User Reviews

I guess that when Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette got married it wasn't spelled out that there would be no secrets because Dean Jones kept a really big one from his teen years. For what that was and how it turned out one should see the prequel to The Shaggy DA, the famous Walt Disney classic, The Shaggy Dog.

To refresh one's memory back then the Dean Jones character of Wilby Daniels was played by Tommy Kirk who because of a cursed ring said to belong to Lucretia Borgia back in the day who allegedly dabbled in the black arts, Kirk would enter the body of a large sheep dog who was owned by the new next door neighbors of his family. When the ring got returned and Kirk performed a heroic act, the curse was lifted.

Or so they thought, now Wilby Daniels is played by Dean Jones who now is a lawyer, running for District Attorney against corrupt DA Keenan Wynn and married to Suzanne Pleshette with a son, Shane Sinutko. Just as the campaign gets going the ring is once again stolen from the museum and when the magic words inscribed on the ring are uttered, Jones is shifting from human to canine and back.

Eventually chief villain Keenan Wynn gets the ring and he's in control of the situation when he discovers what it does to Jones. It becomes a family project to get that ring back and expose him before the electorate. Also along for the ride is Tim Conway, an ice cream truck vendor whose shaggy dog's body Jones transfers to.

The Shaggy DA has a lot of laughs in it and its good entertainment, it doesn't however have the poignancy of the teen angst that Tommy Kirk brought to the original Wilby. It does have the usual cast of Hollywood veterans that the Disney studio always managed to find work for. It's one of the reasons the Magic Kingdom films from the late Sixties and Seventies are a lot of fun, it's like watching some of the classic films from the studio system days, seeing all those familiar faces.

I'd still recommend the film, especially to family audiences with younger viewers, but it's not as good as the original.

Attorney Wilby Daniels (played by Dean Jones) and his wife Betty (played by Suzanne Pleshette) return to their home and find out that it has just been robbed. After the robbers return a second time to take everything else that they had left, Wilby decides to run for District Attorney so he can clean up the town and lock up the criminals for good.

Meanwhile, the same robbers who broke into his house have also stolen the famous Borgia ring from the local museum. Unfortunately for Wilby, every time someone reads the inscription, he turns into a sheepdog again. This of course, happens at the most inconvenient times, and the result is a silly, family-friendly comedy.

The Shaggy D.A. is a sequel to the 1959 Disney film, the Shaggy Dog. Though it's not quite as funny as the original, there still is a lot to like about this version of the story. The acting is pretty much on par with what we've come to expect from these Disney films, and the characters are pretty interesting, even if they are one-dimensional. The transformation from human to dog doesn't seem to work as well here as it did in the 1959 film, for some reason, but it's fine. If I had a complaint about this movie, it's that it goes a bit long and the same gags are used a few times too many. Other than that, it's nice to find a film that doesn't resort to 7th grade humor that seems to be in every "family" film these days.

The bottom line is this is a decent movie if you'd like to have a good time with the kids, but adults will be a bit bored from it fairly soon. It's not as good as some of the other Disney comedies from the 1960s and 1970s.

One of the better Disney comedies from the 70's.This sequel to The Shaggy Dog is a bit funnier than the first film. With Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette, Tim Conway and Keenan Wynn it has a top notch cast. Anyone who enjoys good clean family entertainment should get plenty of chuckles from this slapstick romp. Rate it a 7.5 of 10

Not as interesting the second time around.

It isn't the worst film by any means, but 'The Shaggy D.A.' is definitely a step down from its predecessor. There are some amusing gags, the dog effects are much improved and in a few parts funnier, but the first and third acts are very slow-moving and lack entertainment.

Dean Jones plays Wilby, he is the one other positive from this as he gives a strong performance. His live-action stuff is more than decent, while his voice work for Shaggy is perfect. I have no complaints with Mr. Jones. Away from him, I don't think any of the other cast members are all that notable. Keenan Wynn (Slade) and Tim Conway (Tim) have their moments, just not enough to elevate the film in my opinion.

The middle part of this is actually enjoyable, it's just sandwiched between averageness unfortunately; despite a plot that is probably better, on paper, than the original.

In conclusion, it's nothing bad but nothing good either.

Could it be that Felpudo was the inspiration for Priscila and TV Colosso? Very cute, the little boy's spontaneous humor and the mother's naturalness enchanted me, and the character of the protagonist, the ending a bit tiring, but interesting the atmosphere of mystery and childish tension...

Typical Disney 70's fare with the usual cast (Jones, Conway, Wynn) associated with the studio at the time, here focusing on the kid from the original "Shaggy Dog" 1959 movie, all grown up (Jones) and still having issues with his canine transformations. Crooked senator Wynn is determined to get his hands on the magic ring that will enable the metamorphosis, but predictably, the old dog has a few new tricks up his sleeve to counter every attempt.

Conway plays the ice-cream vendor caught up in the calamities, Vic Tayback as a racketeer in cahoots with Wynn, and Dick Van Patten has a minor role as Wynn's chauffeur. The sultry Suzanne Pleshette plays Jones' domestic retreat, despite having little to offer the film, still adds a much needed spark.

No surprises, it's inoffensive (a bit of gun-play, but no actual violence) slapstick comedy that would appeal to the young family audience.

while i didn't mind the original The Shaggy Dog(1959),i thought this sequel was not too good.i found it way too silly and absurd,and not realistic.by that,i'm not talking about the premise,a man transforms into a dog.that i can accept as being within the confines of the movie.what i found unrealistic was how most of the characters acted and or reacted.too say there was some overacting going on would be a massive understatement.i also didn't find the characters endearing.i did however find them annoying.and the acting in general was unimpressive.and i found the ending abrupt with no real resolution.i'd say this would be a good family movie,a family comprised of only 3 year olds.maybe they ran out of money or time.whatever.this film had none of the fun or charm of the original.for me,The Shaggy D.A.is a weak 3/10

When his house is repeatedly robbed, Dean Jones (as Wilby) receives no assistance from the local authorities; so, he decides to run for District Attorney. Complicating his run is the reemergence of a magical ring from his teenage years - which turns him into an on again/off again shaggy dog.

This movie is the first sequel to Walt Disney's "The Shaggy Dog" (1959). Wilby Daniels, the teenager from the first film (Tommy Kirk), has grown up, and has a family of his own: Suzanne Pleshette (as wife Betty) and Shane Sinutko (as son Brian). None of the original film's leading actors appear in either flashback or cameo. "The Shaggy D.A." attempts to explain more about the reasons for the change, raising more questions than it answers.

This movie has a few funny moments, helped immensely by Tim Conway - there are a lot of other 1970s TV performers to pick out, which can be fun. But the film is a dog, compared to the original. The "special effects" from the first Shaggy progress surprisingly little, and look worse in color. The charming interacting performances of Mr. Kirk and the original's young characters is gone.

*** The Shaggy D.A. (1976) Robert Stevenson ~ Dean Jones, Tim Conway, Suzanne Pleshette

This is not a true sequel to the 1959 original starring Tommy Kirk as a teen-aged Wilby Daniels. By that I mean it doesn't continue the same story line. This time, Dean Jones is the adult Wilby Daneils. When his house is robbed-not once-but twice-he decides enough is enough and decides to run for DA.

From the outset Wilby is faced with two problems-first, is to try to defeat the incumbent DA-Honest John Slade(Keenan Wynn). John Slade is anything but honest-he is allowing crooks off the hook by not prosecuting them or letting them off easy. One of these crooks is Eddie Roschak(Vic Tayback-in a much more realistic portrayal of a bad guy than in "No deposit, no Return").

Wilby's Second and much more serious problem-is that the "Borger" ring has been stolen from the museum-and whenever someone reads the inscription on the ring-Wilby is transformed in to a shaggy dog-that belongs to "Tim-the ice cream man"(Tim Conway). THe dog's name is "Elwood" Wilby's Wife is Betty(Suzanne Pleshette)and they have a son, whom I call the wisecracking "Brian"(Shane Sinutko). His wife becomes his campaign manager.

John Slade gets hold of the ring and tries to blackmail Daneils out of the race by threatening to keep reading the inscription on the ring over & over again to keep Daniels as a dog. Of course he ignores the warning the museum curator gives-if you read the inscription too many times-you may turn into a dog your self.

Wilby, Brian & Tim are on a mission to get the ring back from Slade and his gang of crooks. Do they succeed? You will need to see the film to find out.

The pie fight is so funny. There are plenty of funny moments and gags in this movie. This is one of the better comedies offered by Disney in the 70's.

So, why do I vote 8 instead of 10? Well-the movie doesn't answer the questions I have: 1. Why is it that Wilby Daneils is turned into a dog himself? Why not someone else? 2. Does Daneils descend from the Borger Family, and is he a victim of a family curse? I know that in the 1959 original-Daneils finds the ring and he reads the inscription and turns into a dog. That maybe the answer-but the fact remains-not everyone who reads the inscription turns into a dog. I think there must be something else-a family trait or curse or something that only happens to Daniels and no one else.

Overall, this is a real good movie with a fine cast and directed by Disney's Ledgendary director Robert Stevenson.

The Shaggy D.A. came at the end of an era of Disney films that were family friendly, funny and somewhat zany. The opening credits are very memorable as they are animated, along with a title song being sung by Dean Jones. This is the third and last pairing of Jones and Suzanne Pleshette.

Also starring are comedy legends Tim Conway (who has some of the best one liners) and Keenan Wynn, whose personalities make the film extra fun. This sequel to 1959s The Shaggy Dog continues the story of Wilby Daniels, now, Wilby an attorney running for office. What could possibly go wrong? The Shaggy D.A. is full of antics the whole family will enjoy.

A very funny comedy, and one of the last of the 1970s filled with Disney style quirks.

Dean Jones and Tim Conway make this the most thrilling and hilarious Shaggy Dog movie of all time. Some of it is a bit wacky, but not ridiculous and that just adds to the fun and humor. It's not exactly a direct sequel to the original 1959 Shaggy Dog, but that doesn't hurt it at all. Personally I find the original one to be rather boring, frustrating, and confusing, but this movie is all out fun. Some parts are so funny that I couldn't stop laughing. I haven't seen any of the latter Shaggy Dog movies except for the new one with Tim Allen, which is OK, but not as good as this one, I can't see any Shaggy Dog movie being better than this.

I saw this back in 1976 and thought it was the funniest movie ever. Of course, I was only 7 at the time. I saw it again recently and of course noticed several things I didn't see the first time. The story is about a young lawyer/family man (Dean Jones) who runs for DA against the corrupt DA currently in office (Keenan Wynn) but the latter gets ahold of a ring which has an inscription that when read, can turn Jones into a sheepdog. The same gag (of Jones becoming a sheepdog at the worst possible time) is repeated a bit too much and most of the gags are obvious and dependant upon banana peel-like slapstick/humor. Dean Jones is a fine actor but he kept playing the same character over and over in the Disney comedies of the 70s. (He never seemed to know what was going on and was constantly the butt of the joke). Not surprisingly, the Disney slapstick films soon wore out their welcome. The Shaggy DA though is one of Disney's better offerings. It features a pretty good cast. Tim Conway as an ice cream man is especially in good form and Vic Tayback adds some life as a mobster who is in cahoots with Wynn. The humor is dated and certainly not aimed at intelligent kids but for the most part, it does deliver with the laughs.

Wiliby Daniels (Dean Jones) grows up to be an attorney and runs for D.A. of a city plagued with petty crime and grand theft auto. In this sequel, the Magical Borgia Ring is stolen by 2 small-time crooks from the museum where is was safely protected in a glass showcase. Soon almost everyone seems to know about the doggy-tranmuto power of the ring, as the Ice Cream Man (Tim Conway) has his sheepdog change several times. It's a mild "werewolf" transformation here and it's very well done and not scary at all. Movie "magic" with a trained dog, Dean Jones in make-up and a talented stuntman in a dog suit. Hans Conried is the eccentric museum curator this time. Suzanne Pleshette is the loyal wife. There's a cute kid, but he doesn't measure up to "Moochie". Co-staring Jo Anne Worley, Dick Van Patten, Vic Tayback, and Keenan Wynn (as the crooked D.A). Pat McCormick plays the bartender. It finishes with a wild car chase and the dog driving the ice cream wagon; somewhat similar to the first film. All the stray dogs are rescued from the dog pound and Wiliby becomes D.A. The dog pound scene might be a bit intense for very small children. George Carlin does some of the doggy voices. Also, there is a surprise "doggy" ending!

I remember seeing this movie in the theater as a kid. It was fun family movie time for us. Most people don't realize however that this movie is sequel to 2 other movies. The first was "the shaggy dog" followed by (if i recall correctly)"the shaggy dog returns". The character from the first 2 is all grown up in the "shaggy DA". (the Tim Allen remake movie is sort of a combination of the earlier movies.) The original movie is out on VHS and DVD, But I've only seen the 2nd one (old black and white) twice, decades ago on TV -never on home video. It must still be locked in the Disney vault. Hopefully they will release a complete 3 movie set for my daughter's generation to see and enjoy these classic movies.

Just kidding (As if anyone could not figure out-- whether they've seen the movie or not-- how it will turn out).

Like one of the other people who commented above, I was a kid (6) when this movie came out, and for some reason this is one of the movies that sticks in my mind along with Gus, Boatniks, and the '66 Batman, when I think back on the movies I saw at that age. So Shaggy DA has a built-in nostalgia factor as far as I'm concerned, and maybe for others my age, but anyone else would probably be bored to tears. The pie-fight had a little spark of energy, but watching this now mainly just serves to remind what low standards "family entertainment" had in the 70s. It's really amazing, today, to look back on this kind of stuff-- Shaggy DA, Pete's Dragon, that "Goin Cocoanuts" thing the Osmonds put out-- and think: Good Lord, was that really the best they could do?