Play It Again, Seymour
- by Donald P. Bellisario and Scott Shepard , directed by Aaron Lipstadt
- TV Episode
- Science Fiction, Mystery and Crime
- Adults
- Definite Time Travel
- English
- “Play It Again, Seymour” by Donald P. Bellisario and Scott Shepard , directed by Aaron Lipstadt (NBC-TV, USA, 17 May 1989).
Sam arrives in 1953 as a private eye who looks like Humphrey Bogart and has to solve the mystery of his partner’s murder while trying to figure out his relationship with his partner’s wife and the eager kid at the newsstand.
—Michael Main
Kid, if I’m lucky I’m gonna spend the rest of my life leaping around from one place to another instead of face down in a pool of blood.
Tags
(11)
- Time Periods
- Circa AD 1950 to 1959: starting on 14 April 1953
- Time Travel Methods
- Time Tethers: with an uncooperative retrieval mechanism
- Themes
- Ex Nihilo Obects and People: It’s possible that Sam originates the phrase “main squeeze” and perhaps the term “nerd.”
- Identity Illusion
- Incorporeal Traveler: Al
- Precognition, Premonition, or Prediction: Sam’s premonitions turn out to have an explanation in this particular episode’s destination.
- Touched by a Time Traveler: In addition to saving the life of the leapee, Nick Allen, Sam also touches Allison and Seymour.
- Real-World Tags
- Humphrey Bogart: Sam is repeatedly mistaken for Humphrey Bogart.
- Woody Allen: A young Allen asks “Bogart” for advice on how to get Annie up to his bedroom.
- Groupings
Variants
(1)
- “Play It Again, Seymour” by Donald P. Bellisario and Scott Shepard , directed by Aaron Lipstadt (NBC-TV, USA, 17 May 1989).
Indexer Notes
(1)
- Time Travel Trivia—This is the first of four episodes where same leapt to a date (14 April 1953) that is several months before his birthday (8 August 1953).