Leap Date:
February 7, 1971

Teaser:

As a parapsychologist, Sam must save a woman from drowning in a lake as per the family curse. Haunted by the voice of her dead husband, Troian has hired Sam to prove the voice she is hearing real. But is there more to it than just a ghost's curse?

Look for Carolyn Seymour who also plays Zoey in the Evil Leaper episodes!

Audio from this episode:

Al: I think I saw that one move.

Brodcast Date (in the USA on NBC):

December 13, 1989 - Wednesday

Air Date in Germany on RTL:  March 8,1991
Air Date in France on M6: October 19, 1993
Air Date in the UK on Sky One: June 28, 1996

Synopsis & Review:

In one of the creepiest scenarios to end up in, Sam has leapt into a cemetery, in the middle of the night, holding a torch, with dogs howling, just as a huge thunderstorm is about to break out. He is summoned to the Claridge Mausoleum by a beautiful woman. She claims to hear her husband, who has been dead for three years, calling her name “Troian” over and over. She asks Sam to look at a piece of machinery, believing that its output shows his voice prints.

The year is 1971 and Sam has fallen for Dr. Timothy Mintz, a parapsychologist hired by Troian Claridge to prove that her husband Julian is haunting her. When Sam and Troian return to Claridge Manor, which Troian inherited from her husband, they are soaked from the storm. Sam receive a cold welcome from Troian's housekeeper, Ms. Patricia Stoltz (Carolyn Seymour), and Troian's brother, Jimmy. Jimmy tells Troian that she is wasting her time and money, Julian is dead and not coming back. But Troian is adamant that she has been hearing him and now has proof. When Troian leaves to warm up with a hot bath, Jimmy then rips into Sam, believing his host is a quack who is only in it for the money and does not care about Troian's state of mind – she had a nervous breakdown after Julian's death, which is why he has power of attorney over her.

Ms. Stoltz returns with drinks for Sam and Troian. Jimmy takes Troian's drink to her, and Ms. Stoltz informs Sam that he is expected in town the next day to pick up newspaper clippings that he has requested from Mrs Little, who works at the local newspaper. Sam assumes Ms. Stoltz changed the arrangements because of the storm, but Ms Stoltz completely freaks out Al, who has just arrived, when she looks directly at him and says that it wasn't because of the storm, but because strangers aren't welcome. Al believes that Ms. Stoltz can see him, and tells Sam to be careful around her. He also informs Sam that he is there to prevent Troian, a successful artist and illustrator of the novels her husband had written, from drowning in the same lake as her husband in two days. Sam tells Al that he believes Timothy's "work" could drive Troian insane. But Al, who believes wholeheartedly in ghosts, tells Sam that Timothy's work is legitimate and that Timothy would do nothing to harm Troian because he is crazy about her.

In her room, Troian is awakened from sleep because she hears Julian's voice calling for her again. She is startled to see wet footprints leading away from her bed, and she follows them to Julian's study. A bloodcurdling scream from Troian prompts Sam and Jimmy to rush to her aid. She is in tears when they arrive, because a painting of hers that she had destroyed three years earlier by throwing it into the lake after Julian's death has returned completely intact.

The next day, Troian reminisces with Sam about Julian. On the day of his death, Julian had posed on a rowboat in the lake so Troian could paint him. He'd gotten bored and started messing around, falling into the lake. By the time Troian realized that Julian was drowning, it was too late. Unable to swim herself, there was nothing she could do to help. She says she only ever hears Julian's voice in and around the Claridge estate and wishes she could see him to tell him how much she loves and misses him, and to apologize for breaking her promise that they would grow old together. Sam comforts Troian, but since she can not bear the thought of Julian down there in the cold, she almost faints. Sam takes her back to the house.

Sam revisits the mausoleum, trying to make sense of everything that is going on. Al reluctantly joins him, even though he is spooked out by the dead bodies and “ghosts”, he believes that the entire Claridge estate has been haunted since Nathanial Claridge found out that his wife Priscilla and their butler had been having an affair, and as revenge, drowned them in the same lake Julian had drowned in over a hundred years later. Sam, however, insists that there must be a logical explanation behind everything that is going on, such as someone, probably Ms. Stoltz or Jimmy, trying to drive Troian insane. They are joined by Jimmy, who again insults Timothy's work, and everyone is shocked to find out that he can hear Al, prompting Al to leave.

Later, Troian hears Julian calling for her again, so she rushes to the mausoleum, desperately trying to figure out what he wants. The mausoleum starts shaking violently, so she thinks they are trying to kill her, but it's really just an earthquake. SSam saves Troian and they laugh about it. Back at the house, Jimmy is trying to fix an old TV. When asked if it worked before the earthquake, Ms. Stoltz replies that she does not know because she does not watch television. Some teasing from Sam prompts her to leave, and Sam asks Troian where she found her. It turns out that when Troian had advertised for a housekeeper after Julian's death, Ms. Stoltz was the only applicant, having worked there before. Happy that someone was willing to stay there, Troian hired her, and reveals that Ms. Stoltz is a good woman once you get past her melodramatic attitude. Jimmy fixes the TV and Troian praises him and how much of a genius he has always been with electronics, joking that he should invent a machine that detects earthquakes. Sam realizes that Timothy's machinery, detecting shifts in electromagnetic energy, had actually already done this, the output from the previous night being the detection of the earthquake.

Now realizing how sophisticated Timothy's equipment is, Sam returns to the mausoleum to use the equipment and find out the truth. When Al reappears, he realizes that the machinery picks up brainwave transmissions, and so was picking up Al, making it possible for others to hear him. It also picked up Sam's leap the night before. At the same time, Troian is in Julian's study, crying and trying to make sense of everything (she'd been upset by the revelation that the machinery hadn't picked up Julian's voice, as they’d already predicted). Sam and Al modify Tim's machine so that it can pick up low voltage battery emissions, and use it to locate a tape-recorder that was hidden in a crypt. When they play it, they can not hear anything, but the dogs start howling. They realize that it must be a voice recorded at such a high frequency that only dogs and some humans - mainly women - can hear it. They realize that it must be an electronic genius to accomplish this, and that it must be Jimmy trying to drive Troian insane. They also realize that since it is on a remote control, when they played it, it would have started playing any other tape recorders that were left lying around. As a result, Troian, hearing Julian's voice again, has another look at the painting and realizes that she has been added to it, dead at the bottom of the lake with Julian.

Troian rushes to the lake to find out what Julian wants, and Al centers in on her. Since another of Tim's machines that can pick up his voice was there, Al talks to Troian, pretending to be Julian, and tries to tell her to live and to go back home. She is confused, because from the painting it appeared that Julian wanted her to join him, and at the same time, Jimmy arrives and tells Troian that was because it's what he needed her to do. He'd been trying to drive her insane to get power of attorney, by making her hear voices and haunt her with the painting, but now that she was getting better, he needed to kill her so he could inherit all her money – he had a lot of gambling debts to pay off. Al stalls him by pretending to be Julian's ghost, but Jimmy sees through it, and throws the machinery into the lake, followed by Troian. Sam runs onto the pier, grabs Jimmy and jumps into the lake with him. Jimmy doesn't come back up, and Al helps Sam find Troian and bring her to the surface, saving her life.

After reporting Jimmy's death, the lake is surrounded by police and reporters. Troian does not think she can handle the fact that her brother tried to drive her insane and kill her, but Sam explains to her that Jimmy was sick and that she is a survivor. The police have not been able to find Jimmy's body, but have found three others that they believe must have been shaken loose by the earthquake. Because of the lake's freezing temperature, they are perfectly preserved. Troian identifies one of them as her husband, and Mrs. Little, from the newspaper, guesses that from their clothing, which looked to be over 100 years old, that the other two are Priscilla Claridge and her butler. When Troian suggests asking Ms. Stoltz to bring them some hot drinks, Mrs. Little says that it is quite a coincidence that Troin's housekeeper's name is Stoltz, since Priscilla Claridge's maiden name was also Stoltz. Sam and Troian look at the other two bodies, and Priscilla's dead body is the spitting image of the housekeeper. From an upstairs window, where she'd been watching, Ms. Stoltz fades away. As Mrs. Little comments that Sam looks like he'd just seen a ghost, Sam leaps... Source

Review by Brian Greene:

An electroencephalograph would show Sam's brain waves instead of ones of the Leapee.

Red hat and shoes, white stripped shirt and black and white check suspenders.

Miscellaneous Trivia:

Scenes were filmed at the Franklin Canyon Reservoir by the river there.

Dean Stockwell did the whispering voice from the grave. "Troian…" …"Jimmy..."

Michael Zinberg was involved in 9 episodes of the show.

This episode was written for the first season and produced in that first block of episodes, but eventually aired during the second season. In the opening summary, you will spot clips from Camikazi Kid.

References to Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca (Mrs Stoltz/Denver, dead husband/wife) and Wilde's Portrait of Dorian Grey (the changes in the painting).

The character Nathaniel Claridge was married to Priscilla Stoltz, 131 years ago.

Paul Brown, who was the story editor on this episode and had various production roles during the series, appears here as Julian Claridge.

Bloopers:

Kiss With History:

California's Sylmar earthquake was the worst recorded quake in the city's history. Heaviest death toll was in San Fernando Valley, epicenter of the jolting. Scientists at California Institute of Technology said the quake measured 6.5 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was 10 miles east of Newhall. The quake was the worst in the Southland since the Long Beach disaster of 1933. Gov. Ronald Reagan declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County.

Guest Cast Notes:

Deborah Pratt as Troian Claridge: Deborah M. Pratt is an American Director, Writer, Producer, Singer, Dancer, and Actress. After graduating from Webster University with a degree in Psychology and Theatre, she won a nationwide talent search and came to Hollywood under contract to NBC. She wrote songs and sang on multiple albums, started acting, writing and producing. After starring in multiple pilots and writing for the shows she had been reoccurring on, she co-Created, worked her way through the ranks and became Executive producer and head writer on the iconic series Quantum Leap (1989) for NBC for which she penned 25 episodes and co-wrote an additional 15. She Executive Produced and worked as the head writer for Tequila and Bonetti (1992) for CBS. Ms. Pratt co-Created for television and Executive Produced The Net (1998) for USA network. She wrote for multiple television series. As a writer, Ms. Pratt sold features to Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox animation. She is a proud, award-winning graduate of the American Film Institute's Directing Workshop for Women and made her directorial debut with Cora Unashamed (2000) was for the BBC, PBS, and Masterpiece Theatre's The American Collection.

Deborah is a five-time Emmy nominee, a Golden Globe nominee, and recipient of The Lillian Gish Award from Women in Film, The Angel Award, The Golden Block Award, and Five Black Emmy Nominees Awards. She has written to direct multiple feature films including the biographic screenplay for her epic, 17th century love story "Chevalier & Antoinette" and "Heartswear" about Black, Chicago attorney Mattie Tatum who returns to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to defend and save her White, childhood best friend Nadine Palmer for the murder of her abusive husband.

Deborah a published novelist, she breaks the mold of science fiction and creates a genre of science fantasy with the soul bending tale of a new earth and the key to human empowerment. The books are intricately layered with scientific fact and imaginative fantasy. "The Vision Quest" (TheVisionQuest.com) is an exhilarating journey into the future of our world. The story begins in a unified, utopian society and, thanks to the biological machines we created, becomes a dystopian world at war with our mechanical creations for the salvation of humanity. Ms. Pratt is a pioneer in trans-media entertainment and is developing the Vision Quest world she's created in her books across multiple entertainment platforms. Her latest book series is "Age of Eve" and The Tempting; Seducing the Nephilim is in stores.

Deborah was on the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America and is an active member of the DGA, SAG, PGA, WGA and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She lives in Los Angeles, fights for women and minority rights in the entertainment industry and has two children; Actress, Troian Bellisario, and Computer Engineer, Nicholas Bellisario.

Deborah Pratt became the voice of Ziggy in later seasons of Quantum Leap. She was a recurring character in "Airwolf" (Marella), in Magnum, P.I. (Gloria). A talented writer and producer to Bellisario's series and "The Net". As a producer and co-creator of the show, she makes her only appearance along with Donald Bellisario in this episode. Troian is their daughter's first name.

Robert Torti as Jimmy Giovanni: Robert Torti was born on October 22, 1961 in Van Nuys, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for She's the Man (2006), The Game Plan (2007) and Race to Witch Mountain (2009). He has been married to DeLee Lively since June 24, 1999. They have three children. He was previously married to Sandy Edgerton.

Carolyn Seymour as Priscilla Stoltz: Carolyn Seymour is a highly accomplished actress of stage and screen, with a long and impressive list of credits on both sides of the Atlantic.

Born in Buckinghamshire to an Estonian father with Russian descent and an Irish mother, Carolyn trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, before rising to fame with starring roles in Peter Barnes' much acclaimed THE RULING CLASS starring Peter O'Toole and directed by Peter Medak, Terry Nation's cult sci-fi television series SURVIVORS and the BBC's TAKE THREE GIRLS.

Multiple film credits include GUMSHOE opposite Albert Finney for director Stephen Frears, STEPTOE & SON, MR. MUM with Michael Keaton, and CONGO for director Frank Marshall.

Carolyn's extensive theatre work includes THE GREAT EXHIBITION written by Sir David Hare, for which Carolyn starred opposite David Warner and Penelope Wilton at The Hampstead Theatre. The production was directed by Sir Richard Eyre.

Carolyn received critical praise for a role as Ophelia in HAMLET at The Gielgud (formerly The Globe Theatre), directed by Peter Coe and produced by Sam Wanamaker. ON APPROVAL saw Carolyn starring opposite Kenneth More and Moray Watson at The Vaudeville Theatre. In THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER Carolyn co-starred with Wilfred Hyde-White for the production at the Theatre Royal Brighton followed by a national tour, both directed by Roger Redfarn. HAY FEVER marked Carolyn's debut on Broadway playing Myra Arundel for director Brian Murray. SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL directed by Brian Bedford would follow at The Taper in Los Angeles.

Carolyn made the effortless transition to American television during the 1980s, with celebrated performances in a multitude of hit, award-winning series including FAMILY TIES, HART TO HART, CAGNEY & LACEY, MAGNUM P.I., MURDER SHE WROTE, QUANTUM LEAP, L.A LAW and ER. Recurring guest appearances on the Emmy award-winning STAR TREK: The Next Generation and STAR TREK Voyager, like that of her work on SURVIVORS, have also drawn a strong and devoted fan-base.

Carolyn is also a regular voice artist, recording audio adaptations of stage plays by Sir Alan Ayckbourn (TABLE MANNERS and LIVING TOGETHER), as well as TOP GIRLS by celebrated playwright Caryl Churchill. For Big Finish Productions, and by the demand of her loyal fans, Carolyn returned to her iconic role of Abby Grant in SURVIVORS, as well as guest-starring alongside the surviving DOCTOR WHO's.

Over 5 decades in the industry, Carolyn has continued to adapt to the demands of the business including successfully transitioning into the world of video games, with multiple projects for the STAR WARS franchise amongst many others.

Having resided in the United States and France for many years, Carolyn returns to her native England in Summer 2021 with plans to return to her roots - British stage and screen.

Carolyn divides her personal time between her family, her love of art, and her passion for charitable work including animal activism and supporting the homeless.

Bill McLaughlin as Coroner: Bill McLaughlin is known for Silk (1986), Remington Steele (1982) and Voyagers! (1982).

Bette Rae as Mrs. Little: Bette Rae is known for Bruce Almighty (2003), How I Met Your Mother (2005) and Frasier (1993).

Donald P. Bellisario as Dr. Timothy Mintz (Mirror image): Donald P. Bellisario was born in North Charleroi in Pennsylvania. His father ran the tavern, where he grew up listening to the war stories of vets returning from WWII. He had a fifteen-year career in advertising before moving to Hollywood. He broke into television as the story editor for Black Sheep Squadron (1976). His most celebrated works to date are NCIS (2003), Magnum, P.I. (1980), Quantum Leap (1989), and JAG (1995). He has been married four times, and has seven children (one of whom is deceased), two stepchildren, and eight grandchildren.

Paul Brown as Julian Claridge: Paul Brown (Executive Story Editor on this episode) is known for Quantum Leap (1989), Pacific Blue (1996) and Heaven's Rain (2011).

Dean Stockwell as Ghost voices: Dean Robert Stockwell grew up in North Hollywood, the son of Broadway performers Harry Stockwell and Elizabeth "Betty" Stockwell (née Veronica). His vaudevillian father was a replacement Curly in the original production of "Oklahoma!". He was also a decent tenor whose voice was used for the part of Prince Charming in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Dean's mother was a one-time Broadway chorine who used the stage moniker "Betty Veronica." His older brother was the actor Guy Stockwell.

At the age of seven, Dean made his stage debut in a Theater Guild production of Paul Osborn's The Innocent Voyage, in which his brother was also cast. The play ran for nine month. Dean was eventually spotted by a talent scout, and, on the strength of his performance, was signed by MGM in 1945. Under contract until 1947 (and again from 1949 to 1950), Stockwell became a highly sought-after child star in films like Anchors Aweigh (1945), with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, The Green Years (1946) and Song of the Thin Man (1947). His impish, dimpled looks and tousled brown hair combined with genuine acting talent kept him on the box office front line for more than a decade. Having won a Golden Globe Award as Best Juvenile Actor for Gentleman's Agreement (1947) (on loan-out to 20th Century Fox), Stockwell went on to play the title role in an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's Kim (1950). He came to admire his co-star Errol Flynn as a sort of role model. Thereafter, Stockwell segued into television for several years until resurfacing as a mature actor in Richard Fleischer's Compulsion (1959), (based on the infamous Leopold & Loeb murder case), co-starring with Bradford Dillman as one of the two young killers, and Orson Welles. He had already played the part on Broadway in 1957, on this occasion partnering Roddy McDowall. His last film role of note in the early 60s was as Edmund Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962). Despite developing a drinking problem on the set (for which he was chastised by Katharine Hepburn), Stockwell gave a solid performance which he later described as a career highlight.

Stockwell dropped out of show biz for some time in the 60s to join the hippie scene at which time he befriended Neil Young and Dennis Hopper. Later in the decade, he made a gleeful comeback in low budget psychedelic counterculture (Psych-Out (1968)) biker films (The Loners (1972)) and horror comedies (The Werewolf of Washington (1973)). Keeping a considerably lower profile during the 70s, he became a frequent TV guest star in popular crime dramas like Mannix (1967), Columbo (1971) The Streets of San Francisco (1972) and Police Story (1973). By the early 80s, work opportunities had become scarcer and Stockwell was compelled to briefly sideline as a real estate broker. He nonetheless managed to make a comeback with a co-starring role in the Wim Wenders road movie Paris, Texas (1984). New York Times reviewer Vincent Canby wrote of his performance "Mr. Stockwell, the former child star, has aged very well, becoming an exceptionally interesting, mature actor." Stockwell subsequently enjoyed high billing in David Lynch's noirish psycho-thriller Blue Velvet (1986) and received an Oscar nomination for his Mafia don Tony "The Tiger" Russo in Married to the Mob (1988). His television career also flourished, as cigar-smoking, womanizing rear admiral Al Calavicci in the popular science fiction series Quantum Leap (1989). The role won him a Golden Globe Award in 1990 and a new generation of fans. When the show ended after five seasons, Stockwell remained gainfully employed for another decade, still frequently seen as political or military authority figures (Navy Secretary Edward Sheffield in JAG (1995), Defence Secretary Walter Dean in Air Force One (1997)) or evil alien antagonists (Colonel Grat in Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), humanoid Cylon John Cavil in Battlestar Galactica (2004)).

Outside of acting, Stockwell embraced environmental issues and exhibited works of art, notably collages and sculptures. In 2015, he was forced to retire from acting after suffering a stroke. Stockwell died on November 7, 2021 due to natural causes at the age of 85.

Check out Dean just a couple years after the series ended having fun talking about Quantum Leap at LeapCon '95!

Guests who appeared in other Quantum Leap episodes:

Deborah Pratt is also the voice of Ziggy in "The Leap Back" and "Killin' Time." She also voices the opening narration in future episodes.

Carolyn Seymour plays the "evil observer" Zoey in three episodes, starting with "Deliver Us From Evil." She reprises the role for "Return" and "Revenge."

Say What?

Troian's hair changes position when Jimmy finds her on the dock.

Julian's feet move in the scene where the bodies are laying on the ground near the end. 

Mrs. Stoltz appears to be smiling a bit also as a dead corpse.

Production Credits:

Podcasts:

In the nineteenth installment of The Quantum Leap Podcast, Albie and Heather discuss season two episode eleven “A Portrait For Troian”. There are first impressions, an episode recap, thoughts and opinions, listener feedback, a fascinating interview with Carolyn Seymour who appears as Priscilla Stoltz in “A Portrait For Troian” and the evil leaper/hologram guide Zoey in three episodes of Quantum Leap, beginning in the episode “Deliver Us From Evil” in Season 5. Also an article from Hayden McQueenie. There will be ghosts.