The second episode of “LA’s Own Marineland” follows the park’s history from 1956 to 1964 when its focus shifted from education to entertainment. The defining moment for the park in this era came in 1957 when Marineland’s Director of Collections, Frank Brocato, and his godson, Boots Candelario, reeled in a pilot whale. The 13-foot, 1600-pound cetacean was named Bubbles and became a nationwide sensation, boosting Marineland’s attendance to one million a year. This would also kick off a new era where pilot whales, false killer whales, belugas, and orcas would be hunted for display in oceanariums across the world. 

After the success of Bubbles, Marineland expanded its pilot whale collection to include another female named Squirt and a male named Bimbo that would grow to be 20 feet long, 6,000 pounds. It also added a false killer whale named Swifty to the collection.

The most exciting part of producing this episode was that I got to interview Larry Clark, Marineland’s head trainer from 1959 to ’69. Now 83 years old, Larry gave some incredible insights into what life was like working with pilot whales, false killer whales, and dolphins.

“They were really sweet. Even Bubbles was really sweet. I used to put my arm all the way down into their throats just to get ‘oohs and ahhs’ out of the people,” Larry said. “Swifty, of course, she was a false killer whale, so she had teeth that were about an inch and a half, two inches long. I used to brush her teeth and then put my arm down her mouth. People would say, ‘Oh, you’re crazy!’” 

When asked how he got to be so daring, he replied, “Oh, I was in the Marine core … being an old jarhead, I didn’t worry about it. No sense, no feeling.” 

The episode also covers the life of Art Thomas who worked at the park for most of its 33-year history, first as a sea lion trainer and later as a penguin keeper. He was an affable guy that was beloved by Marinelanders and park guests alike. I got to speak with his son, Mark, who shared Thomas’s incredible journey from his life in Kansas to a remarkable career delighting audiences with pinnipeds and penguins.