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Ricou Browning
Actor, Film Producer, Director, "The Gill Man"
Ricou Browning was born February 16, 1930 in Jensen
Beach, Fla. While attending high school he worked for
Newton Parry, operator of Wakulla
Springs, as a lifeguard, swimmer and diver in water
shows. Newt taught him, his brother, and others how to swim
underwater using an air hose. This was before scuba was
available. The brothers would go down to the bottom of the
spring 80 feet and then would swim up under the glass bottom
boats. The captain of the boat would ask for quarters to be
thrown on the glass bottom to tip the boys for diving. They
would then divide the tips up at the end of the day.
During this time he became involved in the Grant Land Rice
films which were sports films shot at the Springs. These
were very short subject films shown at the theaters prior to
the feature film. Subjects as diverse as alligator
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Browning as "The Creature" |
wrestling, driving a model T underwater, and
catching snakes were just a few of the films shot at the
Springs.
One day, while he was a sophomore in high school, Newt
told him there was another spring he wanted to show him,
as he was going to open it as an underwater attraction.
They drove down just north of Tampa, Florida, then down
a dirt road and there it was…Weeki Wachee Springs. Ricou
used an air compressor from workers to clear out old
cars and bath tubs at the bottom of the spring. The
spring’s water was beautiful…crystal clear. Newt used
girls from Tallahassee Florida State College for women
members of The Tarpon Club who performed water ballet.
They taught these ladies how to breathe off the air hose
and transferred their ballet talents underwater. They
became known as the Mermaids of Weeki Wachee. Browning
went on as the underwater show producer, as well as a
performer, again utilizing his hose breathing
techniques.
It was while working at the Springs that Newt told Ricou
that a movie company wanted to make a movie there. While
visiting the Springs the
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Browning in "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" |
production crew asked him to
swim in front of the camera. Evidently, they were
impressed because he was later called by Jack Arnold,
the movie’s director, and invited to be the monster of
the movie. He did all the underwater shots for the cult
classic "Creature from the Black Lagoon." He was also
involved in all three of the sequels.
Upon graduating from high school, he went to Florida
State University to study medicine, but ended up in Physical
Education. He left college, joined the Air Force and was
involved in their swim team and water activities. He
returned home |
and went to work at
Silver Springs as the Asst. Director of Public
Relations. It was while here that Bill Owens and Ivan Tors were
seeking a new location to film the second season of the
TV show Sea Hunt. They chose Silver Springs and asked
Ricou if he would do stunt work and double for some of
the bad guys in the movies. At this time Courtney Brown
did all the doubling for Lloyd Bridges. It was during
this time he was also involved in the underwater
sequences to be filmed in Nassau for the movie "20,000
Leagues Under the Sea." Ricou worked on all the film’s
underwater sequences. Lamar Boren did all the underwater
shooting.
At the end of the second year of Sea Hunt, Ivan asked
Ricou if he knew of a new spot to film. Ricou told him
that Nassau was the best because of weather conditions.
If one side of the island was bad, you could always move
to the other side, where conditions would be more
favorable. For
the next three years Ricou lived in the
Bahamas filming Sea Hunt and other movie shorts and
commercials. He formed a small company called Underwater
Studios. It was during this time he held dual
citizenship because of his length of stay in the
Bahamas. Ricou worked with Ivan Tors on his films as
Second Unit Director and President of Underwater Studios
in Nassau, Bahamas for Sea Hunt and Aquanauts. At this
time Ivan Tors opened a studio in North Miami where
Ricou later would become President.
One day while in his Miami office, Chubby Broccoli
called and wanted to know if they were interested in
shooting some underwater shots for
some James Bond movies. Later, |
On the set of Flipper |
Ricou went to London and
had a meeting with him. Chubby told him they were also
looking at Cousteau to shoot the underwater sequences.
He asked Ricou why they should choose him instead. Ricou replied
that ‘Cousteau shoots the real thing better and we shoot
phony better.’ It must have worked because Ricou spent
several months editing the scripts and making them more
realistic for underwater shooting.
Ricou said Thunderball was one of the best movies he
ever shot because he was allowed to take his time and
had a unlimited budget. He said all
eight of the Bond
movies were fun to work on. His unusual abilities in
directing the underwater sequences helped win the
Academy Award for special visual effects on Thunderball.
During this time he formed underwater stuntman
friendships that would last a lifetime with Courtney
Brown, Big John McLaughlin, Gavin Mckenney and Willie
Meyers, as well as camera menLamar Borin and Jordan
Kline. |
Lloyd Bridges, Ricou Browning, and Jordan Klein |
He said Courtney was "a natural" and was the
easiest double to work with in the beginning. Later they
all developed their own underwater hand signals and it
was very easy to tell the guys what you needed to get
the job done right.
The pride and joy of Ricou’s career was Flipper. He
created the idea and co- wrote the scripts with Jack
Cowden. He got the idea from his children
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With Jeff Rice (left) in 2010 |
watching
Lassie on TV. He wrote a book about Flipper, as well. He
received two Patsy Awards for 120 episodes. He worked
with dolphins in the movie and later was an expert in
the treatment of dolphins.
Ricou is still very active in the movie business and his
son Ricou Browning Jr. is following successfully in his
father’s footsteps. He and his wife currently live in
Florida. His daughter is now chronically his life’s
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accomplishments as she works on his biography. He
developed a technique to breath underwater before Scuba,
which amazed the public and then went on to do some of
the most amazing stunt work in movies. Truly, a living
legend of diving.
CREDITS
Films: 1st Unit
Created FLIPPER: received two PATSY Awards
Created and Directed SALTY, a full-length feature and
television series.
Directed MR. NO LEGS for Cinema Artists Production
Co-Produced and Co-Directed ISLAND OF THE LOST, a
full-length feature film.
TV: 1st Unit
Associate Producer:
THE WILDS OF 10,000 ISLANDS
Director & Associate Producer:
34 episodes FLIPPER
10 episodes PRIMUS
Director: 12 episodes GENTLE BEN
3 episodes SALTY
6 episodes JAMBO
Director Underwater Sequences:
NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN
FILMS: 2nd Unit
2nd Unit Director:
NOBODY'S PERFECKT
POLICE ACADEMY 5
RAISE THE TITANIC!
LUCKY LADY
JOE PANTHER
CADDIE SHACK
THUNDERBALL - which involved some of the most daring
underwater work ever filmed. Browning's unusual
abilities in
directing the underwater segments helped win for
THUNDERBALL the
Academy Award for Special Visual Effects.
HOT STUFF
HAREM
LADY IN CEMENT
AROUND THE WORLD UNDER THE SEA
FLIPPER
FLIPPER'S NEW ADVENTURE
NAMU, THE KILLER WHALE
HELLO DOWN THERE
THE DARING GAME
TV: 2nd Unit
2nd Unit Director:
60 episodes SEA HUNT
30 episodes AQUANAUTS (MALIBU RUN)
1 episode LOCK UP
10 episodes PRIMUS
120 episodes FLIPPER
10 episodes SALTY
1 episode WILDS OF 10,000 ISLANDS
Pilot Film: DANNY AND THE MERMAID
Pilot Film: SPANNER'S KEY
SPECIALS:
Director: MAN AGAINST THE SEA - a Lloyd Bridges
underwater
special filmed in the Bahamas
TECHNICAL ADVISOR: DAY OF THE DOLPHIN
COMMERCIALS:
Director: OSCAR MEYER
HARVEY'S BRISTOL DRY
UNITED WAY
FILMHOUSE MUNCHEN - Fa Cosmetics dolphin commercial
DOCUMENTARIES: INDUSTRIAL FILMS:
GOOD YEAR WOMAN'S DAY MAGAZINE
RETURN TO THE WEST SHIP 'N SHORE
GOOD OLD DAYS (TRAVEL LOG)
SKIWAYS TO SAFETY
WRITER:
Original FLIPPER story - MGM
39 FLIPPER TV episodes
SALTY - Theatrical film and MOW
6 SALTY TV episodes - 20th Century Fox
ISLAND CLAWS - Indep. release shown on CBS - MOW
STUNTMAN: CLAY PIDGEON
THE HURRICANE
THUNDERBALL
ISLAND OF THE LOST
LADY IN CEMENT
AROUND THE WORLD UNDER THE SEA
FLIPPER
FLIPPER'S NEW ADVENTURE
THE DARING GAME
HELLO DOWN THERE
BLACK SUNDAY
REVENGE OF THE CREATURE
GIRL IN THE RED BIKINI
BIONIC WOMAN (TV)
6 MILLION DOLLAR MAN (TV)
CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US
SEA HUNT
20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
CROSS WINDS
SEPTEMBER STORM
JUPITER'S DARLING
BIRDS DO IT
DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP
GRANTLIN RICE SPORTS FILMS
LOCK UP (TV)
ARLENE FRANCIS SHOW (TV)
STUNT COORDINATOR:
HEAVENLY KID
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