The Shaggy D.A. (1976)

A lawyer makes an interesting discovery that could affect his chances of getting elected to office.

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Don Tait (screenplay), Felix Salten (novel)

Stars:

Dean Jones, Tim Conway, Suzanne Pleshette

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dean Jones	...	Wilby Daniels
Tim Conway	...	Tim
Suzanne Pleshette	...	Betty Daniels
Keenan Wynn	...	John Slade
Jo Anne Worley	...	Katrinka Muggelberg
Dick Van Patten	...	Raymond
Shane Sinutko	...	Brian Daniels
Vic Tayback	...	Eddie Roschak
John Myhers	...	Adm. Brenner
Richard Bakalyan	...	Freddie (as Dick Bakalyan)
Warren Berlinger	...	Dip
Ronnie Schell	...	T.V. Director
Jonathan Daly	...	T.V. Interviewer
John Fiedler	...	Howie Clemmings
Hans Conried	...	Prof. Whatley

Storyline

Sequel to the 1959 movie about a boy who gets turned into a dog because of an ancient ring which some say is cursed. Today the boy, Wilby Daniels is a grown man, a lawyer and with a family. When they're robbed and Wilby tries to report it to police but only gets the run around, he decides to run for District Attorney or D.A. Because he believes that the current D.A. John Slade is not only doing his job but is on the take. When Daniels publicly denounces Slade, Slade decides to try and get something on him. And he might have found it when the ring that turned him into a dog when he was a boy is stolen from the museum and when the words inside are read, he turns into a dog.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | district attorney | ring | lawyer | barefoot | 

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Taglines:

A real shaggy dog story. The only candidate with a LAW DEGREE and a PEDIGREE!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 December 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Förvandlingen

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Liam Dunn died during the filming of the roller rink sequence. John Fiedler was brought in to complete the role as dog catcher.

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Goofs

When Tim brings the dog into the bar for the second time he pulls a barstool out for the dog. A crew member's hand is clearly visible grabbing hold of it at the bottom to keep it steady.

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Quotes

Eddie Roschak: Well, I just don't like these... enthusiastic amateurs.

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Connections

Referenced in The Nanny: Oy to the World (1995)

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Soundtracks

"The Shaggy D.A."
Sung by Dean Jones
Written by Shane Tatum and Richard McKinley

User Reviews

Great for Fans of Slapstick!

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.