Flipper!!!

[Lehmann108]

When I was 12 years old I traveled to the Keys with my parents. We stopped at some sort of a dolphin preserve/park and I swam with "Flipper" who actually was called Mitzi. I'm not sure if this was the dolphin used in the TV series or the one in the original movie. I hung onto her dorsal fin and went in a big circle. I remember being quite impressed with her strength.:11: I think they used several dolphins in the TV series.

 

[Quarrior]

When I was little kid my Father (non-swimmer) took me to the county fair. To my wonderment and glee there in a tank was Flipper. I always loved watching that show and loved to swim, so I figured it couldn't do any harm to swim with my hero, Flipper.

I wandered up to the tank, found the stairs, climbed up and jumped in. Well, the trainer didn't get PO'd, he just grabbed me and put me up on the ledge and told me to get back down the steps.

However, my Father the non-swimmer about had a heart attack.

Yup, I've got great memories of Flipper.

 

[duckbill]

"Mitzi" definitely rings a bell, but may have been used on the original movie or something.

I found this quote that I saved for my personal reference. Unfortunately, I didn't note the source, so I apologize for that:
"On television, Flipper was played mainly by a female dolphin named Suzy, and additionally by other females named Patty and Cathy. They did all of Flipper's nudging of wayward boats, knocking pistols out of poachers' hands, everything seen on the show except for Flipper's famous tail walk, a trick they were unable to master completely. A male dolphin named Mr. Gipper was brought in for scene involving the tail walk."


WHAT?! MORE THAN ONE FLIPPER?!

Sorry

 

[ScubaTexan]

WHAT?! MORE THAN ONE FLIPPER?!

Sorry

I wonder if there was more than one Lassie and more than one Gentle Ben, too.

 

[nitrox32]

flipper rocks

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I knew about the use of 3 separate female dolphins used in Flipper, but not about Mr. Gipper.

As for Lassie...the original movie was produced during WWII and the series was produced from the mid 50's to the mid 70's with several different collies being used - all of them male. Nothing is sacred in Hollywood.