26 minSeason 3 • Episode 28
LatestFlipper and the dog try to get help to two lost children stranded on a deserted island.
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.
Practical Effects
Real trained dolphins, zero CGI, all chaos
Production
Underwater cinematography was genuinely groundbreaking for TV
Creators
Ricou Browning, Jack Cowden
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Five different dolphins played Flipper, but Kathy was the real star—she did most of the close-ups and had a particular talent for the 'tail walk' that became the show's signature move.
Flipper basically invented the 'helpful animal' TV genre and directly inspired everything from Gentle Ben to Free Willy. Without this dolphin, 90s kids have no whale to free.
US
