Carstairs Considers....: TV Show Review: Flipper - The Original Series

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

TV Show Review: Flipper - The Original Series - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Fun in the surf and sun; underwater filming

Cons: Poor writing (especially in early episodes), cheese

The Bottom Line:

Cheesy but fun show

With a super smart dolphin

Still enjoyable

Flipper to the Rescue

For someone who has a love of the water, could there be a better show than Flipper? Since the real star of the series is a dolphin, every show takes place in and around the water. And while the show has an abundance of cheese, it really is fun, too.

What better life could two boys imagine? Sandy (Luke Halpin) and Bud Ricks (Tommy Norden) live with their father Porter (Brian Kelly) on the beach. Literally. See, Porter is the ranger for Coral Key Park and Reserve in Florida, and they live within the park. Better yet, they have a pet dolphin they've named Flipper.

Life is never dull in the park. There are crises of all kinds to face. Natural dangers like shark attacks, two hurricanes, and poisonous snakes threaten the family and park visitors. But human dangers are just as real. How did a sunken car get in the middle of the preserve? Who is stealing from visitor boats in the park? Matters of the heart are even explored when Bud thinks that Porter's new friend is out to replace his dead mother and Sandy develops his first crush.

But through it all, it is Flipper who saves the day. This heroic dolphin seems to understand his human family and know exactly what they need. He's always showing up in the nick of time.

I had seen some episodes in reruns as a kid, and remembered it fondly. Watching it as an adult was a whole new experience. The show is filled with cheese. Most of the time, Flipper seems to be swimming in about 6 feet of water, but the actors are diving down much deeper than that in the same area. Any time someone is attacked by a wild animal, it looks so fake. And there's my favorite, the wet hair that is perfectly in place for the next scene whether or not they've had time to fix it in front of a mirror.

Not helping things is the acting. It's universally okay. Occasionally, it rises to the level of good, but most of the time it gets the job done and that's about it. There's nothing cringe worthy here, but it is pretty weak.

Of course, the writing doesn’t help in the least. I mean, some of the lines the actors have to say are going to be cheesy no matter who they get to deliver them. And the writing is rather lazy, too. What do I mean by that? When the writers run out of time in an episode, someone has a change of heart or a plot point is glossed over so we can get to our happy ending. There are a couple bad examples in the first few episodes, but this really smoothes out as the season progresses.

Okay, so why am I giving it four stars? Because, even with these major faults, the show is entertaining. Watching all the fun the characters have makes me want to jump right into the TV and join them. And when the characters get into a tense situation, I find my heart start pounding. That's right. Even though I know Flipper will come through in the nick of time, I am glued to the TV hoping that everything works out this time.

And I've got to give credit to the underwater filming. The shots are absolutely gorgeous. And the video quality on the DVD is such that they still look incredible. True, some of the stock footage looks old, but for the most part, this is the next best thing to a trip to the Florida Keys.

This set consists of 30 half hour episodes spread out over 4 double sided discs. The picture is full frame and the sound is mono, both in keeping with the source material. The only extra is a trivia game. It's actually more about dolphins in general then events of this show, and it imparts some science information as well. There are only 10 questions, but I was surprised at how fun and enjoyable they were.

The first season of Flipper is not great television. But it is surprisingly charming and enjoyable. Kids, adults with fond memories, and those who enjoy all things nautical will want to check this set out.

Season 1 Episodes:

1. 300 Feet Below

2. Red Hot Car

3. S.O.S. Dolphin

4. The Gulf Between

5. City Boy

6. Dolphin for Sale

7. Not Necessarily Gospel

8. Countdown for Flipper

9. Mr. Marvello

10. My Brother Flipper

11. Second Time Around