Producer:
Ivan Tors
Cast:
Brian Kelly….Porter Ricks
Luke Halpin….Sandy Ricks
Tommy Norden….Bud Ricks
Flipper….Dolphin
MGM Home Video presents Flipper: Season One. Thirty episodes on 4 Flipper DVDs. Average episode running time: 25 minutes. Episodes aired from Sept. 19, 1964 to April. 10 , 1965. DVD released April 24, 2007. SRP: $39.98
The Show
Hollywood has always teased us with super pets. Lassie gave us a dog that alerted people when Timmy fell down the well. Gentle Ben featured a bear that rode on a swamp boat and mauled poachers. Finally there was Flipper with the trained dolphin that saved incompetent scuba divers. After a TV diet of this trio of trained animals, it was frustrating to own a pet that only responded to the can opener. What were the chances your cat would come to the rescue you if you were trapped in a collapsed mine shaft? Would your cat will let you hold their tail and pull you through the water? Flipper would. For three seasons and 88 episodes, that dolphin proved a faithful aquatic friend.
Flipper was can’t miss TV – for children, at least. This was a show you whined about missing if mom was taking too much time pushing you around in the cart at the grocery store. The more creative child would sing the catchy theme song until mom rushed them to the nearest TV set; very few parents had the fortitude to withstand the faux-Disney beauty in the chorus. As a child, it was easy to envy the lives of Sandy and Bud. They lived on the Florida coast. Their dad, Porter, had the cool job of being a game ranger at Coral Key Park. They had a dolphin for a pet instead of a lame gerbil. Plus they had to deal with sharks. They were living a dream life on this show.
The series started off with “300 Feet Below” that has Flipper and the crew saving a victim of a shark attack. “Dolphin For Sale” has a fisherman plotting to kidnap Flipper to sell him into showbiz. There were a lot of episodes dealing with jealous people trying to steal the intelligent pet. “Mr. Marvello” has a ventriloquist putting English words into Flipper’s mouth. “Call of the Dolphin” has Flipper pulling Bud’s raft out to a coral reef. Flipper hears the call of other dolphin and drops the rope. Instead of swimming along with fellow aquatic mammals, Flipper has bonded with a mini-submarine controlled by James Best (best known for being Rosco P. Coltrane on Dukes of Hazzard). Flipper is duped by Best’s tapes of dolphin noises. Best wants to use Flipper in his audio experiments, but the boys cant stand losing their best friend to science.
“Flipper’s Monster” makes this DVD a must buy for fans of Universal Horror. A low budget monster movie comes to Coral Key to film the underwater action scenes. Flipper becomes attracted to the lead actress (played by Wende Wagner) and decides to rewrite the script. He won’t let the rubber suited monster terrorize his woman. The producer mistakes Flipper for a shark and attempts deadly force on the uninvited camera hog. The episode is directed by Ricou Browning. Ring a bell? He was inside the monster suit for The Creature From the Black Lagoon series for the swimming scenes. Not only is he calling the shots, Browning zipped up the gills and scales to play the monster that battles Flipper in the finale. Browning was part of the creative team that launched Flipper as a movie and sequel before it went to the small screen. Here’s the answer for who would win the fight between Flipper and the Creature From the Black Lagoon.
Unlike so many beloved childhood shows, such as H.R. Pufnstuf, Rocky and Bullwinkle and Speed Racer, Flipper really doesn’t age well as you mature. Drinking like a fish might help the dolphin drama, but it is not recommended. The stories are pretty simple and rather wholesome. The acting is emotionally neutral; Bud and Sandy don’t feel too much angst about being mother-less. They don’t even care about dad finding a new wife. There’s no major kitsch elements to captivate. Perhaps this show could float on the waters of youth? The DVD was played for a five year old girl. She loved the show. She was captivated by the exciting, colorful underwater photography. She kept making dolphin click noises during dinner. Days later, her father called to complain about how she wouldn’t stop singing the Flipper theme song. The show still has the power to appeal to its original audience: small kids who want a trained dolphin for a pet.
The Episodes
The first season consists of “300 Feet Below,” “The Red Hot Car,” “SOS Dolphin,” “The Gulf Between,” “City Boy,” “Dolphin for Sale,” “Not Necessarily Gospel,” “Countdown for Flipper,” Mr. Marvello,” “My Brother Flipper,” “The Second Time Around ,” “Lady and the Dolphin” (a two parter), “Danger,” “The Misanthrope,” “Flipper’s Bank Account,” “The Lifeguard,” The Day of the Shark,” “Love and Sandy,” “Money to Blow,” “Flipper’s Treasure,” “The White Dolphin,” “Teamwork,” “Flipper and the Elephant” (a threeparter), “Bud Minds Baby,” “Sailor Bud,” “The Call of the Dolphin” and “Flipper’s Monster.”
The DVD
VIDEO:
The picture is 1.33:1. The transfer is pristine. The colors pop in the exterior and underwater scenes. This show doesn’t look 40-plus years old.
AUDIO:
The soundtrack is Dolby Digital Mono. The levels are good. There’s no noticeable pops or rumbles. Flipper’s click talk pops out of the speakers. The subtitles are in English and Spanish.
EXTRAS:
Flipper Trivia Game has 10 multiple choice questions about the series.
The Inside Pulse
Flipper is a show that still appeals to its true intended audience of elementary school kids. What kid doesn’t want a trained dolphin for a pet? This is a good season set for family fun especially if your kids enjoy underwater nature documentaries.
