The Shaggy Dog (1959)

Great Family Entertainment

Fantastic movie. Highest quality, old style entertainment. Movies aren't made like this anymore! I would deem it a must have if you enjoy entertainment that is wholesome and great viewing for anyone any age. August 27, 2008

*Great Movie For Everyone!*

A fun movie for everyone in the family to enjoy.Lots of funny moments and just great entertainment. April 25, 2008

Great Family Fun

One of the best! All families should get to watch this movie together. MacMurray is great and Disney's special effects for this era are really amazing. It is such a shame that Hollywood and even Disney today is incapable of making CLEAN movies that everyone can watch without explaining why that word or that behavior is inappropriate in our family. This is a wholesome movie that any Christian family can watch together with confidence and relaxed that they won't be embarrassed by it. March 5, 2008

I always loved this movie!

This is an excellent movie. They also have The Shaggy D.A. on dvd. I just wish they'd put Shaggy Dog 2 (which was set in between those movies, while the main character was in college) on dvd as well. February 13, 2008

Doggone Good! Classic family comedy for all ages!

I first saw "The Shaggy Dog" while at camp Matollionequay as little girl years ago and fell on the floor laughing. When I saw it was available on DVD, I quickly purchased it to have it for my family so my 5 year old daughter, husband and I could enjoy it together. The movie is simply infectious and has humor for all ages. I mean, the whole idea is funny - a shaggy dog driving a car, a shaggy dog talking on a phone, a shaggy dog wearing pajamas, a shaggy dog chasing SPIES??!!

"The Shaggy Dog, Wild & Wooly Edition" is the DVD version featuring the original B/W film (slightly wide angle), the colorized version, and some extras. The bonuses include cast interviews which are fun to see. I know I prefer to see the original B/W, but my 5 1/2 year old vetoed me and so we watched the colorized version.

The story is chock-full and has many veins and sub-plots, which add to the fun. Basically, the story revolves around the Daniels family, with father, Wilson (Fred MacMurray), a retired postman, who (naturally) hates dogs; his wife, played by Jean Hagen, and their two sons, Wilby (Tommy Kirk), a rather nerdy boy, and "Moochie" (Kevin Corcoran), his younger brother, who desperately wants a pet dog. They live in, yes, I'm sure, the "Leave It to Beaver" house and on that same street you see "The Beav" walking on in those old shows.

Throughout the movie, we see several stories playing out - a new neighbor moves in, an art dealer, his beautiful daughter, their butler and her shaggy dog. Through a trip to the museum, a connection between shaggy "Bratislavian Sheepdogs", an old painting of the Lady Borgia and the ability to shape shift is revealed. A mishap, a toppled table, a misplaced ring, an accidentally repeated incantation, and all at once, Wilby finds himself sprouting fur, and getting a black shiny nose! A professor of history and art advises Wilby that the spell may be intermittent. He doesn't realize how funny the adventures will be for the viewer. Wilby always seems to be getting into trouble, whether it's his father firing buckshot at his shaggy behind (don't worry, he only gets the laundry), or turning into a Bratislavian Sheepdog during a dance with the pretty new girl. Wilby, while a dog, overhears the new neighbor's plans to topple democracy, and the antics provided by a ten-year old, and a shaggy dog, and finally Wilson himself, trying to explain that yes, there is a spy ring in the neighborhood, and they know that because "My son is a dog. No, not all the time, just some of the time."(!)

Overall, this is film is great fun with really timeless humor. You can watch it again and again. There's no cursing or crude humor, so you don't have to be embarrassed to watch it with your kids or even your grandparents. I think this film would be ideal for kids today, from about age 4-15 or so, but it's good for adults, as well.
February 11, 2008

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