150 Word Review: 'Day of the Dolphin' (1973)
Three days of the flipper
It’s rare when Hollywood assembles so much talent for a premise as silly as Day of the Dolphin. Mike Nichols directs a screenplay by Buck Henry, starring Oscar-winning rage machine George C. Scott as a marine biologist whose research catches the attention of a cabal of capitalists. Their plan? To kidnap one of Scott’s talking dolphins and train them to assassinate the president. Is this movie a comedy? No. It is a very serious, very paranoid ‘70s sci-fi slow burner with an overly sentimental ending.
Jon Korkes, one of the great ‘that guy’ character actors, stands out as a friendly dolphin wrangler. He was an actor of disarming gentleness and wit, with mournful eyes and a wide, mischievous, muppety smile. Jon passed away a few weeks ago. He was a friend of mine. A kind, funny man. In Day of the Dolphin, he is young and strong and sly, forever.
Oh, I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. I'm glad this film captured a little of his spirit. (? It sounds like? I haven't seen it.)