Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Nessieldwi Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

SimonJack "The Shaggy Dog" is a fun film for the whole family. It's a clever plot with some nice little twists. This was the start of Fred MacMurray doing family films for kids and adults. Here he is a retired mail carrier, Wilson Daniels, who over the years has developed an intense dislike of dogs. Hmmm! I wonder why? So, naturally, a big dog is going to come into his life. The cast all are very good. Jean Hagen plays Mrs. Daniels (Freeda). Tommy Kirk is the male lead, playing Wilby Daniels. Kevin Corcoran is very good as his brother, Moochie. His best friend – who happens to be a big mooch, is Buzz Miller (played by Tim Considine). The girls in the movie are Annette Funicello as Allison and Roberta Shore as Franceska. Cecil Kellaway plays Professor Plumcutt; and a host of supporting actors play other parts. Most notable is James Westerfield as Officer Hanson. Oh, yes. The real star of this movie is Shaggy, an Old English Sheepdog. Some characteristics of this type of large dog (males, 70- 100 pounds) are playful, intelligent loving, sociable and adaptable. Those about describe Shaggy in this film. This has to be the best trained, or one of the best trained dogs ever in the movies. This Disney film from 1959 shows some of the youth culture of the period. Crewcuts, hot rods, school dances, dress of the time. Even Wilby's (Tommy Kirk) interest in missiles and other science projects is reminiscent of the time. That was a time of fascination with rockets and space flight among a number of teens. I was one of those. "The Shaggy Dog" is a nice, clean family film that has plenty of comedy mixed in with a little intrigue and fantasy. The latter is the source of most of the comedy. If anyone wonders about how films like this might go over with kids of today, I've had a little experience as a grandpa. And, it depends. In just a couple of different family situations, my grandkids from five to 12 (boys and girls) in one family said they very much enjoyed "The Shaggy Dog." They are being raised with very limited use of electronic gadgets, games and social media. Another family in the same age range with two girls who have extensive social media, had little interest in this or similar movies. I realize that's not science, but it's been a guide for me when entertaining grandkids.

SnoopyStyle Postman Wilson Daniels (Fred MacMurray) hates dogs and is allergic to them. His son Wilby is entranced by the new French girl Franceska Andrassy. She invites him to her home. She has shaggy sheepdog and from a painting, the family seems to have a shaggy dog for a long time. He stumble into a room and accidentally takes a ring. After reading the inscription, he finds himself turning into a shaggy dog from time to time. His slick friend Buzz Miller asks out both Allison D'Allessio (Annette Funicello) and Francesca to the dance. To solve the problem, Buzz gets Wilby to come along and lie to both girls. Just when things couldn't be more complicated, Wilby as a dog overhears a plan to steal military secret.This is a cute Disney family movie. It's got plenty of clean cut fun. Who doesn't like a dog in pajamas? It's nothing too hilarious. It's a light-weight comedy. There is a serious espionage story that doesn't really fit the tone. It is still funny at times but the darker material does take its toll.

classicsoncall Here's another flick from the past that I actually saw in the theater during it's initial run back in 1959. My Mom and Dad would take me to the movies as a kid and it was usually a Disney picture like this one. Watching them today is a little weird because they don't have that same magical quality unless you're with someone of the same age I was back then. That's why I bring my granddaughter over for company when tuning in to these old time films.The story's a blast for youngsters. Watching young Tommy Kirk turn into a Brataslavian Sheep Dog is a highlight of the picture and he gets to do it a number of times. The tale borrows from ancient fables of shape-shifting creatures and black magic, with a little bit of Lucretia Borgia thrown in for good measure. But you know, there might have been something to all that magical stuff - right after Franceska (Roberta Shore) cleans the cut above Buzz Miller's (Tim Considine) eye, all trace of the cut disappears!What's kind of interesting are those scenes of the Shaggy Dog driving Buzz's roadster and later on the police car. The Disney folks figured out a way to make it look like a dog was really driving the car, wagging tongue and all. Not too much of a problem today of course, but this was over fifty years ago and the special effects department did a pretty good job.For Annette Funicello, this was her first feature film, and even though she's not a principal, she still has a fair amount of screen time. Not to belabor the point, but it was cool way back when to see one of the Mousketeers make it to the big screen. This was also about the time I started becoming familiar with the names of the actors and actresses in the movies I saw. I happen to recall both Bob Hope and Bing Crosby being asked in separate interviews who they thought the richest person in Hollywood was. Without batting an eye or needing time to think about it, they both answered with the same name - Fred MacMurray.

bkoganbing There seems to be some confusion about exactly what place in film history The Shaggy Dog has. First and foremost it is not Walt Disney's first live action film, but it is the first live action big screen comedy that he did. It is also the first film that Disney did with Fred MacMurray starring.For MacMurray this was a big film. His career was in the doldrums at that point and this film brought him to his final phase of his career as the star of family oriented comedies. He got a television series, My Three Sons, after this and that together with the Disney films kept him steadily working for the next fifteen years.Though MacMurray is the star along with Jean Hagen as his wife, the film's title role is played in part by Tommy Kirk. Kirk is a young teenager with a lot of angst and an abiding interest in the space program. So much so he constructs his own rocket in his basement and it has an unscheduled launch to open the film. A generation later, this bit was copied in Family Matters by Steve Urkel.Anyway he's got a healthy set of hormones as well and a rivalry with the smooth talking Tim Considine down the street. Both are hot to trot for Annette Funicello, but when Roberta Shore shows up with father Alexander Scourby, both go after her as well.Roberta's the only weakness in the film. For someone who is foreign, she has one cheesy accent and at times just drops it altogether. She's also got a large shaggy dog named Chiffon.Anyway while at a museum young Mr. Kirk gets a hold of an enchanted ring and repeats a spell that causes him to enter the body of the neighbor's shaggy dog. And he discovers that in fact Scourby and his confederates are spies. What follows after as Kirk periodically changes from talking dog to teenager is still pretty hilarious. Fred MacMurray gets a lot of laughs as the man who gets the credit for exposing the spy ring which son Kirk can't really claim.James Westerfield, one delightful character actor in everything he does, makes the first of three appearances as Officer Hanson, the much put upon patrol cop in this, The Absent Minded Professor and Son of Flubber. Best moment in the film is when Kirk as The Shaggy Dog steals Westerfield's police vehicle in pursuit of the villains.I'm still amazed at how well the ancient special effects still work in this film. Disney took some meticulous care in doing the scenes with the dog. You really do think The Shaggy Dog is driving those vehicles and not some guy dressed in a dog costume. Good thing it was a large Shaggy Dog though, a Chihuahua would not have worked as well.Still working well today.