Flipper TV Show

The television show Flipper was based on the 1963 movie in which actor Chuck Connors played the role of Porter.

Flipper was a popular show produced by Miami based Ivan Tors Productions, in association with Metro Goldwyn Mayer, which ran from 1964 to 1967. Flipper was innovative in casting a Dolphin as the star of the show, with the Porter family composed of a widowed father played by Brian Kelly. Porter was warden of a fictional marine preserve in Florida and was caring for his two sons, the oldest played by Luke Halpin and the precocious youngest played by Tommy Norden who befriends Flipper and cares about him.

It introduced television audiences to sea life in general and Dolphins in particular, raising awareness of wildlife protection and conservation. The show was later criticized by animal rights activists as exploitation of wildlife.

Although Flipper is referred to as a male on the show, it was actually a series of females which took turns as Flipper.
Females were chosen because they are less aggressive, and their smooth skin is not marked by scars as in most males.

Flipper was mostly filmed at the famous Miami Seaquarium in Florida, with a few snippets in the Bahamas. Today as it has since the show, the recently renovated Miami Seaquarium continues the Flipper show on the same lagoon where the TV show was filmed.