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409 "A
Single Drop of Rain"
Leap
Date:
September
7, 1953
Episode
Adopted by: MikeKraken
Additional info provided by: Brian
Greene
Synopsis:
Returning
home to a drought-ridden hometown, Sam has become a traveling
rainmaker. His brother thinks he is a joke and his sister-in-law wants
to leave with Sam. All Sam has to do...is make it rain! (And maybe even
keep his host's brother and wife together.)
Audio
from this episode
TV Guide Synopsis
Place
Leap Date
Name
of the
Person Leaped Into
Broadcast Date
Music
Project Trivia
Sam Trivia
Al Trivia
Al's Women
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
Awards
Synopsis & Review
Production Credits
Production # : 67317
TV Guide
Synopsis:
Sam drops into a huckster who's promised
to bring rain to his drought-ridden town, and maybe also part the
clouds in his brother's dreary marriage. Annie: Phyllis Lyons. Ralph:
Patrick Massett. Coutis: Britt Leach. Clinton: Carl Anthony Payne II.
Leap-in Sequence:
Place:
Clover Bend, Texas
Leap Date:
September
7, 1953
Name of the
Person Leaped Into:
Doctor William "Billy" Beaumont PhD, professional "rain maker"
Broadcast Date:
November 20, 1991 - Wednesday
Music:
At the picnic, after Sam's "foundation" analogy, a tune that has
appeared in a handful of other '50s episodes, first appearing in "8½
Months" (plays in the end credits), then "Heart of a Champion" (at the
bar), "Stand Up", and "Memphis Melody".
"Sam's Prayer", composed by Velton Ray
Bunch and lasting 1m 52s appears on the official
soundtrack album. Listen by clicking the image below:
Project Trivia:
Handlink: colorful cubes/gummy bear
Sam Trivia:
We're reminded that Sam grew up on a farm, where people depend heavily
on the weather.
Al Trivia:
At the picnic, Al hadn't seen such food since they passed the
"cholesterol control act".
Al's
Women:
Al sleeps with a woman from M.I.T. to gather information on how to make
it rain.
Al's Outfits
Worn in the Episode
First appearance: poppy-red suit coat; poppy-red dress pants; black
belt with silver buckle; brown-patterned dress shirt; black thin tie;
watch with black band; unlit cigar.
Second and third appearance: bluish suit coat with glossy trims and
arms; white dress shirt; same black thin tie; unlit cigar.
Fourth, fifth, and sixth appearance: red suit coat; red-and-white
patterened dress shirt; rectangular pendant on left breast, white with
red triangles alternating vertically; lit cigar; silver thin tie;
glossy black pants.
Miscellaneous Trivia:
According to Ziggy, it would be another eight
months, one week, four days, two hours, and forty-four minutes until
Clover Bend would see rain again.
There
actually is a law governing cholesterol in Al's present.
Regular Cast:
Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett
Dean Stockwell as Al Calavicci
Guest Stars:
Phyllis Lyons as Annie Klebbard Beaumont
Patrick Massett as Ralph Beaumont
Carl Anthony Payne II as Clinton Leveret
Britt Leach as Vernon Coutis
R. G. Armstrong as Davison
Anne Haney as Grace Beaumont
Hal Landon, Jr. as Norm
Lesly Kahn as Velma Waters
Ted Baader as Billy Beaumont (Mirror Image)
Guest Cast Notes:
Phyllis
Lyons as Annie Klebbard Beaumont: Phyllis
Lyons was born on August 20, 1960 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
She is an actress, known for The Bridges of Madison County (1995),
Donnie Darko (2001) and Quantum Leap (1989). She has been married to
Adam Arkin since August 21, 1998. They have one child.
Patrick Massett as Ralph Beaumont: Patrick
Massett co-wrote Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) starring Angelina
Jolie. His television career began with Veritas: The Quest (2003) at
ABC, which he and his partner John Zinman, Co-Created and Executive
Produced. He then went on to Co-Executive Produce Emmy Award Winning,
Friday Night Lights (2006) at NBC, The Chicago Code (2011) at FOX, and
Last Resort (2012) at ABC with Executive Producer Shawn Ryan. He
Co-Executive Produced The Blacklist (2013) starring James Spader at
NBC. Patrick was an Executive Producer/Showrunner at NBC's The Player
(2015) starring Wesley Snipes. Alongside his partner, John Zinman,
Patrick co-wrote Gold (2016) starring Matthew McConaughey, directed by
Stephen Gaghan. Patrick and John served as show runners on Last Light
for Peacock starring Matthew Fox. They also penned Wind River Rising,
the sequel to the critically acclaimed, Wind River, which is scheduled
to be released in late 2023.
Carl Anthony Payne II as
Clinton Leveret: Carl
Anthony Payne II is an American actor, director, and producer. He is
best known for his roles as Cole Brown on the Fox sitcom Martin (1992),
Walter "Cockroach" Bradley on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984), and
Myles Wilson on the Nickelodeon show Young Dylan (2020). He often tours
as part of comedy shows throughout the United States. Auditioned for
the role of Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show (1984) that eventually went
to Malcolm-Jamal Warner. A second audition landed him the recurring
role of Theo's friend Cockroach.
Britt Leach as Vernon
Coutis: Chubby
and engaging character actor Britt Leach was born on July 18, 1938 in
Gadsden, Alabama. Leach was often cast as no-nonsense police officers,
scruffy everyday blue collar working class types, and crude hillbillies
in both movies and TV shows alike. Britt graduated from the McCallie
prep school in 1956. He was active in college theater. Leach graduated
from Birmingham Southern College in the mid 60s. He attended
Northwestern University for a short spell, but eventually dropped out
and briefly worked in Army intelligence. His film and television career
started in the early 70s. Leach's most memorable movie roles include
boorish hick bartender Dan Oldum in the terrific "Jackson County Jail,"
hard-nosed detective Sergeant Cook in "Night Warning," cranky toy store
manager Mr. Sims in the notorious sicko Santa slasher horror flick
"Silent Night, Deadly Night," trailer park resident Mr. Potter in the
charming "The Last Starfighter," Anthony Michael Hall's plumber father
in the hilariously raucous "Weird Science," and redneck hunter Reg in
"The Great Outdoors." Among the many TV shows Britt has made guest
appearances on are "Quantom Leap," "Coach," "Murder, She Wrote," "L.A.
Law," "Tales from the Crypt," "Amazing Stories," "St. Elsewhere,"
"Fame," "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Hill Street Blues," "Dallas,"
"M.A.S.H.," "The Waltons," "Wonder Woman," "The Love Boat," "Sanford
and Son," "Happy Days," "Mission: Impossible," "Bonanza," "The
Partridge Family," and "The Brady Bunch." Leach called it a day as an
actor in the early 90s. From 1992 to 1999 Britt was the co-editor and
publisher of "Country Connections," an award-winning bi-monthly
magazine which covered environmental and progressive social issues.
Leach has also written poems. Britt Leach resides in Sherman Oaks,
California with his wife Catherine Roberts Leach.
R. G. Armstrong as Davison: A
golden career was reflected in his name. Robert Golden Armstrong ("Bob"
to his friends) was born in Birmingham, Alabama on April 7, 1917. He
attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While there,
he was frequently performing on stage with the Carolina Playmakers.
After graduating, R.G. headed to New York, where his acting career
really took off. In 1953, along with many of his Actors Studio buddies,
he was part of the cast of "End As a Man" -- this became the first play
to go from off-Broadway to Broadway. The following year, R.G. got his
first taste of movies, appearing in Garden of Eden (1954). However, he
returned to New York and the live stage. He received great reviews for
his portrayal of Big Daddy in the Broadway production of "Cat On a Hot
Tin Roof" in 1955. In 1958, R.G. took the plunge to Hollywood -- he
appeared in two movies, a television series, and did numerous guest
appearances on television series that year, usually in Westerns such as
The Rifleman (1958), Have Gun - Will Travel (1957) and Zane Grey
Theatre (1956), among others. He would go on to appear in 80 movies and
three television series in his career, and guest-starred in 90
television series, many of them Westerns, often as a tough sheriff or a
rugged land baron. R.G. was a regular cast member in the television
series T.H.E. Cat (1966), playing tough, one-handed Captain
MacAllister. During the filming of Steel (1979) in Kentucky, watching
the mammoth Kincaid Tower being built, he made some good friends in the
cast: "You become a family on the set," he said in an interview at the
time. Even though he had a long, versatile career, the younger
generation knows him as the demonic Lewis Vandredi (pronounced
VON-drah-dee), who just would not let the main characters have a good
night's sleep on the television series Friday the 13th: The Series
(1987). Finally retiring after six successful decades in show business
-- his last film appearance was Purgatory (1999) -- R.G. and his lovely
wife Mary Craven were mostly just enjoying life in California, and
still traveled and vacationed in Europe occasionally. His upbeat,
fun-loving personality made him a delight for all who came in contact
with him. R.G. Armstrong died at age 95 of natural causes in Studio
City, California on July 27, 2012.
Anne Haney as Grace
Beaumont: 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".
Hal Landon, Jr. as Norm: Hal
Landon Jr. was born on May 23, 1941 in Long Beach, California, USA. He
is an actor, known for Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989),
Eraserhead (1977) and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991). Best known
for playing Captain Logan (Ted's father) in the comedy classic Bill
& Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). Son of Harold Landon, who also
appeared in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991). Along with Keanu
Reeves, Alex Winter and Amy Stoch, he is one of only four actors to
appear in all three "Bill & Ted" films: Bill & Ted's Excellent
Adventure (1989), Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) and Bill &
Ted Face the Music (2020).
Lesly Kahn as Velma Waters: Lesly Kahn is known for Quantum Leap (1989), The Equalizer (1985) and The Commish (1991).
Ted Baader as Billy
Beaumont (Mirror Image): Ted Baader is known for Quantum Leap (1989), Cohen and Tate (1988) and L.A. Law (1986).
Guests who appeared
in other Quantum Leap episodes:
Anne Haney played Cassy Thailer in "8½ Months."
Patrick Massett played Rusty in "The Americanization of Machiko."
Say What?
What
was the point of the cannon being shot all the time? I still don't
understand, even after seeing the episode so many times.
Sam,
being a scientist and would have taken a few chemistry courses,
wouldn't be stupid enough to think that a silver fork stirring iodine
would make silver iodide in any considerable amount of time. He doesn't
seem to know very much about chemistry at all (of course, this could be
the Swiss-cheese effect).
Ziggy
is getting very accurate weather data somehow from 1953, where it is
very unlikely records were that well kept in a small town.
Quotable Quotes:
Clinton: "You see, modern science... modern science has discovered
that water vapour is always in the air. Well, now I know it seems
impossible. I mean, but it's true, it's here, right now! It's all
around us. Now, the problem is getting it to form into little drops and
fall to the ground."
Al (length of time until it rains): "Eight months, uh, one week, four
days, two hours, and forty-four minutes."
Clinton: "Yes, sir, we are going to make it rain!"
Al: "We can change history, we can change people, but the weather,
that's the leap of another colour. I mean that's, no, that a horse of
another kell. I mean, I don't know what I mean."
Annie: "What's this?"
Sam: "Hmm? That? That's a microwave oven."
Annie: "Well, what does it do?"
Sam: "Oh, you know, it kinda cooks things real fast."
Sam: "And Mom, I want you to throw this town the biggest picnic
they've ever
seen."
mom: "A picnic? Why?"
Sam: "Why? Why? Why, because it always rains on a picnic."
Sam (looking toward sky): "Al... I don't know where the Hell you are,
but you'd better get your butt down here and fast!"
Vern: "I'm glad you haven't lost your religion, boy, but you gotta
brush up on your prayers some."
Sam: "What do we do with silver forks?"
Clinton: "Mostly, we eat with them."
Al: "Anyway, yours truly had to do combat duty."
Sam: "And what did you find out?"
Al: "That girls that wear glasses have lots and lots of energy."
Sam: "Why do we even bother?"
Al: "Because that's what we do, we're professional botherers."
Best Lines:
Sam (praying to God): "I don't know who's runnin' this show. I don't
know why I was chosen. I bounce around from place to place. I do
everything I'm supposed to do, at least the best way I can, but I don't
know how to do this one. I mean, you gotta help me. I figure you owe
me, for a couple of times, anyway. You make it rain. You hear me? You
make it rain!"
Al: "Because that's what we do, we're professional botherers."
Al: "Girls that wear glasses have lots and lots of energy."
Best Scene:
Call me sentimental, but I think the prayer scene is the best in this
episode, starting with returning from commercials and up until the end
of the scene. It just touches me somehow, with Sam's and Clinton's
conversation, Sam's prayer, as well as the "Sam's Prayer" music. We get
to hear Sam express his feelings about all of the work that he's done
during the quantum leaping, and it really allows us to have insight to
Sam's character that we don't get to see very often.
Awards:
Emmy Nomination: Jean-Pierre
Dorléac for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a
Series in 1992.
Synopsis & Review:
Sam
leaps and finds himself inside a car, riding towards a gas station. As
soon as he arrives, he is greeted happily by the keeper of that
station. A young, black man, who was in the same car with him, comes
beside him when he tells that everybody has been waiting eagerly for
him. As Sam asks why, they laugh and tell him that because he is there
to bring rain, of course! Sam says the classical, Oh Boy.
Sam
arrives in the village and everyone cheers and greets him happily. He
also meets his Leapees mother and brother, and brother's wife. Sam
thinks that he can't make rain and is about to tell that to the people
when suddenly Clinton Leveret (played by Carl Anthony Payne II), his
apprentice, starts to speak loudly and cheerfully, how they will bring
rain to the village. Everyone expects him to make rain, but really Sam
is there to keep William's brother and his wife together. Source
The rest of this synopsis will be coming soon!
Personal Review by MikeKraken:
I never really thought of this episode as being too profound... but
then I watched it this time to make this episode summary, and found
that it is really quite well done. The prayer scene is my favourite
(see below) because of the insight to Sam's character, but the fight
scene is interesting, too... I find that every time I watch, I forget
about the thunder in the background and am distracted by Sam and Ralph
duking it out. I'm sure that some thought was put into that.
This episode is on the lighter side, and would fall mostly into the
"comedy" category as far as episodes go. The only really serious parts
involve Ralph chastising his brother, and, of course, the physical
fight at the end.
Neatest of all, it rained!
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
Teleplay
by: Richard C. Okie
Story
by: Richard Stanley & Ralph Meyering, Jr. Directed by: Virgil
W. Vogel
Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario Associate Producers: Julie Bellisario, James S. Giritlian Coordinating Producer: David Bellisario Director of Photography:
Robert McBride Production Designer: Cameron Birnie Edited by: Michael S. Stern Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow First Assistant Director: R. John Slosser 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
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
Quantum Leap Podcast - A Single Drop Of Rain
Listen to The Quantum Leap Podcast
on this episode here:
Get your silver iodide, because it’s time for A Single Drop of Rain!
On this episode of The Quantum Leap Podcast, hosts Allison Pregler,
Matt Dale and Christopher DeFilippis discuss Sam’s Leap as a con man
promising to make it rain in a drought-ridden Texas town.
It’s an exploration of faith, science, freedom, responsibility, and
most importantly – Scott in a snappy suit! Can we get a
hallelujah?!?
Let us know what you think!
Leave us a voicemail by calling (707) 847-6682.
Send in your thoughts, theories, and feedback, voice memos, MP3s & email to quantumleappodcast@gmail.com.
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