THE
SHAGGY DOG (1959) / THE SHAGGY D.A. (1976)
by Jane Louise
Boursaw
Rated G. Ok
for kids 5+. Released on DVD March 7, 2006.
The Shaggy
Dog the first live action movie produced by Walt Disney features
Fred MacMurray as mail carrier Wilson Daniels, who sees man's best
friend as his worst enemy. When a magical ring accidentally transforms
his teenage son Wilby (Tommy Kirk?) into a shaggy sheepdog, it makes for
some pretty hairy situations.
It's up to
Wilby to break the spell and foil a team of international spies at the
same time. Jean Hagen, Tim Considine, Kevin Corcoran, Annette Funicello,
and Tim Considine (the eldest of "My Three Sons") also star. It's
classic Disney with lots of slapstick chases and fun stunts, but, as
with The Shaggy D.A., kids younger than 4 or 5 will probably get antsy.
The
Shaggy D.A. stars Dean Jones as a grown-up Wilby Daniels, now
married to Suzanne Pleshette with a young son. When the family comes
home to find the house cleaned out by "movers" hoodlums of corrupt
District Attorney John Slade (Keenan Wynn) Wilby decides to run
against Slade in the next election.
Meanwhile,
Slade's crime syndicate gets hold of a mystical ring that turns poor
Daniels into a dog owned by the local ice-cream vendor (Tim Conway).
Lots of chase scenes, a little roller derby action, and some cherry pie
throwing complicate both Daniels's bid for office and his quest to
remain a human being.
SCORE:
4 out of 4 Reels (Dog) / 3 out of 4 Reels (D.A.)
Jane's Reel Rating
System:
One Reel Pathetic.
Even The Force cant save it.
Two Reels
Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels
Thought-provoking. Something to talk about.
Four Reels Wow! The
stuff dreams are made of.
E-chat with me
at
jane@reellifewithjane.com - I
LOVE to talk about movies!
Read my other reviews
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