Luke Halpin's Legs - Part 4
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Overview: Luke Halpin's Thighs in Flipper
Luke Halpin's thighs have exhibited impressive hardness and muscularity throughout the three seasons of Flipper. The following graphic is a comparison of four episodes taken from throughout the series:
(click graphic for enlargement)
The Muscles of Luke Halpin's Thighs
Below is an illustration of the different muscles of Luke Halpin's thigh:
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Characteristics of Luke's Thighs
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"Solid and firm with excellent tone and definition but without being 'muscular' or 'bulky'."
(A fan, March 2010)
1. Solidness
The property of Solidness refers to hardness. Luke's thighs, being as they were the product of intense athletic activity, have virtually no fat content within them, only muscle. Without even touching it, one can tell that his thigh would be very hard and solid to the touch.
2. Firmness
The dictionary definition for Firmness, is "the ability to resist applied pressure; securely fixed in place." By this definition, I would associate firmness with muscular strength, for the ability to resist is essentially strength.
3. Tone
The property of Tone refers to muscle tone. Muscles that are in good shape never completely relax. Even at rest, well-toned muscles will retain a low level of tension to make them ready for sudden, strenuous movement. Poor muscle tone makes the muscle look flabby. Highly toned muscles look firm and hard even at rest.
4. Definition
The property of Definition refers to the sharpness and separation of the muscles that make up his thigh. Luke Halpin'sthighs have been worked down to the tiniest muscle fiber. Anyone teen aspiring to improved thigh definition could find no better example than Luke Halpin.
5. Muscular
While "Muscular" is normally a positive property, in this context it refers to the state of being "over-muscular," ie, out of proportion with the rest of his leg. This would certainly not be very appealing and would be totally at odds with the balance and proportion that prevails not only in Luke's thighs but in his entire leg.
6. Bulky
The negative property Bulky refers to unwanted or unnecessary mass. The size of Luke Halpin's thighs is aimed less toward showmanship and more toward practicality. Luke's thighs would not appear "natural" if they were loaded with unnatural bulk and excessive size.
Illustrations of Luke Halpin's Thigh Development
The outstanding thigh development of Luke Halpin has been thoroughly documented in movies and TV work. The examples below illustrate the exceptional quality of Luke's thighs.
The first example comes from the very first Flipper feature film (1963):
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Despite Luke's young age, he is already displaying a surprising level of thigh development. Luke's thigh is already exhibiting surpising size and development. The muscle appears incredibly hard; one can only imagine what it must feel like. Also, the definition of the muscle is quite advanced, implying considerable strength within the muscle.
In this rare photo of young Luke in red swim trunks, we witnesse the full size of his thighs:
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Luke Halpin experienced considerable physical growth following the first feature film. His thighs in particular showed astonishing development. In fact, Flipper's New Adventure contains some of the most exciting documents of Luke Halpin's thigh development.
This first picture from this period (1964) is actually a publicity photo for the film.
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With the cutoff pulled completely back, we are able to witness the entire development of the young Halpin's left thigh. With its flawless skin complexion and powerful athletic form, Luke's thigh radiates both great power and astonishing beauty.
Another publicity picture for Flipper's New Adventure is also available:
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With the entire thigh exposed by the swim trunks, we can marvel at the proportional shape of Luke's fully extended thigh as it transitions to the lower leg. The balanced well-defined look of Luke's thigh is a product of years of athletic activity which has developed his legs as a highly functional unit.
The footage of Luke Halpin's thighs from the film is unforgettable:
| Flipper's New Adventure | |||
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In Season 1, Luke Halpin's thighs are already displaying astonishing development even at the beginning of the TV series.
In Episode 2 - Red Hot Car - there is a scene where Sandy is being forced into an underwater abandoned car. This scene moves so quickly, that it is almost impossible to see all the details. The Luke Halpin Gallery provides this special collection of screencaps which reveals one of the best illustrations of Luke Halpin's thigh development:
| Ep 2 - Red Hot Car | |||
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Three episodes later, in Episode 5 - City Boy, Luke did this underwater scene where he once again displayed his exceptional thigh development.
First we see this closeup of the inner aspect of Luke's right 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 thigh from the outer aspect:
| Ep 5 - City Boy: left thigh (outer aspect) | ||
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Finally, Luke begins to swim back up to the surface. This picture sequence shows Luke's thighs more from the back side:
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In Episode 10 - My Brother Flipper - Sandy is getting out of a coral poacher's boat. As Luke Halpin swings his long legs over the side, we see some of the finest illustrations of Luke's thigh muscles in the early series. Take particular note of Luke's impeccable skin tone and muscle tone:
| Ep 10 - My Brother Flipper | |||
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In the opening scenes of Episode 14 - Danger, we see examples of the astonishing size of Luke's thighs:
| Ep 14 - Danger | |||
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Episode 20, Money To Blow, is especially intriguing, and an examination of Luke's thighs would certainly not be complete without studying Luke in this specific episode. This episode, in fact, offers some of the finest views of Luke's left thigh development in all of Season 1.
| Ep 20 - Money To Blow | |||
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Anyone with even the slightest skepticism about Luke's thigh development would become an instant believer upon seeing these pictures. We often see the back of Luke's legs (as when Luke is seen walking or swimming), but these views are obscured by his cutoffs. These pictures, however, provide a rare opportunity to view the bottom side of Luke's thighs when the cutoff is drawn almost completely off his leg. In the act of removing his swim fins, Luke lifts his leg high, causing the cutoffs to pull back. The entire width and length of his thigh is in full view, creating an astonishing sight.
Incredibly, all six elements of the description can be verified in just these pictures. The solidness of the thigh is clearly evident as there is not a speck of fat visible. Checking the firmness would easily reveal the strength that can be seen without even feeling the muscle itself. The skin tone is impeccable, without the tiniest blemish. The definition can be seen in the noticeable dark area which separates the top muscle from the bottom.
The sheer size of Luke's thigh is very obvious.. Luke's thigh is surprisingly big. It's almost unbelievable how much mass is concentrated in this one spot. Yet at the same time, the thigh demonstrates the other two properties of the description - not being overly muscular or bulky. We see it in the balanced appearance the thigh has with the rest of Luke's body. Luke makes this aspect especially easy to identify because his entire body is entirely uncovered except for the cutoffs. It is therefore very easy to compare the considerable size of his thigh with the rest of his leg and body, and determine if the size of his thigh is excessive or just right.
Season 1 gives us another stunning look at Luke's thighs in the next episode, Episode 21 - Flipper's Treasure. In this scene, Luke squats down to help pull in Dr James' boat:
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The change in shape of Luke's well-built thighs can be observed as Luke's legs bend down more and more.
Later, when Luke stands back up, his cutoffs do not immediately move back down his legs, leaving his thighs largely uncovered:
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Luke Halpin's cutoffs are rarely positioned this high on his thighs when he is standing up. The sight of Luke Halpin's bare legs is a great contrast to the adult diver who is fully covered. It is as if Luke Halpin has nothing to hide or be ashamed of. His thighs are so well-developed that they always ready to be seen by spectators. (more pictures from Episode 21)
Later on in Episode 23 - Teamwork, audiences would be treated to some fine illustrations of Luke's left thigh:
| Ep 23 - Teamwork | |||
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| Even in Season 1, the young Luke's thighs were surprisingly well developed. His left thigh is rock solid, and also quite powerful. | |||
One interesting characteristic of Luke's thighs is their long contour shape. This may be seen in the scene where Sandy is boarding the launch. As he squats down in his skiff, his cutoffs are pulled tightly back, revealing the entire length of his thighs:
| Ep 23 - Teamwork | |||
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Episode 24 - Flipper and the Elephant (1/3) presents a fascinating study of Luke's thighs. In an early scene, Sandy sits on the porch at the house. His cutoffs are pulled back
tightly over his large right thigh:
| Ep 24 - Flipper and the Elephant (1/3) | |||
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In the final scene, Luke is shown with his right leg propped up on a pole. The camera is facing his right side, allowing full view of his thigh. The size of his thigh muscles in this scene is amazing:
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Episode 26 - Flipper and the Elephant, Part 3 contains some excellet scenes that highlight the muscle development of Luke Halpin's thighs.
The opening scene shows Sandy sitting on the dock with Bud and Porter. This scene is an ideal showcase for Luke's big thighs, a scene that occurs frequently throughout the series:
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Sandy spots the McCoys' boat approaching. As he stands, Luke turns his body to the side, presenting his left thigh to the camera. Here we get an amazing view of his vastus lateralis - note the highly defined tendon that runs down from the muscle toward the knee:
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The next scene shows Sandy taking a seat next to Bonnie on the dock. Luke's thighs are astonishing in their size and muscle tone:
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The next scene shows Sandy getting up quickly from a seated position to accompany Bud and Bonnie to check on Flipper. The scene goes by very quickly, but the following screencaps reveal the closeup shots of Luke's left thigh:
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During the carnival show scene, Sandy's cutoffs are pulled back far more than usual, causing almost his entire thigh to be shown. This scene is one of the most dramatic illustrations of the hard muscular shape of Luke's thighs:
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Later, Sandy sets up a raft for another carnival stunt. As he leans over to pull the raft to shore, Luke once again takes a squatting position which reveals his thighs:
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Normally, Luke's great thighs are best observed when he is in shorts. But in a surprising scene early in Ep 29 - Call of the Dolphin, Luke shows us that even in long pants, his
thighs can make their large size evident. Look at how his thighs completely fills up the legs of his pants:
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Later on, Luke switches back to his cutoffs in this scene of Sandy putting on his flippers. The scene gives us a fascinating look at Luke's thighs from both the inner and outer aspects:
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Before leaving Season 1, there is one interesting early example of Luke's thighs that deserves mention. It is actually some early footage that was used in Season 2 Ep 40 - Dolphin Patrol. In this scene, Sandy is rescuing a puppy stranded on a boat wreck following a hurricane. As Luke emerges from the water, take note of the impressive thigh development:
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In Season 2, Luke's thighs have attained greater maturity, and are more impressive than ever.
In Ep 32 - Dolphin In Pursuit, Luke is shown sitting on the beach. His right thigh is noteable here:
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Why does Luke's left thigh look so narrow?
To understand this, think of an ordinary fish. When seen from the side, a fish is quite big. But seen from the bottom edge, it looks much smaller and very narrow.
Luke's thighs are sort of the same way. In the pictures above, we are seeing his left thigh from the bottom toward the inside (technically, the medial-posterior) which causes Luke's left thigh to look narrow. To see Luke's thigh at its biggest, you must look at it from the outside; that is why his right thigh seems much larger. In truth, Luke's left thigh is just as big as his right.
Ep 34 - Flipper's Hour of Peril contains a stunning example of Luke's thigh muscularity. Sandy is sitting on his paddle board:
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In Episode 35 - Coral Fever, the heroic Sandy is helping his injured father into the boat. Luke is bent over in the effort, causing his cutoffs to pull back and expose virtually the entire right thigh. The director must have noticed as the camera zooms in for an unforgettable closeup of the tightly flexed muscle. The scene only lasted mere seconds, yet it includes some of the most impressive views of Luke Halpin's thigh development. A few examples from this remarkable display:
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The Ep 35 rescue scene shown above is preceeded by a scene of Luke's thigh that is almost as exciting to see:
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Luke's right thigh appears almost massive in its size and diameter. |
After the rescue scene, we get another view of Luke sitting in a boat:
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This post-rescue scene effectively highlights the size and mass of Luke's fully developed thigh. |
In Ep 36 - Junior Ranger, Sandy swims a race with Ulla and reaches the dock first. As he climbs up, we get a closeup of Luke's left thigh that is incredible:
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Luke sits on the dock. His cutoffs are pulled back, revealing the great size of his thighs:
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The pictures from Ep 39 - Flipper and the Spy are very unique to the entire TV series. They are the only closeups of the inside of Luke Halpin's thighs as seen from between his legs.
Some examples from this remarkable scene:
| Ep 39 - Flipper and the Spy | |||
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These pictures show the thighs from the inner sides. The size and mass of each thigh is positively breathtaking. Amazingly they are completely relaxed in this scene, yet they look as solid and firm as boulders. The pictures are so closeup, it appears as if the cameraman was trying to examine the tone and definition of Luke's thigh for himself. One can only imagine his struggle to find the words to describe what he saw.
In Season2, Episode 40, Dolphin Patrol, Sandy helps Bud with a project for school. Failing to find anything of interest on the beach, they decide to search underwater. In this scene, watch Luke Halpin's thigh muscles tighten as he stands up.
| Ep 40 - Dolphin Patrol | |||
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Later, Sandy is fighting off sharks while trapped underwater. The underwater environment is darker and details are less distinct. But the considerable size of Luke Halpin's thighs is still evident:
| Ep 40 - Dolphin Patrol | |||
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In Episode 44, Shark Hunt, Luke is shown hauling a live shark onto a seaquarium ship, a difficult feat. The pictures below show Luke Halpin using his legs to brace his body as he uses his strong arms to pull in the massive shark. Note the remarkable flexion that occurs as Luke tightens his powerful thighs:
| Ep 44 - Shark Hunt | ||
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Another example of the sheer strength of Luke's thighs comes from Episode 50, Flipper and the Shark Cage. In this episode, Bud is trapped in a shark cage, and Sandy must lift it off before Bud's air runs out. Luke's cutoff shorts allow us to examine his thighs as he performs this difficult lift. Luke's thighs are incredible to watch: fully flexed, they literally explode with power as they strain against the massive cage. As Luke slowly lifts the cage, we can see his thighs straightening inch by painful inch in an effort to keep the heavy cage moving upward. This eye-opening demonstration of Luke's thigh strength is dramatic proof of Luke Halpin's remarkable level of physical development.
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We next turn to Ep 48 - Flipper's Odyssey, part 3. This episode contains many scenes highlighting Luke's overall leg development. His thighs are given a close look in this scene of Sandy fishing:
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In this scene with Porter, Sandy is on the ground with bent knees. His thighs are quite muscular, although not completely visible. This scene gives us a preview of a similar scene that comes later:
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During the search for Bud, Sandy retrieves Bud's shoes on the beach. The camera gives us a closeup of Luke's tightened thighs:
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In the final scene by the campfire, Sandy is again on the ground with knees bent. This time, his entire thigh is visible:
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Ep 52 - Air Power contains several scenes which highlight Luke's thighs. In this scene, Sandy and Bud have finished repairing their new air boat. Luke's impressive right thigh is displayed:
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But Luke shows us that his left thigh is equally as large in this later scene on the air ship:
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Flipper gets stranded in the Everglades. During the rescue scene, Luke's muscular thighs are evident:
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After outswimming a shark, Sandy awaits his own rescue. Here, the hard solid look of Luke's thighs is visible:
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Luke's thighs attain their peak development in Season 3. For starters, let's look at these examples from Episode 69 - Explosion:
| Ep 69 - Explosion | |||
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The mature development of Luke's thighs makes them practically burst out of his cutoffs. In these pictures, the cutoff is again pulled back exposing almost the entire thigh to view. Seeing Luke's thigh in total is an unforgettable experience. The muscle tone and definition in these thighs greatly add to the exhilirating view of Luke Halpin's body.
Episode 79 - Aunt Martha near the end of Season 3 represents the pinnacle of Luke's thigh development in the entire TV series. No other examples in the entire show can match the sheer size and development displayed in this incredible episode. This episode is a virtual testimonial to the greatness of Luke Halpin's thighs. A few examples:
| Ep 79 - Aunt Martha | |||
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Luke's thighs display their fullest development in these pictures. Luke's thigh looks positively enormous. Under the bright sunlight, one would expect to find some skin blemish, but in fact there is none to be found. Luke Halpin's skin complexion is virtually flawless.
With a thigh as large as Luke's, a skeptic would certainly be able to find some fat some where; after all nothing this big could possibly be all muscle. Or could it? These pictures would unfortunately cause the skeptic complete disappointment, for we are, in fact, seeing pure, solid muscle. If it weren't for the existence of pictures like these, it would seem impossible to believe. But seeing is, indeed, believing.
As a way of illustrating the development of Luke's thighs from Season 1 to 3, these comparison images are provided:
| Comparison 1: |
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| Comparison 2: |
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These comparisons bring out the fact that even early in the series, Luke's thigh displayed exceptional size and firmness. As Luke grew bigger and stronger, his thigh developed considerably but without losing any of the early definition. Also, the large size of Luke's more mature thigh retains the same dense look due to its total lack of fat.
One important publicity photo deserves mention:
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This publicity photo is frequently sold on eBay and presents a stunning look at Luke Halpin's thighs as seen during the TV series years. With thighs as muscular as these, it is no surprise that the TV producers filmed their athletic young star in cutoffs in nearly every episode of the three-season series.
We have come full circle in our survey of Luke Halpin's thighs, from his earliest days in the feature films to the peak of development as seen in Season 3 of the TV series. But as impressive as Luke Halpin's thighs are, it must always be remembered that these amazing muscles are actually part of a greater whole. There, one final image, however, is worth viewing before concluding this discussion:
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This is not a closeup of Luke's thigh but rather a full-stance portrait (Season 1, Ep 20). Luke Halpin's statuesque appearance is both the highest inspiration of art as well as the deepest despair of lesser built males. And it is all the more impressive after a close examination of Luke's thighs. In this picture, his thighs are solid like rock and fill up the entire width of the cutoffs with their muscular mass. His thighs radiate strength, and are unequalled in both hardness and density. Coupled with their flawless skin complexion and definition, it is no wonder no teen actor has been able to match them.
Luke Halpin gave us a level of young male physical development that has never been matched since. But one may wonder if any teen actor since Luke has been able to match the incredible development of his thighs. One would think that after so many years, after so many TV teen actors have come and gone, at least one could match the physical development of Luke Halpin thighs, but in fact, none have come close.
The standard of development that Luke Halpin attained in his thighs - solidness, firmness, flawless skin tone, definition, strength, proportion, and perfect balance in size and bulk - is a standard so high as to be nearly unattainable.