Leap Date:

October 6, 1979

Episode Adopted by: gelfling1220
Additional info provided by: Javier Lopez & Brian Greene

Synopsis:

As a Chippendale dancer named Rod "The Bod", Sam must suffer though the women throwing themselves at him while making sure a hearing-impaired woman realizes her dream of becoming a dancer instead of becoming a prostitute and dying of AIDS.

Audio from this episode
Video from this episode (The dance)*
Song "Daybreak"

TV Guide Synopsis
Place
Leap Date
Name of the Person Leaped Into
Broadcast Date
Music
Sam Trivia
Al Trivia
Al's Women
Al's Outfits Worn in the Episode
Miscellaneous Trivia
Guest Stars
Guest Cast Notes
Guests Who Appeared In Other Episodes Of Quantum Leap:
Say what?
Quotable Quotes
Best Scene
Synopsis & Review
Production Credits

Production # 66416

TV Guide Synopsis (TVGuide.com)
Sam leaps into the role of a male exotic dancer who must help a hearing-impaired dancer (Rhondee Beriault) avoid falling out of step and into a tragic life---and death. Joanne: Debbie Allen. Mario: Louis Mustillo. Valerie: Heidi Swedberg. Martin: Henry Woronicz. Sam: Scott Bakula.

TV Guide Synopsis (Original):
Sam (Scott Bakula) is thrust into the role of a male exotic dancer who must help a deaf dancer (Rhondee Beriault) avoid falling out of step and into a tragic life – and death.

Place:
New York City, New York

Leap Date: 
October 6, 1979

Leapee:
Rod McCarty, a.k.a. Rod the Bod

Broadcast Date: 
March 20, 1991 - Wednesday

Music:
Scene where Sam leaps into Chippendale:
"Ladies Night" by Kool and The Gang

Second scene where Sam is Chippendale:
"For The Love Of Money" by the O'Jays

Scene where Sam dances with the chreographer in the nightclub:
"Getaway" by Earth, Wind and Fire

Scene where Sam sees Diana dance by herself in the nightclub:
"Another Star" by Stevie Wonder.

Scene at the end where Diana dances for Joanne:
"Daybreak" by Cheryl Lynn

Sam Trivia:
Sam has never met a deaf person before.

Al Trivia:
Al names Valerie “Irma La Douce.” The film "Irma La Douce" in 1963 features a prostitute.

Al took fencing classes.

Al's Women:
Al's lab parter at M.I.T. was deaf, and she refused to sleep with him.  ("Boy, could she read lips!")

Al's Outfits Worn in the Episode:
1. White shirt, black and purple tie and paisley burgundy vest. 

2. Silver jacket, white shirt with floral pattern, blue tie with the sunglasses pin and blue pants. 

3.Shiny gray suit coat and matching pants, orange dress shirt, bolo tie.

4. Multi-pattern brown and teal shirt, skinny silver tie, black shimmery vest, and white pants with black speckles throughout.

Miscellaneous Trivia:
Words in American Sign Language shown (not as part of one of Diana’s speeches):
Walk
Bye
Protect
Thank You
You’re Welcome
Good Night
Boring
Quantum Leap (literally "Magical Traveler")
Don’t know
What
Do
Deaf
OK
Lies
Heartache
Dawn
Who
Imagine
Spending the night (literally "sleep together")
Fear

The episode title refers to the Tina Turner song "Private Dancer."

When Dianna starts signing to Sam (to prove to him how it feels not to understand), she is saying “you’re bothering me, leave me alone. Ever since I was seven years old, I can do it myself”.

Guest Stars:
Rhondee Beriault as Diana Quinna
Debbie Allen as Joanne Chapman
Louis Mustillo as Mario
Heidi Swedberg as Valerie Jackson
Robert Schuch as Otto
Henry Worgnicz as Martin 
Marguerite Pomerhn-Derricks as Gina 
Melinda Cordell as Winnie 
Charles Emmett as Officer Arden
Frank Novak as Lou
Harry Cohn as Louie
Christopher Solari as Rod "Rod the Bod" McCarty (Mirror image)

Guest Cast Notes:

Rhondee Beriault as Diana Quinna: Rhondee Beriault was born in 1967. She is an actress, known for I Love You, But (1998), Quantum Leap (1989) and Alexander Graham Bell: The Sound and the Silence (1991). She is deaf in real life.

Debbie Allen as Joanne Chapman: Deborah Kaye Allen was born in Houston, Texas, to African-American parents, Vivian Elizabeth (Ayers), a poet and art director, and Andrew Arthur Allen, an orthodontist. As a child, Debbie, her older brother, Andrew (called Tex), and her older sister, actress Phylicia Rashad, lived in Mexico to escape US racism. Their mother decided to live there to give the Allen children a brief experience of not having to endure the chronic racism and segregation that was typical of Texas during the 1950s. Debbie and Phylicia are fluent in Spanish. Debbie graduated from Jack Yates Senior High School in Houston, TX in 1967. She graduated cum laude from Howard University in 1971 with a BFA in Classical Greek Literature, Speech, and Theater from Howard University. She used her experiences from attending Historically Black College Howard to inform her production and direction of the TV show A Different World (1987). Although her parents divorced, Debbie remained extremely close to her father until his death. With Phylicia she has production company "D.A.D." which stood for "Doctor Allen's Daughters". Her Pulitzer-nominated poet mother Vivian is, the artistic and free spirit that has influenced and encouraged the remarkable creativity that so marks Allen as a performer.

Louis Mustillo as Mario: Mustillo was born in Buffalo, New York. He has guest starred in over 50 episodes of television and appeared in over 20 films. He was a series regular on a good but short lived show called Man of the People (1991), starring James Garner. He appeared for two seasons on Dreamworks' first hour-long drama, High Incident (1996), executive produced by Steven Spielberg. He had a recurring role on The Sopranos (1999) as Tony Soprano's gardener, Sal Vitro. He appeared in The Narrows (2008) and was recently seen on the ESPN mini-series The Bronx Is Burning (2007) as famous real-life sports writer Maury Allen. Mustillo wrote and starred in "Bartenders", a one man stage show that ran for a year at the John Houseman Theatre in New York City. His hobbies include visiting museums and exploring all New York has to offer.

Heidi Swedberg as Valerie Jackson: Heidi Swedberg was born on March 3, 1966 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. She is an actress, known for Galaxy Quest (1999), Hot Shots! (1991) and Dragonfly (2002). She has been married to Philip Holahan since 1994. They have two children. Contrary to popular belief, her Seinfeld (1989) character, Susan Ross, was not killed off because her on-screen beau Jason Alexander disliked her. Alexander has clarified he very much likes Swedberg personally and considers her to be talented, but was concerned her sense of humor and comedic style contrasted with that of the regular Seinfeld cast. He initially worried this would come across poorly, but eventually realized that her performance worked to the show's advantage, as Susan was not conceived as being a bad person, merely one who just didn't fit in with the Seinfeld gang.
She plays and teaches ukulele and fronts a popular kid's band, Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band. They have released two albums, "Play" (2009) and "My Cup Of Tea" (2013). Best known as the unfortunate (and lacking in taste) fiancée of George Costanza on Seinfeld (1989) who dies after licking cheap toxic envelopes (bought by George) to mail out wedding invitations. Daughter of Kay, a high school English teacher, and Jim Swedberg, a laser physicist. She attended Sandia High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from 1980 to 1984.

Robert Schuch as Otto: Robert Schuch was born on August 12, 1949 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA. He was an actor and producer, known for NYPD Blue (1993), Quantum Leap (1989) and Babylon 5 (1993). He was married to Susan Ruttan. He died on August 23, 2012 in Hollywood, California, USA. He was briefly married to Susan Rattan of L.A. Law (1986). Their divorce occurred during the filming of the Season One finale. The divorce was used to promote the two part finale in which Schuch portrayed a snake handler whose snake had eaten a pig at a circus and caused a lawsuit.

Henry Worgnicz as Martin: Henry Woronicz has been an actor, director, producer and teacher for more than 40 years. He has acted or directed at many of the nation's leading theatre companies, including the American Player's Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Arden Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Delaware Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse, The Shakespeare Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Meadow Brook Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, and Syracuse Stage, as well as the Boston Shakespeare Company, Seattle Shakespeare Company, and the Utah, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals. In 1996, he directed a Chinese language production of School for Scandal at the Hong Kong Repertory Company. Acting credits include: (Broadway) Julius Caesar starring Denzel Washington; (Film) Primary Colors, Living Out Loud, The Good Catholic, Ms. White Light; (Television) ¬¬Seinfeld, Ally McBeal, Cheers, Pickett Fences, Third Rock from the Sun,, Star Trek TNG and Voyager, Law & Order, and Law and Order:SVU. Henry spent eleven seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as a resident actor and director, and served as OSF's Artistic Director from 1991 to 1995. In 2009, he served in a consulting capacity as Executive Producer of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. From 2009-12, as an Associate Professor on the School of Theatre faculty, he was head of the MFA Acting Program at Illinois State University. In 2013, he received a Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Solo Performance from the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle for his performance as the Poet in An Iliad, by Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson, directed by Lisa Peterson. He was also a Visiting Professor in the Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance, at Indiana University, Bloomington, from 2014-17.

Marguerite Pomerhn-Derricks as Gina: Marguerite Pomerhn Derricks was born in 1961. She is known for Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Spider-Man 3 (2007).

Melinda Cordell as Winnie: Melinda Cordell was born on February 26, 1941 in Shelby, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Greenwich Village Story (1963), Lou Grant (1977) and Quantum Leap (1989). She was married to Nicholas Pryor. She died on April 7, 2015 in Fresno, California, USA.

Charles Emmett as Officer Arden: Actor Charles Emmett has really been acting and writing since he was eight years old. In Portland, Oregon. His third grade teachers, Mrs. Collins, and later Ms. Feingold would encourage him. "If you want to write.., just write. Just write and see what happens..." At eight years old, Charles wanted to be the next William Shakespeare. In his mind, Charles became the black Woody Allen instead. But with a twist. When he saw the film, 'What's Up Tiger Lily?' by Woody Allen, Charles realized Woody Allen could help him become an expert on healing a nation through entertainment. The tragedy at the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2011, prompted Charles to form 'Americans United America', a non-profit entertainment organization geared toward uniting all Americans through quality, funky, hilarious, educational, enlightening entertainment. In 2015 Charles directed his second short film, 'Tricks Of The Trade', (The REAL Reason Why Actors Act). This film is the last of the five demo projects for Americans United For America. Charles' very first film for Americans United For America, 'An Average American Marriage', won "Best Directorial Debut" at the 2013 New York International Independent Film Festival (Los Angeles Edition). The film: 'An Average American Marriage', is a poignant take on our contemporary times incorporating everything that makes us seem different and shoving it through a truth blower aimed right at your face with love and respect for the human condition. The film also won "Best Short Film" and "Audience Award" at the 2012 ITN Film Distribution Festival in Los Angeles, California. Charles has also produced over forty Public Service Announcements, (PSAs). These PSAs, "ONE Nation: Get Out There And Vote! and Volunteer In Your Community!" were selected and distributed across the United States for the 2008, 2010, 2012 & 2014 local and national elections. The film and PSAs were all produced through Americans United For America, Inc. Charles' over fifty movie and TV acting credits include: Trial & Error (2017), Shameless, Adam Ruins Everything, The Real O'Neals, Parenthood, Angel From Hell, Grey's Anatomy, Growing Up Fisher, 'Truth Be Told', Dads, Switched At Birth, 24, Prison Break, Star Trek: Voyager, and many more.

Frank Novak as Lou: Frank Novak was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the University of Illinois in Chicago, Illinois and the University of Massachusetts in Boston and Dorchester, Massachusetts. He graduated with a B.A. in Classics(Greek and Latin).He studied acting with Jean Shelton, Nina Foch and the late Jeff Corey.

Harry Cohn as Louie: Harry Cohn is known for Taxi Driver (1976), Two Moon Junction (1988) and Quantum Leap (1989).

Christopher Solari as Rod "Rod the Bod" McCarty (Mirror image): Chris Solari is known for Quantum Leap (1989), Moonwalker (1988) and Great Balls of Fire! (1989).

Guests Who Appeared In Other Episodes Of Quantum Leap:

Debbie Allen is a famous choreographer known especially for the movie "Fame." She also directed "Revenge of the Evil Leaper."

Say What?
The mirror image near the beginning of the episode doesn't have the lipstick marking that Sam has.

Sam's sign language guide, a very thin manual, has the word "Quantum" in it.

When Sam knock on the door, Dianna somehow knows to open it. 

Vehicles from the 1980's can be seen on the street, such as the police car and the tow truck. Although this being 1979, it's not as noticable as it would be if the year was supposed to be pre-70's.

Quotable Quotes:
Al: Sometimes I hate being right

Al: I thought you ran out of Kleenex or something… 

Sam: I sell an illusion… It isn’t me! 

Diana to Sam (translated from ASL): Stop bothering me! For seven years I’ve been able to manage by myself. I want to do it by myself! 

Al: Why does your Swiss Cheese memory remember things I wanna forget?

Sam: Twenty-four hours? What am I supposed to do in the meantime?
Al: Shake your booty!

I'd give anything to be degraded like that!
-- Al, "Private Dancer"

He's so CUTE!  Take my phone number honey.
-- Joanne, "Private Dancer"

She was my lab partner at MIT.  She was one of the brightest women I've ever known.
And she wouldn't sleep with you.
No, why does your swiss cheese memory always remember what I want to forget?
-- Al and Sam, "Private Dancer"

That pratfall looked real!
It felt real.
-- Joanne and Sam, "Private Dancer"

Please, just tell me that it isn't the 70's again!
-- Sam, "Private Dancer"

I know music in a way you will never know. When I look around, I see music everywhere. There's the music in the stars. The way they sparkle, I feel them.  There's music in the lights as they dance in the water at night.  And how the leaves shake each other, laughing like children at play.  When I feel the wind on my face, the wind is my music.
-- Diana, "Private Dancer"

I'm crazy?  You're the one living in a tow-away zone.
-- Sam, "Private Dancer"

You strip.
There's a difference.
I don't see it.
Neither do I, but...
-- Diana and Sam, "Private Dancer"

OK Ladies, let's hear it for that star of the Chippendales - Rod the Bod!
-- Mario, as Sam leaps in, "Private Dancer"

Shake your booty!
-- Al, "Private Dancer"

Don't bother.  I've been on my own since I was 7.  I can do it myself.  I want to do it on my own.
-- Diana, signed to Sam, "Private Dancer"

Best Scenes:
Sam’s reaction to his leap-in

Sam and Joanne dancing at the club

Diana explaining to Sam what she can hear

Sam and Diana’s dance

Sam and Al showing how to sign "Quantum Leap"

Synopsis & Review:

Sam leaps into the body of Rod "The Bod" McCarty (leapee played by Chris Solari) a male dancer and the featured attraction at a strip club called Mario's Hideaway in New York City. According to Al, he's there to prevent a waitress and aspiring ballet dancer, Diana Quinna (Rhondee Beriault), from turning to prostitution to make ends meet. Diana is quite innocent in many ways. She would love to be a professional dancer but is deaf, and lacks the self esteem to make it on her own. Mario (Louis Mustillo), the club owner has other plans for Diana, hoping to turn Diana into one of his bachelor party "dancers", which Al reports, through Ziggy, would lead her into a life of prostitution, drug arrests and eventual death by AIDS by 1986.

At the club is Joanna Chapman (played by Debbie Allen, who also directs the episode), choreographer of a major jazz dance company. Having wowed her with his own dance moves, Joanna informs him of an open audition she is holding. After hours, Sam finds Diana practicing a dance routine and offers to walk her home. Despite her protests that she does not want him around, Sam persists and on the walk home the two grow very close.

Sam works out a deal with Mario, offering to do another performance for the club if Mario keeps Diana from dancing at bachelor parties. Mario agrees but Diana is not happy – she has no money and she thinks that Sam is being patronizing. Sam confronts her and convinces her to give Joanna's audition a try.

Diana does well at the audition – until instructions are given that she can't see. Upon learning that Diana is deaf, Joanne turns her down. Diana is shattered and things are made worse by the fact that her home has been towed away. With no one else to turn to, Diana returns to the club and talks to a Valerie Nevsky (Heidi Swedberg), who's Mario's assistant at the nightclub.

Valerie, who runs an escorting business on the side, sets Diana up on an arranged "date" as an escort. Sam learns of this, he's furious, and then seeks her out at the hotel that the "date" with a prospective John has taken her. Risking being dragged away by security, Sam bursts into the room demanding to talk to Diana, who also escorts, and has had a past history of prostitution arrests herself, and asks her not to take the job. Diana makes the right choice and Sam talks Joanne into giving Diana a second chance. This time, Diana makes the cut and Sam leaps out as she thanks him.  Source

Personal Review by gelfling1220:

There are several reasons why this is one of my favorite episodes. For one, there is the accurate portrayal of a deaf character. Quantum Leap excels in its portrayals of people with handicaps and in this respect the episode is very educational, from the information Diana conveys about being deaf to the simple words and phrases she signs as she talks to Sam. The audience learns as Sam does and the information is nicely integrated into the plot.

This episode is also notable for showcasing the dancing talents of Scott Bakula, in two of the episode’s major scenes. They must have been quite interesting to film, since it is rumored that Bakula was on massive painkillers for the episode, having injured his foot in filming "Runaway". Like the episode itself, the dances vary, being both fun and dramatic, such as Sam and Joanne’s lively boogie in the middle of the club, to Diana’s beautiful final dance.

In the end, this is a great episode, ideal for anyone who wants to see strong human drama, great choreography, or just happens to like the idea of Sam being a Chippendale.

Production Credits:

Theme by: Mike Post
Music by: Velton Ray Bunch
Co-Executive Producer: Deborah Pratt
Co-Executive Producer: Michael Zinberg
Supervising Producers: Harker Wade
Co-producers: Paul  Brown, Jeff Gourson
Produced by: Chris Ruppenthal
Created by: Donald P. Bellisario
Written by: Paul  Brown
Directed by: Debbie Allen

Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Associate Producer: James S. Giritlian
Executive Story Editor: Tommy Thompson
Director of Photography: Michael Watkins, A.S.C.
Production Designer: Cameron Birnie
Edited by: Jon Koslowsky, A.C.E.
Choreographed by: Debbie Allen
Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow
First Assistant Director: Paul Sirmons
Second Assistant Director: Rob Mendel
Casting by: Ellen Lubin Sanitsky
Set Director: Robert L. Zilliox
Costume Designer: Jean-Pierre Dorleac
Costume Supervisors: David Rawley & Donna Roberts-Orme
Sound Mixer: Mark Hopkins McNabb
Stunt Coordinator: Diamond Farnsworth
Sound Editor: Paul Clay
Music Editor: Donald Woods

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 © 1991 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 and Universal, an MCA Company

Quantum Leap Podcast - Private Dancer: Part A

Listen to The Quantum Leap Podcast on this episode here:

Quantum Leap Podcast - Private Dancer: Part B

Listen to The Quantum Leap Podcast on this episode here: