''Flipper'' (also known as ''Flipper – The New Adventures'') is an American revival
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
of the original
1964 ''Flipper'' television series. The first two seasons aired in
first-run syndication; Seasons 3 and 4 aired on the
PAX network
Ion Television is an American broadcast television network owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network first began broadcasting on August 31, 1998, as Pax TV, focusing primarily on family-oriented enter ...
.
The series was set in a town named Bal Harbor that was supposed to be in the
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
region. (There is an actual town in Florida with a similar name,
Bal Harbour, Florida
Bal Harbour is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The population was 3,093 at the 2020 US Census.
History
Since the 1920s, the Detroit-based Miami Beach Heights Corporation—headed by industrialists Robert C. Graham, Walter O. Briggs ...
just north of the City of
Miami Beach
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which sep ...
.) However, it was largely filmed in
Gold Coast, Queensland
The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the nati ...
, Australia. The show’s first three episodes were filmed in
Pigeon Key, Florida
Pigeon Key is a small island containing the historic district of Pigeon Key, Florida. The island is home to 8 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, some of which remain from its earliest incarnation as a work camp for the Flo ...
and at the
Dolphin Research Center
The Dolphin Research Center (DRC) is a dolphinarium on Grassy Key, Florida. The series of saltwater lagoons is home to several dolphins and California sea lions.
History
Fisherman Milton Santini opened Santini's Porpoise School in 1958, which he ...
in
Grassy Key, Florida
Grassy Key, Florida, is an island in the middle Florida Keys. It is located on U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway), near mile markers 57—60, below the Conch Keys. It has an area of 3.65 km², with a population of 974 as of the census 2000.
...
, but aired in different time slots during the first season.
The series is unrelated to the
1996 film of the same title which was also a remake of the 1960s TV series and films.
Plot
Season 1 opens with the adult Dr. Keith "Bud" Ricks (
Brian Wimmer
Brian Wimmer (born October 1, 1959) is an American actor. He is probably best known for his role as Cpl. Boonie Lanier in the TV series ''China Beach'', which ran from 1988 until 1991. He also regularly appeared on ''Flipper'' (1995-1996) and ha ...
) from the original 1964 ''
Flipper'' series leading dolphin research at the Bal Harbour Research Institute in the
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
. Dr. Pam Blondell (
Colleen Flynn
Colleen Flynn is an American actress. In 1995, Flynn earned a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in an episode "Love's Labor Lost" of NBC medical drama '' ER''.
Flynn was regul ...
) a naval officer, relocated to the Florida Keys to join Dr. Ricks at the institute to perform dolphin research. Dr. Blondell is accompanied by her son Mike (
Payton Haas
Payton Haas (born June 9, 1979) is an American actor who is most known for starring as Mike Blondel in the first season of '' Flipper'', alongside Jessica Alba, Brian Wimmer, and Colleen Flynn.
Haas is a 2004 graduate in Computer and Informatio ...
), a rebellious teen. Mike is unhappy about the move until he meets Maya Graham (
Jessica Alba
Jessica Marie Alba ( ; born April 28, 1981) is an American actress and businesswoman. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in '' Camp Nowhere'' and '' The Secret World of Alex Mack'' (1994), and rose to prominence at age 19 ...
), a free-spirited 14-year-old girl who has a special connection with Flipper and the ocean. On a few occasions, Mike and Maya would get into some trouble forcing a rescue from Flipper, Keith and Pam.
At the beginning of Season 2, Dr. Ricks, Dr. Blondell, and her son Mike are written out of the series by leaving Bal Harbour. Dr. Jennifer Daulton takes over as the institute's director. Maya becomes an intern at the institute, while two new interns, Dean Gregson (
Scott Michaelson
Scott Michaelson is an Australian retired actor and talent manager who is most famous for playing Brad Willis in ''Neighbours''. He took over the role from Benjamin Grant Mitchell, who had been a guest character and later played Brad's cousin ...
) and Holly Myers (
Anja Coleby), are introduced. Next door to the institute, a new substation for Air Sea Rescue opens, introducing Deputies Tom Hampton (
Whip Hubley
Grant Shelby Hubley Jr., known as Whip Hubley, is an American actor.
Early life and education
Hubley was born in New York City, the son of Julia Kaul (née Paine) and Grant Shelby Hubley, an entrepreneur, oil investor, and writer. He attended th ...
) and Quinn Garnett (Wren T. Brown). The deputies are responsible for rescuing people in trouble at sea, and perform numerous rescues through the season and even catch crooks and criminals causing harm to the public and environment. Hampton and Dr. Daulton have an on-and-off romance during the season. Edward "Cap" Daulton (
Gus Mercurio
Augustino Eugenio Mercurio (10 August 19287 December 2010) better known as Gus Mercurio, was an American-born Australian character actor who appeared in radio, television, and film.
Early life
Mercurio, the eldest child of Vincent A. Mercurio ...
), Dr. Daulton's estranged father, also moves to Bal Harbour to try and re-establish a relationship with his daughter. Cap is a charter boat captain and owns his own boat, the Maria D, named after his late wife.
In Season 3, Dr. Daulton and Maya are written out of the series by leaving Bal Harbour to perform research in the Red Sea and San Diego. Lt. Alex Parker (
Tiffany Lamb
Tiffany Lamb (born 22 September 1966) is an Australians, Australian model, actress, and TV presenter. She is best known for co-hosting ''Perfect Match (Australian game show), Perfect Match'', and starring in ''Flipper (1995 TV series), Flipper - T ...
), a Lt Commander in the US Navy, becomes the institute's director, and marries Tom Hampton. Hampton and Parker, along with her two kids, Chris (Craig Marriott) and Jackie (
Laura Donaldson
Laura Donaldson (born 12 January 1972) is a British freestyle skier. She competed in the women's moguls event at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Career
Donaldson made her Winter Olympics debut at 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City. She was selec ...
), set up housekeeping, and the series begins to focus more on their family. Deputy Mark Delaney (Darrin Klimek) also replaces Garnett as Hampton's partner at the substation. At the marine institute, Holly remains an intern, but Dean leaves. Cap still appears throughout Seasons 3 and 4 but is noticeably absent from many episodes.
In Season 4, Tom's niece Courtney Gordon (Skye Patch), moves in with the Hampton/Parker family after being unhappy living with her mother in Washington D.C. Season 4 is essentially a continuation of Season 3 with no major changes. Most episodes are self-contained and there is very little in the way of serialized storylines between episodes.
The series ends on an initially tragic note as Flipper accidentally becomes beached on a sand dune and is unable to free himself. Upon learning what has happened, the entire cast rushes to the scene but arrives too late; Flipper's heart stops as they are trying to save him. The final scene of the series shows Jackie mourning Flipper's loss, then he's shown to be alive and the show ends with them playing in the water and she says "Everything's gonna be just fine".
Cast and characters
* Flipper as himself.
*
Brian Wimmer
Brian Wimmer (born October 1, 1959) is an American actor. He is probably best known for his role as Cpl. Boonie Lanier in the TV series ''China Beach'', which ran from 1988 until 1991. He also regularly appeared on ''Flipper'' (1995-1996) and ha ...
as Dr. Keith Ricks (Season 1) (22 episodes, 1995–1996)
*
Colleen Flynn
Colleen Flynn is an American actress. In 1995, Flynn earned a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in an episode "Love's Labor Lost" of NBC medical drama '' ER''.
Flynn was regul ...
as Dr. Pamela Blondell (Season 1) (22 episodes, 1995–1996)
*
Payton Haas
Payton Haas (born June 9, 1979) is an American actor who is most known for starring as Mike Blondel in the first season of '' Flipper'', alongside Jessica Alba, Brian Wimmer, and Colleen Flynn.
Haas is a 2004 graduate in Computer and Informatio ...
as Mike (Season 1) (22 episodes, 1995–1996)
*
Jessica Alba
Jessica Marie Alba ( ; born April 28, 1981) is an American actress and businesswoman. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in '' Camp Nowhere'' and '' The Secret World of Alex Mack'' (1994), and rose to prominence at age 19 ...
as Maya Graham (Seasons 1–2) (44 episodes, 1995–1997)
*
Whip Hubley
Grant Shelby Hubley Jr., known as Whip Hubley, is an American actor.
Early life and education
Hubley was born in New York City, the son of Julia Kaul (née Paine) and Grant Shelby Hubley, an entrepreneur, oil investor, and writer. He attended th ...
as Tom Hampton (Seasons 2–4) (26 episodes, 1996–1999)
*
Elizabeth Morehead as Dr. Jennifer Daulton (Season 2) (23 episodes, 1996–1998)
* Wren T. Brown as Quinn Garnett (Season 2) (22 episodes, 1996–1997)
*
Scott Michaelson
Scott Michaelson is an Australian retired actor and talent manager who is most famous for playing Brad Willis in ''Neighbours''. He took over the role from Benjamin Grant Mitchell, who had been a guest character and later played Brad's cousin ...
as Dean Gregson (Season 2) (23 episodes, 1996–1998)
*
Anja Coleby as Holly (Seasons 2–4) (26 episodes, 1996–1999)
*
Gus Mercurio
Augustino Eugenio Mercurio (10 August 19287 December 2010) better known as Gus Mercurio, was an American-born Australian character actor who appeared in radio, television, and film.
Early life
Mercurio, the eldest child of Vincent A. Mercurio ...
as Walter "Cap" Daulton (Seasons 2–4) (26 episodes, 1996–1999)
*
Laura Donaldson
Laura Donaldson (born 12 January 1972) is a British freestyle skier. She competed in the women's moguls event at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Career
Donaldson made her Winter Olympics debut at 2002 Winter Olympics at Salt Lake City. She was selec ...
as Jacqueline "Jackie" Parker (Season 3–4) (31 episodes, 1998–2000)
* Skye Patch as Courtney Gordon (Season 3 (recurring), Season 4) (12 episodes, 1999–2000)
* Jessica Dowdeswell as young schoolgirl (recurring) Season 3-4 (4 episodes, 1998–2000)
Since ''Flipper'' was filmed in Australia, producers had to rely heavily on Australian talent. Several regular cast members and most guest stars spoke their dialogue using non-native American accents. During Seasons 3 and 4, Whip Hubley and Gus Mercurio were the only American actors in the main cast. All other main characters were portrayed by Australian actors.
''Flipper'' had many notable guest stars, including
Alan Dale
Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequentl ...
,
Dwight Schultz
William Dwight Schultz (born November 24, 1947) is an American television, film and voice actor.
He is known for his roles as Captain "Howling Mad" Murdock on the 1980s action series ''The A-Team'' and as Reginald Barclay in the ''Star Trek'' ...
,
Nicholas Hammond
Nicholas Hammond (born May 15, 1950) is an American-born Australian actor and writer who is best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film ''The Sound of Music'' and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1970s television series ''The A ...
,
Jane Badler
Jane Badler (born December 31, 1953) is an American-Australian actress and singer. She is known for her role as Diana, the main antagonist in NBC's science fiction series '' V'' between 1983 and 1985. Badler also appeared in ABC's version of '' ...
,
Robert Coleby
Robert Coleby (born 1947) is a British actor who has spent most of his career in Australia. Active since the 1970s, he has over 70 film and television credits to his name. Coleby has acted on stage in numerous productions for the Queensland The ...
(father of Anja Coleby), and
Season Hubley
Season Hubley (born Susan Hubley; March 14, 1951) is an American retired actress and singer. Best known for Nikki in '' Hardcore'' (1979), Priscilla Presley in '' Elvis'' (1979), and Angelique in ''All My Children'' (1992–1994).
Early life
H ...
(real life sister of Whip Hubley). In fact, many of these guest stars made more than one appearance, portraying different characters each time. Seasons 3 and 4 regular cast member Darrin Klimek also appeared briefly as a different character in the Season 1 episode "Treasure Hunt".
Episodes
DVD releases
MGM Home Entertainment
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC (d/b/a MGM Home Entertainment and formerly known as MGM Home Video, MGM/CBS Home Video and MGM/UA Home Video) is the home video division of the American media company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
History 1 ...
released the first season of on DVD on June 3, 2010 as a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) DVD-R.
On April 2, 2013, TGG Direct released seasons 2–4 on Region 1 DVD.
Locations
The primary setting for ''Flipper'' was The Bal Harbor Research Institute, a fictional dolphin research facility funded by the fictional Bal Harbor University.
Between Seasons 1 and 2, The Air Sea Rescue Substation was built next door to the Research Institute when the series began focusing less on ocean and dolphin research based plots. The Air Sea Rescue was located directly on the beach and had access to its own helicopter and hovercraft for rescues. A speedboat was also added in Season 3.
The Shipwreck was a restaurant located between the marine institute and the substation. The restaurant opened in Season 2 and was featured until the end of the series. During Season 1, the Shipwreck's building was the residence of Dr. Keith Ricks.
At the start of Season 3, Tom Hampton married Alex Parker and they moved into a house with Alex's children, Chris and Jackie. The house contained an in-ground swimming pool and large dock.
Filming locations
Initial production on ''Flipper'' began in the
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and e ...
with the pilot and two other episodes filmed there in Season 1. Three locations were used for the "Bal Harbor Research Institute" including
Pigeon Key
Pigeon Key is a small island containing the historic district of Pigeon Key, Florida. The island is home to 8 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, some of which remain from its earliest incarnation as a work camp for the Flor ...
and the Dolphin Research Center on
Grassy Key
Grassy Key, Florida, is an island in the middle Florida Keys. It is located on U.S. 1 (or the Overseas Highway), near mile markers 57—60, below the Conch Keys. It has an area of 3.65 km², with a population of 974 as of the census 2000.
...
, with a third location used for the beach where Maya first meets Mike. A fourth location, just east of
Conch Key
Conch () is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point at both ends).
In North Ame ...
adjacent to Overseas Highway 1, was used when Maya meets Keith in a Jeep to inform him Mike is in trouble. This is the same location used in the movie ''
True Lies
''True Lies'' is a 1994 American spy action comedy film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Art Malik, Tia Carrere, Bill Paxton, Eliza Dushku, Grant Heslov and Charlton Heston. ...
''.
Three different filming locations were used to portray the Research Institute. The pool area of the institute was filmed at
Sea World, Gold Coast. The two-story building was notable for being the only set used for the entire run of the series, although it did not appear in every episode. The same set was re-used with little modification for other film and television productions such as ''
Sabrina Down Under''. After filming on ''Flipper'' wrapped, the building was demolished in order to accommodate Sea World's Imagine Dolphin Show attraction located nearby. Although the area is unrecognizable today, an aerial shot in the Season 1 episode "F. Scott" shows the original configuration of the building at Sea World.
During the first two seasons only, indoor office space for the institute also appears. It is believed that this was filmed on a soundstage at either Sea World or
Warner Bros. Movie World.
The exterior façade of the institute's building along the waterfront was filmed in park space abutting the
Gold Coast Broadwater
The Gold Coast Broadwater, also known as Southport Broadwater, Gold Coast Harbour and The Broadwater, is a large shallow estuary of water located in the district of South East Queensland, Australia. The estuary reaches from the locality of in ...
located in
Southport, Queensland (a suburb of Gold Coast) near Ephraim Island. The Ephraim Island road bridge is visible in many waterfront shots in the latter half of the series. The same location was used for the Air Sea Rescue Substation and The Shipwreck. All three buildings along the beachfront and park space were demolished in the early 2000s to make way for apartment buildings and a small harbour.
The Hampton/Parker family home was filmed at an actual house (now known as McKinnon House) located at 1 Howard St. in the Gold Coast suburb of Runaway Bay. The house was located just south of the research institute, substation, and shipwreck filming locations. The exterior of the house today is relatively unchanged since filming of Flipper wrapped in 2000.
Numerous scenes were filmed in and under the water. Many scenes above water were filmed in the channels and islands of the Gold Coast Broadwater while some diving scenes were filmed in giant water tanks located at Warner Bros. Movie World.
Awards and nominations
Daytime Emmy Awards
The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...
*
1996 – ''Outstanding Sound Mixing'' –
Paul Brincat, Kevin Patrick Burns, Jon Taylor, and Christian P. Minkler (won)
*
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
– ''Outstanding Sound Mixing'' – Jon Taylor, Kevin Patrick Burns, Todd Orr, and Craig Walmsley (won)
International broadcasters
* Australia -
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
- Currently re-run on its digital channel
7TWO at 10:00AM Sunday mornings.
* United States -
Light TV,
Showtime Family Zone (2003)
*
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
-
Pogo - 2004-05
*
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
-
Boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
* United Kingdom -
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
- the 1990s.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flipper (1995 Tv series)
Television series about mammals
Television shows set in Florida
Fictional dolphins
Television series by Tribune Entertainment
Television series by MGM Television
1995 American television series debuts
2000 American television series endings
1990s American drama television series
2000s American drama television series
English-language television shows
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
Amusement parks in fiction