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"Sammy, the Way-Out Seal" is a 1962 telefilm produced by Walt Disney Productions. It was originally broadcast on NBC as a two-part episode on Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color on October 28 and November 4, 1962. The film was directed by Norman Tokar.

Plot[]

While spending their summer vacation at the beach, brothers Arthur and Petey Loomis find a seal with an injured flipper. Keeping their discovery a secret from their parents, the brothers nurse the seal back to health, naming him Sammy and share the rest of their vacation time with him. On the last day before leaving for home, Petey desires to take Sammy with them, much to Arthur's reluctance. Hiding him in their bathtub, the brothers seek out a proper place to keep the seal.

Disguising him as a newborn baby in a large carriage, Arthur and Petey reveal Sammy to their neighbor Portia "Rocky" Sylvester, who agrees to let them borrow her swimming pool for Sammy. The four friends, along with the Sylvester family dog Angus, share a day of playtime together. Later that evening, the boys move Sammy to their backyard shed with a makeshift shower to keep him wet. Unfortunately, Chester Loomis, the boys' father, turns off the faucet before leaving for a party at the Sylvester home.

Unable to stay wet, Sammy sneaks out of the shed and by sheer luck, jumps into the Sylvester pool, avoiding most detection by the partygoers, until one of the attendees jumps into the pool and notices the seal. Thinking the disturbance to be just the dog Angus, Harold Sylvester attempts to remedy the situation, until Sammy nose-butts him into the pool, causing a chain reaction of false accusation between partygoers, resulting in a mass shoving of one another into the pool. Sammy escapes detection from the mayhem and returns to the shed.

The next morning, Arthur and Petey are informed by Rocky about the party disaster. They scold Sammy for his actions and feel that keeping him as a pet isn't such a wise choice. Overhearing the boys' parents laughing from the comical chaos of the previous night, the boys feel that they can reveal Sammy to their father and that all will be well. However, their father quickly rages up in regards to an insurance claim brought up by Harold, which could result in disaster for the Loomis family. The boys decide to tell Mr. Sylvester about Sammy, hoping he'll drop the dispute.

Along the way to Harold's office, the friends bump into the inquisitive Mrs. Crody, eager to see their "baby", which they desperately refuse, much to her shock. After arriving at the building, the elevator is undergoing repairs. Rocky parts from the boys to inform her father of their coming, leaving Arthur and Petey struggling to carry Sammy up the stairs. Upon reaching one floor below the office, the boys accidentally lose Sammy, who ends up in the repaired elevator. The seal mischievously keeps pressing buttons, forcing the boys and the repairmen to travel up and down the building, hoping to stop him.

Upon finally catching Sammy, the boys arrive at Harold's office. Before they can reveal the seal, Mr. Sylvester invites them and Rocky to observe a model of town with a design plan to increase tourism and popularity. While they're distracted, Sammy, feeling hungry, secretly eats Mr. Sylvester's tank of expensive tropical fish, resulting in the boys unable to tell Harold about the seal, as well.

Outside the shopping market, the boys and Rocky feel a loss as to how to remedy all the trouble Sammy has caused, when they evade their arriving mothers by hiding in the grocer. Unfortunately, Mrs. Crody, still desiring to see their "baby", discovers the seal in their carriage and faints in horror. The reaction results in Sammy being knocked out of the carriage. He avoids being discovered and meets up with Angus and a group of stray dogs, who collectively invade the grocer, causing mass chaos among the shoppers and employees alike. The mayhem finally ends as Sammy makes his way to the town fountain, surrounded by curious onlookers, much to Arthur and Petey's dismay.

Back at the Loomis home, the boys are expecting the most severe punishment by their parents, until Harold arrives with the town mayor, showing Sammy on the cover of the newspaper, which has made the town's popularity skyrocket. Hoping to keep the rising tourism strong, Mr. Sylvester proposes a new plan that will make Sammy a national celebrity, but the boys feel that they've had enough.

Returning Sammy to the beach with their father and Rocky, the boys bid farewell to Sammy. Petey remains worried that Sammy won't be able to cope with living in the wild, until they notice Sammy with a female seal, and understand that he'll be just fine. As the family leaves, they hear Sammy give a good-bye bark.

Cast[]

  • Patricia Barry - Helen Loomis
  • Jack Carson - Harold Sylvester
  • Robert Culp - Chester "Chet" Loomis
  • Elisabeth Fraser - Lovey Sylvester
  • Ann Jillian - Portia "Rocky" Sylvester
  • Michael McGreevey - Arthur Loomis
  • Bill Mumy - Petey Loomis
  • Renie Riano - Mrs. Crody
  • Walt Disney - Himself - Host
  • Mary Mitchel

Trivia[]

  • When this television film was released on Disney+ streaming service, its runtime was heavily cut down to 43 minutes for unknown reasons.

Gallery[]

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