Flipper (1964 TV series)

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For other uses of the name, see Flipper

Flipper was a television series that ran from 1964 till 1967 on NBC. A television adaptation or spin-off from the 1963 movie Flipper, the show focused on widowed, young Everglades National Park ranger Porter Ricks (Brian Kelly), his sons Sandy (Luke Halpin, who played the same role in the 1963 film) and "Bud" (Tommy Norden), and their pet dolphin Flipper.

The show was a children's adventure series, with Flipper helping the park ranger and his sons enforce park rules.

On television, Flipper was played mainly by a female dolphin named Suzy, and additionally by other females named Patty and Cathy. They did all of Flipper's nudging of wayward boats, knocking pistols out of poachers' hands, everything seen on the show except for Flipper's famous tail walk, a trick they were unable to master completely. A male dolphin named Mr. Gipper was brought in for scene involving the tail walk.

Swedish-born character actress Ulla Stromstedt had a recurring role during the second season as oceanographer Ulla Norstrand, who frequently forayed into the Ricks' region studying ocean and swamp life and who sometimes aided the ranger and his sons in park enforcement matters. Another character actor, Andy Devine, whose name had been familiar since the days of old-time radio, had a recurring role in the series' first season as an old salt named Hap Gorman, befriended by Bud and Sandy Ricks.

Brian Kelly had been a television presence before landing Flipper; his resume included guest appearances on The Beverly Hillbillies and lead roles in short-lived series such as 21 Beacon Street (a crime drama, 1959) and Straightaway (1961-1962; the show focused on automobile racing). Kelly also appeared in the films Thunder Island (1963), Flipper's New Adventure (1964), and Around the World and Under the Sea (1965). He was throttled by a serious motorcycle accident in 1969; it all but ended his acting career, but he used his insurance settlement to build homes, and he turned the profits from those into a second career as a movie producer, including Blade Runner (1982) and Cities of the Wild (1996).

Luke Halpin also played Sandy Ricks in Flipper's New Adventure, and was also a guest "contestant" on the panel show To Tell The Truth prior to Flipper's move to television. He now works as a Marine technician and pilot for film and television productions. He has had few acting credits since, though he made a cameo appearance in the 1996 film remake of Flipper (starring Elijah Wood). Whether or not Flipper contributed to this, he lives in Florida.

Tommy Norden acted in television soap operas for a time after Flipper finished its original production. He now owns an executive recruiting company in New York City, but he participated in the Miami Seaquarium's 40th anniversary celebration of Flipper.

Flipper has seen periodic syndication, flipping from cable's Family Channel to Nickelodeon to Animal Planet to Discovery Kids, and most recently on satellite provider Voom's "Family Room" channel in high-definition.