Synopsis
Here we go: all 30 episodes of the first season, wherein we follow the adventures of Flipper, a dolphin owned by youngsters Bud and Sandy. All three are watched over by their father, Chief Ranger Ricks of Coal Key Park. The formula for each episode generally sees either someone who needs rescuing (from drowning, shark attack, that sort of thing) and Flipper must help out, or the boys and the dolphin wind up in trouble after poking their noses somewhere they shouldn’t. It’s all very familiar,…but damn if the show doesn’t still generate a certain degree of suspense with its cascade of predicaments. Also fun is the behind-the-scenes talent. Co-creator and director of many episodes is Ricou Browning, who played the Creature from the Black Lagoon in the underwater sequences of that film. He gets to recreate that role in the final episode of the season, as a monster movie is being shot at Coral Key, and Browning plays the monster (the costume appears to be repurposed version of the one used in The Monster from Piedras Blancas). There are moments in this episode which are deliberate, happier echoes of the original Creature. Curiously, the Creature was played in the land scenes by Ben Chapman, and that name shows up in the credits too as production supervisor, though in this case the name is a coincidence.
Audio
The mono is decent, but no more. It presents no real improvement over the original broadcast quality, and there is some noticeable distortion, particularly when the opening score plays. Otherwise, the sound is pretty clean.
Video
The picture quality, though, is quite spectacular. The prints are in pristine condition, with no damage, grain, or visible edge enhancement. The colours are nothing short of brilliant. The image is extremely sharp. The series looks like it was shot yesterday, and outclasses the picture quality of many much more recent television releases.
Special Features
All you have here is a short trivia game aimed at the young tots in the audience.
Closing Thoughts
High art this is not, but it still works surprisingly well, all things considered.
Special Features List
- Trivia Game
