Florida Memory is administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management. The digitized records on Florida Memory come from the collections of the State Archives of Florida and the special collections of the State Library of Florida.
State Archives of Florida
- ArchivesFlorida.com
- State Archives Online Catalog
- ArchivesFlorida.com
- ArchivesFlorida.com
State Library of Florida
Related Sites
Listen: The Latin ProgramFlipper (Mitzi) leaping through hoop - Marathon, Florida.
Image Number
Photographer
Date
Date Note
Rights
Collection
Geographic Term
Subject Term
Personal Subjects
Corporate Subject
Physical Description
General Note
Flipper shown here was Mitzi, a bottle-nosed dolphin. She played Flipper in the 1963 film of the same name, created by Ricou Browning. He later followed up with a television series (1964-1967) produced by Ivan Tors Studios. On the TV series, Flipper was played by five female dolphins and one male dolphin. Mitzi became a star attraction at Santini's Porpoise School, where Browning first discovered her. She is buried on the property.
Santini's Porpoise School was opened in 1958 by Milton Santini, a former Estero fisherman. It was most famous as the home of the original Flipper. In 1972, he sold it, and it became Flipper's Sea School (1972-1977). Jean Paul Fortom-Gouin then closed it to the public and conducted research as the Institute for Delphinid Research (1977-1983). And in 1984, Jayne and Mandy Rodriguez turned it into the Dolphin Research Center.
Order Prints
Please select the size and options
Order Scan
Please select the size and options