Flipper's New Adventure

(aka FLIPPER AND THE PIRATES)
(1964, U.S.) Color 94 minutes
Ivan Tors Films / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Story: Ivan Tors, Ricou Browning, Jack Cowden
Screenplay: Art Arthur, Ivan Tors, Ricou Browning, Jack Cowden
Music: Henry Vars
Cinematography: Lamar Boren
Editing: Warren Adams, Charles Craft
Produced by Ivan Tors, Ricou Browning, Ben Chapman
Directed by Leon Benson

With: Luke Halpin (Sandy), Pamela Franklin (Penny), Helen Cherry (Julia), Tom Helmore (Sir Halsey Hopewell), Francesca Annis (Gwen), Brian Kelly (Porter Ricks), Joe Higgins (L.C. Porett), Lloyd Battista (Gil), Gordon Dilworth (Sea Captain), Courtney Brown (Convict), William Cooley (Second Convict), Dan Chandler (Coast Guard Commander), Ricou Browning (Dr. Burton), Rick O'Barry (Veterinarian), Robert Baldwin (Veterinarian)

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With the success of the first Flipper movie, MGM and producer Ivan Tors decided to create a sequel, FLIPPER’S NEW ADVENTURE . The story opens with Sandy Ricks (once again played by Luke Halpin) coming to terms with his mother's recent death. He also finds out from a family friend, L. C. Porett, that the Florida State Parks Commission is buying his father's land.

They want to turn the land into a park and want Flipper to be turned over to The Miami Seaquarium. Having no choice, Porter Ricks (Brian Kelly) is forced to turn Flipper over to the Seaquarium. Sandy will hear none of it, and that evening packs his things and leaves his father and family friend Porett (Joe Higgins) a note of farewell.

The pair head for the open seas in a skiff. They travel for many miles but finally locate an uncharted isle off the West Indies, and create a private retreat for themselves. Angered about his running away, Porett makes a phone call to Sandy's Father, hoping the boy may be with his father at the ranger's training school.

When he finds out that Sandy is not there, an outraged Porter Ricks flies home and gets himself a boat to find his son. The situation becomes more dangerous when both Ranger Ricks and Porett find out from the local authorities that Gil Benson (Lloyd Benson) and two other escaped killers are loose somewhere in the Florida waters and they may be armed.

Fearful for his son's safety, Ricks heads out to search the seas. In the meantime, Benson and his two cohorts take over a yacht and force it's owner, Sir Halsey Hopewell (Tom Helmore) to steer the ship. While Sir Halsey's wife and daughters are left to drift in the villains' rowboat out to Sandy's and Flipper's private retreat, the boy helps out the trio by giving them food and water.

Lady Halsey and her daughters are grateful for the aide from the unseen strangers. However, when they try to send a smoke signal for help, Sandy has his pet put the fire out. Penny (Pamela Franklin, who four years later would go on to screen immortality as Sandy in THE PRIME OF MISS JEAB BRODIE) is outraged at someone ruining her family's efforts for help.

When she finds out that Sandy Ricks is behind the sabotage, she warns him to stay away from her family. The three Halsey ladies manage to survive until Ranger Ricks realizes that Sandy has taken his maps of the islands in the West Indies. Quickly he contacts the Ranger Station in Puerto Rico for help.

In the interim, Bates and his men bring Sir Hopewell back to the area, where they left the diplomat's family. The three Halsey women are brought back aboard their yacht for the purpose of being held for ransom. Bates has Sir Halsey send a radio message to the authorities to give Bates and his henchmen total immunity within one hour, or the Halsey Family will be killed.

Quickly, Flipper & Sandy route the crooks and save the Halsey Family. But during the fight, Flipper is injured and is brought to The Miami Seaquarium for medical help. Dr. Burton (played by actor/diver Rico Browning, the man behind THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON) and his aides (Rick O'Barry And Bob Baldwin) save the dolphin's life. Sandy is grateful that his pet is saved, but saddened that Flipper will remain a permanent resident of the Seaquarium.

Thankfully, that will not happen, for Ranger Ricks tells his son that the Florida State Parks Commission has decided to make Flipper an official park ranger, and allow him to stay in the park, now known as Coral Key . Happily, Sandy embraces his father and Sir Halsey and his family bestow a large reward to the boy and his pet for their bravery.

I first saw FLIPPER’S NEW ADVENTURE during it's re-release at the Wakefield movie theater in the Bronx, New York in the 1970's. I found it to be a wonderful sequel to the first film. The script is exciting, the locales beautiful and the casting perfect. Along with the original theme song, the movie also has new songs, “A Cotton Candy World” and “Imagine,” written by Dunham and Henry Vars. “Its A Cotton & Candy World” was performed by Jerry Wallace and “Imagine” was sung by Chris Crosby. (The music sequences were filmed at Miami's Parrott Jungle). Kelly and Halpin would play their roles again when Tors produced the Flipper TV Show, which was picked up for NBC’s Saturday night schedule the following year.

Kevin S. Butler