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Luke Halpin is so well known for his well-developed chest and shoulders, it is very easy to neglect his legs. But Luke, being the well-rounded athlete that he is, would certainly be the first to admit the dangers of neglecting his legs. Luke needs to stay in top shape for his action scenes in the show, so he keeps his legs as strong as the rest of his body.
Luke Halpin's legs are definitely worth the effort to study and admire...and Luke makes the job easy. Luke is almost always wearing cut-off shorts that are cut well above the knees. He is either barefooted, or wearing scuba fins or lowcut sneakers (without socks). Thus, virtually his entire leg is exposed, providing excellent opportunities for viewing. With impeccable muscle tone and flawless skin complexion, Luke's bare legs are an impressive sight.
Luke Halpin's Legs
Luke Halpin's legs are long, lean and muscular. Not big in the bodybuilding sense, they are nevertheless very flexible and quite strong. His thighs are particularly well-built and possess surprisingly well-defined muscles.
In Flipper, audiences get to see Luke's well-conditioned legs both on land and in water. Luke Halpin uses no stunt men, and therefore has the opportunity to use his legs in more rigorous scenes than would be normally expected from a young actor.
Luke's legs are ideally suited for his role as the athletic Sandy Ricks. With their natural strength and ability, Luke Halpin's legs are fully capable to handle the stunt work his director needed. At the same time, his leg muscles had a lean, supple look that provided ideal images for the numerous camera workers around him.
Luke Halpin's Legs - The Muscles
Below are illustrations of the different muscles of Luke Halpin's legs:
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Luke Halpin is a talented athlete who specializes in water sports. "My 'hobby' is water sports of all kinds," he was quoted as saying in 16 Magazine, May 1965. "Being in the water is like a second home to me," he said to Teen Life magazine.
Luke learned to swim in the rough ocean off Long Island. As an expert swimmer and diver, Luke was the natural choice to play Sandy Ricks.
Luke's water activities are not confined to standard water sports. "When sharks were needed for a Flipper segment, I went on an expedition with [producer] Mr. [Ivan] Tors. This is no job for weaklings because sharks are mean, - real mean."
In addition to skin diving, Luke Halpin is an enthusiastic water skier. Strangely enough, Luke never did any of his own water skiing in Flipper even though water skiing was a common sight in the show.
Without doubt, Luke Halpin's long, lean, and muscular legs are the direct result of his years as an athlete. Not surprisingly, they are ideal for and outdoor role like Sandy and the underwater stunt work in Flipper.
Although best known for his proficiency in the water, Luke Halpin is also a very impressive runner. The television producers apparently took notice, and gave the young athlete numerous opportunities to show off his running. Some of Luke's scenes involve difficult cross-country style running that takes him through woods and across roads at breakneck speed. As he does these scenes in cut-off shorts, we are able to observe the actions of his legs as he runs. Noteworthy of Luke's running are his amazingly long strides as well as his highly tensed leg muscles.
An Early View: Ep 5, City Boy
In Episode 5, City Boy, we get one of the earliest views of Luke Halpin's leg muscles in the entire TV series.
In this underwater scene from Ep 5, City Boy, , Luke is training a new friend to scuba dive. This scene feature some of the earliest views of Luke's leg development, using outstanding closeups of his leg muscles.
First we see this closeup of the inner aspect of Luke's right leg. Note the fullness of the calf as well as the large thigh:
| Ep 5 - City Boy: right thigh (inner aspect) | ||
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Next, the camera backs up a little bit and we are given a spectacular view of Luke's left leg from the outer aspect. Luke's right thigh is incredibly muscular. Also, note the large size of the right calf:
| Ep 5 - City Boy: left thigh (outer aspect) | ||
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Finally, Luke swims back up to the surface. This picture sequence shows Luke's legs more from the back side. Luke's leg muscles are marvels of balance and symmetry:
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Hardened Legs: Ep 40, Dolphin Patrol
In this episode from Season 2, we watch Sandy Ricks on the beach getting ready to go diving with his brother. As he gradually rises to full stance, the muscles of his legs flex tightly.
| Ep 40 - Dolphin Patrol | |||
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Wrestling With Sharks: Ep 44, Shark Hunt
The following scene from Ep 44, Shark Hunt, shows Luke Halpin hauling a live shark onto a seaquarium ship. This tough job not only requires strong arms, but also strong legs. Watch how Luke uses his legs to brace his body as he slowly pulls the massive shark on board:
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The strength of Luke's leg muscles is plainly evident in their remarkably hard muscle flexion. Note the profound definition and rock-like hardness in his thigh muscles:
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Later, Luke pulls in another shark, but this time the camera focuses on the backs of his legs:
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Underwater Lifting
Luke Halpin's legs may not be big in the bodybuilding sense, but they are plenty strong. This leg strength is demonstrated not only in his running, but also in underwater lifting. As in running, these scenes are done in shorts, allowing us to see Luke's leg muscles directly as he lifts.
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Appreciating Luke Halpin's Legs
Fans may be surprised to learn that Luke Halpin's bare legs are actually more commonly seen than his bare chest. There are many instances where Sandy is wearing a T-shirt and shorts, but rarely is he in long pants without a shirt.
With such generous exposure, it is certainly worthwhile to take advantage of the many opportunities to examine his legs. The Luke Halpin Gallery has gathered together several pictures and other information into this focus section to make this task easier for the interested fan.