Flipper's New Adventure (1964) User Reviews

A boy and his dolphin friend and his girlfriend

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 21 October 2017]

RELEASED IN 1964 and directed by Leon Benson, "Flipper's New Adventure" has Luke Halpin returning as teenager Sandy who runs away to an island where he discovers three female castaways, a mother and two daughters (Helen Cherry, Francesca Annis & Pamela Franklin). Meanwhile there are three escaped convicts on the loose. Brian Kelly replaces Chuck Connors as the kid's father, Po.

As a family adventure/fantasy/animal flick, this sequel has even more "Yeah, right" moments than the first one, but I like it better because there's more human interest and sense of adventure. Luke was 16 during filming and Pamela 13. Their chemistry is real seeing as how Pamela was Luke's first girlfriend and he later traveled to England to see her, although it never morphed into anything permanent.

It's amusing to observe Sandy basically becoming a teenage Tarzan as he aids the three females: Penny (Franklin) secretly receives his help while humorously pretending to possess great survival skills to her mother & sister. The showdown with the three convicts in the last act is actually kinda thrilling for a kid's adventure.

The dolphin Mitzie played Flipper in the first movie whereas Suzy performs as Flipper in this one. Right before the film's release Luke confessed that Mitzie was more affectionate.

THE MOVIE RUNS 94 minutes and was shot in Bahamas and Key Biscayne & Miami, Florida. WRITER: Ivan Tors. ADDITIONAL CAST: Lloyd Battista plays the lead convict while Tom Helmore plays the Brit patriarch.

GRADE: B

Flipper's second

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 26 November 2021]

Sandy Ricks (Luke Halpin) is losing his Florida home and fears separation from his beloved Flipper. He decides to run away with the dolphin and finds refuge on an island. Only their isolation is pierced by three escaped convicts and a very dumb British family.

I can see Sandy taking down the convicts but they really can't have guns. The guns raise the danger level too high. It stretches reason beyond its limit and it contravenes its light family fun premise. Then there is the British family. Dad knows that these could be the escaped convicts and yet he goes right up to them. A reasonable man would radio the authorities and keep his distance. Once on the island, it gets even dumber. Here's the thing. The movie has to choose. It can be dumb or it can be dangerously thrilling. A Flipper movie should probably dial back the danger. It can survive being a silly family film.

Great kids movie with two legendary stars.

[rebekahrox · 6/10 · 19 December 2019]

I only saw about the last 45 minutes of this movie or thereabouts. I only came to the review page to express my wonderment that the great British actress, Francesca Annis, played in this at the age of 19! I didn't even recognize her as the sister Gwen, until I caught a glance at the credits. I had no idea she started out so young, which I learned by looking at her page. And Pamela Franklin! it just seems like she pops up in everything during this time period. Her resume is not that packed, but the movies she was in were so high profile and also starred some of the great stars of the screen. Bette Davis...Deborah Kerr...Maggie Smith... Michael Redgrave...William Holden...Marlon Brando...Dirk Bogarde. She was also in one of my favorite Disney movies, The Horse Without a Head. As she got older she guest-starred in many American TV series back in the day when there were only 3 channels so she would come to my attention time after time. What a memorable presence she was in everything! A great actress indeed. If she ever writes an autobiography, I'd definitely read it. I think she's is long retired now from the antiquarian book business, so that is probably not on the horizon.

The most anti-English film outside of BRAVEHEART and THE PATRIOT?

[stancym-1 · 2/10 · 21 June 2018]

Both of those caricature films are courtesy of Mel Gibson, but what is the excuse here? The English family here are just so awful! Dumb, although wealthy enough to have a yacht and therefore supposedly well educated. They are mistrusting and clueless beyond belief. The elder daughter actually thinks a dolphin is a 'sea monster" --this is in the early sixties! She seems just as stupid at the end of the film as she does at the beginning, and not sorry for anything she has said or done, like hacking away at Flipper when he tried to help. Even toward the end she still wants to get away from him. None of the English family seems resourceful, brave, bright, or particularly grateful to Sandy and Flipper when they turn out to be saviors. As for Sandy, the kid with the beloved pet Flipper, he originally takes off without much food or water, without protective clothing, and how far does he think he is going to GET before he needs these things? He doesn't come across as any genius either....the only one worth watching in this disaster is Flipper. And as for the corny music, PLEASE. Really sappy music and lyrics. Sorry!

Luke's Lagoon

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 16 September 2007]

Luke Halpin (as Sandy Ricks) is home alone when he's informed said home is going to be taken away by the state of Florida; apparently, the state has let the land to the Ricks family, and they need it back. Mr. Halpin's father Brian Kelly (as Porter Ricks) is away, and mother Martha has passed away since the original "Flipper" (1963). Halpin is majorly concerned, because losing the home means losing the shore where he lives with pet dolphin Flipper.

Halpin and Flipper run away from home; incredibly, they find an isolated island nearby, and take up residence. AND, wouldn't you know it? - kidnappers are also nearby; they snag a British father, and let his wife Helen Perry (as Julia) and daughters Pamela Franklin (as Penny) & Francesca Annis (as Gwen) drift to Halpin's island paradise. Ms. Franklin performs well as Halpin's emerging co-star. Halpin's performance is touching; he and Flipper carry the film.

With all of the newness and nuances gone, this sequel is certainly not up to the original. The story is so wildly implausible, Flipper should have shouted, "RE-WRITE!" Just for starters, Ms. Perry and "Gwen" must have very poor vision, hearing, and critical thinking skills not to figure out about Halpin. And, the songs are awfully lush. The ending holds some excitement, if you last. Halpin is still cute - older by a few years, due to the first "Flipper" being on the shelf for a few years. Flipper is still cute, too; and, TV father Brian Kelly is on board, replacing Chuck Connors as father Ricks.

**** Flipper's New Adventure (6/24/64) Leon Benson ~ Luke Halpin, Pamela Franklin, Brian Kelly

Nicely acted dolphin adventure, not only for kids fun!

[vinnienh · 20 December 2000]

It is largely due to the participation of handsome Luke Halpin that this film drew my attention. Although Flipper the dolphin is well trained and does a good job it's also nice to see "Sandy Ricks" appear in a movie again.

Dumb, no wonder a kid and a dolphin take them

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 3 December 2011]

For Flipper's New Adventure the writers at MGM came together and mixed the plots of The Admirable Crichton and The Desperate Hours and came up with a story that is cute and entertaining, but also for juveniles. I don't think any adults would buy it. A little bit of Bomba the Jungle Boy thrown in as well.

One phone call to his father who was studying to be a Park Ranger after giving up his career as a fisherman from the first Flipper movie might have eased Luke Halpin's concern for his pet. But he hears some folks from the Miami Seaquarium are going to take Flipper and so he runs away and finds a nice island off the Florida coast to live or at least until the Seaquarium folks go away.

Of course if Luke had made that phone call to Brian Kelly playing his father for the first time, he and Flipper would not have been around to help Tom Helmore's family who are stranded on the same island. He's been kidnapped for the use of his boat by three escaped convicts and they strand Helen Cherry and daughters Francesca Annis and Pamela Franklin on the island Luke took refuge on.

Here's where it gets really dumb. These three are fugitives being hunted by law enforcement and they hit upon the brilliant scheme of holding Helmore and family for a getaway insurance. So they go back to that island and take them all save Halpin whom they don't know about. Absolutely brilliant, these clowns would have killed Helmore and kept on going with that cabin cruiser of his in real life. No wonder a kid and a dolphin take them.

A bit unbelievable for adults, strictly for kids is Flipper's New Adventure.

I'll take this over Eye of the dolphin any day!

[The_Light_Triton · 9/10 · 3 May 2005]

(Note: This comment has been re-written as of July 28th, 2020)

If anyone thinks this film is bad, they're wrong. Sure, it might not stack up to the original, or the TV series, but i'd rather go pop the 1990 VHS restored version into my VCR, or the DVD re-release and waste 2 hours on a movie I can almost recite line-by-line than any other dolphin movie available now. This, and the original 1963 film turned me & many other young men & women into Aquaphiles, people who love being in the water, swimming with fish and other creatures, and some have become marine biologists and learned more about the oceans and discovered new things.

Teenaged Sandy Ricks spends a lot of his time at home, alone with only his dolphin (Bud didn't exist in the movies yet) the 2 are inseparable, and this is tested when he has to leave home for a place with his aunt, leaving flipper behind because the land they live on is government property and the government wants it back. To avoid being separated, Sandy escapes with flipper to a deserted island. When he arrives at this island, it is his home. but little does he know that a British mother and her 2 children will be dumped off at this island by 3 murderers who recently escaped Prison. It will take all of his and flipper's wits and abilities to help the helpless family and to thwart the killers' plans.

Yeah, it's a hackplot meant for kids, simple & predictable, but films with friendships between man & animal never go out of style. The presentation that makes it so good. A good chunk of the movie takes place underwater, an already beautiful place to bring a camera, with Henry Vars's beautiful score giving the film it's tropical flavor. Plus, Flipper always drags the audience out of a sour moment. If something goes wrong for the characters, Flipper always swims in and lends a fin, sometimes with a little bit of humor.

It's highly unlikely we'll ever see a movie like this ever again due to laws prohibiting people from interacting with wild animals in the united states. Plus, it's sad to think the dolphin who played Flipper ended her life prematurely in her trainer's arms.

Another cool thing to comment on is that there is Advertising inside of the movie. How is that? the characters talk about the movie "Mutiny on the Bounty" Which is a real MGM film. they also Talk about "Showdown in Samoa" but that's not a real film, perhaps it was a project MGM was working on, but abandoned halfway through.

For me, this will always be the ultimate summertime film. Even the original box art said that "it's the next best thing to a day at the beach."

9/10

Too Unrealistic

[rwbrostrom-98221 · 2/10 · 12 December 2023]

Silly, kids movie that is not even close to realistic. A young runaway boy trying to save his dolphin friend witnesses pirates stealing a yacht off the coast of Florida and forcing a mother and her two children in a small boat. The pirates kidnap the father and sail off while the women row to a small, nearby island. Trying to remain hidden, has the dolphin assist the women to the island. More concerned about saving his dolphin than reporting the crime. The young boy tries to help the 3 women without their knowledge. Later the pirates return to the island, kidnap the women and try to shoot the dolphin. The premise of the movie is beyond ignorant.

Average and very unbelievable

[BigWhiskers · 5/10 · 10 September 2009]

the only thing I enjoyed from the movie is the scenery. definitely for the under 10 set who wont realize the unbelievability of the plot. sandy runs away with flipper to one of the small islands in the keys i guess . a British family gets hijacked while vacationing on their yacht. the dad is forced to stay with the crooks while the wife and kids are forced to get in a leaky dinghy and get to shore which happens to be the same island sandy is hiding on. he secretly helps the women who don't know how to do anything and accidentally runs into the younger daughter and they become secret friends- she swears to not tell anyone else that he is there.. this is where the unbelievable part goes , i mean don't you think the girl would worry about her dad and try everything to get off the island ,i mean screw sandy -- i want my dad back and i don't care about your childish run away from home thing. i would have told them and made him take the boat back to shore .. plain b/s and the writers not very intelligent.... average and all.

Better than the first Flipper movie

[wrxsti54 · 9/10 · 20 May 2014]

I discovered the existence of the two Flipper movies quite by accident after a childhood of Flipper TV re-runs. It has been a pleasant discovery.

The first Flipper movie tells us how boy and dolphin became friends. That bond became the foundation of the popularity of the Flipper franchise. In this the sequel movie, we see further evolution of the family structure that was not finalized until the Flipper TV series was filmed in the summer of 1964. Flipper's New Adventure (FNA) was filmed due to the success of the first Flipper movie only one year later in 1963 but was held back for release in the early summer of 1964 as an intro to the TV series that was screened in the fall of 1964.

Whilst the first movie featured all of the Ricks family members and was a little slow in getting to the dolphin rescue story, FNA quickly zeros in on the two stars of the first movie (Luke Halpin as Sandy Ricks and the dolphin - actually dolphins as Flipper). The producers were keen to cash in on Halpin's emerging teen idol status (he was 16 when FNA was filmed) as he grew up and so Sandy is the central character in FNA as opposed to a major character in the first movie. Halpin wore nothing more than just a pair of cut down blue jeans shorts for 90% of FNA cementing his signature look that became an integral part of the TV series and defined Halpin permanently (ultimately to the detriment of his post-Flipper career). The Flipper/Sandy bond is now front and center - first with Sandy running away from his Florida Keys home when a family friend advises of an intended forced removal of he and his pet dolphin. This is no ordinary running away - it is a potentially life threatening journey in a small skiff across the Atlantic to the Bahamas. Flipper of course saves the day.

The bond continues as Sandy's paradisaical island retreat is soon visited by fleeing murderers and then a well-to-do British family on a sailing voyage. When the crooks cast ashore the mother and daughters, they are helped by the Sandy/Flipper duo - sometimes in ways that defy reality. The crooks are all gradually captured by the guile and tactics of Sandy and Flipper. Unlike the first movie, the sequel moves at a much quicker pace and involves action more likely to appeal to older children and early teens.

As touching as the first Flipper movie is, FNA was voted as more enjoyable by an extended family group of children aged 5 to 11 that we showed both to over a family reunion weekend. It more easily commanded their attention despite being the longer movie. Sandy's consistent loyalty to Flipper, the beauty of the Caribbean island, the budding romance between Sandy and the youngest English castaway and the determination he had to both help them but prevent outsiders from finding him and Flipper all add together to make this a halfway decent kids movie.

Halpin comes across as more confident and independent, his underwater skills are superb and he handles the vagaries of girls and a foreign accent with all the puzzlement you'd expect of the 13/14 year old boy he is acting as. His penultimate scene with the injured Flipper is quite moving. FNA also transitions to the family dynamics seen in the TV series by replacing the more austere Chuck Connors with the friendlier telegenic Brian Kelly as the father Porter Ricks. The FNA Porter Ricks is now a Park Ranger (in training) and no longer a fisherman and the mother/wife has now died.

Some trivia arising from FNA:

1 - Right after the final scene in FNA was shot in 1963, MGM had NBC shoot a pilot episode for the TV series that would follow in 1964. In the pilot, Tommy Norden makes his first appearance as the younger brother Bud. This pilot became Episode 3 (SOS Dolphin) in Season 1 and wasn't screened until quite a few months later in the midst of the other Season 1 episodes filmed in 1964. The age gap is quite noticeable in the case of Luke Halpin.

2 - The on-screen romance between Sandy Ricks and Penny Hopewell had a sense of realism to it because it had become a real life romance between Halpin and the well known English actress Pamela Franklin complete with Halpin later traveling to England to visit what he admitted to an interviewer when he was in his early 20's was his first girlfriend.

3 - Before FNA was released and just days before Halpin's 17th birthday, he appeared on the famous "To Tell The Truth" TV show. The producers would try to hide someone of rising fame with two other decoys leaving the celebrity panel of four to ask a series of questions of all three contestants in an attempt to uncover who was the real person. During the questioning, Halpin revealed that he was closer to the main dolphin in the first movie (Mitzie) than he was to the main dolphin in FNA (Suzy) describing Mitzie as more affectionate.

Since showing the movies to my kids, they are thoroughly enjoying the TV series on Hulu. FNA cemented the Sandy/Flipper bond and neatly transitioned the franchise into the popular TV show that remains in syndicated re-runs some 50 years later.