Sam Leaps Into:
Cheree, a teenager in an aspiring singing group.
Objective:
Prevent the lead singer from getting taken advantage of by a sleazy club owner. Help her maintain and strengthen the relationship with her father.
Date:
4-7-63
Location:
Chicago, Illinois
Memorable Quote:
Damn, Cheree, you movin' like a white girl. ~Paula
Damn, Cheree, you movin' like a white girl. ~Paula
Highlight:
I enjoy gospel music and so I liked the church choir scene (pictured above) and also the ending where Lynelle sings "My Eye is on the Sparrow" and reconciles with her father.
I enjoy gospel music and so I liked the church choir scene (pictured above) and also the ending where Lynelle sings "My Eye is on the Sparrow" and reconciles with her father.
Lowlight:
It didn't make sense that Rev. Walters would need to see Lynelle sing to know how good she was considering that he sees her singing all the time in the church choir.
Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:
- This isn't the first time we've seen an antagonist named Bobby Lee on this blog. The Bobby Lee in this episode is played by Eriq La Salle who I recognize from previews of E.R. (despite never having seen the show -- not a big fan of medical dramas).
- Al mentions that Sam has a doctorate in music -- I don't remember hearing about that before.
- 36:04 mark -- fun moment when Sam, despite his misgivings, tells Lynette he's willing to perform with the group for the greater good. She says, "Then you'll come with me?!" and Sam responds with a resigned grunt.
- Nice quote that Sam cites from poet Khalil Gibran, "Hold your children with open arms and they will always know they can come home to you."
Final Analysis:
I like this one a lot. I enjoy the setting and characters, the acting is excellent, and it's a good story. Ranking it 14 out of 66.
Nice recovery from the mess that was the previous episode and a nice distraction from the stress of waiting for the election night polls to close. I also enjoyed the music and thought it helped give the episode some soul. I knew I was in for a treat when I first saw Lynette's father, the Reverend, played by actor Harrison Page who was Captain Trunk in my oft-cited boyhood favorite, the cop satire "Sledge Hammer!" His role in this episode, as the exasperated straight man, really fit well with his work on "Sledge Hammer!" and his dedication to keeping his daughter from being taken advantage of by music industry predators made him sympathetic. I figured you'd pick up on the "Bobby Lee" antagonist as well.
ReplyDeleteThe story mostly went along smoothly but like you I thought it was dumb that the Reverend capitulated on letting his daughter perform in the brothel, and Sam agreed to sing with her, for the sole purpose of "letting her father see her sing" even though it put her right in the hands of the man they knew was gonna destroy her life. They redeemed it in the end though with the emotional church reunion between father and daughter.
The gigantic plothole in the final act takes a few points away but I'll rate this one relatively strongly, between "The Color of Truth" and "Another Mother".