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"The Great Spontini"
Leap
Date:
November
9, 1974
Episode
Adopted by: Janna Galaxy Additional info provided by: Brian Greene
Synopsis:
As
a traveling amateur magician raising a daughter alone, Sam must find a
way to keep the daughter from being taken by her mother when she
returns three years after abandoning the family. In order to do that,
Sam has to perform a deadly magic trick in order to get the money he
needs to buy a permanent home for them. But when his daughter attempts
the trick in desperation, it may mean the end of her life.
Audio from this
episode
TV Guide Synopsis Place
Leap Date
Name
of the Person Leaped Into
Music Project Trivia Sam Trivia
Al Trivia
Al's Outfits Worn in the
Episode Al's Women
Miscellaneous
Trivia
Writers
Director
Producers
Crew
Broadcast Date
Guest Stars Guest Cast Notes
Personal Review Best Scenes
Say What?
Quotable Quotes
Production # 66412
TV Guide Synopsis: Sam
is a magician in a tricky situation when his estranged wife demands
custody of their daughter, who's happy as her dad's assistant. Maggie:
Amy Steel. Jamie: Lauren Woodland. Steve: Erich Anderson. Judge:
Michael Fairman. Elaine: Robin Greer. Sam: Scott Bakula.
Place:
Oakland, California
Leap
Date:
May 9th, 1974
Name
of Person Leaped Into:
Harry Spontini
Broadcast
Date:
November 16, 1990 - Friday
Music:
In
the leap in at the end of Black On White On Fire, "Sobre las Olas" is played, but was removed
from the actual episode.
Project Trivia: Al,
after years of beating and smacking the handlink, finally breaks the
calculator version, and it is replaced with the new gummy bear version.
Sam Trivia: Sam leaped out of
the Watts riots in a bloodied state. This would lead us to believe that
he has time to heal between leaps. The gap between leaps has been
established to be instantaneous occasionally, or take six days, as
stated by Al in "Genesis."
It could be much longer, it seems. This could prolong Sam's life. For
instace, instead of being 69 years old in 2022, he could actually be
much younger in suspended animation between leaps...
Al Trivia: While in the orphanage Al was nicknamed Al the
pick. He was an expert at picking locks.
Al's Outfits Worn in the
Episode:
1.
Brown shirt, with a dark blue jacket and pants.
2. Orange,
black and green shirt, with a black coat with white
markings, copper tie and dark green pants.
3. Light
brown shirt, slim black tie and diamond icon coat.
Al's Women:
Al was in a custody battle with his 4th (but says 3rd) wife Sharon
over their dog Chester. Sharon won. Al checks out the women's dressing room. He was upset that Tina had gone to visit her
mother for two weeks and he does have
his "needs." Al says that he got a lot of hickeys because he
wore Auqa Velva
aftershave.
Miscellaneous Trivia:
This episode was
supposed to be aired earlier in the season, which is why the gummy bear
version of the handlink has already been seen three times prior to this point. Rich Whiteside made his forst on-set appearance during this episode. He went on to advise on "The Leap Home - Part II: Vietnam."
Crew:
Writers:
Cristy Dawson
Beverly Bridges
Director:
James Whitmore, Jr.
Producers: Executive Producer - Donald P. Bellisario Associate Producer - Jimmy Giritlian Co-producer - Paul Brown Co-Producer - Jeff Gourson Co-executive producer - Deborah Pratt Producer - Chris Ruppenthal Supervising producer - Roberr A. Wolterstorff Supervising producer - Harker Wade Co-executive Producer - Michael Zinberg
Oboe soloist - Tom Boyd
Music by - Velton Ray Bunch Composer (theme music) - Mike Post
Music editor - Donald Woods
Director of Photography - Michael Watkins Film editor - Jon Kozlowsky Film editor - Jerry Temple Assistant camera - Peter Gulla Gaffer - Mark Abbott Rigging technichian - Eldon Hanse Casting - Ellen Lubin Sanitsky Set decorator - Robert L. Zilliox Costume designer - Jean-Pierre Dorléac Unit production manager - Ronald R. Grow Production designer - Cameron Birnie First assistant director - Paul Simmons Second assistant director - Robert Brooks Mendel Sound effects editor - Rick Bozeat Supervising Sound Editor - Paul B. Clay Sound mixer - Mark Hopkins McNabb Stunt Coordinator - Diamond Farnsworth Costume supervisor - David Rawley Costume supervisor - Donna Roberts-Orme Executive story editor - Tommy Thompson
Guest Stars: Amy F. Steel as Maggie Spontini Erich Anderson as Steve Slater Lauren Woodland as Jamie Spontini Michael Fairman as Judge Mulhearn Robin Greer as Elaine Jean Adams as Mrs. Futrell Dan Birch as Harry Spontini (Mirror image)
Guest Cast Notes:
Maggie Spontini. played by Amy Steel Amy's acting carrer started in 1973. She
temporarily left the theatre to further pursue her academic career at
the prestigious Kent school in Kent, Conneticut. After three years at
Kent, Amy left to attend a small college in Palm Beach, Florida where
she majored in communications and broadcasting. Amy's acting carrer is
very long so, I'll just give you a few:-
Amy has appeared in JAG, Don Bellisarios's post Quantum Leap series
Cmdr. Samantha Woodling in the episode "Promises". Also she has
appeared in Chiago Hope, Dianosis Murder, American Gothic, Home
Improvement and The Friday the 13th films.
Steve Slater played by Erich
Anderson
Erich like Amy has also got quite a few acting credits. He has appeared
in Star Trek The Next Generation as Commander Kieran MacDuff in the
episode "Conumdrum" He has also appeared in Melrose Place, The Outer
Limits, 7th Heaven and Touched By An Angel.
Jamie Spontini played by Lauren
Woodland
Lauren has appeared in L.A Law, Brooklyn Bridge (serval times),
Brotherly Love, Encore! Encore!and Seven Days.
Judge Mulhearn played by Micheal
Fairman
Wow! Micheal has a very very long of credits to his name! Incredible.
Michael Fairman is a veteran of film, stage and television. In his
forty-plus year career, he has portrayed Adlai Stevenson in the
political thriller, Thirteen Days (2000) starring Kevin Costner, was
featured in 'David Lynch's' Academy Award nominated Mulholland Dr.
(2001), played 'Ben Affleck's' father in Dreamworks' Forces of Nature
(1999). This versatile actor can be seen regularly on television -
having guest star appearances on popular shows such as "ER" (1994),
"Practice, The" (1997), _"X-Files, The" (1993)_ , _"Boston Public"
(2000_ , "Family Law" (1999) and "Dharma & Greg" (1997) to name
just a few.
He started out his career as a navigator in the U.S. Air Force. While
stationed at Tachikawa Air Force Base near Tokyo, he joined a theater
group and he has been acting ever since. After the Air Force, Michael
enrolled in the Dramatic Arts Department of New York University.
Beginning with Oedipus in Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex', Michael played
leads throughout college, including a series of classical roles at the
Oregon Shakespearean Festival. He has played everything from Stanley
Kowalski in 'A Streetcar Named Desire', Pozzo in 'Waiting for Godot' to
his critically acclaimed 'The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail' and was in
numerous productions off-Broadway.
This extensive stage experience led Michael to numerous recurring roles
in such hit TV shows as "L.A. Law" (1986), "Hill Street Blues" (1981)
and "Cagney & Lacey" (1982) and extended runs on the soap
operas "General Hospital" (1963), "Ryan's Hope" (1975) and "Love of
Life" (1951). A very interesting life!
Harry Mirror Image played
by Dan Birch
Birch is an accomplished magician and provided
technical advice on the magic in this episode. He is the brother of Cheryl Birch, Universal’s Director of Business Affairs.
Personal
Review:
I thought that this episode was good. It showed what a child goes
through when their parents divorce. What a child feels when a parent
turns up out of the blue after a couple of years. It also shows some
deep bonds that some children can make with their parents. I like the
way that Sam mentioned about Al's mother instead of Al saying about it.
Al proberly never mentioned it because it proberly hurts but he would
never let anyone know that, hime being the tough man he is.
Reviewer Synopsis:
Sam as to prevent Harry losing his daughter, Jamie, in a custody battle
when his estranged wife, Maggie, turns up after three years, wanting a
divorce so she can marry her fiancé (slime bag) Steve Slater, who is
also her lawyer.
Sam tries his hardest to show that Harry is a good parent but a faulty
handlink is not much help in these matters. He also believes that
Maggie still loves Harry.
While Sam and Maggie are at the custody hearing, Jamie tries out the
Table of Death. The Table of Death is a trick that her and her father
have been trying to master so that they can get to appear on TV and win
enough money for a magic shop so that they can settle down and stop
living on the road. But The Table of Death has got its name from that
people have died on it whist performing the illusion and it is also
going to kill Jamie.
Al tells Sam what is happening and what is going to happen to Jamie.
Sam and Maggie arrive in time to save Jamie.
Back at the hearing Steve tries to put all the blame of what happened
to Sam/Harry not being a fit parent. Maggie blames herself as Jamie was
in her care at the time. Steve tells her she is making a mistake, but
Maggie gives back the ring. Steve leaves. After Sam made it possible
Harry and Maggie got back together a year later on that very day.
Maggie also finds a magic shop for Harry.
Best Scene:
When the handlink died! Very memorable!
Say What?
Al says that he was in a
custody battle with his 3rd wife. Al's third wife was of course Ruthie
but Al says it was Sharon. Sharon was Al's fourth wife.
Harry
has an audition for the TV show "The Magician" coming up, but the
series aired its' final episode a month before this story takes place.
Al used the Imaging Chamber door three times, but we never hear it close behind him.
Quotable Quotes:
"Divorces are all ways hardest on children." -- Al, "The Great Spontini"
"You're supposed to wear it, not drink it!" -- Jamie to Sam, as she
smells of his cologne, "The Great Spontini"
Uh
oh, Sam, I think I killed it.
-- Al after pounding on the handlink, "The Great Spontini"
Deny everything.
-- Al to Sam, "The Great Spontini"
You were incredible that weekend, Harry, I've never been able to look at a balcony the
same way since.
-- Maggie, "The Great Spontini"
Ladies and Gentlemen ... The Great Spontini!
Oh boy.
-- Jamie and Sam, "The Great Spontini"
Take pity on me, Sam. I haven't been myself lately. Tina's been away for a
couple of weeks visiting her mother and... I do have my _needs_, you know!
God forbid you should have two weeks down time.
-- Al and Sam, "The Great Spontini"
Sam, did I ever tell you that when I was in the orphanage they used to call me "Al
the Pick"?
-- Al, "The Great Spontini"
Looks like you're out of a job, butthead.
My sentiments exactly, butthead.
-- Jamie and Al to Steve the sleazy lawyer, "The Great Spontini"
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