Monday, September 5, 2016

Quantum Leap -- Episode 49: Heart of a Champion


Sam Leaps Into: 
Terry Sammis, a professional wrestler.

Objective:
Stop his brother (and tag team partner) from having a heart attack in the ring.

Date:
7-23-55

Location:
Atlanta, Georgia

Memorable Quote:
If this was the thrill of victory, I didn't want to be around for the agony of defeat.  ~Sam

Highlight:
I like the opening where Sam takes out the big guy with a roundhouse kick (Sam has gone to the roundhouse several times in previous episodes).  I also like the gimmick of Sam and Ronny as a faux-Soviet team (even though many spectators missed out on the "faux" part).

Lowlight:
Not enjoyable to see Sam get mercilessly knocked around by the big galoot in the title fight. 

Other thoughts, observations, and questions I didn’t ask when I was in fourth grade:
  • Seems odd that this wrestling organization would have mostly fake fights but then also have a "real" title fight.  Though maybe it used to be like that in the 50's, I don't know (I've never had even the slightest interest in pro wrestling).
  • The part where Shilo tears off the locker door and bends it in half is either real or else extremely well filmed (I'm leaning toward real).  And turns out that the actor playing Shilo, Terry Funk, was a real wrestler.
  • The subplot of the wrestler's wife who hits on other guys in hopes that her husband will destroy them was goofy but also fun and creative.  And the actress appeared as the ski patrolman in Out in the Cold -- if not for IMDB I would have never placed her from that episode in a million years (and I even just watched Out in the Cold about a month ago for my script analysis).  She looks, acts, and talks completely differently (I guess that makes her a good actress).

Final Analysis:
Solid episode and one that I enjoyed watching (even with Sam and his brother having the same conversation five times).  Great performance by the actor playing Ronny also.  Ranking it 20 out of 49.

1 comment:

  1. The only part of this episode I liked was the goofy seductress wife of Shilo setting Sam up to be pulverized by her husband. I'm also not a fan of pro wrestling yet it seemed to work its way into the storylines of the action-adventure shows I watched growing up far too often. There's some capacity for eccentric characters (like Shilo and his wife) which is theoretically welcoming, and I did enjoy their routine as the Soviet "bad guys", but inevitably the story leads to a dreary wrestling match full of fantasy world body slams, and in this case, with Sam laying waste to Shilo after an hour of getting the crap beat out of him, was even more clichéd and ridiculous than the last-to-first run MacGyver had on the auto racing circuit despite having not raced once in the last 15 years in "Collision Course". But as you touched upon, the droopy and wildly repetitive banter between Sam and his brother was even less consequential for me than the wrestling match. I'll rate this one between "Future Boy" and "Good Night, Dear Heart".

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