The TRAGIC ACCIDENT That ENDED 'FLIPPER' for Good

They call him Flipper, faster than lightning. And with Flipper’s help.. Saturday nights belonged to the dolphins. From a catchy theme song to a tried and true premise, Flipper had it all. Or so it seemed. But just who was the real Flipper? Why didn’t the show’s aquatic star not get the glamorous end she so much deserved?

I’m your host, they call me Nostalgic Nick, here with a world of wonder, full of secrets about the beloved series Flipper. If you enjoy our video, be sure to give it a fins-up and don’t forget to subscribe so you can catch our next deep dive into an ocean of memories.

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The TRAGIC ACCIDENT That ENDED 'FLIPPER' for Good

[philippesauvie]

Lassie with fins! Love it! 😂 but it’s true! By the way, I always cried when The Lassie show ended with that mournful whistling tune when I was just a little boy. OMG! I’m crying now! 😩

[womensarmycorpsveteran]

I love the show but I didn’t know about Cathy. It’s heartbreaking & kinda hits home for me. I was kept confined as a child in an abusive foster home after my family was killed in a car accident. I can imagine being all alone with no family or friends in a confined space. I still have flashback nightmares. Good to know that the tragedy came to some good by the trainer. Dolphins are social animals & need their pods. Kinda freaky cuz my name is Cathy.

[theoneandonlypinkypinky]

The Dolphin research center in the Florida Keys has changed alot. They re not captive now. They can swim out of the bay into the ocean and they have tracking so if they get lost they rescue them. Many are born there the rest are rescued. They have not captured dolphins in decades! They stay there because they are fed but swim out during hurricanes so they don't drown in the Bay. They dont keep them in a tank maybe before I was born they did but they keep them in a bay and are not captive. I used to be a member. I did a dolphins swim there years ago. I live in NYC so this was unique for me. They are very friendly and wave hello and good bye even with nobody there to tell them to. I used to watchFlipper as a kid and learned more at the DRC. They rescue sea lions and other aquatic animals as well. I cried alot when that dolphin committed suicide!

[mulvey]

Flipper used to jump in the end zone of the Miami Dolphins football games when they first started out as a franchise. They had an above ground pool and flipper would do somersaults when they scored. I used to go to games with my father and even got to meet Bob Griese.

[californiadreamer]

I really don’t remember any of the shows, I was pretty young. I do remember how much I loved watching Flipper. I thought it was a great show, and it made want to see the dolphins in person. I was a big Lassie fan also, I have a soft heart for animals.

[memecats]

I guess I was young but had no idea what happened to the dolphin committing suicide, that’s horrible.

[katula]

Cathy isn't the only dolphin who refused to live. And the guy is strange. From one extreme to another. He never thought that she was sad because her human friends whom she used to play with and who trained her, abandoned her, not because she lived in captivity? I find it unbearable. Such sweet animals, sweethearts like cats. That is why they like eachother, both are so loving and friendly. Humans are freaks.

[Breakfast.in.Bedlam]

My favorite episode was when Flipper Took out those sharks by ramming into their stomachs at high speed. I mean I was just a little kid but we lived in Santa Cruz California at the time and Jaws Was the big thing which suddenly made going to the beach terrifying to me. Death by dolphin just seemed so bad-ass.

[brucegibbins]

Part of the culture of my country, Aotearoa, are two Dolphin's. There was Opo, living in the sea around Openone and Pelorus Jack who rode the bow waves of boats sailing the Pelorus Sounds of te wai ponamu. A song was recordered and released they called, Opo, the friendly Dolphin. Even now its not uncommon for a school of Dolphins to take shelter in the harbour of, Te-Upoko-o-te-Ika-a-Māui where we live, occasionally a Blue Whale will also call in to visit and shelter from stormy weather out in Cook Strait.
The presence in the harbour of Dolphin's and Whales are the cause of much excitement amongst the cities people who drive to places where the hills partially ring the harbour to get a view of these magnificent animals. When once our Anglo ancestors killed these creatures for the products that could be made from Whales and sold after slauteriing them to near extinction, whales returned to safe harbours now where they are protected. Some time ago, a plague of whaling boats from Japan sailed into southern waters in fast killer boats launched from factory ships to slaughter whales for their own domestic consumption. A large protest group of locals and concerned foreign nationals, lead by Green Peace, were instrumental in a cessation of whaling that as of this date has never returned- yet easily could again if we and the concerned peoples of other countries were to ease up in their vigilance.
out of and away from the boiling sea of Cook Strait. Historically, the Maori people, tangata whenua of Aotearoa originally from Polynesia, now settled in Aotearoa since the 1300's after migrating down the big blue Pacific Ocean to settle here also killed whales for some of the resources they needed to sustain themselves. The later arrival of mainly Anglo Pakeha viewed killing Whales as a commercial resource, hunting them to near extinction. Now other natural resources and manufactured chemicals have replaced their need to kill Whales.

[Jay-vrir]

I met the late Frankie Randall, a nice guy he sang the song Flipper .

[mikecampingforfun]

I was born and raised in key largo and I live 50 feet from John Penncamp state park. I was also a cop for 27 years in key largo and my kids (adults now) still live there. I actually swam as a kid in the same water.

[larrycarroll]

"Flipper" is one TV show which I shall always cherish, along with such other animal-themed shows as "Lassie", "Gentle Ben", "Fury", "Skippy"and"Wishbone".Larry Carroll

[tomorrow]

I am today old to learn the voice of flipper was a kookaburra

[mikecook]

magical times and place that America was! hope we can get back on track, so our dreams and our childrens dreams can be as wonderful as they can possibly be .... God bless America!

[jamesbest]

I was down in Florida visiting a cousin easter time in pompano beach— our family’s rented s car snd went doen into the keys aa flipper ( mitzi) pulled me around in a 10 foot aluminum punt— i still have the postcard advertiding flipper and a fold up comb from the gift shop!!

[kissyfur]

This show is older than me but I clearly remember watching it on Tv. Woke up this morning with the theme song in my head lol

[constancecherry]

I remember this Shiw wached when I was a kid

[leonacardenas]

I used to watch Flipper. Loved the show. Mom and my sisters, we all took tuners. One tv 📺. When we got a new one, the old B & W went to are bedroom and I’d watch in there! Good O’ days ❤️❤️

[michealamarshall]

My most memorable episode of Flipper was the one with Bud & the 'Pirate' Ship. for the main reason being My sisters & I watched the first half of it on our parents old black & white Tv and the second half of the episode in full colour. The new colour TV arrived right in the middle of the episode. I think we missed a bit of it while the delivery guys set it up. Us girl didn't realise just how much we were actually missing on tv until seeing those first moments of full colour looked so much lovelier in colour too...!!!🐬🐬🐳🦈

[rhonda]

I too loved this show as a child. I'm thankful that now there is education about the trauma of captive wild animals stolen from their families and used for our entertainment.