Luke Halpin

When we last left young teen Sandy Ricks (Luke Halpin), he had convinced his parents to let him keep Flipper the dolphin as his pet and lifelong friend, but in the months that have passed, life's gotten a bit rough down in the Keys. Ma Ricks has died, and Pa (Brian Kelly, a less scary replacement for the first film's Chuck Connors), is off at marine park ranger training school. Sandy and Flipper have been in the care of a neighbor, but now the state is building a new causeway right through Flipper's lagoon, and the Miami Seaquarium is coming to take him away.

Continue reading: Flipper's New Adventure Review

The story couldn't be simpler: Boy meets dolphin, boy loses dolphin, boy gets dolphin back. Twelve-year-old Sandy Ricks (Luke Halpin) lives with his fisherman father (Chuck Connors) and housewife mother (Kathleen McGuire) in a tumbledown oceanside cabin in the Florida keys. A water rat since birth, Sandy is always taking off on afternoon skin dives that are beautifully photographed by the same underwater experts responsible for Lloyd Bridges' Sea Hunt TV show. One day Sandy comes across a dolphin that's been injured by a harpoon. With the help of his parents, Sandy nurses the animal back to health and names him Flipper. Despite Dad's warnings not to get too attached, Sandy and Flipper become best friends and spend long sunny days swimming together and putting on cute shows for the local kids.

Continue reading: Flipper Review