Recap / Quantum Leap S 5 E 21 Memphis Melody

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Quantum Leap
Season 5, Episode 21:

Memphis Melody

Al: Sam, you'll never guess who's in the Waiting Room!

Written by Robin Jill Bernheim

Directed by James Whitmore, Jr.

Airdate: April 20, 1993.

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July 3, 1954

Sam is astonished to find that he's leaped into none other than a pre-fame Elvis Presley. His mission is to help a singer named Sue Anne Winters (Mary Elizabeth McGlynn) continue her music career and avoid an abusive marriage — while at the same time ensuring that Elvis still gets discovered and becomes the King of Rock 'n' Roll.

Tropes:

• Alternate Timeline: Sam-as-Elvis nails the audition with "Blue Moon of Kentucky," but according to Al, Sam Phillips cancels a later recording session. Al goes on to tell Sam that Elvis never becomes famous, and all of his hits get recorded by other artists. Naturally, Sam undoes this with his quick concert in the diner.
• Artistic License – History: Elvis' first recording was indeed "My Happiness," but he recorded it at Memphis Recording Service in August 1953, which brought Elvis to Sam Phillips' attention. July 5, 1954 was Elvis' first full session at Sun, when he recorded "That's Alright," which was the first of his songs to get radio play. There was no audition with "Blue Moon of Kentucky" like depicted in the episode.
• Celebrity Is Overrated: Sam muses about this in his narration.
  Sam: [narrating] Walking a mile in Elvis Presley's blue suede shoes before he became the idol of millions made me realize he was just a normal person. I kept wondering if he would've been happier had he stayed that way.
• Close-Enough Timeline: Sam-as-Elvis records a Christmas song instead of "My Happiness," which doesn't earn him many brownie points with Marion Keisker. He later nearly gets Elvis signed as half of a duo, and practically wrecks Elvis' audition by showing up late. The jam session at the diner puts Elvis' history back on track, though.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Frank, Sue Anne's fiance, is very possessive and doesn't approve of her friendship with Elvis, nor her singing.
• Crowd Song: Sam gets the other musicians in the diner to join in with his impromptu performance of "Baby Let's Play House."
• Delicious Distraction: Al enters the Imaging Chamber and is immediately distracted by the sight of an apple pie in the diner. He doesn't notice Sam's confrontation with Frank at first.
• Domestic Abuse: According to Al, in the original history, Frank abused Sue Anne during their marriage, then left her after two years.
• Excuse Plot: The plot is a fairly standard Quantum Leap plot about saving a woman from an abusive relationship and helping her to follow her dreams. But the episode is mostly an excuse to have Sam leap into Elvis Presley, and to show off Scott Bakula's singing and dancing.
• Felony Misdemeanor: Sam's actions accidentally cause Elvis not to get discovered. Al checks the changes to history and says that "Heartbreak Hotel" gets recorded by The Monkees and "Blue Suede Shoes" by Tony Orlando and Dawn, to which he responds by miming throwing up.
• It Will Never Catch On: Sam absolutely relishes telling Gladys Presley how big Elvis will be someday, and how well cared-for she'll be someday.
• The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Not only Al is beside himself with joy over the fact that Elvis Presley is in the Waiting Room, but even Ziggy is running at diminished capacity "because she's starstruck." Elvis later apparently gives a mini-concert in the Waiting Room for the Project staff, "standing room only."
• Musical Episode: A sizable portion of this episode features songs performed by Scott Bakula and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.
• Nothing but Hits: Since the fees to license Elvis Presley's original music would be through the roof, the episode sticks to songs that Elvis covered during his earliest recordings (like "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and "Baby Let's Play House"), or public domain tunes (like "Dixie," "Amazing Grace," and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?").
• Oh, Crap!:
  • When Sam decides to go save Sue Anne instead of go to the audition, Al looks absolutely aghast, and the handlink lets out a frightened little squeak.
  • Sam at the very end, when he leaps into a new destination, looks into the mirror in the bar he's just entered, and sees his own reflection instead of someone else's.
• One-Steve Limit: Averted. There's two Sams here — Sam Beckett, and Sam Phillips.
• Performance Anxiety:
  • Sue Anne has this problem throughout the episode, but with Sam's encouragement she gradually overcomes this. However, it's a double-edged sword; when Sam helps her during the talent show, Marion Keisker plans on introducing Elvis and Sue Anne to Sam Phillips as a duo.
    Al: You're turning the King of Rock 'n' Roll into Donny and Marie!
  • Sam also has problems remembering what song to sing at the audition for Sam Phillips, due to his Swiss-cheesed mind.
• Take That!:
  • Al says that in 1954, the world wasn't ready for Sonny & Cher. Then he amends this to say that the world was never ready for Sonny & Cher.
  • Al gets visibly nauseous at the thought of "Heartbreak Hotel" being recorded by The Monkees, and "Jailhouse Rock" being recorded by Tony Orlando and Dawn.
• Wham Shot:
  • At the beginning, when Sam looks in a mirror and sees that he's leaped into Elvis Presley of all people.
  • At the end, after Sam has begun a new leap, Sam looks into the mirror across the bar and sees himself instead of a leapee.
• Young Future Famous People: Sam has leaped into a young Elvis, who hangs around with a young Red West. The talent show also features a certain "Little Billy C." from Hope, Arkansas playing the saxophone.

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Sue Anne: What am I gonna do now?
Sam: Well, you're gonna reach for the stars. And you're gonna keep right on reachin', 'til you touch 'em.