Flipper (1964–1967): Season 3, Episode 20 - Dolphin for Ransom - full transcript

- Keeping an official eye on
what goes on in Coral Key Park

is usually just a routine job.

And today everything looked

exceptionally tranquil and serene.

Old Man Coleman and George
Meeker's tenderfoot on the job.

And I knew the underwater pipes

were getting their daily inspection.

It's a tough job, checking on those pipes,

but George is a hard and
conscientious worker.

Here was a situation
which spelled trouble.

Much as I wanted to spare
George Meeker's son,



I'd already warned him twice

about lobster poaching in the park.

This time I meant business.

All right Gary, let's have those lobsters.

Flipper, stop him!

♫ 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

- Gary I've warned you twice before

about poaching lobsters in this park.



I'm through warning, now
I'm signing a complaint

and you're gonna face a judge.

- Now wait a minute, you can't do that.

- I can and I will.

- Aw come on, what's a few lobsters?

Mr. Ricks, my father, he
got me a job last week

and if he finds out that I'm
not working, I'm a dead pigeon.

If I can only sell these lobsters,

I promise, I won't poach any more.

- What happened to your job, Gary?

- Aw, they let me go.

- Gary, your father's not
only a good friend of mine,

but he's one of the hardest
working men we've got

in the Park Service.

Now I let you go the last
two times because of him.

I don't think he'd appreciate
it I let you go again.

I'll see you in court tomorrow at noon.

- Go ahead, Big-Shot Ranger,
you file that complaint.

But I bet you'll be sorry you did.

- Gary must
have known Sandy and Bud

were on their paper route

when he came to the house that afternoon.

I had already filed a complaint.

Gary knew what he was doing
when he borrowed the auto-horn.

- Hiya, b')!!-

How 'bout a fish, Flipper?

There you go, a free meal.

You like that, huh?

Well I got lots more from
where that came from.

Come on, Flipper.

We got a long way to go.

- Me for a nice cool swim.

- Count me in on it.

- Flipper!

Flipper!

Hey, what'd you do with the auto-horn?

- I don't know, you had it last.

- No, I left it right by the post.

- Maybe you left it in
the launch or something.

- No, you must have taken it.

- Come on in, the water's great.

- Flipper!

I wish he was here, I
wonder what's keeping him.

- He'll be here, stop worrying.

Come on in, the water's fine.

- All right.

- Catch, Flipper!

There you go, Flipper.

If you have any luck, you'll
be out of there by tonight.

And don't take any wooden fish.

- Hey look, there's Dad.
- Come on.

- Hi Dad.
- Hi, Bud, Sandy.

Tie it off good and snug.

- Hey Dad, have you seen the auto-horn?

- No I haven't Bud.

Try looking up on the porch.

- No, it wouldn't be up there.

It's supposed to be
right here on the dock.

- Well Bud, around here where
things are supposed to be

and where they are are
two different things.

Did you try looking under your bed?

- Oh, Dad.

- Well, you have to admit, Bud,

sometimes you leave stuff
in some pretty weird places.

- Well anyway Dad it's
past Flipper's suppertime

and he still hasn't showed up.

Don't you think we oughta
start to look for him?

- No I don't at all, Bud.

He's probably got with Lorelei.

- Lorelei, that girl dolphin.

Why is it every time I'm
looking for you guys,

there's some girl involved in it.

I got it.

Porter Ricks.

- This is Gary Meeker, Ranger.

I've got Flipper.

- What?

Say that again.
- It's simple enough.

I've got Flipper trapped.

If you want him back, all you've gotta do

is withdraw the complaint
by noon tomorrow.

There's no use coming
to look for him, either,

because you won't find me.

And don't go running to my father

or else you'll never see
Flipper again, and I mean it!

- Well Gary Meeker knows where Flipper is.

- He does?

- Dad, is something the matter?

- Well I think Flipper's all right.

But he's holding him for ransom.

- What?
- For ransom?

- I caught him poaching
in the park this morning

and signed a complaint.

He's coming up front of the court.

He just said unless I
would draw that complaint

by noon tomorrow, we'll
never see Flipper again.

- Why that miserable...
- But Dad,

you are gonna withdraw
the complaint aren't you?

- I can't do that, Bud.

- Dad he's the type
of guy who'd kill Flipper!

- Bud, I represent the law here.

The law can't be forced
into a blackmail like this.

- But Dad, Flipper didn't
have anything to do with it.

Why should he be the one to suffer?

- Meeker seems to think he
can get to us through Flipper.

- So we have to do what he says, right?

- Bud, we have to uphold the law.

I can't allow one man to
escape the penalty for a crime

by committing another one.

- But Dad!

- I can't withdraw the
complaint, Bud, I'm sorry.

- Dad's right, Bud, he has no choice.

- Well can't you go to
Gary's house and uh,

arrest him for blackmail
or something like that?

- No, he won't be home Bud.

If he was I'd go and see his father.

We've got to get to Gary and Flipper

before he carries out his threat.

- Well let's go.

- No, it's too late now.

Here's what we'll do.

Tonight we'll plan our search patterns

so we don't overlap and waste any time.

And we'll get started
first thing in the morning.

- Sure hope Flipper's all right.

- Let's go.

The boys took one area and I took another.

We started searching for Flipper

as soon as it was light enough to see.

It looked hopeless.

The area was too large
for three of us to cover

in such a short time.

And I had to be in court by noon.

- Flipper!

Flipper!

- Come on, get in.
- How come?

Well it's almost 11:30

and we still haven't gotten nowhere.

- We still have a half an hour.

- Well I've been doing some thinking.

Gary'll probably come by the house

to see if Dad's withdrawn the complaint.

When he does we could maybe talk to him.

- Yeah, well what if he doesn't?

- Well, we're none the worse.

Get something to eat and go back out

and start looking again.

He won't do anything to
Flipper until he knows

that Dad didn't withdraw the complaint.

. Okay"

- Let's go.

- Where's your father?

- In court, probably, where
you're supposed to be.

- You mean he didn't
withdraw the complaint?

- No, he didn't.

- Couldn't you talk him out of it?

- We didn't even try.

- My father has to uphold the law.

- And blackmailing him won't
stop him from doing his job.

Aside from a blackmailer, you're a thief.

What'd you do with Flipper?

- If you knew anything about the law,

you'd know that you don't own Flipper.

And outside the park he's
fair game for anybody.

Okay, so I have to take the rap

for poaching a few lousy lobsters.

Well that's nothin' to what's gonna happen

to that Flipper of yours.

- Well you just...

- You lay one hand on me and
I'll promise you something.

You'll never see that dolphin again.

- Ahoy!

- Did you tell my father?
- No.

- Get the ranger, boys,
my diver's in trouble.

Get the ranger, will you?

- He isn't here, what happened?

- He's lost, there's no signals coming up

and he's running out of air fast.

Where is the ranger?

- You've gotta get your father.

- We don't have time.

We'll call the Coast Guard
and Bud and I'll look for him.

- Good, good boy.

- Wait a minute, Sandy.

If anybody can find Mr.
Meeker, it's Flipper.

- You're right.

He could find him a lot
faster than we could.

How 'bout it, Gary?

- If this is a trick...
- A trick?

- He's in a pen on the
other side of Hunters Cove.

- All right, let's go.

Bud, you go with Mr. Coleman
and get the diving gear.

Then call the Coast Guard,
Gary and I'll go get Flipper.

- I got the Coast Guard.
- That's fine.

I sure hope George has come up by now.

His air's running out fast.

- All right, let's go.
- Come on, let's go.

- Come on, Flipper, follow us.

- Bud's still down there looking.

- Flipper.

There's a diver lost down there.

Go find him, understand?

Find him.

- Where are you going?

- I'm gonna go help fight for my father.

- Well it's time you were doing something

to help your father.

- Dad, are you all right?

- Yeah, I'm all right.

- Lemme help you to the barge.

- It was mighty close.

I was trapped by couple of sharks.

Lucky for me that dolphin happened along.

- Well he didn't just
happen, he was brought.

- Flipper, go get Sandy and Bud.

- Then that's the dolphin
belonging to Porter Ricks' boy.

I'm sure glad you thought
of going to them, son.

- Well that's not exactly
the way it happened, Dad.

There's something I've gotta tell you.

- Finish what you have to, Gary.

- It's just that I think I've
learned something, Mr. Ricks.

Something more important
than just not poaching.

I don't know what more to say.

I'll pay the fine, I'll work for it.

- Well maybe the judge
will make it a light fine.

If I recommend it.

- Believe me I won't ever
cause you any trouble again.

I'll get a job on my own
and I'll pay that fine

from the earnings.

- And you'll make it up to the boys

for keeping Flipper penned up.

- Ah, don't worry about us.

If it's okay with Flipper,

we'll just forget about the whole thing.

- Well, how 'bout it, 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

♫ ls smarter than he

♫ And we know Flipper

♫ Lives in a world full of wonder

♫ Lying there under

♫ Under the sea