Flipper (1964–1967): Season 2, Episode 24 - The Raccoon Who Came to Dinner - full transcript
A "higher-up" who has the power to shut the park down comes to visit the park and Porter Ricks. His hatred for wild animals, and Bud's dislike of him, just may put Porter's job in danger.
- Young man, what are you doing?
- Playing with Flipper.
- Flipper?
- Yeah, he's a dolphin.
My Pet.
Pet?
- Sure!
- You made that beautiful,
free-swimming soul into a pet?
- Is there anything the matter?
- Well, nothing, I guess.
As long as you don't keep him confined.
- He stays in his pen once
in a while, when I ask him.
- He does?
- Sure!
He does most anything I ask him.
That's what makes him
such a wonderful pet.
- Oh, you, young man,
you're like all the rest.
You think everything that lives
was put on this Earth
just to be made into pets
for your own pleasure.
And then you give them
ridiculous names, like...
- Flipper?
- Flipper!
You pamper them.
You buy their friendship by feeding them
til they no longer have any self-respect,
and then they die.
That stately sea rover
was not put on this Earth
to be your pet!
And furthermore, I'm gonna see
that something is done about it.
♫ 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
♫ Lying there under
♫ Under the sea
- Hey, who are you?
You know, you look just like Bandit.
Oh, you couldn't be Bandit, though.
Dad made me give him to Shorty Myers
when I was doing bad in school.
But you could be a relative, couldn't ya?
You know, you look pretty hungry.
I've got some nice fresh fruit
at the house if you want some.
Come on!
But I can't keep you.
'Cause you see, I have a
pet skunk named Stinky,
and dad would make me give
him away if I had to keep you.
But I don't think dad would mind too much
if you came to the
house for a square meal.
Hey Flipper, look!
We've got a new visitor!
Come on!
Sure were hungry, weren't you?
- Bud.
- Yeah, dad?
- Bud, there's somebody
I want you to meet.
Where did you get that raccoon?
- Oh, I found him in the woods.
He looked so hungry, I
figured I'd take him home
for a nice, square meal.
- I told you not to bring any
more animals into this house.
Now, after he's fed,
I want you to send him
right on his way.
- I guess you're right, dad.
I knew you wouldn't want him to go hungry.
I'm so glad you're not
like that old grouch who...
- This is the gentlemen I
wanted you to meet, Bud.
This is the new inspector
for parks and recreation,
Mr. John W. Gorden.
That's my son, Bud.
- Hi.
- Hello, Bud,
I think we've met.
- Yes, sir.
- Mr. Gorden's gonna be staying
with us as a house guest.
- For how long?
- A couple days,
he's down here to inspect the park!
He's here to see that everything
is a-okay in the park,
and if it isn't, well, he'll transfer me
to some place like, what,
Central Park in New York City?
- Oh, I'm sorry about what
I said today, inspector.
- Alright, Bud.
- As you can see,
Bud's rather fond of animals.
In fact, if I don't keep my eye on him,
the house would be full of 'em!
- What about that dolphin, Flipper?
- Oh, Flipper, well,
that's something else.
Flipper is really sort of
a member of the family.
- Hi!
- That's my other son, Sandy.
- Hi.
What's that?
- Oh, that's Pete.
He's our pet pelican.
- Mr. Ricks, what are you running here,
a park, or the corner pet shop?
- Look inspector, this
isn't the city, it's a park,
and there are a lot of
animals around here.
Now, I think it's a good
idea for my son to have pets,
but maybe you're right,
I think you can carry
a good thing too far.
Sandy, I want you to take Pete outside
and then fix the screen
door like I told you,
and Bud, take that raccoon out
in the woods where he belongs
and them come back and wash up for dinner.
Go on!
- Listen Flipper, me and
you are gotta have a talk.
We have this new visitor
named Inspector Gorden,
and he doesn't like pets!
In fact, if I don't take this
raccoon back to the woods,
he'll fire dad and send
me to reform school!
So we just gotta play it
cool for a couple days.
If you could, like, maybe yourself scarce?
Just for a few days, Flipper.
Please, try to understand.
Good boy.
There you go, boy.
- I hope the inspector enjoys
eating out as much as we do.
- I think it's a great idea to have
a picnic lunch out today, dad.
- Well, I hope so, Sandy.
At least to give him a chance to get out
and take a look around the park.
- He even went for a walk!
- Help, help!
Help!
- Dad?
- Come on.
- Help!
Help!
- What is it, Bud?
- I didn't do anything,
honest, dad!
- Help!
Help!
Oh!
- Sandy, get Pete and get him
out in the park, right now.
Inspector, I'm sorry about this.
Pelicans usually aren't aggressive,
he must've been frightened or something.
Now look, we're preparing a picnic lunch,
and we'll take you out in the park,
and maybe you'll get a better idea
of what we're doing here, alright?
Meet us down at the beach.
Come on, Bud.
- Oh, no!
- Bud, look at this mess!
- Come and get me!
- Gosh, Inspector, I guess I forgot
to tell you about Stinky!
- Stinky?
- It's alright, inspector.
It's a pet.
- What are we gonna do
about Inspector Gorden, dad?
- What?
- Yeah, dad.
It isn't our fault the
raccoon keeps coming back.
- Oh, try and explain
that to Inspector Gorden!
Where is he, anyway?
- He went out fishing at dawn.
- Dad, how many more days
are we gonna have to walk on eggshells?
Sandy,
two more days, and stop worrying.
- You're worried, aren't ya?
- No, not really.
- He could have you and all of us
transferred away from here.
- Yes.
Chief Inspector can have
any ranger transferred
he doesn't think is doing a good job.
- He could even have
you fired, couldn't he?
- He could do that too.
- All because of us and our pets.
Flipper.
Stinky.
Pete.
Even the raccoon.
They wanna be our pets!
If it wasn't for you, that
pelican with the broken wing,
he'd be dead by now.
- That's right, dad.
- How's a pelican
with one wing gonna make a living, I ask?
Well, if you ask me, that
inspector, he's just mean.
He doesn't love animals, he's
just a big grump to us kids.
- Now look, Bud.
The reason he doesn't love animals
is that he doesn't understand them.
Now, I told you, he's just been appointed.
And he is a bachelor, and
never having had any boys,
he doesn't understand them either, okay?
End of speech,
now come on, I've got a full
day's work here, let's go.
- Flipper!
Is that who you are?
I suppose you're trying to thank me
for setting you free!
Trying to make a pet out
of a wild animal like that.
Some people.
- There's Flipper!
- There's Inspector Gorden!
And it looks like he's inside the park!
- Inside the park!?
Wouldn't that be neat if we
could get something on him?
- No, that's not very likely.
You can bet he's anchored
outside the park.
- Can't we just have a look anyway?
- We'll go over and say good morning,
it'll give you a good
chance to apologize, Bud.
- Apologize, for what?
What did I do?
- It's not what you did,
it's what you didn't do,
like not keeping that
raccoon away from the house.
- But dad...!
- Shh.
- Good morning, inspector!
- Good morning, Mr. Ricks!
Bud, Sandy.
- Catch anything?
- I got three jacks.
- Good!
- We got some whitefish,
but they got away.
Not sure I got the right hooks here.
- Well, I'll take a look at it for you.
Bud has something he wants
to tell you, inspector.
Bud?
Bud!
What's the matter with you?
- I don't know, I guess I was thinking.
- Thinking?
What brought that on?
- Bud, the inspector's waiting.
- Waiting?
For what?
- You were gonna tell
him something, remember?
- Oh, you mean about the
raccoon that followed me home
because he needed a friend?
- In other words, you're not sorry at all.
- Mm.
- Mr. Ricks, if you can't
control your own son,
maybe this job is too big for ya.
Perhaps you should be in a
small park in a big city,
where all you have to do
is watch the grass grow!
- Look inspector, I can
take care of my boys,
and as far as this park is concerned,
the record speaks for itself.
If you wanna continue fishing,
I'll take a look at those hooks for you.
- Come here, Flipper, come here!
Now listen, I want you
to take that anchor,
and put it in the park, okay?
' Bud!
- Shh!
' Bud!
- There you are, inspector!
That ought to catch you some whitefish.
- Dad.
- Yeah?
- How come you're letting the inspector
fish illegally in the
park when you're so strict
about other people breaking the rules?
- what are
you talking about, Bud?
- Illegally?
Now, young man, I think
I've had enough of you
that I can take!
- Well, look, look!
- But that's ridiculous.
Now, that anchor must've drifted.
- I'm sorry, inspector,
there's not enough current
to drag that anchor.
I know I should've looked, but,
I thought you, you of all people
would've checked the rules.
- Maybe I'm the one they should send
to that small park in a big city.
I could've sworn I checked that anchor.
- Dad.
- Hm?
- Never mind.
- Sorry, inspector!
Oh listen,
I've been looking all
over the place for you!
- And I've been looking for you!
- Oh hi, dad.
I'm sorry I'm late for dinner.
I was helping Rusty Hart with his math.
Sure hope he doesn't flunk this term.
- Dinner isn't for two hours, Bud,
and if I recall correctly, Rusty Hart
was helping you with your math!
- Well, that was last year.
Wait, Flipper now, will you stop?
- We'll talk about your
failing memory later.
Right now, I want you to
march right into that house
and tell the inspector that you're sorry
that you moved that anchor.
And this time, I mean really sorry.
- You snitched, eh, Sandy?
- Look, if Sandy hadn't
told me and I'd found out,
I would've been a very
unhappy father, Bud.
This way, I know at least
I have one honest son.
- But dad, how am I gonna
explain it to the inspector?
- It's up to you.
- Alright.
- Maybe I should've told
you that he meant well.
- Look Sandy, Bud knew what
he was doing was wrong.
It's just about time that he learned
that he can't have things his own way.
- Come in if you must.
- I've come to say I'm sorry.
- Like you were sorry about
the raccoon, I suppose.
And then you turned around and perpetrated
a much more serious misdemeanor!
- Well, I wasn't really
sorry about the raccoon,
but I am about telling
Flipper to take your anchor.
- Well, the damage is done in any case.
I have it all down in my report.
- Mr. Gorden, I'm sure you
know all about park rules
and laws, and you may have
even written an encyclopedia,
but you don't know beans
about kids or pets.
- Well!
- Dad said, "Try to
understand the inspector.
"He hasn't got any kids or anything."
Sure, I tried, but you
didn't give me an even shake.
- Go on!
- Well, take Flipper.
He wants to be our pet.
That's why he obeyed me when I told him
to move your anchor!
Or Pete the pelican.
He came here because he wanted
us to fix that wing of his.
And the skunk.
He was half starved when I found him.
And the raccoon!
He followed me because he likes me,
and he needed a friend!
- Bud, I never thought of it that way.
- Hey!
Maybe you could get a pet too!
Like a dog or a cat, and
work your way up from there!
- Hey!
Maybe you've got something there.
You think an animal would take to me?
- Sure!
- I'll try it, Bud.
And you know something?
I think you've helped me to
understand boys a lot better.
- Yeah?
- Yes.
Some of them are born con artists.
- Sandy, Bud, come on up here.
Inspector's leaving.
- So long, boys.
It's been a,
a most enlightening visit.
- Hurry back!
- With my schedule, I
probably won't make it
for a year or so.
- That's alright, see you then!
- About those animals, subconsciously,
I may have had it in for them.
- Oh, why?
- I may have had a grudge against them.
You see, in college one gave
me a cheerleader's knee.
- Cheerleader's knee?
- I was leading a cheer for the Terrapins,
and I stumbled over the mascot.
I threw out my knee and,
well, until today, anyhow,
with animals, I've always
had problems, you know?
Hey, hey Stinky!
- No, no, that's not Stinky!
You alright?
- No, my knee,
it went out again.
- Here, let me
get you into the car.
- No, no, no, you better
carry me back into the house.
- The house, what for?
- It usually takes me a week
to get over one of these.
Meanwhile, I'm completely incapacitated.
Let's go, take it easy.
Wouldn't you know it?
Of all the luck!
I guess you're right, Flipper.
The inspector isn't really such a bad guy.
But alls he need is a little
talking-to once in a while.
♫ 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
♫ Lying there under
♫ Under the sea
- Playing with Flipper.
- Flipper?
- Yeah, he's a dolphin.
My Pet.
Pet?
- Sure!
- You made that beautiful,
free-swimming soul into a pet?
- Is there anything the matter?
- Well, nothing, I guess.
As long as you don't keep him confined.
- He stays in his pen once
in a while, when I ask him.
- He does?
- Sure!
He does most anything I ask him.
That's what makes him
such a wonderful pet.
- Oh, you, young man,
you're like all the rest.
You think everything that lives
was put on this Earth
just to be made into pets
for your own pleasure.
And then you give them
ridiculous names, like...
- Flipper?
- Flipper!
You pamper them.
You buy their friendship by feeding them
til they no longer have any self-respect,
and then they die.
That stately sea rover
was not put on this Earth
to be your pet!
And furthermore, I'm gonna see
that something is done about it.
♫ 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
♫ Lying there under
♫ Under the sea
- Hey, who are you?
You know, you look just like Bandit.
Oh, you couldn't be Bandit, though.
Dad made me give him to Shorty Myers
when I was doing bad in school.
But you could be a relative, couldn't ya?
You know, you look pretty hungry.
I've got some nice fresh fruit
at the house if you want some.
Come on!
But I can't keep you.
'Cause you see, I have a
pet skunk named Stinky,
and dad would make me give
him away if I had to keep you.
But I don't think dad would mind too much
if you came to the
house for a square meal.
Hey Flipper, look!
We've got a new visitor!
Come on!
Sure were hungry, weren't you?
- Bud.
- Yeah, dad?
- Bud, there's somebody
I want you to meet.
Where did you get that raccoon?
- Oh, I found him in the woods.
He looked so hungry, I
figured I'd take him home
for a nice, square meal.
- I told you not to bring any
more animals into this house.
Now, after he's fed,
I want you to send him
right on his way.
- I guess you're right, dad.
I knew you wouldn't want him to go hungry.
I'm so glad you're not
like that old grouch who...
- This is the gentlemen I
wanted you to meet, Bud.
This is the new inspector
for parks and recreation,
Mr. John W. Gorden.
That's my son, Bud.
- Hi.
- Hello, Bud,
I think we've met.
- Yes, sir.
- Mr. Gorden's gonna be staying
with us as a house guest.
- For how long?
- A couple days,
he's down here to inspect the park!
He's here to see that everything
is a-okay in the park,
and if it isn't, well, he'll transfer me
to some place like, what,
Central Park in New York City?
- Oh, I'm sorry about what
I said today, inspector.
- Alright, Bud.
- As you can see,
Bud's rather fond of animals.
In fact, if I don't keep my eye on him,
the house would be full of 'em!
- What about that dolphin, Flipper?
- Oh, Flipper, well,
that's something else.
Flipper is really sort of
a member of the family.
- Hi!
- That's my other son, Sandy.
- Hi.
What's that?
- Oh, that's Pete.
He's our pet pelican.
- Mr. Ricks, what are you running here,
a park, or the corner pet shop?
- Look inspector, this
isn't the city, it's a park,
and there are a lot of
animals around here.
Now, I think it's a good
idea for my son to have pets,
but maybe you're right,
I think you can carry
a good thing too far.
Sandy, I want you to take Pete outside
and then fix the screen
door like I told you,
and Bud, take that raccoon out
in the woods where he belongs
and them come back and wash up for dinner.
Go on!
- Listen Flipper, me and
you are gotta have a talk.
We have this new visitor
named Inspector Gorden,
and he doesn't like pets!
In fact, if I don't take this
raccoon back to the woods,
he'll fire dad and send
me to reform school!
So we just gotta play it
cool for a couple days.
If you could, like, maybe yourself scarce?
Just for a few days, Flipper.
Please, try to understand.
Good boy.
There you go, boy.
- I hope the inspector enjoys
eating out as much as we do.
- I think it's a great idea to have
a picnic lunch out today, dad.
- Well, I hope so, Sandy.
At least to give him a chance to get out
and take a look around the park.
- He even went for a walk!
- Help, help!
Help!
- Dad?
- Come on.
- Help!
Help!
- What is it, Bud?
- I didn't do anything,
honest, dad!
- Help!
Help!
Oh!
- Sandy, get Pete and get him
out in the park, right now.
Inspector, I'm sorry about this.
Pelicans usually aren't aggressive,
he must've been frightened or something.
Now look, we're preparing a picnic lunch,
and we'll take you out in the park,
and maybe you'll get a better idea
of what we're doing here, alright?
Meet us down at the beach.
Come on, Bud.
- Oh, no!
- Bud, look at this mess!
- Come and get me!
- Gosh, Inspector, I guess I forgot
to tell you about Stinky!
- Stinky?
- It's alright, inspector.
It's a pet.
- What are we gonna do
about Inspector Gorden, dad?
- What?
- Yeah, dad.
It isn't our fault the
raccoon keeps coming back.
- Oh, try and explain
that to Inspector Gorden!
Where is he, anyway?
- He went out fishing at dawn.
- Dad, how many more days
are we gonna have to walk on eggshells?
Sandy,
two more days, and stop worrying.
- You're worried, aren't ya?
- No, not really.
- He could have you and all of us
transferred away from here.
- Yes.
Chief Inspector can have
any ranger transferred
he doesn't think is doing a good job.
- He could even have
you fired, couldn't he?
- He could do that too.
- All because of us and our pets.
Flipper.
Stinky.
Pete.
Even the raccoon.
They wanna be our pets!
If it wasn't for you, that
pelican with the broken wing,
he'd be dead by now.
- That's right, dad.
- How's a pelican
with one wing gonna make a living, I ask?
Well, if you ask me, that
inspector, he's just mean.
He doesn't love animals, he's
just a big grump to us kids.
- Now look, Bud.
The reason he doesn't love animals
is that he doesn't understand them.
Now, I told you, he's just been appointed.
And he is a bachelor, and
never having had any boys,
he doesn't understand them either, okay?
End of speech,
now come on, I've got a full
day's work here, let's go.
- Flipper!
Is that who you are?
I suppose you're trying to thank me
for setting you free!
Trying to make a pet out
of a wild animal like that.
Some people.
- There's Flipper!
- There's Inspector Gorden!
And it looks like he's inside the park!
- Inside the park!?
Wouldn't that be neat if we
could get something on him?
- No, that's not very likely.
You can bet he's anchored
outside the park.
- Can't we just have a look anyway?
- We'll go over and say good morning,
it'll give you a good
chance to apologize, Bud.
- Apologize, for what?
What did I do?
- It's not what you did,
it's what you didn't do,
like not keeping that
raccoon away from the house.
- But dad...!
- Shh.
- Good morning, inspector!
- Good morning, Mr. Ricks!
Bud, Sandy.
- Catch anything?
- I got three jacks.
- Good!
- We got some whitefish,
but they got away.
Not sure I got the right hooks here.
- Well, I'll take a look at it for you.
Bud has something he wants
to tell you, inspector.
Bud?
Bud!
What's the matter with you?
- I don't know, I guess I was thinking.
- Thinking?
What brought that on?
- Bud, the inspector's waiting.
- Waiting?
For what?
- You were gonna tell
him something, remember?
- Oh, you mean about the
raccoon that followed me home
because he needed a friend?
- In other words, you're not sorry at all.
- Mm.
- Mr. Ricks, if you can't
control your own son,
maybe this job is too big for ya.
Perhaps you should be in a
small park in a big city,
where all you have to do
is watch the grass grow!
- Look inspector, I can
take care of my boys,
and as far as this park is concerned,
the record speaks for itself.
If you wanna continue fishing,
I'll take a look at those hooks for you.
- Come here, Flipper, come here!
Now listen, I want you
to take that anchor,
and put it in the park, okay?
' Bud!
- Shh!
' Bud!
- There you are, inspector!
That ought to catch you some whitefish.
- Dad.
- Yeah?
- How come you're letting the inspector
fish illegally in the
park when you're so strict
about other people breaking the rules?
- what are
you talking about, Bud?
- Illegally?
Now, young man, I think
I've had enough of you
that I can take!
- Well, look, look!
- But that's ridiculous.
Now, that anchor must've drifted.
- I'm sorry, inspector,
there's not enough current
to drag that anchor.
I know I should've looked, but,
I thought you, you of all people
would've checked the rules.
- Maybe I'm the one they should send
to that small park in a big city.
I could've sworn I checked that anchor.
- Dad.
- Hm?
- Never mind.
- Sorry, inspector!
Oh listen,
I've been looking all
over the place for you!
- And I've been looking for you!
- Oh hi, dad.
I'm sorry I'm late for dinner.
I was helping Rusty Hart with his math.
Sure hope he doesn't flunk this term.
- Dinner isn't for two hours, Bud,
and if I recall correctly, Rusty Hart
was helping you with your math!
- Well, that was last year.
Wait, Flipper now, will you stop?
- We'll talk about your
failing memory later.
Right now, I want you to
march right into that house
and tell the inspector that you're sorry
that you moved that anchor.
And this time, I mean really sorry.
- You snitched, eh, Sandy?
- Look, if Sandy hadn't
told me and I'd found out,
I would've been a very
unhappy father, Bud.
This way, I know at least
I have one honest son.
- But dad, how am I gonna
explain it to the inspector?
- It's up to you.
- Alright.
- Maybe I should've told
you that he meant well.
- Look Sandy, Bud knew what
he was doing was wrong.
It's just about time that he learned
that he can't have things his own way.
- Come in if you must.
- I've come to say I'm sorry.
- Like you were sorry about
the raccoon, I suppose.
And then you turned around and perpetrated
a much more serious misdemeanor!
- Well, I wasn't really
sorry about the raccoon,
but I am about telling
Flipper to take your anchor.
- Well, the damage is done in any case.
I have it all down in my report.
- Mr. Gorden, I'm sure you
know all about park rules
and laws, and you may have
even written an encyclopedia,
but you don't know beans
about kids or pets.
- Well!
- Dad said, "Try to
understand the inspector.
"He hasn't got any kids or anything."
Sure, I tried, but you
didn't give me an even shake.
- Go on!
- Well, take Flipper.
He wants to be our pet.
That's why he obeyed me when I told him
to move your anchor!
Or Pete the pelican.
He came here because he wanted
us to fix that wing of his.
And the skunk.
He was half starved when I found him.
And the raccoon!
He followed me because he likes me,
and he needed a friend!
- Bud, I never thought of it that way.
- Hey!
Maybe you could get a pet too!
Like a dog or a cat, and
work your way up from there!
- Hey!
Maybe you've got something there.
You think an animal would take to me?
- Sure!
- I'll try it, Bud.
And you know something?
I think you've helped me to
understand boys a lot better.
- Yeah?
- Yes.
Some of them are born con artists.
- Sandy, Bud, come on up here.
Inspector's leaving.
- So long, boys.
It's been a,
a most enlightening visit.
- Hurry back!
- With my schedule, I
probably won't make it
for a year or so.
- That's alright, see you then!
- About those animals, subconsciously,
I may have had it in for them.
- Oh, why?
- I may have had a grudge against them.
You see, in college one gave
me a cheerleader's knee.
- Cheerleader's knee?
- I was leading a cheer for the Terrapins,
and I stumbled over the mascot.
I threw out my knee and,
well, until today, anyhow,
with animals, I've always
had problems, you know?
Hey, hey Stinky!
- No, no, that's not Stinky!
You alright?
- No, my knee,
it went out again.
- Here, let me
get you into the car.
- No, no, no, you better
carry me back into the house.
- The house, what for?
- It usually takes me a week
to get over one of these.
Meanwhile, I'm completely incapacitated.
Let's go, take it easy.
Wouldn't you know it?
Of all the luck!
I guess you're right, Flipper.
The inspector isn't really such a bad guy.
But alls he need is a little
talking-to once in a while.
♫ 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
♫ Lying there under
♫ Under the sea