Flipper
Flipper, from Ivan Tors Films in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television, is an American television program first broadcast on NBC from September 19, 1964, until April 15, 1967. Flipper, a bottlenose dolphin, is the companion animal of Porter Ricks, Chief Warden at fictional Coral Key Park and Marine Preserve in southern Florida, and his two young sons, Sandy and Bud. The show has been dubbed an "aquatic Lassie", and a considerable amount of juvenile merchandise inspired by the show was produced during its first-run.
Seasons
1. 300 Feet Below
Air Date: 1964-09-19
Dr Phil Harmon is attacked by a shark. He radios to bring a rare blood type that can save his life.
2. The Red Hot Car
Air Date: 1964-09-26
The boys find themselves in deep water when they disobey their father and dive down to investigate a car that has been dumped in the ocean.
3. SOS Dolphin
Air Date: 1964-10-03
Flipper comes to the rescue when a submarine gets caught on the bottom of the ocean, trapping its occupant who is fast running out of air.
4. The Gulf Between
Air Date: 1964-10-10
Bud isn't happy with the new woman in his father's life. Feeling alone in the world, Bud stays out in the ocean too late and winds up lost in an underwater cave at high tide.
5. City Boy
Air Date: 1964-10-17
City boy, Mike Beldon arrives in Corel Key with a huge chip on his shoulder about his mother's new husband. However, a near death accident helps him see his new step-father in a different light.
6. Dolphin for Sale
Air Date: 1964-10-24
Dorrie steals Flipper and sells him to a carnival owner.
7. Not Necessarily Gospel
Air Date: 1964-10-31
Porter is concerned that Bud is taking old Hap Gorman's stories too seriously and warns his son that not everything the old man tells him is true.
8. Countdown for Flipper
Air Date: 1964-11-07
Flipper's days are numbered when he is accused of eating a prized fish worth a lot of money. Just as Flipper is to be cut open to retrieve the fish, Bud and Sandy discover it has been stolen by Jim and race to prove their pet's innocence in before it's too late.
9. Mr. Marvello
Air Date: 1964-11-14
Bud and Sandy hear Flipper say in plain English he wants to leave for London with Professor Marvello, and the professor's circus colleagues bring nets to take Flipper away.
10. My Brother Flipper
Air Date: 1964-11-21
Flipper saves the life of an old Greek sponge poacher in the preserve, but Bud and Sandy tell Po of his illegal activities.
11. The Second Time Around
Air Date: 1964-11-28
Po and Sandy rescue a despondent former water ski champion, now in a wheelchair, and her mother from a hurricane. Flipper gets tangled in a fishnet.
12. Lady and the Dolphin (1)
Air Date: 1964-12-05
Despite their best attempts to impress a visiting Congress woman, Porter and the boys are devastated to learn that she plans to close the park.
13. Lady and the Dolphin (2)
Air Date: 1964-12-12
In a last ditch attempt to convince Congress woman Helen Browning that she should use government funding to keep the Park open, Sandy and Bud take her skin-diving.
14. Danger
Air Date: 1964-12-19
Bud and Sandy, on a trip with Hap Gorman to his secret fishing grounds, board an abandoned boat, not knowing that a hidden charge of dynamite is about to blow it to pieces.
15. The Misanthrope
Air Date: 1964-12-26
Sandy, Bud and Flipper decide to become detectives when reports claim that someone has been looting boats in Coral Key Park.
16. Flipper's Bank Account
Air Date: 1965-01-02
When Flipper finds a Spanish doubloon on the ocean bottom and brings it to Bud and Sandy, rumours about Spanish Treausures spread quickly and an underwater gold rush ensues.
17. The Lifeguard
Air Date: 1965-01-09
Flipper leads Bud to a beach where Lynn Borden lies half conscious after falling off a boat 20 miles at sea.
18. The Day of the Shark
Air Date: 1965-01-16
Porter Ricks, Sandy and Marine Researcher Dr Williams Tollner go to sea to investigate a school of lemon sharks which have invaded Coral Key Park.
19. Love and Sandy
Air Date: 1965-01-23
Pretty teenager Bonnie McCoy takes Sandy by surprise when she sails into view aboard a floating zoo.
20. Money to Blow
Air Date: 1965-01-30
Flipper finds money underwater and presents some of the bills to Bud. Flipper shows Bud where it came from and they collect more from the underwater wreck.
21. Flipper's Treasure
Air Date: 1965-02-06
Flipper goes to Bud and Porter Ricks for detective help after seeing a treasure chest stolen from the wreck of a sunken Spanish ship hidden on a nearby island.
22. The White Dolphin
Air Date: 1965-02-13
Flipper disappears for several days and, when found by Porter Ricks, Sandy and Bud, is with another dolphin, an amazing albino the only white dolphin in Porter's memory.
23. Teamwork
Air Date: 1965-02-20
While Sandy and Bud prepare for the annual Coral Key Park swimming race, Porter is overcome by toxic chemicals dropped from a passing ship while he is carrying out an underwater investigation.
24. Flipper and the Elephant (1)
Air Date: 1965-02-27
Sentinel of the sea Flipper discovers a sinking raft, manned by Bonnie McCoy, her father, an elephant and a chimpanzee.
25. Flipper and the Elephant (2)
Air Date: 1965-03-06
In an effort to raise money to pay off creditors of McCoy's Floating Zoo, Sandy and Bud join Bonnie McCoy in a scheme to run away with her father's elephant and chimpanzee.
26. Flipper and the Elephant (3)
Air Date: 1965-03-13
Judy the chimp steals a briefcase full of money and Sean McCoy of McCoy's Floating Zoo is arrested. Sandy, Bud and Bonnie decide to put on a show with Flipper to raise money for her father's bail.
27. Bud Minds Baby
Air Date: 1965-03-20
Like the heroes he sees on TV, Bud tries to rescue a damsel in distress, but fails to tell Porter or Sandy of his intentions, and suddenly finds himself caught in a dangerous rip.
28. Sailor Bud
Air Date: 1965-03-27
Bud trying to help an injured man and his wife marooned on a sailboat, has to call desperately for help from Flipper when the boat becomes caught in treacherous coral reefs.
29. The Call of the Dolphin
Air Date: 1965-04-03
Flipper, being a pack animal by instinct, is attracted by the sound of a school of dolphins and nothing Porter, Sandy or Bud can do will bring him back.
30. Flipper's Monster
Air Date: 1965-04-10
A motion picture company moves in to film an underwater monster picture in Coral Key Park, and Flipper become star struck.
1. Flipper and the Mermaid
Air Date: 1965-09-18
Flipper rescues a lady oceanographer from a barracuda and finds a permanent new friend as Ulla Norstrand joins the adventures of the Ricks family.
2. Dolphin in Pursuit (1)
Air Date: 1965-09-25
The Ricks', in need of some TLC, take off to a nearby island to go camping. On their way they get word that there is an escaped convict at large. Porter gets permission to continue on his vacation, but after his boat is stolen, he gets a feeling that this is no vacation. Flipper takes off in hot pursuit!
3. Dolphin in Pursuit (2)
Air Date: 1965-10-02
In the conclusion of a two-part adventure, Flipper tows Porter Ricks to his stolen launch, where he finds that the thief has imprisoned Ulla and stolen her submarine.
4. Flipper's Hour of Peril
Air Date: 1965-10-09
Flipper's natural curiosity gets him tangled up in a cable attached to a dangerous floating mine that could explode any minute.
5. Coral Fever
Air Date: 1965-10-16
Ranger Ricks is knocked unconscious by an underwater explosion while tracking down a coral poacher.
6. Junior Ranger
Air Date: 1965-10-23
A young ranger trainee has arrived at Coral Key to meet with Porter Ricks. It doesn't take long for the Ricks to figure out that this new ranger is cocky and needs to be taught what a real ranger is all about - following the rules. He endangers Bud's life by disobeying his advice then blames it on Bud. Will this Ranger ever "get" what it's all about?
7. The Ditching (1)
Air Date: 1965-10-30
Things take an ominous turn for Sandy and Flipper when the plane carrying them to the Bahamas crashes in the Ocean.
8. The Ditching (2)
Air Date: 1965-11-06
Flipper is the only hope of saving Sandy from drowning in a plane that crashed at sea, in the conclusion of this two part adventure.
9. Flipper and the Spy
Air Date: 1965-11-13
Flipper and Sandy are duped into helping a spy when a secret instrument package from a rocket is lost in Coral Key Park.
10. Dolphin Patrol
Air Date: 1965-11-20
A school of killer sharks keep Sandy and Bud trapped in a sunken wreck while Flipper tries to arouse Porter Ricks to come to their aid.
11. A Job for Sandy
Air Date: 1965-11-27
Flipper fights to save Sandy's life and the lives of a film crew when he discovers a power leak in an underwater electric cable.
12. Flipper and the Horse Thieves
Air Date: 1965-12-04
While Bud shows off Flipper to his new friend Stevie, thieves steal Stevies valuable show horse.
13. Flipper And The Bounty
Air Date: 1965-12-11
Bud is fascinated when an old ship called the Bounty arrives at Corral Key Park. Without anyone's knowledge, he decides to sneak on board and explore.
14. Shark Hunt
Air Date: 1965-12-18
A school of killer sharks attack Flipper after he saves a swimmer and leads Porter Ricks and Sandy in a hunt for the deadly fish.
15. Flipper, the Detective
Air Date: 1965-12-25
Flipper helps Sandy and Bud search for stolen jewels when Ranger Porter Ricks is charged with robbery and hauled off to jail.
16. Flipper's Odyssey (1)
Air Date: 1966-01-08
Flipper is captured by some fishermen who transport him a long way up the coast to stock a new marine exhibit.
17. Flipper's Odyssey (2)
Air Date: 1966-01-15
The Ricks family sails up the coast in search of their missing friend, Flipper, only to find that the dolphin that saved a man's life, and who they hoped would be Flipper, has gone.
18. Flipper's Odyssey (3)
Air Date: 1966-01-22
While Flipper recovers from the injuries received during a battle with an alligator, Bud grieves over the loss of his pet just a few miles down the coast.
19. Slingshot
Air Date: 1966-01-29
Bud, Ulla and Stevie are trapped when their truck swerves into a drainage canal.
20. Flipper and the Shark Cage
Air Date: 1966-02-05
A well meaning Bud skips his chores to go off in search of a way to earn some money for a birthday present for his Dad.
21. The Lobster Trap
Air Date: 1966-02-12
When Flipper and Bud discover some of Sandy's high school classmates setting lobster traps before the season opens, bud is faced with the problem of reporting it to his father or letting the older boys off.
22. Air Power
Air Date: 1966-02-19
Sandy and Bud place a down payment on a used air boat and plan to pay it off by operating a touring service through the everglades.
23. Gift Dolphin
Air Date: 1966-02-26
While fishing in the waters off Florida, visiting Prince Kaza and a state department official run aground on a reef. Sharks appear while the pair attempt to free the boat.
24. The Raccoon who Came to Dinner
Air Date: 1966-03-05
A park inspector, who believes animals should remain wild and not be made pets pays Porter an official visit. He clashes with Bud over the ownership of Flipper.
25. Flipper Joins the Navy (1)
Air Date: 1966-03-12
The Ricks family gets an inside look at the Navy's dolphin research when Ulla calls on Porter for assistance with a Navy dolphin that seems to have gone berserk.
26. Flipper Joins the Navy (2)
Air Date: 1966-03-19
The Navy and the Coast Guard launch an extensive search for a research Dolphin worth half a million dollars, that escaped from the Ricks while Flipper was trying to nurse him back to health.
27. Flipper's Underwater Museum
Air Date: 1966-03-26
An industrial spy takes a sonar device from Ulla that has been entrusted to her by an electronics company for field testing her submarine.
28. Deep Waters
Air Date: 1966-04-02
When Porter dives into the depths with Ulla in her submarine for a survey of the ocean floor, the tiny craft snaps its propeller on the rocky coral stranding them under 50 metres of water.
29. Dolphin Love (1)
Air Date: 1966-04-09
Flipper falls in love with another Dolphin much to Bud's puzzlement, and swims about the park with his new girlfriend until Ted Marlowe mistakes the female dolphin for a shark and spears her.
30. Dolphin Love (2)
Air Date: 1966-04-16
Flipper is concerned over the outcome of an operation on his girlfriend, who was speared by Ted Marlowe.
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Rating
6.2/10
Release Date
1964-09-19
Episodes
88 (3 seasons)
Status
Ended
Cast
Production Companies
Miami Seaquarium
Ivan Tors Films
MGM Television