This installment of Quantum Leap deserves another review. Here Sam leaps into Charlie Waters aka "Black Magic", an elderly gentleman celebrated for his many exploits playing pool. His special pool cue is affectionately called Alberta. He wants to help his granddaughter Violet Walters with her club business, but apparently he has not stockpiled and invested his winnings over the years. Her club is situated in a 1954 urban area and is now at risk financially to an unsavory character who thinks he can successfully challenge the aging master. Although he is younger and has better eyesight than Magic, Sam realizes that his woeful lack of technique and experience at pool is a huge liability. Despite his attempt avoid it, a showdown in 9-ball approaches. Sam must quickly develop a competitive skill with coaching and assistance from Al. The competition features a couple major hurdles and several magnificent shots, including the finale. After an appropriate conclusion, Sam leaps into a Hungarian circus act.
3 Reviews
"The greatest pool player in the world".
bombersflyup2 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Pool Hall Blues is about Sam being leaped into the body of Charlie "Black Magic" Walters, an aging pool hustler.
Black Magic's granddaughter couldn't get a loan from the bank to pay for her club, so she gets the money from a loan shark named Eddie and her due date is up. Magic must play Eddie in order to wipe away the debt. Shari Headley's terrific as Violet, but the Grady character rather annoying. Al doesn't play much of a role in this one and I didn't buy his link to Black Magic. Despite these things, it's memorable. I love the atmosphere, like when Violet sings "Stormy Weather." I love when Sam misses the game shot against the new guy to the club and they force him to take his money back because Magic is just hustling him, when it's really just Sam missing. I also love the piano scene between Violet and Sam, wonderful.
Black Magic's granddaughter couldn't get a loan from the bank to pay for her club, so she gets the money from a loan shark named Eddie and her due date is up. Magic must play Eddie in order to wipe away the debt. Shari Headley's terrific as Violet, but the Grady character rather annoying. Al doesn't play much of a role in this one and I didn't buy his link to Black Magic. Despite these things, it's memorable. I love the atmosphere, like when Violet sings "Stormy Weather." I love when Sam misses the game shot against the new guy to the club and they force him to take his money back because Magic is just hustling him, when it's really just Sam missing. I also love the piano scene between Violet and Sam, wonderful.
Don't Fret, Miz Violet, It Be Ovah Soon Nuff, It Sho Do.
richard.fuller12 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
That a show into the 1990s could regard Black persons from the 1950s as nothing more than pool hustlers for Sam (Scott Bakula) to emote and pity over is just the third in the trilogy of bigotry that this show has displayed.
First, Sam became a Klansman and sought to hang himself with a victim to prove his point. Wonderful fantasy from the land of Oz, but it would have never happened for real.
Second, Sam became Morgan Freeman as Hoke and drove Miss Daisy around, until he was allowed to sit at the lunchcounter with her.
This may come as a tremendous shock to people, but the white folks who did all the suh-thuhn discriminating and lynching and White Only signing, . . . . they weren't Jewish.
This pool episode aired this past week on Sci Fi, and Sam being completely unable to look upon these people as anything else other than Black shows the character's (and perhaps the actor's) inability to be non-discriminating.
Oh, he was in a different realm, as he is every time he leaps. It wasn't his territory.
Yes, but in the vast majority of his leapings, he manages to fit in to an extent.
He's still in the wrong neck of the woods as I watch this episode, halfway over.
Oh, Dean Stockwell as Al is just too hip, too with it. He's coaching Sam all the way.
Al understands these people! They cool, baby. Yea, swing it! We jazzin' now, momma! Already we've seen a black man working at the loan office, and gotten the old clichéd hint that he's forgotten how he had to struggle to get to that position.
Why don't we have Sam leap into that man's body, to show how he manages, instead of seeing more of these stereotypes like Lady Sings the Blues here? I was going to give the episode a 1 (awful) rating, but decided I would give it a point apiece for Shari Headley and the late, great Teddy Wilson.
The episode has ended and is followed by Sam in the circus with a Russian family. Already he has managed to question, disagree and engage in more dialogue (with no assistance from Al), barely a minute into the episode, than he did with those Americans in this previous episode.
Again, in the next episode, the Russian father has had to endure name-calling and laughter, being referred to as goulash.
If that had happened in THIS episode, . . . . . Sam would have to get serious, stare the . . . . the . . . . the BIGOT square in the eyes and tell them they were no better and they better NOT do that again.
The circus episode has whimsical little voice-over narration from Bakula, but the poolshark episode had Sam completely and totally separate from their lifestyle.
The recognition of races and what is and isn't race, and what is and isn't a person, does indeed have many faces.
Watching a show like Quantum Leap reveals one of them. And a big one that causes a lot of trouble even today.
First, Sam became a Klansman and sought to hang himself with a victim to prove his point. Wonderful fantasy from the land of Oz, but it would have never happened for real.
Second, Sam became Morgan Freeman as Hoke and drove Miss Daisy around, until he was allowed to sit at the lunchcounter with her.
This may come as a tremendous shock to people, but the white folks who did all the suh-thuhn discriminating and lynching and White Only signing, . . . . they weren't Jewish.
This pool episode aired this past week on Sci Fi, and Sam being completely unable to look upon these people as anything else other than Black shows the character's (and perhaps the actor's) inability to be non-discriminating.
Oh, he was in a different realm, as he is every time he leaps. It wasn't his territory.
Yes, but in the vast majority of his leapings, he manages to fit in to an extent.
He's still in the wrong neck of the woods as I watch this episode, halfway over.
Oh, Dean Stockwell as Al is just too hip, too with it. He's coaching Sam all the way.
Al understands these people! They cool, baby. Yea, swing it! We jazzin' now, momma! Already we've seen a black man working at the loan office, and gotten the old clichéd hint that he's forgotten how he had to struggle to get to that position.
Why don't we have Sam leap into that man's body, to show how he manages, instead of seeing more of these stereotypes like Lady Sings the Blues here? I was going to give the episode a 1 (awful) rating, but decided I would give it a point apiece for Shari Headley and the late, great Teddy Wilson.
The episode has ended and is followed by Sam in the circus with a Russian family. Already he has managed to question, disagree and engage in more dialogue (with no assistance from Al), barely a minute into the episode, than he did with those Americans in this previous episode.
Again, in the next episode, the Russian father has had to endure name-calling and laughter, being referred to as goulash.
If that had happened in THIS episode, . . . . . Sam would have to get serious, stare the . . . . the . . . . the BIGOT square in the eyes and tell them they were no better and they better NOT do that again.
The circus episode has whimsical little voice-over narration from Bakula, but the poolshark episode had Sam completely and totally separate from their lifestyle.
The recognition of races and what is and isn't race, and what is and isn't a person, does indeed have many faces.
Watching a show like Quantum Leap reveals one of them. And a big one that causes a lot of trouble even today.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
