Customer Reviews

Shaggy D.A. [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With Dean, Jones, Keenan Wynn, Michael McGreevey and Tim Conway you can't go wrong with these incredible character actors. This is when Disney was great! As far as i'm concerned Disney died after The Rescuers (1978,1979).

Wilby Daniels tries to recover the stolen Borgia ring that transforms him into a dog as he's running for District Atty. Don't miss Conways hilarious scene in the Warehouse with the Security Guard..."the sannifran in the rectafrazzins condensing"

One of my top four fav's from the once-great, no longer palatable Disney Company.

"The Shaggy D. A." is quite possibily one of Disney's Best films. When they bring in a respected actor like Dean Jones with an all-star cast of comedians; you are bound to get one of the funniest films ever made. A movie the whole family will enjoy without all the garbage that is so prevalent in movies today.

This movie was a sequel to the clever 1959 movie "The Shaggy Dog." That movie was charming and clever, packing a lot of humor and numerous subplots into a relatively short film. Unfortunately, this film is a pale shadow of the earlier film. The jokes are often forced and a viewer can easily see that the special effects used to make the dogs talk are film loops of dogs chewing. I recommend this film only for people who are loyal Disney fans or fans of the numerous well-known actors in this film.

Wilby Daniels (Tommy Kirk) encountered a Borgia ring in the 1959 movie "The Shaggy Dog." His transmutation into a sheep dog stopped at the end of the movie and the ring was put into safe keeping. Seventeen years later Wilby Daniels, now played by Disney regular Dean Jones, is an attorney living in a town full of corruption, lead by district attorney "Honest" John Slade, played by another Disney regular, Keenan Wynn. After being a victim of the rampant crime in Medfield, Wilby decides it is time to challenge Slade for the position of district attorney.

Unfortunately for Daniels, the Borgia ring has resurfaced and has already worked wonders for his hair; and his nose; and his tail! In a reprise of the original movie, we see Wilby turn into a sheepdog at the worst possible times. Wilby also manages to vex Tim Conway, who keeps trying to win a bet that his sheepdog Elwood can talk.

The rest of the movie is routinely scripted with slapstick jokes and scenes that are variations of similar jokes and themes from 1970's-era Disney movies, which is really the problem with this movie. The movie is okay, but uninspired. The movie struggles to be funny. The minimal tension in the movie is forced and generally unbelievable. The movie comes across as being tired.

In spite of the rehashed plot, the tired jokes and the slapstick, there are things to like about this movie. Somehow Suzanne Pleshette rises above the script in her role as wife Betty Daniels. Though the character of "Honest" John Slade is a stereotype of similar characters in other Disney films, Keenan Wynn is always fun to watch. The movie had other shining moments. The cherry pie fight scene was funny. Though the talking dog bit was over-used, the dog pound breakout had humorous moments.

Other well-known stars from that era include Vic Tayback (a regular in the television show "Alice") as crook Eddie Roschak, Dick Van Patten ("Eight Is Enough") as Slade's assistant, and Jo Ann Worley (whose first role was in "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" in 1960, but became famous on Rowan and Martin's "Laugh-In"; Worley also appeared in the 1962 Disney space comedy "Moon Pilot") as Tim Conway's roller derby girl friend Katrinka Muggelberg.

In the 1950's and the 1960's Disney excelled at light comedy. The movie "The Shaggy Dog" is one of those light comedies. Unfortunately, Disney struggled in the late 1960's and in the 1970's with weak plots and weak scripts. This sequel to "The Shaggy Dog" was one of those that suffered from a weak script. Fortunately, there are just enough moments in this movie to make the movie worth having if you are a Dean Jones fan, a big Disney fan, or a fan of any of the other actors in this movie. I am usually comfortable with my rating for a movie, but if I could I would have rated this one three and a half stars.

Good luck!

The better sequel to the Shaggy dog, "The Shaggy DA"
with an all star Disney cast is one of Disney's great
comedies of the 70's. Released in 1976, and starring
Dean Jones, Suzzanne Pleshette, Tim Conway and Keenan
Wynn, this movie provides enjoyment of all ages. Wilby
Daniels (Dean Jones), decides to oppose District Attorney
John Slade (Keenan Wynn) for the next elections, aiming
to clean up the city and destroy organised crime. Knowing
that Slade has connections in organized crime, and the
fact that his house had been robbed twice, Daniels pursues
popularity in a strong election campaign, with his wife
(Suzanne Pleshette)giving him great support. The borja ring,
after being kept in the local musuem, had been stolen, and
the thieves with no knowledge of it's mystic powers, sell
it. After a round of hands possess the ring, it finally
ends up in Slades possession, and after a series of
embarrassements in which Daniels is transformed into a
shaggy dog, Slade realizes that he can use the ring to
blackmail Daniels out of the elections. Daniels pursues
slade with ice cream vendor (Tim Conway) (the real shaggy
dog owner) and Daniels son. The ring is finally returned
to its rightfull owners and Slade is removed from office,
making Wilby Daniels the District Attorney. This 91 min
movie, rated G is a great laugh and provides the whole
family with entertainment. Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette
have worked together in another Disney favourite,

"Blackbeard's Ghost" 1969, and Dean Jones has starred in many
Disney favourites, such as race car driver Jim Douglas in "Herbie -
The Love Bug" 1969, "Herbie goes to montie Carlo" 1977.
Other Disney films include Monkeys Go home, and Million dollar
duck, and again teamed up with Suzanne Pleshette. Dean Jones
seemed to work well with Suzanne Pleshette as well as Don Knotts
in many Disney all time favourite movies. Tim Conway worked
with Don Knotts in "The Apple Dumpling gang," and "The Apple
Dumpling gang rides again." Harry Morgan and Bill Bixby also
starred in the original apple dumpling gang, and Harry Morgan
(MASH) appeared in the sequel. Keenan Wynn appeared in many
Disney movies such as "Herbie rides again" in which he played
Alonzo Hawke. All other movies such as the ones above are highly
recommended for the whole family, and other Disney movies such as
"Hot lead and cold feet," and "Herbie goes bananas."
Hire or purchase "The Shaggy DA" to judge for yourself and for
a great time of Disney entertainment.
Eric Von Schnit

Picks up where the the shaggy dog lets off, Great for the family.

Disney's "The Shaggy D.A." is an inferior follow-up to the original classic, "The Shaggy Dog." The film stars Disney regular, Dean Jones, as Wilby Daniels (the part originally played by Tommy Kirk), who is now married to beautiful Suzanne Pleshette and is running for district attorney. Some crooks steal the cursed ring that was responsible for turning Wilby into a sheep dog when he was a teenager. The crooks thought the ring might be worth a fortune but discover no one will buy it, so they sell it to Tim Conway, whose an ice cream salesman and owns a big shaggy sheep dog named Elwood. Of course, he reads the encryption on the ring and Dean Jones turns into the sheep dog! Tim Conway saves "The Shaggy D.A." with his comic genius and has several funny moments throughout the film. Dean Jones is one of my favorite Disney actors, but this isn't his finest film. His best performances are in "Blackbeard's Ghost," "The Snowball Express," and the classic "The Love Bug." The dvd receives a very good transfer and is in the widescreen format. Extras include a making-of documentary with interviews with Tim Conway and Dick Van Patten, which give some insights on the film's set during production. I recommend "The Shaggy D.A." to Disney dvd collector's and fans of Dean Jones, and especially Tim Conway. "The Shaggy D.A." is a fair companion to "The Shaggy Dog" and a nice addition to the Disney dvd library.

On March 7 get ready to see the sequel to the The Shaggy Dog staring Dean Jones, Jo Anne Worley, Dick Van Patten and Tim Conway. The Shaggy D.A. is about Wilby Daniels as an adult with a wife and son. He runs for District Attorney. Wilby turns to a sheepdog again until he finds the ring. The bonus features are Putting on The Dog feature, The Good, The Bad and The Funny feature and and audio commentary with Jo Anne Worley, Dick Van Patten and Tim Conway. The rating is G. The run time is one hour and thirty-one minutes. The aspect ratio 1.85:1 enhanced for 16x9 TV screens. The sound is mono. The Shaggy D.A. may also be played in Spanish or French. Enjoy!

If you like Dean Jones, this is for you. If you like old-style Disney movies, this is for you. The slapstick type of comedy from Tim Conway is sure to give you a case of the giggles. In short this is a good wholesome family comedy that the inner child in you will embrace as you remember what it was like to be a kid at the movies a long time ago when the jokes were clean and the language was, too. Watch it, you won't be sorry.

This isn't a high drama or anything. It is a sequel to The Shaggy Dog. The characters are grown up and moving along in life. Anything with Tim Conway in it has to involve lots of physical gags and my daughter laughed until she cried. Adults can sit through it at least once if it has been awhile.

I love the original version of this movie. I want it for the future, for my grandchildren.