Ricou Browning was a native Floridian who worked at various water attractions producing shows after graduating from Florida State University. While working at Wakulla Springs State Park he helped the team from Universal Pictures who were scouting locations for The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Browning's ease underwater led to his being cast as the eponymous creature (Browning performed all the underwater scenes while stuntman Ben Chapman played the creature on land). The film went on to become a classic, spawning two sequels. Having such a superb athlete in the role of the "gill-man" really helped in creating some of the memorable moments, such as when the creature follows the heroine as she swims on the surface.
Browning was fated to get even more involved with film production. When Ivan Tors came to Florida to stage underwater scenes for his Sea Hunt series he was impressed with Browning's abilities and established a long-term association with the man which would give Browning the opportunity to produce, write and direct. Creating Flipper led to other film and TV projects, including working with the producers of the James Bond films to stage the epic underwater battle scenes in the classic Thunderball. Further underwater projects included Around The World Under The Sea, The Daring Game, and Hello Down There. All featured remarkable footage and action sequences.
I met Ricou Browning at a toy show that featured celebrities of film and TV. He seemed happy to discuss something other than The Creature From The Black Lagoon, and was nice enough to answer many questions about his many projects. He seemed like a real gentleman and it was a real pleasure to have a conversation with the man who created Flipper and so many other productions that enriched my childhood.
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