"Pool Hall Blues"


Leap Date:

September 4, 1954


Episode adopted by: Carol <aka> C_DEAN n C_AL
Additional info provided by: Mike, Niel, & Brian Greene

 

Synopsis:

Sam has leaped into Charlie "Black Magic" Walters, one of the greatest pool players of all time! Magic also happened to be Al's mentor when Al was growing up. Sam is there to help Magic's daughter buy back the marker for her club from a loan shark.

 

Audio from this episode
Song 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
Miscellaneous Trivia
Kiss with History
Writers
Director
Producers

Crew
Broadcast Date
Guest Stars
Guest Cast Notes
Guests who appeared in other Quantum Leap episodes
Say What?
Best Lines
Best Scenes
Awards

 


 

Production # 65422




TV Guide Synopsis:
Sam picks up the cue of a 1950s Chicago pool shark, and finds himself committed to a game that will determine his granddaughter's future. Violet: Shari Headley. Eddie: J.W. Smith. Grady: Teddy Wilson. The Brush: Ken Foree. Sam: Scott Bakula.



 

 

Place: 

Chicago, Illinois, USA


 


 

Leap Date:
September 4, 1954 - Saturday


 



 

Leapee:
Charlie “Black Magic” Walters






Broadcast Date:
March 14, 1990 - Wednesday



 

 

Music: 

“Stormy Weather” Written by: Harold Arlen / Sung by: Shari Headley 

"Baby I Don’t Cry Over You" by Billie Holiday

"Confessin’ the Blues" by Walter Brown with Jay McShann’s Band

Spiritual Song played by Scott Bakula. Written by Deborah Pratt.

 

 

 

 

 

Project Trivia: 

Al is not seen going into or coming out of the IC in this episode.

You hear the door open and close once.

 

The handlink is a thin see-through piece of plastic with silver strips at top and bottom and with red flashing graph like bars lights near the center. It is contoured to fit Al’s hand.  

 

Ziggy is not called a he or she in this episode.

 



 

Scott Trivia:  

Scott liked the shows he would get to sing and play an instrument in.

This episode he wrote a song, sang it, and played the piano.

 

 

Al Trivia:  

In this episode Al is wearing 2 gold rings, one on his right hand on the ring finger and the other on his left hand on the pinkie finger. He also has a watch on his left wrist; it has a gold bezel and a round face with a black band.





 

Al's Outfits: 

1) Olive green, rust & brown printed southwestern shirt, black and green vest w/sm white dots, metallic greeen thin tie, dark colored pants, belt w/silver buckle (matches tie).

 

2) Gray print shirt, red tie, gray & Wedgwood blue print suspenders, gray pants.

 

3) Silver metallic jacket, satin turquoise shirt, Silver metallic scarf type tie w/gray diamond design, silver pants w/black belt & silver buckle.

 

4) White linen suit, orange colored shirt, scarf type tie w/ metallic gold design, brown belt & brown shoes.





Miscellaneous Trivia: 

Al popped in and out 4 times

 

Al smoked 3 cigars

 

Dean does play billiards quite well. Both Dean & Scott have played together.

The script was based, in part, on the life of Robert “Rags” Woods, who played Charlie Walters mirror image!

 

 

 


Kiss With History:  

(by the pool table)

Grady says, “Magic … Magic no banks gonna give no ah … no loan to a woman.”

Violet says, “Especially a Negro women.”

Sam says, “All I see is a business person with a going concern who needs a loan.”

Violet says, “Business person! Poppy you been sneaking onions again? You know how they make you crazy!”

 

(in the bank)

Sam says, “Now that the club is happening.”

Charles Griffin says, “Happening?”

Sam says, “ Working, making money…”





 

Crew:

 

Executive Producer: Donald P Bellisario

 

Music By: Mike Post

 

Supervising Producer: Deborah Pratt

 

Co-Producer: Paul Brown, Jeff Gourson & Chris Ruppenthal

 

Produced By: Harker Wade

 

Written By: Randy Holland

 

Directed By: Joe Nopolitano

 

Story Editor: Randy Holland & Tommy Thompson

 

Director of Photography: Michael Watkins

 

Production Design: Cameron Birnie

 

Edited By: Alan Shefland

 

Unit Production Manager: Ronald R Grow

 

1st Assistant Director: Ryan Gordon

 

2nd Assistant Director: Rob Mendel

 

Casting By: Kleen Lubin Stanisky

 

Set Decoration: Robert L Zilliox

 

Stunt Coordinator: Diamond Farnsworth

 

Costume Designer: Jean-Pierre Dorleac

 

Costume Supervisor: David Rawley & Donna Roberts-Orme

 

Sound Mixer: Mark Hopkins McNabb

 

Production Management: Ronald R Grow

 

Supervising Sound Editor: Paul Clay

 

Supervising Musical Consultant: Velton Ray Bunch

 

Music Editor: Tom Gleason

 

Panaflex Camera & Lenses By: Panavision

 

BELISARIUS PRODUCTIONS

 

 


  

Regular Cast:

Scott Bakula as Dr. Samuel Beckett

Dean Stockwell as Admiral Albert "Al" Calavicci

Deborah Pratt as Narrator/Ziggy (voice)

 

 

Guest Cast: 

Ken Foree as The Brush

Robert Gossett as Charles Griffin
Shari Headley as Violet Walters  

J.W. Smith as Eddie Davies 

Annie Waterman as Miss White 

Teddy Wilson as Jimmy Grady

Alton Blair Carter as Lester Brown
Annie Waterman as Miss White
Robert “Rags” Woods as Charlie “Black Magic” Walters (Mirror image)



 



 

Guest Cast Notes: 

Jimmy Grady played by Teddy Wilson:

Birth: December 10, 1943 / New York, New York, USA

Death: July 21, 1991 / Los Angeles, California (aids)

Teddy Wilson played in numerous movies, some of them were: Bound By Honor (1993 *the last thing he did), Life Stinks (1991), You Can’t Take It With You (1987), That’s Life (1986), Loose Shoes (1980), Black Eye (1974) and numerous sitcoms among them: The Redd Foxx Show, as Isaac the bartender in Love Boat, What’s Happening, Baretta, That’s My Momma, Good Times, The Jefferson’s, Sanford and Son, All In The Family, M*A*S*H and the Partridge Family. And many of the TV shows he was in more than one episode.

Loan Officer - Charles Griffin played by Robert Gossett, is the nephew of Louis Gossett, Jr.

 

Violet Walters played by Shari Headley was married to Christopher Martin (Kid N’ Play) 1993-1995 – 1 child.





Guests who appeared in other Quantum Leap episodes:
Teddy Wilson also played Ernie Tyler in "Rebel Without a Clue."





Reviewer Synopsis:
This episode is tied into Al’s past. When Sam leaps, “Black Magic” is about to take a shot on the pool table. Lester says, “Come on old man, double or nothing. Whatta say?” and Sam rises up and the leap begins …

 

Sam is there to play one game of nine-ball to win back the marker that Eddie Davies put up for Violet Walters, Charlie’s granddaughter. The only thing wrong is Sam couldn’t shoot a game of pool with a shotgun! But with Al and Ziggy’s help he’ll be shootin’ better than Minnesota Fats. J

 

Now Al is more excited about this leap than Sam … because he knew Charlie. He ran away from the orphanage when he was 10 and spent a couple months touring with Charlie “Black Magic” Walters. Some of the towns they visited were Chicago, St Louis and the Big Easy, where Magic got busted for shooting pool in a “whites only” pool hall. Al was then sent back to the orphanage. L

 

Jimmy “Grady” is Magic’s best friend and is always looking out for his best interest. Like when his granddaughter is taking down an old lamp hanging over the famous pool table, or putting “Alberta” to bed. Alberta is 21 ounces of pure African Ebony inlayed with Mother of Pearl and is named after his deceased wife. Grady’s pool cue is named “Bathsheeba”.

 

Eddie Davies is the type of guy that thinks he’s “God’s Gift to Women”. He has a lot of money invested in Violet’s blues club and would like “A” return on his investment.






Best Lines: 

::Sam and Violet end their duet at the piano and she goes to bed and Sam walks over to Al::

Violet says, “Poppy if I live to be a hundred you’ll never cease to amaze me.” She gives him a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”

Sam says, “Night, Night.”

Al says, “Ah… Gee that was kinda nice, Sam.”

Sam says, “Yah, it was. Okay now, what do I have to learn next?”

Al says, “Geometry.”

Sam says, “Geometry?”

Al says, “The geometry of the table. You can’t sink a ball until you’ve worked out the angles, epically on the… the bank shots!”

Sam says, “The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection!”

Al says, “Somethin’ like that.”

Sam says, “YAH!”

Al says, “Yah, and once you worked out the angles, then all you have to know where to hit the cue ball and how hard.”

Sam says, “It probably takes a long time to learn?”

Al says, “Takes years! Wish there was some way… I could draw it out for you …” As Al reaches into his pocket and pulls out the hand link. Pushing a couple buttons, you see a laser beam of light from the cue ball to the object ball to the cushion to the pocket. Al chuckles, “Huh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh … Now … just hit the dot on the cue ball … nice and smooth … your elbows are hinged … medium strong … go for it … Oh what a pretty sound!”

Sam laughs as he pockets the ball, “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha … Pythagorus! We are going to shoot some pool!”







 

Best Scene: 

::in the bathroom::

Sam says, “Al! Everybody thinks I’m some kind of a… a pool giant.”

Al says, “Well you are. You’re Charlie Black Magic Walters.”

Sam says, “I never heard of him.”

Al says, “Man, when I walked into that waiting room and saw him sitting there I couldn’t believe it! I never I’d thought see Magic again. It’s been over forty years since I last saw him.”

Sam says, “You know him?”

Al says, “Know him! I’ve held Alberta. There’s maybe 5 people in the world that can say that. I’ve even used her to sink a ball!”

Sam says, “Al, I’ve never seen you so excited about anything. I mean this is just a pool cue. It’s not like it’s a woman.”

Al says, “Ok, when I was ten years old I ran away from the orphanage. After a couple of days I was cold, I was scared, I was lonely. I got so desperate I even tried to pick a guys pocket.”

Sam says, “Black Magic’s?”

Al says, “Right! Now he didn’t turn me into the cops. He fed me, he bought me a jacket. He said to me er… that kids shouldn’t be in orphanages. That a kid should be raised by a family and I should travel with him until we could find one. Well I did! We drifted around together… we went to Chi, went to St Loui, went to the Big Easy. Where… he got busted for shooting pool in a “whites only” pool hall.”

Sam says, “And you ended up back in the orphanage.”

Al says, “It wasn’t his fault.”

Sam says, “I wasn’t implying that it was.”

Al says, “I… I’m sorry Sam it’s just that those few months were real important in my life. He turned me around, that old guy, showed me that there were people in the world that really care. And that’s why you gotta help him Sam!”

Sam says, “Al! I’m gonna help him!”

Al says, “But the only problem is… Eddie Davis… a slime ball pool shark that… magic has never played… because, well he doesn’t shoot pool with trash.”

Sam says, “Eddie implied that I… that Magic has a game with him.”

Al says, “Well… Violet borrowed some money from a loan shark… she was going to change this old pool hall into a blues club, and Eddie bought her marker and that’s what he’s putting up to make this match with magic.”

Sam says, “That’s an expensive way to get a pool game.”

Al says, “Well it is if you loose, but Eddie doesn’t figure to loose. See he knows that Magic’s eyesight is gone. But what he doesn’t know… is your eyesight is twenty-twenty!”

Sam says, “Al look, my eyes may be fine, but I… I couldn’t shoot a game of pool with a shotgun!”

Al says, “Well you’re gonna have to learn! Or else Violets dream is lost and Magic won’t ever forgive himself for not coming through for his granddaughter, and I’ll never forgive myself for not coming through for magic!”








Say What?
Leap Date:  9/4/54 - Eddie Calls Magic "Minnesota Fats" - Unfortunately, the character of Minnesota Fats was created from the movie "The Hustler" starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason.  The movie was made in 1961.


You can see Scott Bakula's shoulder in the mirror shot alongside Walters.


During the "Stormy Weather" song, the clock doesn't change time (8:50pm).

In another mirror shot, Walters is using a different arm than Sam to practice pool.


It's unclear why the Pentagon would take power from the Project at this particular time. Budget issues?





 

Quotable Quotes: 

Sayin' ain't doin'.
-- Grady, "Pool Hall Blues"

Pythagoras, we are gonna' shoot some pool.
-- Sam, "Pool Hall Blues"

Pythagoras- we are gonna shoot some pool!
-- Sam, "Pool Hall Blues"

Magic, have you been eating onions again?
-- just about everybody!, "Pool Hall Blues"

Awwwww Sam ... not the head again, every time we leap in we gotta go talk in the men's room ... it's disgusting!
Can you think of a better place to talk?  ...
The ladies room?
-- Al and Sam, "Pool Hall Blues"

I couldn't shoot a game of pool with a shotgun.
-- Sam, "Pool Hall Blues"
 






 

Awards: 

Winner: Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography for a Series in 1990: Michael Watkins

Nomination: American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding
Achievement in Cinematography in a Regular Series in 1990: Michael Watkins



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