After making some inroads in syndication (i.e. Sea Hunt), writer-producer Ivan Tors made his first network sale in 1964 with Flipper, which spent 3 seasons on NBC (1964-7).
Set up as a follow-up to the feature film of the same name, released a year earlier, and a sequel that came out earlier in '64, Flipper, shot on location in Florida, centered on not only the titular dolphin, but also Park Ranger Porter Ricks (Brian Kelly, who took over the role from Chuck Connors in the second film) and his sons, Sandy & Bud (Luke Halpin & Tommy Nordren). Bud was actually added to the mix for the TV show.
Flipper was co-created by actor-turned-author Ricou Browning ("Creature From The Black Lagoon"), based on his book. The series has made the rounds of cable, with stops including Nickelodeon and Antenna TV since ending 51 years ago. In the 90's, a remake of the original feature film, starring Paul Hogan ("Crocodile Dundee") led to a new, hour-long version of the series, which lasted two years itself.
Let's revisit the intro, along with a clip from the series.
Rating: A.
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