By Mark Cerulli
Ricou
Browning, a multi-talented filmmaker best known for playing The Creature
from the Black Lagoon (in the underwater sequences) passed away at his
Florida home on February 27 at age
93. A Florida native and lifelong
swimmer, in 1953 Ricou was selected to accompany the location scouts from
Universal Studios, then planning their next monster epic about a prehistoric creature
rising from a remote Amazonian lake. This film, unlike many of their other
monster films, had extensive location photography, much of it underwater in
Wakulla Springs and Silver Springs, Florida. The 6’3” Browning’s grace and ease underwater so impressed studio
executives, that he was offered the title role for the water scenes. (The
Creature on land was played by actor Ben Chapman.) The film became a much-loved hit and spawned
two sequels – with Ricou reprising his role in 1955’s Revenge of the Creature
and 1956’s The Creature Walks Among Us. He got the idea for a show about kids and dolphins after raising some
dolphins himself and the movie Flipper was born (co-written with his
brother-in-law Jack Cowden). He went on
to direct and write numerous episodes of the TV series that followed. Another career highlight was when Ricou was
selected to choreograph the iconic underwater battle in Thunderball,
marshalling dozens of divers from the Florida diving community. He rehearsed their moves above water on a
barge, then recreated them for the cameras below the surface. Ricou returned to
Bondage to coordinate the underwater scenes for Sean Connery’s 1983 film, Never
Say Never Again and arranged the famous “Caddy Day” pool sequence in Caddyshack
(shot in Davie, Florida).
All
in all, Browning’s epic career spanned some five decades and over 50 films and
TV projects. And to think, it all
started with a swim in a lagoon!
Ricou
is survived by his four children including underwater coordinator, actor and
director Ricou Browning, Jr. ,10 children and 11 great-grandchildren. RIP, Ricou and thank you.
(For more about his life and career, click here.)