Brian Kelly; the father on 'Flipper'
Hyfler/Rosner
'Flipper'
LA Times
February 18, 2005
all the photos you could possibly want
http://users.snip.net/~sprtfan/tribute/briankelly.htm
Actor Brian Kelly, who starred as Porter Ricks in the
popular 1960s' NBC television series "Flipper," has died. He
was 73.
Kelly died Saturday of pneumonia in Voorhees, N.J.,
according to a family friend.
Kelly was born Feb. 14, 1931, in Detroit, the son of Harry
F. Kelly, who later served as governor of Michigan and as a
justice on the Michigan Supreme Court.
Brian Kelly began his acting career after serving in the
Marines during the Korean War and attending University of
Michigan Law School for a year.
After a number of guest appearances on "The Beverly
Hillbillies," "The Rifleman" and other shows, he was cast as
the father of two boys in "Flipper," which also starred a
dolphin as the title character. The series was filmed in
Miami and in Nassau, the Bahamas.
In interviews at the time, Kelly said he cherished the role
because it portrayed "a parent who gives his kids principles
and talks to them about the real values in life."
In 1966, he appeared in he underwater film, "Around the
World Under the Sea."
In 1970, Kelly was seriously injured in a motorcycle
accident that left his right arm and leg paralyzed. He later
won a legal settlement and continued working in Hollywood,
including serving as an executive producer on Ridley Scott's
1982 film, "Blade Runner."
Kelly is survived by a daughter, Hallie; a son, Devon; two
brothers, two sisters and a granddaughter.
Memorial donations may be made to the Motion Picture and
Television Fund, 22212 Ventura Blvd., Suite 300, Woodland
Hills, CA 91364.
theresa
Thanks for the link...
Brigid Nelson
> Oh I loved him so...
>
> Thanks for the link...
>
brigid
Hyfler/Rosner
"Brigid Nelson" <irja...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:k4OdnXMwFu5...@comcast.com...
His nephew is Brian D'arcy James, who is a big Broadway
musical star. Tony-nominated for Sweet Smell of Success,
and one of the leads in Titanic.
He's just as handsome.
theresa
I was seven -- my parents grew concerned because I thought
the sons were too young for me...
Brigid Nelson
Wow, you were precocious. I was five, but I was going to marry Glen
Campbell when I grew up.
brigid
Hyfler/Rosner
25 March 2005
Brian Kelly, actor and producer: born Detroit, Michigan 14
February 1931; married 1966 Laura Devon (one son; marriage
dissolved), 1972 Valerie Ann Romero (one daughter; marriage
dissolved); died Voorhees, New Jersey 12 February 2005.
The 1960s children's television series Flipper brought Brian
Kelly's face into millions of homes around the world, along
with a tame dolphin whose wile and skills helped to keep
trouble at bay over 88 episodes. As Porter Ricks, the ranger
at Coral Key Park's marine reserve in Florida, Kelly played
the widowed father of two young boys, Sandy and Bud, in a
programme that oozed wholesome family values.
At worst schmaltzy, at best providing exciting action and
adventures on screen for young viewers, Flipper (1964-67)
was renowned for the quality of its underwater photography.
The series was filmed in Miami and the Bahamas, and was made
by the Hungarian-American Ivan Tors's production company,
which continued its speciality in wildlife shows with
Daktari, about a vet in a remote African game reserve. Suzy,
the dolphin picked to take the limelight in Flipper, was
transported from location to location in a crate filled with
foam and water.
Kelly himself first played Ricks in the 1964 feature film
Flipper's New Adventure, a sequel to the previous year's
Flipper. He took over the role from Chuck Connors, who was
best known for playing villains on screen, and gave the
character a milder side in the family-friendly adventure.
Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1931, the son of Harry F.
Kelly, who later served as the state's governor, Kelly
joined the Marine Corps during the Korean War, before
studying law at the University of Michigan. But, after
acting at school and university and finding a summer job as
a male model, he left his studies to make radio and
television commercials in Detroit, where he was spotted by a
Hollywood talent scout.
His breakthrough came with a regular role, as Brian, in the
police drama 21 Beacon Street (1959) and he followed it by
playing Scott Ross, the racing car designer who owns a
garage in partnership with a mechanic, in the adventure
series Straightaway (1961-62).
Kelly made his feature film début in Thunder Island (1963),
a hit-man drama co-written by the actor Jack Nicholson,
before Flipper beckoned. He was back in the water for Around
the World Under the Sea (1966), as one of a team of six
scientists in an experimental submarine. It was a drama made
by Ivan Tors Films in the wake of Voyage to the Bottom of
the Sea and similar films.
He later starred in an Italian-French spaghetti western,
Spara, Gringo, Spara (Shoot, Grinto, Shoot, 1968). Then,
three days into shooting the romantic drama The Love
Machine, Kelly was seriously injured in a motorcycle
accident, which left his right arm and leg paralysed.
After winning $750,000 in a legal settlement, he used the
money to build houses, aiming to produce films with the
profits from their sale. His great success was in buying the
rights to Philip K. Dick's 1968 science-fiction novel Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and giving the film option
to the actor Hampton Fancher, who turned it into a
screenplay. Many drafts later, it became Blade Runner
(1982), directed by Ridley Scott, with Kelly credited as
executive producer.
Anthony Hayward
Brad Ferguson
<rel...@rcn.com> wrote:
> Kelly himself first played Ricks in the 1964 feature film
> Flipper's New Adventure, a sequel to the previous year's
> Flipper. He took over the role from Chuck Connors, who was
> best known for playing villains on screen, and gave the
> character a milder side in the family-friendly adventure.
The Rifleman a villain?!? Later, yeah, but not up to 1963. My guess
is that Connors passed on the "Flipper" sequel because he was busy
doing a series called "Arrest and Trial" for ABC. "Branded" came a
year after that.
Bill Schenley
> The Rifleman a villain?!? Later, yeah, but not up to
> 1963. My guess is that Connors passed on the
> "Flipper" sequel because he was busy doing a series
> called "Arrest and Trial" for ABC. "Branded" came a
> year after that.
Here's Connors in one of his more villainous roles:
http://www.ebbets-field.com/By%20the%20Numbers/Player%20Photos/Conners,%20C.jpg
And here he is in a much more subdued role:
http://www.werewolftv.com/images/chuck17.jpg