"Quantum Leap" The Pilot Episode Parts I and II
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Syndication Edits: When the episode was split into two parts for syndication and repeat viewing, several scenes were trimmed to fit in the standard slot for a 1 hour episode. 13m47s: Cuts straight from “Ain’t this a kick in the butt?” to exterior of Tom’s house, losing Al walking after Sam and three stock clips of planes (29s lost). 17m12s: Cuts straight from “I can’t fly” to Bird Dog looking at the flight controls, losing a stock shot of the plane (4s lost). 17m58s: Loses a little of the stock footage of the plane, then Peg cleaning up (4s lost). 18m27s: Skips from “Roger mother hen, you are clear to drop” to discussion in the plane, skipping Weird Ernie knocking himself on the head, walking away and then staring into the skies, plus one stock plane shot (18s lost). 36m57s: Adds a fade to black after “nothing cures a cold faster that a fishing trip” where there was none before, then skips the stock footage of the lake (5s lost). 38m09s: Loses the first 7s of Sam walking into frame before meeting Al. 42m02s: A fade to black is changed to a cut, straight from Sam smiling to a shot of the desert (4s lost) 45m49s: Skips Ernie apologising to Sam and the Berger-Ernst Engramic Standard introduction scene, losing 1m31s and going straight to a fade from black as Sam approaches the X-2. 54m19s: Skips Sam returning his answers to the Engramic Standard, Sam approaching the X-2 and several pieces of plane stock footage, going straight to two shot of the X-2 prior to the discussion about Marilyn’s boobs, with a cutaway to Sam between these two shots also lost (loses 50s). 57m5s: Goes straight from Weird Ernie’s colourful comments over the radio to stock footage of three planes, missing out the reaction to the Engramic Standard (loses 27s) 58m:32s: Misses more about the Engramic Standard and Sam having his helmet put on, skipping from having his breathing apparatus attached to more stock footage (loses 50s) 74m28s: Shaves off two shots of Sam looking uncomfortable and the dog continuing to bark, losing 6s and jumping straight to the coach turning around. 76m43s: Skips from “it may have seemed like a couple of minutes to you” to “I’m in a real identity crisis here, Al”, missing the description of the party (loses 26s). 87m46s: Misses a little of Al watching Sam, the lightning and Al’s reaction to it, and the announcer (loses 11s). 88m05s: Misses the coach telling Sam to “be patient out there” (loses 6s). |
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| Cut Scenes: The fourth draft script, dated December 8th 1988 and entitled “Quantum Leap (Series Pilot)”, omits the cold open and jumps straight to the exterior “flying through the clouds” footage. Otherwise there are very few significant changes, with just some character moments that are likely more the work of Bakula and Stockwell in rehearsals than anything else. Tom Stratton is known as Hank Stratton throughout (which would be copied for the back-cover blurb on the VHS and novelisations). |
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