412 "Running for Honor"

Leap Date:

June 11, 1964

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

Synopsis:

One of the most controversial episodes of the entire series, this episode deals with homosexuality. Sam and Al do not see eye-to-eye on this issue when Sam leaps into a naval cadet who may or not be gay. He is there to prevent another gay cadet from being killed by a gay-bashing group while trying to educate Al that the military's anti-gay laws are wrong. But is the person Sam leaped into really gay? Does it matter?

Audio from this episode

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

Production # : 67319

TV Guide Synopsis:
Sam hurdles into a BMOC track star at a military prep school in the early '60s, where he runs up against vigilantes intolerant of homosexuality. Phillip: Sean O'Bryan. Adm. Spencer: John Finn. Ronnie: Anthony Palermo. Coach Martz: John Roselius. Karen: Lisa Lawrence.

Place:
Prescott College just outside of Lakeside in Macomb County, Michigan

Name of the Leapee:
Cadet Commander Thomas "Tommy" H. York

Leap Date:
June 11, 1964

Broadcast Date:
January 15, 1992 - Wednesday

Music:
"Easier Said Than Done" by The Essex plays in the car.

 
Sam Trivia:
He remembered he leaped into Vietnam in "The Leap Home: Part II: Vietnam."

Sam's Outfits Worn in the Episode:
Black running shorts with Prescott Naval College emblem on left front,
white exercise tank top with college emblem on front left shoulder, white
socks and black running shoes.

Cadet uniform: dark-blue trousers, white shirt with shoulder boards
denoting Tommy York's rank (Cadet commander), polished black shoes,
and his dark blue cover (hat) with gold braid and patent leather brim.

White boxer shorts.

Dark-blue running shorts and tank top with the Prescott Naval College
emblem was emblazoned on the front, and black running shoes.

Al Trivia:
He was in charge of tapping the kegs at the party after graduation
from Annapolis.

Al used the multi-colored 'Gummy Bear' handlink.

Al's Women:
Al likes the Admiral's daughter.

Al's Outfits Worn in the Episode:
Dark melon suit (with the cuffs turned back once) with a dark orange print shirt, black string tie with a silver tie clip, dark-red/orange belt with gold buckle, and dark red shoes.

Goldenrod shirt with multi-colored harlequin sleeves, a dark blue vest with black  back, blue-gray pants, and a lapel pin. Shoes, though not seen, were probably black.

Dark plum jacket and black pants, a purple & white patterned shirt, a wide, diagonally-striped tie (dark-blue, black & white), black shoes, lapel pin, and a round-faced watch with black band.

Electric blue jacket, black pants and shoes, a white shirt with a stand-up, button collar.

Miscellaneous Trivia:

The C.H.A.I.N. - Cadets Honoring An Ideal Navy

The Stonewall rebellion, which started the gay liberation movement, took place on June 27, 1969, five years after Sam's leap into Tommy York's life in 1964.

The only scene Al didn't carry a cigar was the scene in Admiral Spencer's office when he stood behind Sam's chair.

Bellisario recalls the issue of gay rights: “that was an issue that at that time wasn’t being done on television; advertisers threatened to pull out of that show.” At the time, CNN reported that “network executives are concerned advertisers may shy away from that episode, and a spokesperson has said Universal is shooting the script at their own risk: if it doesn’t air, they won’t pay for it. An NBC spokeswoman said today the main problem with the script was the teen suicide angle, not the homosexual theme. At the network’s request, the script was modified to make the teen a young adult.” Bellisario disagreed, though: “if there was no suicide attempt in the script, we would be at the same place we are at now. They would not want to be doing a gay show at this time.” Regardless of the reasons, the effects were clear: “An NBC spokeswoman confirmed the show lost about half a million dollars; ad spots dropped by protesting sponsors were resold at the last minute at a discounted rate.” Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLADD) spokesman Richard Jennings, speaking to CNN, accepted that it was “very important to have more gay characters on television” but felt that the “script was damaging, was something was that was properly rejected under NBC’s broadcast standards”. Source



This episode was originally slated to feature Sam's leapee as a teenager in high school but due to advertisers threatening to pull sponsorship, NBC forced Don Bellisario to change the script to reflect a college age character instead.

Bloopers:

Kiss with History:
Not so much a kiss with history in Sam's Leap time, but one for the broadcast date of this episode:

In 1992, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the United States Military caused much controversy in Politics. This episode socially comments on what was happening at the time of broadcast.

The controversy over this episode is covered here:

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

Guest Stars:
John Finn as Admiral Spencer
Sean O’Bryan as Phillip Ashcroft
Anthony Palermo as Ronnie Chambers
John Roselius as Coach Tony Martz
Lisa Lawrence as Karen Spencer
Jake Price as Plebe Guard
Roz Witt as Waitress
Brian Seibert as Plebe
Beau Windham as Tommy H. York (Mirror Image)
Brian J. Williams as Cadet #2
Stephen Brown as Cadet #3

Guest Cast Notes:

John Finn as Admiral Spencer: John Finn was born on September 30, 1952 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Glory (1989), Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Cold Case (2003).

Sean O’Bryan as Phillip Ashcroft: Originally from Kentucky, Sean O'Bryan moved to Los Angeles over ten years ago and has worked extensively in film and TV. Some major key TV guest appearances include Chicago Hope, Beverly Hills 90210, and Felicity. Sean has done several major films including, Phenomenon (1996), Exit to Eden (1994), The Princess Diaries (2001), and Frankie and Johnny (1991). Not only has he focused on working in front of the camera, he's also done several theatrical performances, including: The Lisbon Traviata, It's Only a Play, Money and Friends et al. In 1995, Sean married Samantha Follows (sister to Megan Follows - star of Anne of Green Gables) and they currently have two children. In 2001, Sean joined the entire Follows family to perform in Noel Coward's "Hay Fever" at the Gravenhurst Opera House in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. As all the Follows are Canadian, Sean was the only American on stage in this British play; however, his character was the only American character so he had it made!Sean can be seen in the kids flick, Big Fat Liar (2002) starring Frankie Muniz.

Anthony Palermo as Ronnie Chambers: Anthony Palermo is known for Rollerball (2002), Live by Night (2016) and American Bred (2016).

John Roselius as Coach Tony Martz: John Roselius was born on August 19, 1944 in the USA. He was an actor, known for Lost Highway (1997), Space Jam (1996) and Con Air (1997). Appeared in the famous, or infamously corny, anti-drug commercial simply known as "This is your brain on drugs" where he fries eggs while he says the line, which is to show what your brain is doing on drugs. It has since become legendary, and was even uttered by Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad. He died on October 29, 2018.

Lisa Lawrence as Karen Spencer: Lisa Lawrence was born on November 14, 1970 in the USA. She is an actress, known for Quantum Leap (1989), Son in Law (1993) and Tribes (1990).

Jake Price as Plebe Guard: Jake Price is known for Quantum Leap (1989), Evening Shade (1990) and Green Valley (2009).

Roz Witt as Waitress: Roz Witt is known for Tank Girl (1995), Corrina, Corrina (1994) and Ringer (1996).

Brian Seibert as Plebe: Brian Seibert is known for Quantum Leap (1989) and The Wonder Years (1988).

Beau Windham as Tommy H. York (Mirror Image): Beau Windham is known for Quantum Leap (1989), Radius (2004) and Panther (1995).

Brian J. Williams as Cadet #2: Brian J. Williams is known for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Minority Report (2002) and Star Trek: First Contact (1996).

Stephen Brown as Cadet #3: Stephen Douglass Brown aka: Steve Brown. Stephen Brown is a professional Actor, Sound Recordists and Casting Director. Stephen was born in Stuttgart Germany and moved to the United States when he was 5 years old. He spent most of his childhood on the east coast and his teenage years in Andover Massachusetts. Stephen moved to Los Angeles in 1992 and has his lived here since working as an Actor, V.O. Model and Crew Member.

Guests Who Appeared in Other Episodes of Quantum Leap:

Brian J. Williams was an uncredited stunt double for Michael Kemmerling in "Another Mother", uncredited stunt double for J.C. Quin in "Unchained", and played Drowning Veteran in "Nowhere to Run."

Say What?
The camera wobbles when Al exits the shower room, but the door effect remains static, giving it an odd “floating” effect. 

When Sam says she looks like she's 17, his mouth seems to actually say “15”.

The clock in Sam’s room tells the same time in each scene.

Al makes a reference to The Stonewall Bar where gay liberation began – he probably means The Stonewall Inn, which was the starting point of the Stonewall riots (a turning point in the gay liberation movement, but not the birthplace), and the settingfor part of Up Against a Stonewall. Source

Quotable Quotes:

Al: "No. I was in charge of tapping the kegs at the party after the graduation."

Al: "Boy does this remind me of my plebe days. There was no sleep, no booze, no women. It was hell."

Al: "If wishes were broken hearts, everybody would have 'em!"

Sam: "Get out! And don't come back till you've joined the twentieth century."
---
Coach Martz: "Oh that's great. If you're my grandmother, that's great."

Al: "I don't want to pressure you, it's just that sometimes I wish you were a little more...aggressive."

Al: "Oh, the times I had this fantasy when I was a teenager."

Al: "I think she's ready for...graduate school."

Sam: "Change the record. Just change the record!"

Philip: "Look at yourself. You're 21 and you're still a virgin. And it's not because you had too much homework."

Coach Martz: "Is this a private club, people? Or can any idiot join it?

Al: "So I realized I was wrong. I'm not always right. I was wrong."

Best Lines:

Al: "Well, was Tommy gay or not?"
Sam: "Does it matter?"

Best Scene:

[Mirror image of Tommy York; Sam speaks]

Sam: "Are you telling me I'm gay, Al?"

Al:  "No. I'm saying that Ziggy says there's an 86.3 percent change that this Tommy York is gay."

Sam: "Well, what about Karen?"

Al: "Who?"

Sam: "The Admiral's daughter. Tommy's dating her."

Al: "Oh, he's dating her? Well that doesn't make any difference. Gay men were married and had families. That was the perfect way to hide the truth."

Sam: "So Ziggy can't confirm it?"

Al: "Not totally, no."

Sam: "Okay. I'm gonna need a little bit more proof than Ziggy's projection. Okay?"

Al: "Okay. Well then maybe you better have a look at this."

[He points to something on Tommy's desk.]

Sam: "What?"

[Sam crosses to desk to look, sees the letter then sits down and reads
the letter aloud. Al slowly walks around behind him as he reads.
Sam finishes reading.]

Sam: "...signed Tommy York. And it's addressed to Admiral Spenser."

Al: "Well?"

Sam: "Well what? This doesn't prove anything."

Al: "Sure it does. Imagine this kid, Tommy York. He's got everything. Why would he risk it all unless he was having a relationship with Philip?"

[Sam expression becomes one of controlled annoyance; he crosses his legs.]

Sam: "Have you ever heard of friendship? What?"

[Al does a double-take at Sam's posture.]

Al: "Oh...nuthin'. I just...uh... I don't ever remember seeing you cross
your legs that way before."

[Sam's annoyance changes to controlled, offended disbelief.]

Sam: "What are you saying, Al?"

Al: "Huh? Oh, nothing."

Sam: "Yes, you are!"

Al: "No."

Sam: "Yes, you are! You're saying that the way I cross my legs has
    something to do with something!"

Al: "Huh? 'Course not."

Sam: "I can't believe you'd even say something like that."

Al: "Well..."

Sam: "That is so stupid. Let's just drop it, alright?"

Al (almost defensively): "Okay. Okay, I'll drop it. I'll drop it."

Sam: "Just drop it!"

Al: "I'll drop it."

Sam: "Al!"

Al: "I dropped it!"

[Sam calms down.]

Sam: "I'm sure I'm here to help get Philip back into Prescott."

Al: "I doubt that."

Sam: "Why?"

Al: "Because in two days he's found hanging in his print shop."

[Startled, Sam stands to face Al.]

Sam: "The 'Chain'?"

Al: "Ziggy doesn't know yet."

Sam: "Well, I'm gonna need some more information, Al. Um...see if
    you can find anything from the police investigation, alright?"

Al: "You got it."

[Al takes out handlink and presses buttons on it to summon the Imaging
Chamber door. Sam crosses the room, his back to Al, his hands on his
hips, thinking. Al glances at Sam, sees how he's standing and ventures
a suggestion.]

Al: "Um...Sam. Maybe... maybe it's better if you don't walk around with your hands on your hips like that. You know?"

[Sam turned toward Al when he began to speak but hearing what he says causes  his eyes to narrow.]

Sam: "Get out! And don't come back 'til you've joined the twentieth century. Go  on!"

Synopsis & Review:

Sam leaps into a Naval Academy track star named Tommy York on the eve of a big competition. The race has grown into something of a grudge match—his school, Prescott Academy, has been losing to a rival school for years. But Sam is there to grapple with grudges far more insidious: Tommy's roommate and good friend Phillip has been expelled from Prescott... for being gay. Considered by some fans to be the most controversial Quantum Leap ever, “Running for Honor” takes place not long before (and glancingly mentions) the Stonewall Riot, an event considered by most to be the birth of the U.S. gay rights movement. Tolerance in the world at large in 1964 is rare enough, but within the patriarchy-rich environment of the military, it is essentially non-existent. Tainted by association with Phillip and on a quest to prove that another of their other classmates is behind a series of local gaybashings, Sam ends up in deep trouble.

Meanwhile, Al is showing the limits of his usual “live and let live” attitude, by voicing traditional establishment arguments against having gay soldiers in the armed forces.

Complete synopsis coming soon!

Personal Review by Eleiece <aka> Sherdran:

This episode has special meaning for me in a few ways, and the first and most important was George.

George was my only brother. He was intelligent; as a college senior he used to substitute for the physics professor on occasion for extra credit. He was a trained ballet dancer, had a gorgeous tenor voice, and also taught himself to play piano and guitar. George also had big, booming, infectious laugh that filled a room when something amused him, and his ambition was to be an entertainer. He also joined the Navy right out of high school. And George was gay.

George's sexual preference didn't change the core person he was, didn't change the core values he learned growing up. Not for a split nanosecond did it ever color my view of him or lessen by a whit my love for him. And when he called me in late 1992 to tell me that he'd just learned he was HIV positive, not even then did it shake or alter how I felt about my brother. Sadly, my beloved brother died of AIDS related cancer in March 1994.

The whole point of this review, is that we each have many and varied facets that combine to make each of us the unique individual we are. Pigeonholing someone for a single aspect of their life that you don't agree with may, as you might discover after the fact, makes you the poorer of the two in the long run.

For me, Sam's response to Al says it all: "Does it matter?"

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
Produced by: Jeff Gourson, Tommy Thompson
Produced by: Chris Ruppenthal, Paul Brown
Created by: Donald P. Bellisario
Written by: Robert Harris Duncan
Directed by: Bob Hulme

Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Associate Producers: Julie Bellisario, James S. Giritlian
Coordinating Producer: David Bellisario
Director of Photography: Michael Watkins, A.S.C.
Production Designer: Cameron Birnie
Edited by: Michael S. Stern
Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow
First Assistant Director: Ryan Gordon
Second Assistant Director: Kate Yurka
Casting by: Ellen Lubin Sanitsky
Set Director: Robert L. Zilliox
Costume Designer: Jean-Pierre Dorleac
Costume Supervisor: David Rawley
Art Director: Ellen Dambros-Williams
Sound Mixer: Barry D. Thomas
Stunt Coordinator: Diamond Farnsworth
Sound Editor: Greg Schorer
Music Editor:  Bruce Frazier
Special Visual Effects: Roger Dorney, Denny Kelly

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 © 1992 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 In Association With Universal Television, an MCA Company

Quantum Leap Podcast - Running For Honor

Listen to The Quantum Leap Podcast on this episode here: