Flipper (1964–1967): Season 3, Episode 19 - Aunt Martha - full transcript

Porter's Aunt Martha has come to visit for the first time since Porter's wife died. She instantly decides to take over, and her first order of business is sending Flipper out to sea because she believes all wild animals can be dangerous.

- Bud, throw it to Flipper!

- Here, Flipper.

Take the ball.

Good boy, Flipper!

- Flipper, you've got the wrong team.

- Porter?

Oh hi Rick.

- Martha!

- Oh, I didn't think you'd recognize me.

- Well, how could I help it?

You haven't changed a bit.



How long has it been?

What, 15 years?

-10.

And these, I suppose are the boys.

- Yep, these are my sons, Sandy and Bud.

Boys, this is your Aunt
Martha, my favorite relative.

- Oh, he only says that
because I'm the richest.

- Well, so you're Ellen's boys.

- Well this is a pleasant
surprise, Martha.

What brings you to Coral Key?

- Well my conscience.

I'm trying to make up
for the sins of my youth.

Mostly for not helping you with the babies

after you lost Ellen.



- Oh, right, well thank you very much.

- Does that mean you're
gonna stay with us?

- Well, if you'll have me.

Fifi!

He's my family.

- We'd be very happy to have you, Martha.

- Oh my!

It's so lovely here.

Good heavens, what's that?

- That's Flipper, he's our pet dolphin.

- Oh, oh!

- Sandy, give me that towel?

- oh my poor baby.

Oh my poor Fifi.

Oh poor Fifi.

- It wasn't Flipper's fault.

Your Fifi barked at me.

- Porter, it looks as though
I got here just in time.

♫ They call him Flipper, Flipper

♫ Faster than lightning

♫ No one you see is smarter than he

♫ And we know Flipper

♫ Lives in a world full of wonder

♫ Lying there under, under the sea

That ought to do it right there.

No, no, I think it was
better where it was.

- Martha, I think it's
time we took a break.

- Oh, but Porter, if we stop now,

I'll lose the continuity of
the entire rearrangement.

- The what?

- Frankly, I'm a bit bushed.

- oh, you poor boy.

You probably need some vitamins.

I'll tell you what.

I have a list here of things
that I have to get in town.

Let's see, candles, guest tow...

Do you know, Porter, there
isn't a single guest towel

in this house?

I'll just add vitamins to the list.

And I must get some goat's milk for Fifi.

He had an ulcer last year you know.

- Flipper, cut it out!

- Well, what's he doing?

Oh my goodness!

Oh my poor baby.

What did that beast do to you?

Get him away from here at once!

- Flipper was just
trying to play with him.

- Play?

Well he almost killed Fifi!

. Oh!

- Oh, he's shivering.

That animal doesn't like him.

- Sandy, put Flipper in his pen.

- Okay, Dad.

- Why I knew the minute I saw that fish

that he was dangerous.

- He's not a fish.

- Fish or whatever.

I happen to know something about animals.

Your Uncle Julian and I
made three African safaris

and he told me that any
wild animal is dangerous.

- Come on Flipper, here boy.

- Porter, you as a ranger
certainly ought to know that.

Oh they may be tamed for awhile,

but they can turn on you like that.

Why, the newspapers are full of stories

of so-called tame animals
turning on their trainers.

- Look, Martha.

Now that might be very
true of a black panther

in the jungle but certainly
isn't true of a dolphin.

- Flipper turn on us?

Why that's just crazy.

- Oh I think I'm a better judge of that

than you are, young man.

I've seen it happen, not
once, but several times.

And if your father doesn't
have the good sense

to protect you, well I will.

Porter, I demand you take that beast

out into the open sea.

- What?

- Martha, there's
something you should know.

Flipper lives here with us.

Now I'll tell you what I'll do.

You're upset.

I'll keep Flipper in his pen

and he won't bother you or...

- Fifi.

- Fifi until you leave.

- And what about after I leave?

What about the boys?

- The boys happen to be my responsibility.

- Well Porter, I think
I'll just have to stay here

until everything is straightened out.

- She's our favorite relative, huh?

What are the others like, Dad?

- All my friends are laughing at me

on account of these clothes.

- Well you do look kind of funny.

- Have you looked at yourself?

- Hello boys, how's it going?

- Oh Dad, are you kidding?

Look at us.

- Uh huh, Aunt Martha, huh?

- Who else?

- Dad, do you believe this?

- Dad, she says I look chic.

Whatever that means.

- Well bud, I think I've got
to go along with her on that.

- Oh, come on, Dad, will
you stop kidding me?

A guy's gotta have some self-respect.

Not one friend of mine
wears these kind of clothes.

- Not one friend of yours has Aunt Martha.

- Yeah, and look at poor Flipper.

He's going nutty in this pen.

He's going stir crazy.

- Well, I know boys, but it
won't be for much longer.

- She's leaving?

- Well, no, not exactly.

- Why don't you just tell her to go home?

- Yeah!

- Well, I could do that, Sandy,
but it wouldn't be right.

Now look, I know things have been

pretty fouled up around
here but maybe we'll just

start setting them right, huh?

- You mean you've got an idea?

- Well let's just say that Aunt Martha

doesn't know everything.

- We all know that, Dad, but does she?

- Maybe Aunt Martha's not
too old to learn, Bud.

- Yoohoo, I'm ready.

I'll just get Fifi.

- We're all set, Martha.

- Set for what?

- The picnic.

' A Picnic?

What picnic?

- The picnic that Aunt
Martha is taking us on

over at Sands Point this afternoon.

- Wait a minute, I have to go to a picnic

in these clothes?

- That's right, you are.

Now listen to me, both of you.

I want you to do
everything that Aunt Martha

tells you to do today
exactly the way she says it.

- Exactly?

- Everything?

- Everything.

This picnic is gonna go just the way

Aunt Martha wants it to.

- Here I am.

- Hi.

All right boys, up in the porch.

Get rest of the gear and
come on down the boat.

- Sure hope Flipper's gonna be all right.

- He'll be okay.

- I hope so.

- My, this is invigorating.

You know if I hadn't promised your sister

that I would visit her in Arizona,

I might settle permanently in Coral Key.

- Okay boys

- I was in Arizona once
when I was a little kid.

It's very invigorating there too.

The mountains and things.

- Oh no, you don't.

You don't get rid of me that easily.

Not as long as he's around.

- Okay, Bud, get the bow line.

- All right.

- All set?

- Is that Sands Point over there?

- Sure is.

- See, you know my Julian used to say

that nobody could read
a map the way I could.

- And I bet you had a lot of fun

on those safaris, didn't you?

- Oh they were dreams.

Everything was smooth and perfect.

Nothing ever went wrong.

- That's probably because
you were running it.

- Why thank you, Porter, it was.

- Martha, I've been thinking.

I'd like to take a little
time off and just relax.

Tell you what, why don't
you run things today.

Well first you can take over
and start driving the boat.

- You mean, really be in charge?

- That's right.

- Well I'd be delighted.

- I don't believe it.

- Oh wow.

- You know, Julian used to let me drive

the Jeep on safaris.

I always tried to enter into
the activities of my menfolk.

Julian used to say that's what
made me so popular with them.

- Doesn't that look nice?

- That looks delicious.

- Oh not yet, boys.

I believe in taking the
constitutional before we eat.

- A what?

- A walk.

Uncle Julian and I took a walk
before every meal on safari.

. Okay"

- That's the right attitude.

Porter, Sandy, Aunt
Martha will lead the way.

Now you stay there like a little love.

That's a good boy.

Come along.

- Aunt Martha, are you
gonna leave these sandwiches

the way they are?

- Well why not?

We've got Fifi here to guard them.

- Yeah but you see...

- Sandy, this is Aunt Martha's picnic.

. Okay"

- Aunt Martha, what kind
of sandwiches are those?

- Watercress.

- Watercress?

Did you eat them on safari too?

- Certainly not.

On safari, we ate hippopotamus.

- Fifi!

Fifi what is it?

- Look at all those red ants, Dad!

They really go for that watercress.

- Porter, just look at them.

Somebody should have warned me about this.

- I tried too, Aunt Martha,
but you wanted a walk.

- Don't they have ants on safari?

- Yeah but they don't like
hippopotamus sandwiches.

- Oh I should have remembered about ants.

You know, Porter, it's
been a very long time

since I've been on a picnic.

Well nevermind, a little
fasting is good for the soul.

- Dad, excuse me, could I
use the paddle-board please?

- Paddle board, hey that
sounds like a marvelous idea.

Porter, I think I'd like to
have a go at that myself.

- Well I thought you
couldn't swim, Martha.

- Where'd you get that idea?

Of course I can.

Besides, I'll just stay
in the shallow part.

- All right then, help Aunt
Martha with he paddle-board.

- But Dad, it could be dangerous!

- Dangerous?

Sandy, be a dear and
take care of Fifi for me.

Isn't that sweet of him to
be so concerned about me.

. Slay'

- Dad, I thought I saw Flipper out there.

- Flipper, where?

- You better stop her.

- No, I don't think so, Sandy.

- Oh boy.

- Look, there's Flipper.

Flipper, bring her back!

- Porter!

Porter!

Porter!

- Flipper!

- Porter!

- Martha, hold on, I'll be right there.

Hold these for a second.

- Porter!

Porter, Porter!

- Bud, take a blanket.

. Dad?

You suppose she's hurt?

- No Sandy, I think she just fainted.

Martha?

How do you feel?

- Terrible.

That awful fish tried to kill me.

- Now Martha, Flipper
didn't try to kill you.

- Well he did so!

He's a wild vicious animal
and he tried to drown me.

- Drown you?

- In four feet of water?

- Well he knew I couldn't swim.

- But you told me you could.

- That's right, Aunt Martha, you did.

- Well what difference does it make?

I can't do everything.

- That's not the impression
you were trying to give.

- You don't want me here, do you?

- Martha.

- You just think I'm a
meddling female who, well...

- Now Martha...

- I think it's time that I went home.

- Martha, listen.

- Now, Porter, I'm fine.

I'm just fine.

I just think it's time that Fifi and I...

Fifi?

Fifi!

He's gone.

- All right, now take it easy.

We'll find Fifi.

Boys, go find Fifi, go ahead.

- I don't know what made me hope

that somebody here might need me.

Porter, I've made such a mess of things.

- Oh, Martha.

It's all right, it's all right.

I'll tell you what.

Let's you and I go look
for Fifi, all right?

We'll find him, come on.

Come on.

Fifi!

- Fifi, come back!

- Fifi!

- Fifi!

- Fifi!

Fifi?

Fifi!

Fifi!

- Come on.

- No luck I suppose.

- We looked everywhere, Dad.

- Fifi was all I had in the world.

- Well you've still got us, Aunt Martha.

Even though we don't agree
about a lot of things

like Flipper, you're still our family.

- All right, boys, we're
gonna find that dog.

I want you to go out
and start looking again.

Go on.

- Porter, did you hear Sandy?

He said I was family.

- Well you are family, Martha.

And we are gonna find Fifi.

Come on.

- Hey Sandy, look!

- Hey Dad, Aunt Martha!

- What is it, bud?

- Over there.

- Oh it's Fifi.

Oh goodness.

- Look, Flipper's bringing him in.

- Flipper.

- Fifi, Fifi, oh my goodness!

Thank you boys for saving Fifi.

- It wasn't us, it was Flipper.

- Why yes, I guess it was.

Thank you, Flipper.

- Martha, that's about
it, except for Fifi.

- Well they seem the best
of friends now, don't they?

- Yes, they sure do.

- Porter, I'm sorry.

- Look, Martha, there's
nothing to be sorry about.

- No, no, I really want to say this.

You know, ever since Julian
died, I've been alone.

Except for Fifi.

I didn't really belong any place.

Oh how I wanted to.

Well I guess living alone like that

has turned me into something of a bully.

I wasn't aware of it.

- Well I think you're
fine, Martha, just fine.

- You know, Porter, you're
very much like Julian.

He used to take very good
care of me on safari.

Oh, he always let me do
exactly what I wanted to.

Until I found out how much I needed him.

- Well, I guess you've got my number, huh?

- Well I do know a little
something about men.

And I think I've learned
a little something

about boys and dolphins.

- Here's Fifi, Aunt Martha.

- He was just saying goodbye to Flipper.

- Thank you, all of you.

It's been very enlightening.

- You will come back, won't you?

Real soon?

- Yeah I second that opinion.

I'd like you to come back too.

- Well if you're sure you want me.

- Of course we want you.

- Sure we do.

- Oh but I'm not so sure about Flipper.

♫ 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, is smarter than he

♫ And we know Flipper lives
in a world full of wonder

♫ Lying there under the sea