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Flipper (1963 film) facts for kids

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Flipper
Flipper 1963 movie poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by James B. Clark
Produced by Ivan Tors
Screenplay by Arthur Weiss
Story by Ricou Browning
Jack Cowden
Starring Chuck Connors
Luke Halpin
Joe Higgins
Kathleen Maguire
Music by Henry Vars
Cinematography Lamar Boren
Joseph Brun
Editing by Warren Brown
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s) August 14, 1963
Running time 87 min.
Country United States
Language English
Money made $2,500,000 (rentals)

Flipper is a classic American movie from 1963. It's about a 12-year-old boy named Sandy who lives in the sunny Florida Keys. Sandy finds an injured wild dolphin and they become the best of friends! But Sandy's dad, a fisherman, isn't so sure about having a dolphin around. The movie shows how Sandy and Flipper's friendship grows, even when things get tough.

This movie also gave us the famous Flipper song. It was so popular that it led to a TV show called Flipper (which ran from 1964 to 1967) and even more movies!

The Story of Flipper

The movie begins with Sandy Ricks, a young boy living in the Florida Keys. He finds a dolphin that has been hurt. Sandy quickly helps the dolphin and they become close friends.

Sandy's father, Porter Ricks, is a fisherman. He doesn't like the idea of Sandy keeping the dolphin. Porter worries that dolphins will eat too many fish, which could hurt his family's income. He also thinks Sandy is spending too much time with the dolphin and not enough on his chores.

Sandy names his new friend Flipper. Flipper gets better and even puts on fun shows for the local kids. But Porter still isn't happy. He sees Flipper as a problem for his fishing nets and a distraction for Sandy. So, Porter lets Flipper swim back into the open sea, even though Sandy is very sad.

To Sandy's delight, Flipper soon returns to their home. But then Flipper eats all of Porter's valuable fish! This is a big problem because many fish in the area are already dying from a sickness. Porter is very upset with Sandy for letting Flipper near the fish. Sandy is heartbroken and goes to his room. His mom, Martha, reminds Porter that Sandy is just a child.

Sandy wants to make up for the lost fish. He goes out to find more, and Flipper helps him find a huge group of fish near a coral reef. Later, Flipper even saves Sandy from a dangerous shark! After this, Porter finally sees how special Flipper is. He realizes that Flipper helped Sandy find fish and that there are enough fish for everyone, including the dolphins.

Who's in the Movie?

The main actors who brought the characters to life are:

  • Chuck Connors as Porter Ricks
  • Luke Halpin as Sandy Ricks
  • Kathleen Maguire as Martha Ricks
  • Connie Scott as Kim Parker
  • Jane Rose as Hettie White
  • Joe Higgins as Mr. L.C. Parett
  • Robertson White as Mr. Abrams
  • George Applewhite as Sheriff Rogers

More Flipper Adventures

The movie Flipper was so popular that it led to many more stories!

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Flipper (película de 1963) para niños

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