an unwed pregnant teenager who’s expecting at
any minute. She plans to her put her baby up for adoption, but Al (Dean Stockwell) says that’s a decision she would deeply regret for the rest of her life. Sam must find a way for her to keep the baby. The kicker: Sam’s having labor pains.

Commercial (Back to Wednesday):

Place:
Claremore, Oklahoma

Leap Date:
November 15, 1955

Name of the Person Leaped Into:
Billie Jean Crockett

Broadcast Date:
March 6, 1991 - Wednesday

Music:
"It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" by Patsy Cline
"Honky Tonk Man" by Johnny Horton

Kiss With History:
Sam begins Lamaze breathing, which had not caught on yet in the United States.





Project Trivia:
It took all the doctors on staff at Project Quantum Leap to stop Billie Jean's full labor when she arrived in the Waiting Room when Sam leaped into her life.

This is the first episodes that definitively states that Sam's body leaps, not just his mind.

The baby appears to exist in the same space as Sam somehow without its' mother present. It has disappeared from Billie Jean's womb, but impossible to live in a man's body. Could this be a precursor to the revival series in 2022 where a Waiting Room is no longer needed, and the Leapee and Leaper exist in the same space?

In this episode Al used the gummy bear handlink.





Sam Trivia:
He remembers enough about the effects of leaping to that it is the aura of the person he's surrounding that people see and not their body...especially Billie Jean's in this case. He also remembers (while talking with Mrs. Thailer) that he believes in adoption.

Sam's Outfits Worn in the Episode:
First - Black pants, a man's large, white, long-sleeved shirt and brown penny loafers without socks;

Second - A sort of pale pinkish maternity smock and skirt with a tiny flower print, two-tone (off cream color and dark brown) jacket, and white step-in flats; and last but not least,

Third - A hospital gown over a white slip. (Scott also wore very short white shorts (probably gym shorts) under the hospital gown in the last scene when Sam's taken into the delivery room).





Al Trivia:
Only carries a cigar in his initial appearance when he talks with Sam in the beauty parlor and then in Dotty's parlor.

Al's Outfits Worn in the Episode:
First - Medium gray suit with narrow, vertical stripes of a darker gray, multi-tone (earth tone) shirt. The jacket of the suit either had dark stripes just above the cuffs or the cuffs were turned back one turn; and,

Second -- (Red jacket of shiny material (possibly satin), white shirt with narrow, vertical decorative stripes on shirt front, narrow brown tie, black pants and belt, red shoes and a lapel pin; cigar.





Miscellaneous Trivia:
The road sign Sam sees as he and Dotty are driving back to the beauty parlor says: 'Claremore, Oklahoma -- Home of Will Rogers -- Population 422'

'Pregnant' foods/food combinations Sam indulged in:
Radishes and mayonnaise
Jell-O and onions (This was actually Jell-O with Jicama.)

Al told Sam..."Billie Jean's having her baby 40 years in the future." Judging by that, the Project's 'real' time/year would be 1995. However, he's probably just rounding down... it's likely 1996 or 1997.

Pregnancy symptoms Sam experienced:
Swelling ankles
His balance was off
Nausea
Sleepiness
Food cravings
Frequent urination ( "...and making 900 trips to the bathroom...")
Felt the baby kick
Hot flashes
Labor, and then
Coming *this* close to "doing what no man has ever done before" ... giving birth. (Doctor Rogers: "I see a head of curls, little lady. Give her a push!")

In the (leap-in) delivery room scene, the orderly standing by door was Scott's stand-in, Harold.

To work on the character, Scott wore a 33 pound 'pregnancy suit' that simulates the weight distribution of a pregnant woman. Deborah Pratt purchased this for him. He also researched with his wife and friends.

Also, in the book "The Making of Quantum Leap" (the unauthorized book about Q.L. by Hal Schuster), Scott stated that the one little transition scene of Dotty helping him into the hospital took over 12 hours to shoot! Talk about a long labor! 

This episode marked the return of Quantum Leap after NBC pulled the plug two months earlier. "Runaway," followed by a repeat of "Another Mother," aired in January. Fans wrote over 50,000 letters begging NBC to bring back the series. It worked! A humorous commercial aired promoting Quantum Leap's return to NBC, and on it's original night - Wednesdays!

Regular Cast:
Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett
Dean Stockwell as Al Calavicci

Guest Stars:
Lana Schwab as Dorothy Louise Billings
James Whitmore, Jr. as Bob Crockett
Hunter von Leer as Keeter Slade
Tasha Scott as Effy
Ann Haney as Cassy Thailer
Parley Baer as Dr. Rogers
Anna Walker as Leola
Philip Linton as Willis Taylor
Peggy Walton-Walker as Nurse Denton
Molly McClure as Mrs.Suffy
Priscilla Weems as Billy Jean Crockett (Mirror image)
Harold Frizzell as Orderly





Guest Cast Notes:

Lana Schwab as Dorothy Louise Billings: Lana Schwab is known for Repossessed (1990), The Bridges of Madison County (1995) and Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).

James Whitmore, Jr. as Bob Crockett: James Whitmore Jr. was born on October 24, 1948 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a director and actor, known for Black Sheep Squadron (1976), Hunter (1984) and Tequila and Bonetti (1992). He has been married to Salesha Ali since March 28, 1972. They have four children. Played Capt. Jim Gutterman in Black Sheep Squadron for the first season but was not in the Second Season (no explanation given as to why or what happened to his character). Has directed Scott Bakula in episodes of four different series: Quantum Leap (1989), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1996), Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), and NCIS: New Orleans (2014).He directed his father James Whitmore in Home for Christmas (1985).

James Whitmore, Jr. has directed 15 episodes (counting the multi-part episodes) of Quantum Leap:

Jimmy
Leap of Faith
The Great Spontini
Rebel Without A Clue
8 1/2 Months
Piano Man
Nuclear Family
A Leap For Lisa
Lee Harvey Oswald, Parts 1 & 2
Trilogy, Parts 1, 2 & 3
Memphis Melody
Mirror Image


Hunter von Leer as Keeter Slade: Hunter von Leer was born on April 3, 1944 in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Halloween II (1981), History of the World: Part I (1981) and Under the Boardwalk (1988).

Tasha Scott as Effy: Singer and Actress Tasha Scott is ready to return to fame, with the official launch of her music career. Born and raised in Louisville, KY - Tasha Scott knew at the tender age of eight, that she wanted to sing after winning a talent show. She began performing in more local talent shows and other events to craft her singing and performing skills. Tasha's mother was a single parent who worked two jobs with five kids, Tasha is the only girl. While her brothers became heavily involved in sports, she knew it would only be a matter of time before she got her big break in entertainment. At the age of ten, the family moved from Louisville, to Hollywood, CA. "I had performed all over Louisville meeting a lot of big and famous people and winning a lot of talent shows, there was nowhere else to go but to a major city such as Hollywood to fulfill my dreams," Tasha shares.  Now being in the city of dreams, Tasha caught the acting bug and began auditioning for television roles. The first one she landed allowed her to do what she loves best, sing. She appeared on two episodes of the NBC sitcom "Amen" which starred the late Sherman Hemsley, where she was a choir member. Tasha followed that by performing on Star Search and with guest spots on television shows "227" and "Throb," which starred a young Paul Walker of "Fast and Furious" fame. After appearing on television it was only a matter of time before the young star got her first movie role. That role would be in the 1989 blockbuster film "Troop Beverly Hills" starring Shelley Long. That was followed up with a TV movie entitled "Kiss Shot," in which Tasha's character played the daughter of Oscar winning actress & comedian Whoopi Goldberg. More television roles would follow; including appearances on "Full House," "Quantum Leap" and "Under One Roof," a sitcom starring James Earl Jones and Vanessa Bell Calloway. However it would be her role in the 1994 Fox TV sitcom "South Central" that would make her a household name. Tasha played the sassy little sister of Andre, played by actor Larenz Tate. The sitcom also included early acting roles by Maia Campbell, Star Jackson, the late Lamont Bentley and a young and fresh Jennifer Lopez. The series was canceled after one season. That same year, Tasha shot a memorable commercial for the Coca-Cola brand. In 1996 Tasha had a recurring role on the WB's "The Parent' Hood" starring Robert Townsend and Reagan Gomez-Preston. Later that year and the following year Tasha played her biggest role yet, touring the US in the classic "The Wiz" as Dorothy. The stage play also included Grace Jones, Peabo Bryson, CeCe Peniston and Tony Terry. Tasha received rave reviews by reviewers and critics. "That was actually my first big stage play. I had never really done theater. I was just like wow this is different from sitcoms, where we can call cut. With stage, you have to keep going," Tasha shares of that experience. "I loved traveling from city to city and all of the interviews and press. Knowing I did something that Diana Ross and Stephanie Mills did; and they loved me in this." While Tasha had conquered TV, Film and now stage; music still was her main goal. She signed a deal with Michael Jackson's now defunct label MJJ, an imprint of Sony Music. The only release from the label that included Tasha was the Men of Vizion single "Joyride" released in May of 1996. Although an album was never released, over the years Tasha released various songs online to keep her fans happy. "Music has been very important to me, it's gotten me through a lot of things. Whether it's R&B, Pop, Rock, Country, Gospel or Jazz; music has been the best blueprint of my life," states Tasha. A voice like Tasha's doesn't come along too often in a lifetime. In 2011 Tasha made her official return to music with the incredible ballad "Gone," from the soundtrack of the VH1 hit reality show "Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business." Although the song was never released as a single, the buzz from it helped bring Tasha's name and voice back into the limelight. 2014 will indeed be a very special year for Tasha, as she prepares for her long awaited debut album. The album is scheduled for release in the second quarter via Zania Music Group (ZMG). The first offering is the mid-tempo, sexy and sultry "Touch Me" featuring Berto. "With this song I wanted to express my grown and sexy side to my fans. And show that love can still be very classy and sexy all at the same time, while having fun with the one you love," Tasha says of the single she co-wrote with Anthony Saunders. Tasha's list of musical influences include Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, SWV, Charlie Wilson, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Adele, Chris Brown, Beyoncé, Joe, Ne-Yo, LL Cool J, Tupac, Busta Rhymes, Aaliyah, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson and the list goes on. Tasha says of her album, "I would describe my sound as very Urban Pop; with a lot of soul, with a twist of Hip Hop. My music is straight forward and to the point." With this being her first album release Tasha has many goals for this project, "One goal is to have my music heard all over the world and to have a #1 single on the radio [and album] that people can relate to and love -- I want to tour and headline my own show. I would love to work with a lot of other great producers and writers for this album as well." Music may be Tasha's priority right now, but acting isn't necessary on the back burner, "I would love to play in an action packed movie as well as have my own television show that could run for at least ten years or more," states Tasha. Another goal for Tasha has been to work with Tyler Perry and to star in a touring stage play about her life, focusing on how she got started in the business.

Anne Haney as Cassy Thailer: Anne Haney held prominent roles acting on stage, on the screen, and on TV. All these achievements came in her mid-40s, after she had raised a daughter and buried a husband. It wasn't until after she had packed her daughter off to college and "the maid quit", as she said, that she decided to try her hand at acting. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee and studied drama, radio and TV at the University of North Carolina, where she met her husband, John Haney. She did apply her schooling briefly at a Memphis television station, but soon settled down with her husband and devoted herself to family life. "I was a lovely faculty wife. We made ambrosia salad. We did good works. We played a lot of bridge", she said of those times. By the 1970s, however, Haney began seeking work in local theatre productions and television commercials. Soon, she was traveling with a touring company performing as the maid in Noël Coward's "Fallen Angels". She toured for two years. Eventually, she joined the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of T.V. and Radio Artists. She and her husband had, in fact, planned to move to Southern California after his retirement. She was eager to experience and, she hoped, benefit from the variety and prestige available only in Hollywood. Those plans changed when Mr. Haney died of kidney disease in 1980; Anne Haney made the trek to California, alone. Not long after arriving, she had an agent and a part in the Walter Matthau vehicle Hopscotch (1980). As her career took off, she also secured roles on stage, notably the role of Margaret Fielding in the Theatre West production of "Verdigris". When asked whether she ever dwelled on the prospect that had she begun her career too late, she replied that "this is gravy to me. It's a wonderful way to spend the last third of my life". She died on May 26, 2001 in Studio City, California, USA.

Parley Baer as Dr. Rogers: Parley Baer was born on August 5, 1914 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. He was an actor, known for License to Drive (1988), A Fever in the Blood (1961) and Dave (1993). He was married to Ernestine Clark. The voice of Ernie Keebler on the Keebler cookies commercials. Served in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific theater in WWII, earning seven battle stars and a presidential citation. Attained rank of captain. During his struggling years, he served as a ringmaster for Circus Vargas and Barnum & Bailey. He would later serve on the board of the community L.A. Circus, and as a docent at the Los Angeles Zoo. Wrote publicity for Al. G. Barnes Circus, in winters. Announcer at Salt Lake City radio station, KSL. In addition to the role of Chester on the Gunsmoke radio series which ran from 1952 to 1961 (the part was played by Dennis Weaver in the long-running television series), Baer was frequently heard on the Lux Radio Theater, Escape and Suspense radio programs, among others. He died on November 22, 2002 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Ann Walker as Leola: Ann Walker was born on February 12, 1944 in Houston, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for Jagged Edge (1985), Sordid Lives: The Series (2008) and Sordid Lives (2000).

Philip Linton as Willis Taylor: Philip James Linton was born on November 23, 1963 in Oakland, California to Walter and Lillian Linton. He came from a large Catholic family with three brothers (John, Mike, Brian) and three sisters (Debbie, Kathy, Susan) . His family had moved to Reno, Nevada where he graduated from Our Lady of the Snows Catholic School. Then, he attended Bishop Manogue High School in Reno, when he moved back to California to graduate from Providence High School. While still a teenager, he became a member of the Screen Actors Guild and embarked on an acting career landing guest-starring parts on most of the popular shows of the 1980s, such as "The Waltons", "Facts of Life", "Who's the Boss", "21 Jump Street", etc. Even when he had just one scene, as he did on "Quantum Leap" in 1991, he showed an impressive range of guilt and determination when he played a teenager who leaves his pregnant ex-girlfriend for college. He had also acted on the big screen, such as the Jim Carrey film Once Bitten (1985). He would act with Carrey again, this time on the small screen in Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992). It was a prestigious project that earned Emmy nominations in major categories, such as Best Movie. It is one of the first movies on television that deals compassionately about coming out as gay. William McNamara played the gay protagonist, while Carrey, in a rare dramatic turn, played his older alcoholic brother. But it was Linton who made an impression as McNamara's accepting best friend. He also looked young, handsome, and healthy. So it was a shock to find him dead of AIDS on February 16, 1992 at the tender age of 28. A month later, Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992) aired and made its mark on television. Linton's grieving family brought his body from his home in North Hollywood, California to Sparks, Nevada where they had a Mass for him at Holy Cross Catholic Church. Then, he was buried at Our Mothers of Sorrows Cemetery. His school Bishop Manogue High School had a memorial for him. His church in North Hollywood, California called St. Charles Borromeo Church also held a funeral service for him. His family requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the AIDS Project Los Angeles. (APLA).

Peggy Walton-Walker as Nurse Denton: Peggy Walton-Walker was born on September 1, 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. She is an actress, known for Pumpkinhead (1988), The Out-Laws (2023) and Hateship Loveship (2013). She was previously married to Keith Walker. Was crowned Miss Birmingham-Southern College 1965.

Molly McClure as Mrs.Suffy: Molly Hill McClure was born on January 19, 1919 to Neva Hill and William Eanest Karnes in Watsonville, California. Her mother died soon after her birth and Molly was raised in Paducah, Kentucky by her aunt and uncle, Blanche and Frank P. Hill. Always attracted to acting and the stage and co-founded a theater company in Paducah. She married Rush Delbert McClure in 1939, with whom she had three daughters. The couple later divorced. After her youngest daughter graduated from high school and went away to college, Molly moved to Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an actress on the stage and screen. She retired from the acting business and moved to Texas to live with her eldest daughter. Molly McClure died peacefully on August 15, 2008, aged 89, in Plano, Texas, following a brief illness, survived by her three daughters, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Priscilla Weems as Billy Jean Crockett (Mirror image): Priscilla Weems was born on January 18, 1972 in Eugene, Oregon, USA. She is an actress, known for Five Mile Creek (1983), Scene of the Crime (1984) and Quantum Leap (1989). She was previously married to Terry Sexton. Priscilla filmed Five Mile Creek (1983) in Australia in 1983 & 1984 at age 11. She had a starring role and was one of only 3 Americans in the series. Disney owned the series, but filmed outside the country and in other states to avoid paying residuals to the actors. Much of Priscilla's money was kept in Australia by Henry Crawford & Disney. She purchased a horse, Willow, in French's Forest, Australia, and flew him home. He was a 6-year-old Arab/Quarter Golden Palomino. Willow is still alive & well in West Hills, California on her parent's ranch. She also fought to bring home her "budgie" (parakeet). At that time in 1984, no birds were allowed out of Australia. She called the Prime Minister when she knew she was leaving and asked for special permission to take him home. "Bunyip" was flown home a month after she left and spent 30 days in quarantine. He lived 14 years and is now stuffed under glass.

Harold Frizzell as Orderly: Harold 'Hal' Frizzell was born on September 11, 1936 in Ashland, Kentucky, USA. He is an actor, known for Emergency! (1972), Quantum Leap (1989) and Knight Rider (1982). He was a regular stand-in for Bakula, and appeared here as the orderly pushing him down the hall into the operating room.

Guests who appeared in other Quantum Leap episodes:
Anne Haney also appeared in "A Single Drop of Rain."

James Whitmore, Jr. appeared in two other episodes besides this one: "Trilogy - Part 1", and "Mirror Image", all three of which he directed.

Frequent series stand-in for Bakula, Harold Frizzell, plays the orderly pushing him on the gurney into the birthing room.

Parley Baer also appeared "Trilogy Part III." 

Say What?
At the beginning, the mirror image of Billie Jean is holding her belly, but when we turn to see Sam, he is not.

Sam states that it is November 14th, but the caption at the beginning shows November 15th.

Scott Bakula can be seen reflected in the cabinet glass when he barricades himself behind the gurney.

Willis' hat falls off when he runs down the road. After the commercial break, the hat has disappeared.

At the bar, Keeter is on the phone with Dottie and "Honly Tonk Man" is playing in the background. This song would not be released until one year later.

Scott Bakula reflects in the large overhead mirror briefly at the end.

Quotable Quotes:
Something tells me we're in big trouble here - BIG.
-- Al (to himself), "8 1/2 Months"

I don't have the flu!
Yeah, and you're not pregnant either.
-- Sam and Al, "8 1/2 Months"

I tried to sleep last night, drinking water and making 900 trips to the bathroom.
-- Sam, "8 1/2 Months"

Being pregnant isn't a reason to get married.
-- Sam, "8 1/2 Months"

You know the expression "God works in mysterious ways"? ... Well I think this is one of them.
-- Sam, "8 1/2 Months"

Al, I felt the baby kick!
-- Sam, "8 1/2 Months"

Al, read MY lips ... I'm pregnant.
-- Sam, "8 1/2 Months"

I can't have this baby.
Honey, I think you're a bit too far along to stop now.
-- Sam and Dottie, "8 1/2 Months"

Where the hell have you been!
In the waiting room with Billie Jean, the poor thing is terrified, she thinks she's having the baby in an alien space ship.
-- Sam and Al, "8 1/2 Months"

I'm having this baby!
No you're not Sam.
Honey, they can tell that.
-- Sam, Al and Dottie, "8 1/2 Months"

There is no way this baby is going to be coming right now, trust me on that.
-- Sam, "8 1/2 Months"

I can't have a baby!
-- Sam, "8 1/2 Months"

You know, little lady, having a baby is about as simple as it gets.  Women have been giving birth since the beginning of time, and even if you may not know what to do about it, your body does.
I don't think so.
You'd be surprised.
So would you.
-- Dr. Rogers and Sam, "8 1/2 Months"

It's gonna be very big in the 80's.
Well, I don't know where "A.D.'s" is...
-- Sam and Leola, about her pink, punk hair, "8 1/2 Months"

Why don't you let me drive? [CONTRACTION HITS!]
Because you're busy!
-- Sam and Dottie, "8 1/2 Months"

Sam, this is all happening in your imagination.
Go to Hell!!
-- Al and Sam, "8 1/2 Months"

Oh boy.
Know what, I think so too.
-- Sam and Dottie after the baby kicked, "8 1/2 Months"

Jello and onions!
-- Al, about Sam's choice of snack food, "8 1/2 Months"

She think's she's having her baby in an alien spaceship.
--Al, "8 1/2 Months"

Best Lines:
Al: "Something tells me we're in BIG trouble here. (pause, sigh). "Big."

Sam: "AL! Get it out! Get..it...out!"

"Oh...here it comes. Here it comes! Oh...God!" (as he drops down on the couch, he starts pushing, stopping only when Dotty yells for him not to) ... "Ooooh. Okay...okay. I can breathe."






Best Scene:
Al: "Billie Jean was in full labor when you leaped in, Sam. It took
every doctor on the staff to stop her. Not to mention the shock
she went into when she caught a glimpse of your reflection in
those OR lamps."

Sam (supporting his back with both hands): "Al, what if she has her
baby in the future?"

(Sam's discomfort sends him to lower himself on the couch.)

Al:    Well, Ziggy's very worried about that. He says there's an eighty-
six percent chance that when you leap out and Billie Jean leaps
back, the baby could stay in the future."

Sam:     "She loses her baby?"

Al:    "Well, she loses it anyway. In the original history, Billie Jean
put her baby up for adoption. Then she regretted it, and spent
the rest of her life trying to find her."

Sam: "So I'm here to change that?"

Al: "Apparently so."

Sam: "How long until she has her baby?"

Al:    "Uh....according to Ziggy about thirty-six hours un...
unless..."

(Al does a double take at what he sees on the handlink).

Sam:    "Unless?"

Al:    "Unless... you have it first?"

Sam (laughs): "What? What are you talking about? I ca..."

(Al laughs too, then gives Sam a odd sort of look. The look isn't lost on Sam, and he hauls himself up off the couch, highly agitated. He starts pacing which appears to give him a stitch in his side).

Sam:    "I ca...I can't have a baby!"

Al:    "I know that. But Ziggy's not so sure."

Sam:    "I'm sure! I've never been more sure about anything in my life. There's no way I that I could possibly have a baby!"


Al: "Okay, okay..."

Sam: "How could I carry..."

Al: "Okay...OKAY! Calm down! You're gonna find yourself going back into labor."

Sam: "I wasn't in labor!"

Al: "Well Billie Jean was."

Sam: "Ohhh...."

Al: "And Ziggy says that your brain waves are linked into her emotions, and they're cross channeling into the baby."

Sam: "The baby's not here."

Al: "Well never mind the baby's not here. The baby is connecting with your mood swings. Ziggy says you're bonding."

Sam: "Bonding?"

(He gets carefully down on his knees to pick up something he bumped off a coffee table.)

Al: "Yes, bonding. And that's a good thing in case you deliver before Billie Jean leaps back."

(Sam tosses the 'something' onto the coffee table then looks up at Al)

Sam: "I'm a man. I can't have a baby. Men cannot have babies! Ohhh..ohh..."

(He gets a wide-eyed look, freezing where he is)

Al: "You don't look so good, Sam."

Sam: "Just feelin' a little nauseous."

Al: "Yeah. You look a little green around the nostrils there."

(Sam manages to get to his feet then staggers off in search of the bathroom and finds it just in time. The sounds of him throwing up are heard clearly from behind the almost open door.

Al hurries across the room, reacting uncomfortably to what he hears)

Al: "I told you not to upset yourself."

Sam (still in the bathroom): "I'm not upset. I'm just sick."

Al: "I can hear that." (pauses a moment) "Ah...oh, you've got the stomach flu! Everybody's got it! It's going around."

(From within the bathroom there's the sound of a toilet flushing, then water running before Sam stumbles to the door, his face pale and damp, a towel clutched in one hand.)

Sam: "I don't have the flu. Listen...you're sure that there's no way... no way that Ziggy could be right about this. Right?"

Al: "Oh, there's no way Ziggy could be right about this! I mean there's no way that... you could carry a baby in there. Right?"

Sam (desperate to agree with him): "Right! So then, we're just saying that Billie Jean's back in the Waiting Room..."

Al: "Yeah."

Sam: "And I'm here in 1955. Right?"

Al: "Yeah, right. She's there, you're here. Yeah."

Sam: "And it's just the illusion of her physical aura that everybody's seeing.

Al: "That's right. They see the illusion of her physical aura."

Sam: "Not her body."

Al: "No, not her body."

Sam: "Okay. So why do I feel so nauseous?"

(The excitement and all gets to Sam and he gets on the couch again, groaning.)

Al: "Oh...uh...oh it could be psychosomatic! Yeah. A lot of fathers have that."

Sam: "Who is the father, Al?"

Al: "We don't know." (he pauses, watching as Sam lays down, then asks, concerned) "You feeling a little better?"

Sam: "Yeah. Yeah, I'm just a little bit...tired."

Al: "Tired? Well that means you got the flu! That's just like I said. You've got the flu."

Sam: "I...I don't have the flu!"

Al: "Yeah, well you're not pregnant either! Because when you're pregnant, the nausea and the pukies and the fatigue come in the first three months, and Billie Jean is...is full term."

Sam: "I'm just gonna rest here a little bit, Al. And then I'll get up and figure out how to patch up things with her...and her family."

Al: "That's a good idea, Sam. You could talk to her mother..." (He starts pressing buttons on the handlink then...) "That's a bad idea, Sam. Her mother's dead. Died when she was twelve. And her father even refuses to see her."

Sam (asks sleepily, his eyes closed): "Who?"

Al: "Her...Billie Jean's father. Bob Crockett is his name. He's a foreman at Kip Petroleum. Lives at 243 Prairie Lane Drive in Claremore. (He looks thoughtfully at the handlink.)

Sam (nearly asleep, mumbles): "243 Fairy Lane Dr...."

Al: "No, not Fairy....Prairie. With a 'p'. (he sounds out the letter for Sam) "...Drive..."

(He glances down at Sam then does a mild double take at what he sees.)

"Something tells me we're in big trouble here." (He looks down at Sam again and sighs.) "Big."

Synopsis & Review:

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
Co-producers: Paul  Brown, Jeff Gourson
Produced by: Chris Ruppenthal
Created by: Donald P. Bellisario
Written by: Deborah Pratt
Directed by: James Whitmore, Jr.

Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Associate Producer: James S. Giritlian
Executive Story Editor: Tommy Thompson
Director of Photography: Michael Watkins, A.S.C.
Production Designer: Cameron Birnie
Edited by: Robert E. Pew
Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow
First Assistant Director: Ryan Gordon
Second Assistant Director: L. Lewis Stout
Casting by: Ellen Lubin Sanitsky
Set Director: Robert L. Zilliox
Costume Designer: Jean-Pierre Dorleac
Costume Supervisors: David Rawley & Donna Roberts-Orme
Sound Mixer: Barry D. Thomas
Stunt Coordinator: Diamond Farnsworth
Sound Editor: Paul Clay
Music Editor: Donald Woods

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

8 1/2 Months