About this season
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.
Episodes (30)
1. Flipper and the Mermaid
Aired 18 September 1965 • 26 min
Flipper rescues a lady oceanographer from a barracuda and finds a permanent new friend as Ulla Norstrand joins the adventures of the Ricks family.
2. Dolphin in Pursuit (1)
Aired 25 September 1965 • 26 min
The Ricks', in need of some TLC, take off to a nearby island to go camping. On their way they get word that there is an escaped convict at large. Porter gets permission to continue on his vacation, but after his boat is stolen, he gets a feeling that this is no vacation. Flipper takes off in hot pursuit!
3. Dolphin in Pursuit (2)
Aired 2 October 1965 • 26 min
In the conclusion of a two-part adventure, Flipper tows Porter Ricks to his stolen launch, where he finds that the thief has imprisoned Ulla and stolen her submarine.
4. Flipper's Hour of Peril
Aired 9 October 1965 • 26 min
Flipper's natural curiosity gets him tangled up in a cable attached to a dangerous floating mine that could explode any minute.
5. Coral Fever
Aired 16 October 1965 • 26 min
Ranger Ricks is knocked unconscious by an underwater explosion while tracking down a coral poacher.
6. Junior Ranger
Aired 23 October 1965 • 26 min
A young ranger trainee has arrived at Coral Key to meet with Porter Ricks. It doesn't take long for the Ricks to figure out that this new ranger is cocky and needs to be taught what a real ranger is all about - following the rules. He endangers Bud's life by disobeying his advice then blames it on Bud. Will this Ranger ever "get" what it's all about?
7. The Ditching (1)
Aired 30 October 1965 • 26 min
Things take an ominous turn for Sandy and Flipper when the plane carrying them to the Bahamas crashes in the Ocean.
8. The Ditching (2)
Aired 6 November 1965 • 26 min
Flipper is the only hope of saving Sandy from drowning in a plane that crashed at sea, in the conclusion of this two part adventure.
9. Flipper and the Spy
Aired 13 November 1965 • 26 min
Flipper and Sandy are duped into helping a spy when a secret instrument package from a rocket is lost in Coral Key Park.
10. Dolphin Patrol
Aired 20 November 1965 • 26 min
A school of killer sharks keep Sandy and Bud trapped in a sunken wreck while Flipper tries to arouse Porter Ricks to come to their aid.
11. A Job for Sandy
Aired 27 November 1965 • 26 min
Flipper fights to save Sandy's life and the lives of a film crew when he discovers a power leak in an underwater electric cable.
12. Flipper and the Horse Thieves
Aired 4 December 1965 • 26 min
While Bud shows off Flipper to his new friend Stevie, thieves steal Stevies valuable show horse.
13. Flipper And The Bounty
Aired 11 December 1965 • 26 min
Bud is fascinated when an old ship called the Bounty arrives at Corral Key Park. Without anyone's knowledge, he decides to sneak on board and explore.
14. Shark Hunt
Aired 18 December 1965 • 26 min
A school of killer sharks attack Flipper after he saves a swimmer and leads Porter Ricks and Sandy in a hunt for the deadly fish.
15. Flipper, the Detective
Aired 25 December 1965 • 26 min
Flipper helps Sandy and Bud search for stolen jewels when Ranger Porter Ricks is charged with robbery and hauled off to jail.
16. Flipper's Odyssey (1)
Aired 8 January 1966 • 26 min
Flipper is captured by some fishermen who transport him a long way up the coast to stock a new marine exhibit.
17. Flipper's Odyssey (2)
Aired 15 January 1966 • 26 min
The Ricks family sails up the coast in search of their missing friend, Flipper, only to find that the dolphin that saved a man's life, and who they hoped would be Flipper, has gone.
18. Flipper's Odyssey (3)
Aired 22 January 1966 • 26 min
While Flipper recovers from the injuries received during a battle with an alligator, Bud grieves over the loss of his pet just a few miles down the coast.
19. Slingshot
Aired 29 January 1966 • 26 min
Bud, Ulla and Stevie are trapped when their truck swerves into a drainage canal.
20. Flipper and the Shark Cage
Aired 5 February 1966 • 26 min
A well meaning Bud skips his chores to go off in search of a way to earn some money for a birthday present for his Dad.
21. The Lobster Trap
Aired 12 February 1966 • 26 min
When Flipper and Bud discover some of Sandy's high school classmates setting lobster traps before the season opens, bud is faced with the problem of reporting it to his father or letting the older boys off.
22. Air Power
Aired 19 February 1966 • 26 min
Sandy and Bud place a down payment on a used air boat and plan to pay it off by operating a touring service through the everglades.
23. Gift Dolphin
Aired 26 February 1966 • 26 min
While fishing in the waters off Florida, visiting Prince Kaza and a state department official run aground on a reef. Sharks appear while the pair attempt to free the boat.
24. The Raccoon who Came to Dinner
Aired 5 March 1966 • 26 min
A park inspector, who believes animals should remain wild and not be made pets pays Porter an official visit. He clashes with Bud over the ownership of Flipper.
25. Flipper Joins the Navy (1)
Aired 12 March 1966 • 26 min
The Ricks family gets an inside look at the Navy's dolphin research when Ulla calls on Porter for assistance with a Navy dolphin that seems to have gone berserk.
26. Flipper Joins the Navy (2)
Aired 19 March 1966 • 26 min
The Navy and the Coast Guard launch an extensive search for a research Dolphin worth half a million dollars, that escaped from the Ricks while Flipper was trying to nurse him back to health.
27. Flipper's Underwater Museum
Aired 26 March 1966 • 26 min
An industrial spy takes a sonar device from Ulla that has been entrusted to her by an electronics company for field testing her submarine.
28. Deep Waters
Aired 2 April 1966 • 26 min
When Porter dives into the depths with Ulla in her submarine for a survey of the ocean floor, the tiny craft snaps its propeller on the rocky coral stranding them under 50 metres of water.
29. Dolphin Love (1)
Aired 9 April 1966 • 26 min
Flipper falls in love with another Dolphin much to Bud's puzzlement, and swims about the park with his new girlfriend until Ted Marlowe mistakes the female dolphin for a shark and spears her.
30. Dolphin Love (2)
Aired 16 April 1966 • 26 min
Flipper is concerned over the outcome of an operation on his girlfriend, who was speared by Ted Marlowe.