kids encyclopedia robot

Flipper (1963 film) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
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 an American feature film released on August 14, 1963 and written by Arthur Weiss based upon a story by Ricou Browning and Jack Cowden. Produced by Ivan Tors and directed by James B. Clark, the film centers on a 12-year-old boy living with his parents in the Florida Keys who befriends an injured wild dolphin. The boy and the dolphin become inseparable, eventually overcoming the misgivings of the boy's fisherman father.

The film introduced the popular song Flipper by Dunham and Henry Vars and inspired the subsequent television series of the same name (1964–1967) and film sequels.

Plot

Sandy Ricks is a young boy living in the Florida Keys who rescues and befriends a dolphin injured by a harpoon. His father, fisherman Porter Ricks disapproves, as dolphins compete for fish, which jeopardizes the family income. He is also upset that, after befriending the dolphin, Sandy neglects his chores, especially those assigned by Porter to repair items damaged by the hurricane from which Sandy and Porter escape at the beginning of the film.

Sandy names the dolphin Flipper, and Flipper recovers from the wound and puts on a show to entertain the neighborhood children. Porter, seeing Flipper as both a threat to his nets and fish and a distraction to Sandy's chores, lets the recovered Flipper swim out of the pen to the open sea, despite Sandy's tearful plea to keep the pet that he has come to love.

Flipper returns to the Ricks' pen, much to Sandy's delight, but devours Porter's entire catch of pompano, which were caught only because Flipper guided Sandy to the fish. The loss is keenly felt because of a red plague killing local fish in large numbers. Porter harshly berates Sandy for allowing Flipper to jump into the holding pen of valuable fish waiting to go to market. Reduced to tears, Sandy retreats to his bedroom as Porter's wife Martha reminds Porter that Sandy is just a child.

Determined to make up for the loss, Sandy sets off to find more fish, and is led by Flipper to a large school of fish near a reef. Later, Sandy is rescued from a threatening shark by Flipper, and the grateful father draws closer to his son. Porter is finally convinced that Flipper did indeed help Sandy find fish and that there are enough fish for the local residents as well as the dolphins.

Cast

  • 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

Sequels

A film sequel, Flipper's New Adventure, was filmed in late 1963 and released in June 1964. That same year, a television series inspired by the movie, also titled Flipper, began and ran until 1967. A 1990s television revival featured Jessica Alba. In 1996, a movie remake was released, starring Paul Hogan and Elijah Wood.

See also

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

kids search engine
Flipper (1963 film) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.