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Take home this original Flipper television script, including notes, signed by Ric O’Barry.
This notated script is his working script for one of the Flipper episodes and includes Ric’s signature, making this a top collector’s gem from the Golden Age of television.
The NBC hit series Flipper, about the ‘Ricks’ family and their dolphin, was wildly popular during its run in the 1960s. Now Flipper’s trainer, international dolphin activist Ric O’Barry, has signed this original script that came straight from his personal memorabilia collection.
Ric captured and trained the five bottlenose dolphins who appeared as Flipper in the series from 1964-1967. Ric would be given the scripts for the show, and he would be responsible for figuring out how to train Flipper to carry out the actions described in the scripts. He pioneered dolphin-training techniques, while marveling at the intelligence and charisma of these amazing animals. The pink house in the television show, where Flipper’s humans lived, was actually the house Ric lived in the duration of the series. On Friday nights, he would bring his television set, with a long extension cord, from the house out to the pier so Flipper and he could watch the week’s episode together. Flipper was always interested and responsive watching the show.
After the series ended in 1967, Kathy, Ric’s favorite ‘Flipper,” died in his arms. In Ric’s opinion, she committed suicide by stopping her breath because of severe depression. This tragic end led Ric to become a dolphin activist, working to protect dolphins from slaughter and to free all captive dolphins. Ric has spent the last four decades responding to the needs of dolphins worldwide. He is featured in the Academy Award-winning documentary, The Cove, and Animal Planet’s Blood Dolphin series, and has received dozens of awards for his environmental heroism and dolphin protection work.
This is your opportunity to own a piece of television history while helping to support Ric’s current work protecting dolphins.