The best Joe Higgins’s drama movies

Many kids might say their best friend is a puppy or a pony. But for 12-year-old Sandy, the most special pet of all is the exuberant dolphin he rescues and who returns the favor by rescuing Sandy from sharks.The dolphin named Flipper first swam into the world's minds and hearts in this 1963 film starring Chuck Connors and Luke Halpin as Sandy (a role he would continue in the 1964-68 TV series that followed.) James B. Clark, a long-time family filmmaker whose credits include "Island of the Blue Dolphins" and "My Side of the Mountain," directs the story of hard times (Hurricane Hazel and its aftermath) and joy (Sandy's dolphin-powered rides through the waves). And two fins up for Mitzie, the animal star who plays flipper.

Returning Vietnam veteran Andy Crocker arrives in his small hometown to discover his best friend and business partner has mismanaged their business into bankruptcy and his high school sweetheart has married another man. It is evident his small town has little to offer him except the hard-working life of his father, while the broader world has limited opportunities for a man who left school after the third grade.

Based on the amazing true story of a marine biologist (Robert Lansing) who befriends a six-ton Orcawhale, this "honest, fascinating and vigorously wholesome film" (Citizen-News) is heartwarming fun for the whole family. Like all close pals, Hank (Lansing) and Namu love spending time together. Whether sharing a morning swim or soaking up the afternoon sun, these two are virtually inseparable. Trouble is, the local fishermen mistakenly think that Namu is a threat. Racing against time, Hank must enlist the help of a young widow and her daughter to save Namu and prove that he's a gentle giant!