Leap Date:
June 11, 1964

Teaser:

One of the most controversial episodes of the entire series, this episode deals with homosexuality. Sam and Al do not see eye-to-eye on this issue when Sam leaps into a naval cadet who may or not be gay. He is there to prevent another gay cadet from being killed by a gay-bashing group while trying to educate Al that the military's anti-gay laws are wrong. But is the person Sam leaped into really gay? Does it matter?

Audio from this episode:

Sam: What about the Boston Tea Party? Was that some sort of gay boat festival or something?

Synopsis & Review:

Sam leaps onto a track hearing a band play. He is passed the baton and unprepared to run, takes a tumble.  Oh boy!

Personal Review by Eleiece <aka> Sherdran:

This episode has special meaning for me in a few ways, and the first and most important was George.

George was my only brother. He was intelligent; as a college senior he used to substitute for the physics professor on occasion for extra credit. He was a trained ballet dancer, had a gorgeous tenor voice, and also taught himself to play piano and guitar. George also had big, booming, infectious laugh that filled a room when something amused him, and his ambition was to be an entertainer. He also joined the Navy right out of high school. And George was gay.

George's sexual preference didn't change the core person he was, didn't change the core values he learned growing up. Not for a split nanosecond did it ever color my view of him or lessen by a whit my love for him. And when he called me in late 1992 to tell me that he'd just learned he was HIV positive, not even then did it shake or alter how I felt about my brother. Sadly, my beloved brother died of AIDS related cancer in March 1994.

The whole point of this review, is that we each have many and varied facets that combine to make each of us the unique individual we are. Pigeonholing someone for a single aspect of their life that you don't agree with may, as you might discover after the fact, makes you the poorer of the two in the long run.

For me, Sam's response to Al says it all: "Does it matter?"

Al Trivia:
He was in charge of tapping the kegs at the party after graduation
from Annapolis.

Al used the multi-colored 'Gummy Bear' handlink.

Miscellaneous Trivia:

The C.H.A.I.N. - Cadets Honoring An Ideal Navy

The Stonewall rebellion, which started the gay liberation movement, took place on June 27, 1969, five years after Sam's leap into Tommy York's life in 1964.

The only scene Al didn't carry a cigar was the scene in Admiral Spencer's office when he stood behind Sam's chair.

Considered by some fans to be the most controversial Quantum Leap ever, “Running for Honor” takes place not long before (and glancingly mentions) the Stonewall Riot, an event considered by most to be the birth of the U.S. gay rights movement. Tolerance in the world at large in 1964 was rare enough, but within the patriarchy-rich environment of the military, it was essentially non-existent.

Bellisario recalls the issue of gay rights: “that was an issue that at that time wasn’t being done on television; advertisers threatened to pull out of that show.” At the time, CNN reported that “network executives are concerned advertisers may shy away from that episode, and a spokesperson has said Universal is shooting the script at their own risk: if it doesn’t air, they won’t pay for it. An NBC spokeswoman said today the main problem with the script was the teen suicide angle, not the homosexual theme. At the network’s request, the script was modified to make the teen a young adult.” Bellisario disagreed, though: “if there was no suicide attempt in the script, we would be at the same place we are at now. They would not want to be doing a gay show at this time.” Regardless of the reasons, the effects were clear: “An NBC spokeswoman confirmed the show lost about half a million dollars; ad spots dropped by protesting sponsors were resold at the last minute at a discounted rate.” Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLADD) spokesman Richard Jennings, speaking to CNN, accepted that it was “very important to have more gay characters on television” but felt that the “script was damaging, was something was that was properly rejected under NBC’s broadcast standards”. Source

This episode was originally slated to feature Sam's leapee as a teenager in high school but due to advertisers threatening to pull sponsorship, NBC forced Don Bellisario to change the script to reflect a college age character instead.

Bloopers:

Kiss with History:
Not so much a kiss with history in Sam's Leap time, but one for the broadcast date of this episode:

In 1992, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the United States Military caused much controversy in Politics. This episode socially comments on what was happening at the time of broadcast.

The controversy over this episode is covered here:

Guest Stars:
John Finn as Admiral Spencer
Sean O’Bryan as Phillip Ashcroft
Anthony Palermo as Ronnie Chambers
John Roselius as Coach Tony Martz
Lisa Lawrence as Karen Spencer
Jake Price as Plebe Guard
Roz Witt as Waitress
Brian Seibert as Plebe
Beau Windham as Tommy H. York (Mirror Image)
Martin Hansen as Cadet #1
Brian J. Williams as Cadet #2
Stephen Brown as Cadet #3

Guest Cast Notes:

John Finn as Admiral Spencer: John Finn was born on September 30, 1952 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for Glory (1989), Catch Me If You Can (2002) and Cold Case (2003).

Sean O’Bryan as Phillip Ashcroft: Originally from Kentucky, Sean O'Bryan moved to Los Angeles over ten years ago and has worked extensively in film and TV. Some major key TV guest appearances include Chicago Hope, Beverly Hills 90210, and Felicity. Sean has done several major films including, Phenomenon (1996), Exit to Eden (1994), The Princess Diaries (2001), and Frankie and Johnny (1991). Not only has he focused on working in front of the camera, he's also done several theatrical performances, including: The Lisbon Traviata, It's Only a Play, Money and Friends et al. In 1995, Sean married Samantha Follows (sister to Megan Follows - star of Anne of Green Gables) and they currently have two children. In 2001, Sean joined the entire Follows family to perform in Noel Coward's "Hay Fever" at the Gravenhurst Opera House in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. As all the Follows are Canadian, Sean was the only American on stage in this British play; however, his character was the only American character so he had it made!Sean can be seen in the kids flick, Big Fat Liar (2002) starring Frankie Muniz.

Anthony Palermo as Ronnie Chambers: Anthony Palermo is known for Rollerball (2002), Live by Night (2016) and American Bred (2016).

John Roselius as Coach Tony Martz: John Roselius was born on August 19, 1944 in the USA. He was an actor, known for Lost Highway (1997), Space Jam (1996) and Con Air (1997). Appeared in the famous, or infamously corny, anti-drug commercial simply known as "This is your brain on drugs" where he fries eggs while he says the line, which is to show what your brain is doing on drugs. It has since become legendary, and was even uttered by Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman on Breaking Bad. He died on October 29, 2018.

Lisa Lawrence as Karen Spencer: Lisa Lawrence was born on November 14, 1970 in the USA. She is an actress, known for Quantum Leap (1989), Son in Law (1993) and Tribes (1990).

Jake Price as Plebe Guard: Jake Price is known for Quantum Leap (1989), Evening Shade (1990) and Green Valley (2009).

Roz Witt as Waitress: Roz Witt is known for Tank Girl (1995), Corrina, Corrina (1994) and Ringer (1996).

Brian Seibert as Plebe: Brian Seibert is known for Quantum Leap (1989) and The Wonder Years (1988).

Beau Windham as Tommy H. York (Mirror Image): Beau Windham is known for Quantum Leap (1989), Radius (2004) and Panther (1995).

Brian J. Williams as Cadet #2: Brian J. Williams is known for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Minority Report (2002) and Star Trek: First Contact (1996).

Stephen Brown as Cadet #3: Stephen Douglass Brown aka: Steve Brown. Stephen Brown is a professional Actor, Sound Recordists and Casting Director. Stephen was born in Stuttgart Germany and moved to the United States when he was 5 years old. He spent most of his childhood on the east coast and his teenage years in Andover Massachusetts. Stephen moved to Los Angeles in 1992 and has his lived here since working as an Actor, V.O. Model and Crew Member.

Guests Who Appeared in Other Episodes of Quantum Leap:

Brian J. Williams was an uncredited stunt double for Michael Kemmerling in "Another Mother", uncredited stunt double for J.C. Quin in "Unchained", and played Drowning Veteran in "Nowhere to Run."

Say What?
The camera wobbles when Al exits the shower room, but the door effect remains static, giving it an odd “floating” effect. 

When Sam says she looks like she's 17, his mouth seems to actually say “15”.

The clock in Sam’s room tells the same time in each scene.

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: Robert Harris Duncan
Directed by: Bob Hulme

Executive Producer: Donald P. Bellisario
Associate Producers: Julie Bellisario, James S. Giritlian
Coordinating Producer: David Bellisario
Director of Photography: Michael Watkins, A.S.C.
Production Designer: Cameron Birnie
Edited by: Michael S. Stern
Unit Production Manager: Ron Grow
First Assistant Director: Ryan Gordon
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

Podcasts:

Lace up your track shoes, because we’re Running for Honor!

Join hosts Allison Pregler, Matt Dale and Christopher DeFilippis as they explore Sam’s Leap into a naval academy student fighting against intolerance in this groundbreaking episode dealing with gay rights.

Listen to The Quantum Leap Podcast on this episode here: