"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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