Flipper (1964–1967): Season 1, Episode 12 - Lady and the Dolphin: Part 1 - full transcript
A congresswoman visits the park with an eye to its possible closure -- and to sending Flipper to a naval scientific program.
- Flipper, you bring that back!
I told you that's mine,
and you're not supposed to play with it
unless I say so!
Flipper, you bring that
back, you silly dolphin!
Bring it back!
- What's all the commotion about?
- Oh, it's that Flipper!
He stole my inner tube again!
- Sometimes I wonder
which one of you is a bigger kid.
Didn't I give you some
chores to do this morning?
- Yes, dad.
- Then why aren't you doing them?
- I guess I got side-tracked.
- What, by an inner tube?
You know, today's the day
the congressional delegation is arriving,
and I've tried to impress upon you
how important it is that we
put our best foot forward.
- I know.
What's so important about an
old congressional delegation?
- If they don't like what they see here,
they could close the park.
- Close the park?
- Could be.
- What would happen to us, dad?
- Well, if we're lucky,
I might get transferred someplace else.
- To where?
- To a place that's gonna
look a lot like this place,
unless you start watering it.
Death Valley.
- Death Valley?
Oh, be quiet, you big...
♫ They call him Flipper
♫ Flipper, faster than lightning
♫ No one you see
♫ ls smarter than he
♫ And we know Flipper
♫ Lives in a world full of wonder
♫ Flying there under, under the sea
- Hey, watch it, will ya?
.Dad?
What do you say to a
congressional delegation?
"Hello, congressional delegation?"
- Yeah, what is the protocol, dad?
- Protocol?
That's quite a word.
I'm impressed.
Just remember, congressmen
are just like everybody else,
except a lot of their
friends and neighbors decided
they oughta go to Washington
to look after their interests.
You dig?
. I dig.
That "Of the people, for
the people" jazz, huh?
- That's right.
- Get off the dock, Bud!
Now what's the idea, Andrews?
I want you to kick this
boat out of the park
unless you can be more careful.
You try this one more
time, I'll have you...
- I hired him to bring us here, Mister...
- Warden Ricks.
- Warden Ricks.
- And who are you?
- Congresswoman Helen E. Browning.
And this is my secretary, Erna Morley.
- A lady congressman?
- Is that legal?
- Where's the rest of the delegation?
- Delegations cost money, Mr. Ricks.
You have a certain public-spirited citizen
in your community here
who wouldn't approve.
He already thinks we're
squandering too much
of the taxpayers' money on Coral Key Park.
- Squandering their money?
- You might as well
know it now, Mr. Ricks.
We're determined to find out
whether your park is a boondoggle.
Would you please lead the way?
- What's a boondoggle?
- When the government spends money
on something it doesn't really need.
- Is that bad or good?
I mean, for us?
- The worst.
- Gosh, Hap.
Why do you suppose the congress lady
wants to meet you 'specially?
- Well, my friend the Admiral's
been trying to get Congress to give me
the Medal of Honor for a long time now.
- The Medal of Honor?
What for?
- Oh, that little fracas in the Zulu Sea.
- Little fracras?
What was that, Hap?
- Why, do you mean to tell
me that I never told you
about the time that I swam through
a whole fleet of pirate dhows
with a string of Limpet mines in my teeth?
Blew 'em all out of the water.
It was just like firecrackers
on the Fourth of July!
Oh, hush.
Well, they could need me again, too.
- Who?
- Why, the CIA!
There ain't every day they can find a man
that's willing to risk his
life on a special assignment,
and that he won't talk.
No, sir, not even under torture.
- Torture?
Well, here they come.
- Mr. Gorman?
Mr. Hap Gorman?
- Yes, ma'am?
- Congresswoman Helen E. Browning.
It's a pleasure to meet such
a public-spirited citizen.
- Public-spirited citizen?
- Well, you're the reason I'm here.
- Well, am I?
- Certainly.
The Congressional committee
was very much impressed
with the letter you wrote,
especially the part about...
Erna.
"After the hundreds of times
"I risked my life for my country,
"I hardly consider it fair
to have my taxes raised
"so that more tourists
can litter our beaches
"and blight the beauties of nature."
- Well, you see, ma'am,
I didn't exactly mean
that about Coral Key.
- That's alright, Mr. Gorman.
We'll chat some more, after I
finish the tour of inspection.
Come along, Erna.
- Public-spirited traitor!
- Now, don't get mad, old friends.
- After what you did to us?
- I was just trying to
get my taxes lowered!
How did I know that somebody was gonna
buck my letter to a, well, to a woman?
- Medal of Honor?
- You know, Bud, you
just gave me a good idea.
I'm gonna go right inside there
and write my friend the Admiral a letter,
and remind him that I saved his life.
Yes sir, it was just
off the coast of Siberia
that boat sunk, and...
Oh, shut up, you old seahorse!
- Our pal.
BOY-
- Oh, yeah.
I just don't get it, dad.
We're not any old boondoggle.
- Yeah, what are we gonna do, dad?
Suppose she decides to close the park.
- Well, let's not suppose anything.
We've got a fighting chance.
All we have to do is
convince the congress lady
that the park is worth
the taxpayers' money.
- Well, we know it is.
Couldn't we just tell her?
- I'm afraid she's gonna have
to find that out for herself.
- Take a memo, Erna.
A reminder to Mr. Jed
Stanton, Highway Division.
The roads leading to and into the park
are in atrocious condition.
Good morning.
Good morning, Warden Ricks.
- Good morning.
- I trust you're ready for
today's tour of inspection?
- Anytime you are, yes.
- Oh, I'm ready.
Erna, you stay here and check the hotel
every half hour for
messages from Washington.
- Right.
- Would you like to be seated up here?
- Yes, thank you.
What a beautiful boat.
- You kids really love
this place, don't you?
- More than any place.
- Well, I'm rooting for you, you know.
- Thanks.
- Oh, don't be so sad.
Mrs. Browning's bark is a
lot worse than her bite.
When she sees what Coral
Key Park is really like,
she'll be fair in her decision.
Do you know that I have never
before seen a trained dolphin?
He's really something!
- Show Miss Morley the trick
we taught Flipper yesterday.
. Okay-
- Oh, bravo!
Wait 'til Mrs. Browning sees him!
She'll really be delighted!
- You know something, Flipper?
I don't think I like Mrs. Browning.
Dad said it's not right
not to like people.
He says...
He says, "You oughta
try and understand them.
"You'll see there's some good in them."
Maybe she is okay, but,
I wish she'd just go
away and leave us alone.
You know something, Flipper?
Hap Gorman says if you
rub this lamp enough
and make a wish, it'll come true.
You know that?
Not that I'd ever believe a
word Hap Gorman ever says again.
But,
he did get it in Arabia,
and that's way across on
the other side of the world.
And lots of odda things happen
in those foreign
countries, let me tell ya.
If I was gonna make a wish,
what would I wish for?
Oh, I wouldn't want anything
bad to happen to Mrs. Browning.
Maybe if she just got a little seasick.
Or a crab or a bird bit her.
I bet you she'd even be scared of
a little 0l' baby alligator.
Or a skunk.
She might even be scared of
you, Flipper, you know that?
Nah.
But what's the use of wishing?
- Well, that's about it.
You've seen Coral Key.
Well, except the underwater park,
which is the real Coral Key.
- Well, in all fairness, Mr. Ricks,
I'll see the underwater park tomorrow.
Erna, take a memo.
Ooh!
Oooh!
Well, Mr. Ricks,
I've seen all I want to see.
And while I'm at it, Erna?
Erna!
Take a wire to Mr. Gregory Chandler.
Sonar Research Project
12, Navy Department.
"Dear Gregory,
"have found a trained
dolphin for your experiment
"at no cost to the taxpayers.
"He's already government property."
- Sandy, you should have
kept your eye on him.
You know how he's taking this business
of closing the park to heart.
- Gee, dad, how was I supposed to know
he was gonna go wherever it is he went?
- Ah, you couldn't know, of course.
Sometimes we forget that
Bud's just a little boy.
We expect him to act like a grownup.
- Funny thing is, most
of the time, he does.
- Yeah.
- I'll try calling Flipper again.
Flipper?
Flipper?
- Alright, let's take the launch out.
See what we can find.
But first, I want to
call that congresswoman
and get a few things straight.
- You think that would be wise, dad?
- I don't know, Sandy.
But sometimes a man has to sacrifice
wisdom for his integrity.
That's no excuse for you to
ride roughshod over us, Mrs. Browning.
I'm a public servant, too.
That's right, I'm as interested as you are
in saving the taxpayers' money.
And if the well-being of even
one small boy is threatened,
I say that's more important
than the entire federal budget.
All right, Mrs. Browning, thank you.
Come on.
- So you see, Flipper,
this isn't all your fault.
We're in big trouble
'cause of Mrs. Browning.
Flipper, we might have
to move away from here,
and you and I couldn't
be together any more.
But that isn't gonna be half
a day before I miss you.
Flipper, I don't know how
to tell you this, but...
Mrs. Browning wants to send you
to the Navy for experiments!
But, it might not be that
bad at all in the Navy.
You know, Flipper, I couldn't let you go.
That's why you're gonna have to hide here
'til the congress lady leaves.
You understand, Flipper.
I'll be back for you
as soon as she's gone.
I don't care how important
you are to the Navy, Flipper.
You're more important to me.
I'll just rest here a minute.
- Where is he, Flipper?
In the cave?
- Get the anchor.
Let's go.
Bud?
Bud?
- Dad, where's Flipper?
- It's alright, son, he's right here.
- You mean, they haven't
taken him to the Navy?
- Nope, and they're not going to.
We talked to Mrs.
Browning, and she promised.
- You sure?
- Well, I wouldn't tell
you if I wasn't sure.
- That's one thing
you can count on, Bud.
Dad and Flipper will never let us down.
- Let's go home, boys.
♫ Everyone loves the king of the sea
♫ Ever so kind and gentle is he
♫ Tricks he will do when children are near
♫ And how they laugh when he's near
♫ They call him Flipper
♫ Flipper, faster than lightning
♫ No one you see
♫ ls smarter than he
♫ And we know Flipper
♫ Lives in a world full of wonder
♫ Flying there under, under the sea
I told you that's mine,
and you're not supposed to play with it
unless I say so!
Flipper, you bring that
back, you silly dolphin!
Bring it back!
- What's all the commotion about?
- Oh, it's that Flipper!
He stole my inner tube again!
- Sometimes I wonder
which one of you is a bigger kid.
Didn't I give you some
chores to do this morning?
- Yes, dad.
- Then why aren't you doing them?
- I guess I got side-tracked.
- What, by an inner tube?
You know, today's the day
the congressional delegation is arriving,
and I've tried to impress upon you
how important it is that we
put our best foot forward.
- I know.
What's so important about an
old congressional delegation?
- If they don't like what they see here,
they could close the park.
- Close the park?
- Could be.
- What would happen to us, dad?
- Well, if we're lucky,
I might get transferred someplace else.
- To where?
- To a place that's gonna
look a lot like this place,
unless you start watering it.
Death Valley.
- Death Valley?
Oh, be quiet, you big...
♫ They call him Flipper
♫ Flipper, faster than lightning
♫ No one you see
♫ ls smarter than he
♫ And we know Flipper
♫ Lives in a world full of wonder
♫ Flying there under, under the sea
- Hey, watch it, will ya?
.Dad?
What do you say to a
congressional delegation?
"Hello, congressional delegation?"
- Yeah, what is the protocol, dad?
- Protocol?
That's quite a word.
I'm impressed.
Just remember, congressmen
are just like everybody else,
except a lot of their
friends and neighbors decided
they oughta go to Washington
to look after their interests.
You dig?
. I dig.
That "Of the people, for
the people" jazz, huh?
- That's right.
- Get off the dock, Bud!
Now what's the idea, Andrews?
I want you to kick this
boat out of the park
unless you can be more careful.
You try this one more
time, I'll have you...
- I hired him to bring us here, Mister...
- Warden Ricks.
- Warden Ricks.
- And who are you?
- Congresswoman Helen E. Browning.
And this is my secretary, Erna Morley.
- A lady congressman?
- Is that legal?
- Where's the rest of the delegation?
- Delegations cost money, Mr. Ricks.
You have a certain public-spirited citizen
in your community here
who wouldn't approve.
He already thinks we're
squandering too much
of the taxpayers' money on Coral Key Park.
- Squandering their money?
- You might as well
know it now, Mr. Ricks.
We're determined to find out
whether your park is a boondoggle.
Would you please lead the way?
- What's a boondoggle?
- When the government spends money
on something it doesn't really need.
- Is that bad or good?
I mean, for us?
- The worst.
- Gosh, Hap.
Why do you suppose the congress lady
wants to meet you 'specially?
- Well, my friend the Admiral's
been trying to get Congress to give me
the Medal of Honor for a long time now.
- The Medal of Honor?
What for?
- Oh, that little fracas in the Zulu Sea.
- Little fracras?
What was that, Hap?
- Why, do you mean to tell
me that I never told you
about the time that I swam through
a whole fleet of pirate dhows
with a string of Limpet mines in my teeth?
Blew 'em all out of the water.
It was just like firecrackers
on the Fourth of July!
Oh, hush.
Well, they could need me again, too.
- Who?
- Why, the CIA!
There ain't every day they can find a man
that's willing to risk his
life on a special assignment,
and that he won't talk.
No, sir, not even under torture.
- Torture?
Well, here they come.
- Mr. Gorman?
Mr. Hap Gorman?
- Yes, ma'am?
- Congresswoman Helen E. Browning.
It's a pleasure to meet such
a public-spirited citizen.
- Public-spirited citizen?
- Well, you're the reason I'm here.
- Well, am I?
- Certainly.
The Congressional committee
was very much impressed
with the letter you wrote,
especially the part about...
Erna.
"After the hundreds of times
"I risked my life for my country,
"I hardly consider it fair
to have my taxes raised
"so that more tourists
can litter our beaches
"and blight the beauties of nature."
- Well, you see, ma'am,
I didn't exactly mean
that about Coral Key.
- That's alright, Mr. Gorman.
We'll chat some more, after I
finish the tour of inspection.
Come along, Erna.
- Public-spirited traitor!
- Now, don't get mad, old friends.
- After what you did to us?
- I was just trying to
get my taxes lowered!
How did I know that somebody was gonna
buck my letter to a, well, to a woman?
- Medal of Honor?
- You know, Bud, you
just gave me a good idea.
I'm gonna go right inside there
and write my friend the Admiral a letter,
and remind him that I saved his life.
Yes sir, it was just
off the coast of Siberia
that boat sunk, and...
Oh, shut up, you old seahorse!
- Our pal.
BOY-
- Oh, yeah.
I just don't get it, dad.
We're not any old boondoggle.
- Yeah, what are we gonna do, dad?
Suppose she decides to close the park.
- Well, let's not suppose anything.
We've got a fighting chance.
All we have to do is
convince the congress lady
that the park is worth
the taxpayers' money.
- Well, we know it is.
Couldn't we just tell her?
- I'm afraid she's gonna have
to find that out for herself.
- Take a memo, Erna.
A reminder to Mr. Jed
Stanton, Highway Division.
The roads leading to and into the park
are in atrocious condition.
Good morning.
Good morning, Warden Ricks.
- Good morning.
- I trust you're ready for
today's tour of inspection?
- Anytime you are, yes.
- Oh, I'm ready.
Erna, you stay here and check the hotel
every half hour for
messages from Washington.
- Right.
- Would you like to be seated up here?
- Yes, thank you.
What a beautiful boat.
- You kids really love
this place, don't you?
- More than any place.
- Well, I'm rooting for you, you know.
- Thanks.
- Oh, don't be so sad.
Mrs. Browning's bark is a
lot worse than her bite.
When she sees what Coral
Key Park is really like,
she'll be fair in her decision.
Do you know that I have never
before seen a trained dolphin?
He's really something!
- Show Miss Morley the trick
we taught Flipper yesterday.
. Okay-
- Oh, bravo!
Wait 'til Mrs. Browning sees him!
She'll really be delighted!
- You know something, Flipper?
I don't think I like Mrs. Browning.
Dad said it's not right
not to like people.
He says...
He says, "You oughta
try and understand them.
"You'll see there's some good in them."
Maybe she is okay, but,
I wish she'd just go
away and leave us alone.
You know something, Flipper?
Hap Gorman says if you
rub this lamp enough
and make a wish, it'll come true.
You know that?
Not that I'd ever believe a
word Hap Gorman ever says again.
But,
he did get it in Arabia,
and that's way across on
the other side of the world.
And lots of odda things happen
in those foreign
countries, let me tell ya.
If I was gonna make a wish,
what would I wish for?
Oh, I wouldn't want anything
bad to happen to Mrs. Browning.
Maybe if she just got a little seasick.
Or a crab or a bird bit her.
I bet you she'd even be scared of
a little 0l' baby alligator.
Or a skunk.
She might even be scared of
you, Flipper, you know that?
Nah.
But what's the use of wishing?
- Well, that's about it.
You've seen Coral Key.
Well, except the underwater park,
which is the real Coral Key.
- Well, in all fairness, Mr. Ricks,
I'll see the underwater park tomorrow.
Erna, take a memo.
Ooh!
Oooh!
Well, Mr. Ricks,
I've seen all I want to see.
And while I'm at it, Erna?
Erna!
Take a wire to Mr. Gregory Chandler.
Sonar Research Project
12, Navy Department.
"Dear Gregory,
"have found a trained
dolphin for your experiment
"at no cost to the taxpayers.
"He's already government property."
- Sandy, you should have
kept your eye on him.
You know how he's taking this business
of closing the park to heart.
- Gee, dad, how was I supposed to know
he was gonna go wherever it is he went?
- Ah, you couldn't know, of course.
Sometimes we forget that
Bud's just a little boy.
We expect him to act like a grownup.
- Funny thing is, most
of the time, he does.
- Yeah.
- I'll try calling Flipper again.
Flipper?
Flipper?
- Alright, let's take the launch out.
See what we can find.
But first, I want to
call that congresswoman
and get a few things straight.
- You think that would be wise, dad?
- I don't know, Sandy.
But sometimes a man has to sacrifice
wisdom for his integrity.
That's no excuse for you to
ride roughshod over us, Mrs. Browning.
I'm a public servant, too.
That's right, I'm as interested as you are
in saving the taxpayers' money.
And if the well-being of even
one small boy is threatened,
I say that's more important
than the entire federal budget.
All right, Mrs. Browning, thank you.
Come on.
- So you see, Flipper,
this isn't all your fault.
We're in big trouble
'cause of Mrs. Browning.
Flipper, we might have
to move away from here,
and you and I couldn't
be together any more.
But that isn't gonna be half
a day before I miss you.
Flipper, I don't know how
to tell you this, but...
Mrs. Browning wants to send you
to the Navy for experiments!
But, it might not be that
bad at all in the Navy.
You know, Flipper, I couldn't let you go.
That's why you're gonna have to hide here
'til the congress lady leaves.
You understand, Flipper.
I'll be back for you
as soon as she's gone.
I don't care how important
you are to the Navy, Flipper.
You're more important to me.
I'll just rest here a minute.
- Where is he, Flipper?
In the cave?
- Get the anchor.
Let's go.
Bud?
Bud?
- Dad, where's Flipper?
- It's alright, son, he's right here.
- You mean, they haven't
taken him to the Navy?
- Nope, and they're not going to.
We talked to Mrs.
Browning, and she promised.
- You sure?
- Well, I wouldn't tell
you if I wasn't sure.
- That's one thing
you can count on, Bud.
Dad and Flipper will never let us down.
- Let's go home, boys.
♫ Everyone loves the king of the sea
♫ Ever so kind and gentle is he
♫ Tricks he will do when children are near
♫ And how they laugh when he's near
♫ They call him Flipper
♫ Flipper, faster than lightning
♫ No one you see
♫ ls smarter than he
♫ And we know Flipper
♫ Lives in a world full of wonder
♫ Flying there under, under the sea