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:

It's Laughter By The Pound! You'll Roll Over, Sit Up, And Beg For More!

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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

Followed by Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color: The Return of the Shaggy Dog (1987)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Pretty Good follow-up to the 1959 original

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.