Why do some memories affect us on such a deep level that they seem to intensify instead of dimming with age? I can vividly remember being 4 years old in 1981 and first seeing Orky and Corky emerge from the salty depths of the Killer Whale Coliseum at Marineland, and the feeling of awe and fear has never left my psyche.

I will also never forget the news footage on NBC 4 of Orky’s bent fin poking out of the top of a carrier on the back of a truck as he was carted down the 5 Freeway to San Diego in 1987. My last memory of the park was the night in 1994 when I hopped over Marineland’s rusty blue gate and roamed its ruins illuminated by a full moon.

When Marineland closed, it was a hot topic at Carr Elementary in Torrance. Ar recess, the children speculated what would happen to its beloved animals and whether it would ever open again. But after a few weeks, the conversation stopped, and, as kids do, they moved on.

But I didn’t.

Once I was old enough to ride my bike to the Geissert Civic Center Library in downtown Torrance, I would spend long summer days in the basement rolling through microfiche of The Daily Breeze and Los Angeles Times, searching for anything I could read about the park’s closure.

In 1994, I photocopied an old park map, and three friends and I broke into the abandoned park in what I called “Operation Orky.” The memory of a ramshackle Baja Reef, scarred by graffiti and the salty ocean air, still haunts me.

After I graduated college, I got my first real job as a lackey at 97.1 KLSX in Los Angeles, the now-defunct “FM Talk Station.” There, I learned firsthand about the art of radio storytelling and production by intently watching “Frosty, Heidi and Frank,” “Conway and Steckler” and Adam Carolla do their radio shows.

That led to a career as a writer, and today I work as a journalist for Upworthy. Parallel to my writing career, I got into podcasting and worked on some comedy shows with friends and then expanded into spirituality (“What’s This Tao All About?”) and current events (“Upworthy Weekly”).

In 2021, a perfectly gift-wrapped idea landed in my hands that combined my obsession with Marineland and my love of podcasting.

I was watching the first season of “Only Murders in the Building,” a show about a group of intrepid podcasters unraveling mystery, when I asked myself: Are there any true crime stories you could tell?

***Entry Sign to Marineland, 1969 (used with permission by keanespics.com)***

There was one event that felt like a crime to many of us back in 1987, when Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich brought Marineland, spirited its whales off to SeaWorld, and abruptly closed the park in a haze of secrecy and lies. It was a story I had been researching my entire life.

That day, I began work on the 10-hour, 12-episode podcast that became “LA’s Own Marineland.”

Once I set my mind to the project, everything fell into place. For interviews, I found a Facebook group with over 840 followers named “I used to work at Marineland in Palos Verdes.”

In December 2021, I wrote a letter to the group, unsure if I’d receive a response.

Hello, Marinelanders! I’m writing and producing a podcast on “L.A.’s Own Marineland.” The podcast will cover the history of the park as well as the controversy surrounding its closing and abandonment. I have already done extensive research on the topic and now would like to start interviewing people who’ve been associated with the park, in any capacity.

I don’t care if you washed wet suits at Baja Reef or worked as Orky’s personal Bonita chef. I’m sure you ALL have amazing stories.

So, if you or anyone you know would be a great interview for my podcast, please feel free to reach out by sending me a message...

***Marineland, 1969 (used with permission by keanespics.com)***

Then, the emails began to roll in.

“I worked at Marineland in the late ‘70s at Corky’s Corner snack stand...”

“I was working the phone lines the day they moved Orky and Corky...”

“I was the manager at Baja Reef...”

Over a year, I searched newspaper archives for every story I could dredge up on the park, from its opening to closure and beyond. I also dug through research journals and scoured the internet for any scrap of audio I could find from the park.

By far, the greatest joy of this project has been speaking to 20 people associated with the park, whether they worked in guest relations and rode the sky tower all day, trained marine mammals, or worked in management.

I even got to speak with Dave Mullgian, one of the “Two Daves” who broke into the park shortly before its closure and rode Orky and Corky. You can hear that interview in “Pt 9.: Thieves in the Night.”

Over the past four months, I’ve released the first 9 of 12 episodes of the podcast. I am proud to say that it’s an exhaustive history of Marineland that gives a behind-the-scenes look at the theme park industry. It also provides an intimate glimpse into the inner lives of the park's iconic animals, including Orky and Corky, and Bubbles the pilot whale (all three of ‘em!).

***View from Sky Tower at Marineland, 1969 (used with permission by keanespics.com)***

The show also examines the controversy surrounding its closure and doesn’t shy away from the dark side of the aquarium industry.

After conducting 20-plus hours of interviews, there is one throughline: Marineland’s employees loved the park with all their hearts, and the pain of its closure has never gone away.

I hope that “LA’s own Marineland” will rekindle fond memories of the park that was once the shining jewel at the tip of the Palos Verdes Peninsula and bring closure to those who were hurt by its closing all those years ago.

Over the next 12 months, Palos Verdes Pulse will highlight individual episodes of the podcast. So, let’s start with “Pt. 1: Henry Harris’ Dream.”

In the first episode of the podcast, we’ll look at how Henry Harris was inspired to build Marineland after the success of Marine Studios in Florida. Later, we’ll follow the exploits of renowned fisherman Frank Brocato, captain of the Geronimo, who bravely amassed the most fantastic underwater menagerie the world has ever seen. Lastly, we’ll celebrate Marineland’s opening day on August 28, 1954, when not everything went according to plan.

But before you listen, there is one warning: If you listen to this podcast while seated in the first five rows of the Killer Whale Coliseum, you will get wet. You may get soaked.

Subscribe to the “LA’s Own Marineland on the following platforms: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts, or Pandora. Learn more about the show at MarinelandPodcast.com.

You can also listen to the show on YouTube:

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Tod Perry Bio

Tod Perry is a staff writer for Upworthy, one of the most popular trending content publishers online. He's also hosted and produced numerous podcasts including "Upworthy Weekly," "Low Budget FM," “PR 360,” and "What's This Tao All About?" Tod lives in Long Beach, California with his wife and child and in his spare time enjoys writing songs, rooting for the Las Vegas Raiders, and perfecting his Bolognese sauce. You can follow him on Twitter @TodAPerry.