Leap Date:
May 4, 1985

Teaser:

Much like the book "Misery", Sam leaps into the life of a famous soap opera star who gets kidnapped by an obsessed fan and her husband. The woman wants Sam to father her child and plans to keep him hostage until he agrees!

Audio from this episode:

Norma Jean: Don't say that!
Don't you ever say that!

TV Guide Teaser:

Sam (Scott Bakula) pops into a soap-opera star whose bubble is burst when he's kidnapped by a deranged fan and her husband. Norma Jean: Kathleen Wilhoite. Hank: Pruitt Taylor Vince. Al: Dean Stockwell.

Synopsis & Review:

Sam leaps in and finds himself in a hospital, with a female patient who is dying. A nurse tells him to do something. Sam takes her chart and looks at it as fast as he can. The monitor flatlines and the nurse says she's gone. The woman's husband throws him up against the wall and says it's his fault. "You bastard, you murdered my wife!" Sam groans, "Oh, Boy."

After the opening theme, Sam tells her husband that he can still save her. Everyone seems confused. As he starts trying to perform CPR, the woman he is trying to save starts kissing him!

The director yells, "cut!" It's a TV show! He's leaped into soap opera star Kyle Hart, and his director is not happy with him. Sam's agent comes in and takes the heat off his client. Sam learns that he is in every scene and that he has a lunch date with a fan named Norma Jean, who won the date in a contest from a soap
detergent company.

Al appears, walking through the set. Al is typically enthused with the person Sam has leaped Into. Sam less so. Al sees the beautiful nurse. "Gee, suddenly, I feel kinda sick." Sam replies, "Come here... Would you get over here? Quit fooling around!" Al remarks, "I think I need some intensive care."

Al finally gives him the rundown of the leap. The show Sam stars in is called “Moments To Live”. But he has no idea why Sam is there. Al explains, "Ziggy had a new data search component installed, and we had to have it shipped in from Hong Kong, and I think that gave a little jet lag to the modem of the floppy disk." Sam smirks, "Why do you make this stuff up all the time? Why don't you just say to me, 'Sam, we don't know.'? Why don't you just do that for once instead of making it up all the time?" Al fires back, "Well, that wouldn't be any fun." Sam says, "I have to go and lunch with some woman who won this soap-detergent contest." Al quips, "Well, you can look at it this way: at least you know she'll be clean!"

Sam is having lunch with Norma Jean, who seems to confuse fiction for reality. She's been planning this for a while, having entered the contest over three hundred times. Norma Jean says to the waitress, "People often mistake me for Sally Field". The waitress looks at her and replies: "I don't see it." Lunch gets interrupted by a fan, who wants a picture. This seems to annoy Norma. She's asked to take the picture and “accidentally” drops her camera in the soup.

Norma and Sam leave the restaurant. Norma goes to powder her nose. Al appears to let him know that in the real history, Kyle never showed up for work.

Synopsis by Dave Korman. Edited with additions by Brian Greene.

Personal Review & Synopsis by MikeKraken:

"You mean it's your evil twin's baby, not yours?" Sam has leaped into the star of a soap opera, Kyle Hart, who is the heart-throb of housewives the country over. However, Norma Jean Pilcher, the winner of a detergent contest to win a date with Kyle, has other ideas about who's going to be having a baby.

Not necessarily one of my favourite episodes, but one of the great ones nonetheless. It definitely focusses on the lighter side of things, with satire regarding soap operas, as well as people who watch television and believe what they see is real. There are many jokes cracked, and though there is a serious side to the episode, it doesn't last too long and is quickly resolved. It's a happy ending; a really feel-good episode.

Al never uses the Imaging Chamber Door.

Al's Women:

Al wants some intensive care from the Nurse on the set of Moments To Live.

Tina is mentioned as well.

Miscellaneous Trivia:

The episode title references the soap opera "One Life To Live."

The scene on the bridge was filmed on the collapsing bridge at Universal Studios Hollywood, and can be visited on the Studio Tour.

Matthew Ashford played Jack Deveraux on "Days of Our Lives" beginning in 1987, as well as other characters on various soap operas: "One Life to Live" (1982-1983), "Search for Tomorrow" (1984-1986), "General Hospital" (1995-1997).

This episode is inspired by Stephen King's Misery.

Bloopers: Dr Hunk...

Bloopers: It's Television...

Guest Cast Notes:

Kathleen Wilhoite as Norma Jean Bates Pilcher: Born in Santa Barbara, California on June 29, 1964, almond-eyed Kathleen Wilhoite grew up there and began singing in her church choir from the first grade. Two years later, she was performing on stage, as part of a back-up choir, with The Carpenters, at the Santa Barbara County Bowl. All the while, she studied piano and songwriting and appeared in her high school's theater productions, such as "The House of Blue Leaves". Kathleen wrote and sang as one of the "Boogie Woogie Bugle Girls", a harmony group inspired by The Andrews Sisters. She also became the youngest member of the Santa Barbara Songwriters Guild (age 16). After high school, Kathleen elected to pursue an acting career, as opposed to music, and enrolled at the USC Drama School. Just a couple of months later, she landed her first movie role in Private School (1983). Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in a number of film and TV projects as both leads and second leads where her brash sexuality and quirky, unconventional style was eagerly put on display. She appeared noticeably opposite Charles Bronson in Murphy's Law (1986), Jane Fonda in The Morning After (1986), Robert De Niro in Angel Heart (1987), Amy Irving in Crossing Delancey (1988), Patrick Swayze in Road House (1989), and Debra Winger and Nick Nolte in Everybody Wins (1990), and Susan Sarandon and Nolte in Lorenzo's Oil (1992). Kathleen appeared on many of the popular series of the 80's and '90s including "AfterMASH," "Family Ties," "The Jeffersons," "Cagney & Lacey" and "Fame," "Cop Rock," "Twin Peaks," "Quantum Leap," "Mad About You," "Ally McBeal" and "Family Law." While her acting career flourished, she continued to expand her music skills but was dealt with a few setbacks, including a contract with Mercury Records that fell through. After a brief sojourn to Texas to refocus intently on her music, Kathleen returned to the Hollywood rat race and eased back in as a "working actress". A variety of offbeat roles in such movies as Nurse Betty (2000) and Pay It Forward (2000) has kept her name active on the credits list for over two decades. She landed a number of challenging roles, including a recurring roles on the law series L.A. Law (1986) as intellectually disabled assistant Benny's Adhipathi (1990) likewise girlfriend Rosalie, and the medical series ER (1994) as troubled, substance abuser Chloe Lewis. In the late 1980s, Kathleen was chosen by cartoonist Cathy Guisewite to give vocal life to her creation Cathy (1987) in a series of TV movies. Wilhoite later voiced another cartoon creation, Sue Rose's Pepper Ann (1997) in an animated TV series. Into the millennium, Kathleen's on-camera featured work included the films Nurse Betty (2000), Pay It Forward (2000), Quicksand (2003), Perfect Opposites (2004), Firecracker (2005), Winged Creatures (2008), Seeking Justice (2011), Crazy Kind of Love (2013) and The Ride (2018). In addition to a recurring role on Gilmore Girls (2000), she had guest parts on "Touched by an Angel," "24," "Boomtown," "Will & Grace," "Charmed," "The Ghost Whisperer," "Boston Legal," "Criminal Minds," "Grey's Anatomy," "Battle Creek," "The OA" and "Yellowstone." Married to record producer/drummer David Harte and the mother of three children, Kathleen was signed by her husband to his "The Daves" record label (the other "Dave" is booking agent David Surnow) and released two CDS - "Pitch Like a Girl" (1997) and "Shiva" (2000). In sync with both her edgy acting and music style, she wrote and performed an autobiographical one-woman show, "Stop Yellin'," directed by Kathy Najimy, in which she sings her own music and performs monologues.

Pruitt Taylor Vince as Hank Pilcher: Pruitt can next be seen starring as a series regular in the Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake, opposite Natalie Portman. Other television work includes recurring in Netflix's Stranger Things, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., NBC's Heroes Reborn, True Blood, The Walking Dead, The Mentalist, and Murder One (for which he won an Emmy). On the film side, Pruitt has held prominent roles in Netflix's Bird Box opposite Sandra Bullock and The Life and Death of John Gotti opposite John Travolta.

SPOILER WARNING for the movie Identity in this clip featuring Pruitt Taylor and John Cusack:

Frances Bay as Mildred "Millie" Reynolds: Cute, tiny, and prolific little old lady character actress Frances Bay worked constantly in both films and TV shows alike after making her debut at the age of 59 in life with a small part in the comedy Foul Play (1978) in 1978. She frequently portrayed eccentric elderly women and good-hearted grandmothers in all kinds of pictures and television programs. Frances acted several times for David Lynch: she's Kyle MacLachlan's sweet doddery aunt in Blue Velvet (1986), a gruff, profane whorehouse madam in Wild at Heart (1990), and the spooky Mrs. Tremond in the cult TV series Twin Peaks (1990) and its spin-off feature Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). Frances popped up in two movies for director Stuart Gordon: she's a kind witch in The Pit and the Pendulum (1991) and a fortune teller in Edmond (2005). Other notable film roles include a snippy librarian in The Attic (1980), a mysterious blind nun in the offbeat Nomads (1986), another librarian in In the Mouth of Madness (1994), and Adam Sandler's loving grandmother in the hit comedy Happy Gilmore (1996). Frances had the unique distinction of guesting on the final episodes of the TV shows Happy Days (1974), Who's the Boss? (1984), and Seinfeld (1989). Among the many TV series Bay had guest spots on are Charmed (1998), ER (1994), Matlock (1986), The X-Files (1993), Murder, She Wrote (1984), The Commish (1991), L.A. Law (1986), Hill Street Blues (1981), Touched by an Angel (1994), The Golden Girls (1985), and Amazing Stories (1985). She won a Gemini Award for her performance in the Disney TV program Avonlea (1990). Frances was also in the music video for Jimmy Fallon's "Idiot Boyfriend." In addition to her substantial movie and TV credits, Bay also acted in both Off-Broadway stage productions and regional theater; these plays include "Finnegan's Wake," "Grease," "Genuis," "The Caucasion Chalk Circle," "Number Our Days," "Uncommon Women," "Sarcophagus," and "The Pleasure of His Company." Frances won two DramaLogue Awards and was nominated for a Los Angeles Dramatic Critics' Award. In 2002 Bay was the unfortunate victim of an automobile accident which resulted in having part of her right leg amputated. Her husband Charles sadly died in 2002 as well. In real life Frances Bay was a very practical and unassuming woman with an avid love for jazz music. Born January 23, 1919 in Mannville, Alberta, Canada. Died September 15, 2011 in Tarzana, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Brian George as Ben (Kyle Hart's agent): The youngest of four siblings, Brian George was born in Jerusalem to Jewish parents in July 1952. Both of his parents had immigrated to Israel from India. His father was born in Iraq but raised in Bombay and his mother was born and raised in India. When Brian was a year old, the family immigrated to London. Brian attended an all-boys school in London. In 1966, the family moved to Toronto and he attended public high school, followed by the University of Toronto, where he became involved in theater. George left before graduation and formed an unsuccessful theater group. He joined The Second City, where he trained with comedy greats including John Candy, among others. His career in acting and voice-over work has flourished ever since.

Matthew Ashford as TV Husband: Matthew Nile Ashford was born on January 29, 1960, in the town of Davenport, Iowa. He is the third youngest [youngest boy] of eight kids. He has four brothers and 3 sisters, and in descending order their names are: Dave [6/4], Jeff [6/4], Phil [10/1], Teresa [4/16], Randy [8/9], Matt [1/29], Susie [3/13], and Sally [9/16]. When he was 12 years old, his sisters took him to auditions for a local play, and it was there that he was bitten by the acting bug. A year later, the family moved to Fairfax, VA, where Matthew attended Hayfield High and continued to involve himself in local theatre as well as school productions. After graduation, Matthew attended the highly accredited North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. During the summer months, he and a friend worked as street performers in Myrtle Beach, SC doing mime, magic, juggling, improv. Eventually, he joined the Ragamuffin Magic & Mime Company where he earned his first professional paycheck. Soon after graduating from NC School of the Arts, in 1982, with a B.F.A. in Theatre, he followed his star to New York City; it was full of opportunities, and it was still only a train ride from mom. Matthew was not in town long before he was put under contract by ABC and cast as Drew Ralston on One Life to Live (1968) (1982-83). Sadly, Drew was killed in a flower shop on the eve of his wedding. After his year on OLTL, Matt toured with a troupe performing "Member of the Wedding," which soon led to his second soap, Search for Tomorrow (1951). Matt played Cagney McCleary, with brothers John Forsythe and 'Jeff Meek', from 1983 until the show was canceled in December of 1986. Matt quickly made the role of "Jack" his own and won several awards for his portrayal of the popular Days' character including Soap Opera Digest's Best Villain in 1989, a Super Couple (1991) and Best Wedding (1992) award with Melissa Reeves, as well as the Best Comedic Performance award in 1992. Strangely, the birth of Matthew and Christina's daughter Grace seemed to coincide with the birth of Jack's television daughter, Abigail. Little Grace was born on June 15, 1992. Matt left Days of Our Lives (1965) within the following year, in September of 1993, after six years as Jack Deveraux. He remains the only true "Jack" in the hearts of many. In 1997, he and his wife Grace had a second child -- a daughter Emma. During his time off from the soaps, Matt took the opportunity to get involved with live theatre again. He joined the prestigious Interact Theatre Company, headed by former co-star Marilyn McIntyre (ex-Jo Days). He remains active in the troupe, despite his daytime schedule.

Ellen Gerstein as Woman: Ellen has been an actress for many years, she was honored with the Robert Prosky Character Actor Award. She was recently seen in the feature Venom and soon to be seen in the upcoming feature Dead of Night. You may have seen her in Treasure of The Black Jaguar and Swelter. In such television shows as Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Brothers, Fresh Off the Boat, and recurring on Shameless, as well Southland, Friends, and Seinfeld to name a few. Winning awards for best actress in the short films Passage and Firm with Purpose both on the festival circuit and she appears as a lead in the feature The Golden Age. She's done numerous films and has worked with incredible people like Danny DeVito, Lainie Kazan, Robert DeNiro, Kathy Bates, Cuba Gooding, Jason Bateman, Ted Danson, Martin Scorcese, Paul Schraeder, Rob Marshall, and Mimi Leder to name a few. Ellen directed and acted in her international award winning short film, Come Away with Me, winning over 30 festival awards worldwide. She also wrote and produced the original song "Come Away with Me Tonight" for the film. Ellen wrote, produced, and directed the international award winning short film Waiting for Ronald. A 34-year-old mentally challenged man leaves the institution where he has spent most of his years to start a new life. She cast actors with disabilities along with non-challenged actors and had incredible success. It is being developed into a TV series, Just South of Normal. She created and stars in the popular and hysterical web series Sylvia's Just Sayin'. Ellen has acted in, as well as produced and directed theater in LA. She co-wrote and co-produced Club Disco and created the character, Angie, an interactive play at the Llillian theater. Ellen has worked with incredible people like Danny Divito, Lainie Kazan, Robert DeNiro, Kathy Bates, Jason Bateman,Ted Danson, Martin Scorcese, Paul Schraeder, Rob Marshall, and Mimi Leder to name a few. Ellen has acted in, as well as produced and directed theater in LA. Including her award winning one-woman show, My Psychotherapy Comeback Tour, a semi-finalist in the Samuel French Short Play Festival. Performed in LA and New York. She originated characters including: Ruthie in Potroast at the Actors Gang; Shirley in Sit and Shiver, a play by Steven Berkoff, at the Odyssey; Rosalie in the play Angel Share at the Tiffany, with Paula Prentiss. She co-wrote, co-produced and originated the character Angie in the long running interactive play Club Disco. Ellen is a member of Women in Film, The Alliance of Women Directors. As well as a life member and on the audition committee of the Actors Studio and an audition judge. Somewhere along the line Ellen received a Graduate Degree in Psychology, so she does not have to pay for therapy, she can just talk to herself.

James Gleason as Roger: James Gleason was born on September 30, 1952 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Lessons in Chemistry (2023), Modern Family (2009) and The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (1987).

Krista Mione (Tesreau) as Nurse Kidman: Krista Tesreau was born on January 10, 1964 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She is an actress, known for Guiding Light (1952), One Life to Live (1968) and Ringmaster (1998). She has been married to Glenn Strauss since July 24, 2004. They have two children. She was previously married to Robert Mione. Was Miss Teen 1981.

Julie Lloyd as Waitress: Julie Lloyd is known for Quantum Leap (1989), Coach (1989) and Hill Street Blues (1981).

Mark Fauser as Policeman: Mark Fauser is known for Madison (2001), It's All About You (2002) and Waking Up in Reno (2002). Mark is the Director of Marketing for the City of Marion. Winner of the Governor's Arts Award in Indiana April of 2012. His first job in Hollywood was taking blow dryers and cooling off Little People in the movie The Garbage Pale Kids. Was one of 12 people selected into Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre Training in 1986. Mark was Burt Reynold's Personal assistant for 2 years during Evening Shade when Burt won an Emmy and Golden Globe.

Richard Merson as Vendor: Richard Merson was born on May 14, 1934 in Orpington, Kent, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Night Court (1984), Quantum Leap (1989) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). He was married to Tamara Clark and Barbara Francis. He died on June 1, 2003 in Fulton, Texas, USA.

Patrick Lowe as Kyle Hart (Mirror Image): Patrick Lowe is known for Slumber Party Massacre II (1987), Quantum Leap (1989) and Primal Rage (1988).

Say What?

Does Sam really not notice a full film crew around him as he leaps into the hospital setting?

The magazine reads, "Kyle Hart", but the credits call him "Lyle". Kyle's agent also calls him Lyle. (The original script had him named Lyle.)

Quotable Quotes:

Al (after an actress nurse walks through him): "Gee, suddenly, I feel kinda sick."
Sam: "Come here... Would you get over here? Quit fooling around!"
Al: "I think I need some intensive care."

Al (on soap operas): "Everybody is sleeping with everybody!"

Al: "Ziggy had a new data search component installed, and we had to have it shipped in from Hong Kong, and I think that gave a little jet lag to the modem of the floppy disk."
Sam: "Why do you make this stuff up all the time? Why don't you just say to me, 'Sam, we don't know.'? Why don't you just do that for once instead of making it up all the time?"
Al: "Well, that wouldn't be any fun."

Sam: "I have to go and lunch with some woman who won this soap-detergent contest."
Al: "Well, you can look at it this way: at least you know she'll be clean!"

Al: "Norma Jean Pilcher? Sounds like one of the Beverly Hillbillies."

Norma Jean: "People often mistake me for Sally Field."
Waitress: "I don't see it."

Norma Jean: "You feel asleep on your control stick again."
Millie: "Oh, thank God. I dreamed I was caught in a tornada!"

Al: "You know, she reminds me of my second wife, only her specialty was small appliances."

Sam: "He wants to take what happened here and put it on the show. ... Is that ethical? That can't be ethical."
Al: "No, it's television."

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: Tommy Thompson
Directed By: Joe Napolitano

Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Associate Producers: James S. Giritlian, Julie Bellisario
Coordinating Producer: David Bellisario
Director of Photography: Robert McBride
Production Designer: Cameron Birnie
Edited By: Jon Koslowsky A.C.E.
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
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