It's hard to believe it today, but back in 1959 "The Shaggy Dog" was the highest grossing film of the year apart from "Ben Hur". Such classics as Hitchcock's "North By Northwest" didn't do so well that year! Is it because "The Shaggy Dog" is a great film? Hardly. I just think the public wanted a nice family film...and this fits the bill...even with its ridiculous plot. And, as the first Disney live-action film, it apparently fit the bill.
Wilby (Tommy Kirk) is a teenager who has a minor problem...when he visits a nearby museum, he is cursed by a ring and he becomes a giant talking dog. And, to make it worse, his father (Fred MacMurray) hates dogs and is a generally grouchy guy. Will he be cursed to stay a dog forever? And, what will happen when Wilby, in dog form, learns about a gang of spies? And, what will happen with the 'French' girl keeps forgetting she's French, as her accent seems to come and go!
Kirk and MacMurray teamed up again two years later for the classic "The Absent Minded Professor"....and my advice is see that one instead. Now I am not saying "The Shaggy Dog" is bad...but it's really not very good...mostly because the plot is completely ridiculous. And, being completely ridiculous, Disney remade this film decades later!
By the way, the dog in this film is called a 'Bratislavian Sheepdog' but it clearly is an Old English Sheepdog. Also, in the remake, they used a Bearded Collie--a breed which looks somewhat similar but with a longer and more elegant coat.
Also, James Westerfield plays Officer Hanson in this film...the exact same role he played a couple years later in "The Absent Minded Professor"!
And, finally, one odd but good thing about this film is that the teenagers are actual teenagers!! In most Hollywood films of the era, the 'teens' are in their 20s or even 30s...such as in "The Blob" where the 'teen' (Steve McQueen) is 28 and in "Teenagers From Outer Space" where ALL of them are well beyond their teen years.
Wilby (Tommy Kirk) is a teenager who has a minor problem...when he visits a nearby museum, he is cursed by a ring and he becomes a giant talking dog. And, to make it worse, his father (Fred MacMurray) hates dogs and is a generally grouchy guy. Will he be cursed to stay a dog forever? And, what will happen when Wilby, in dog form, learns about a gang of spies? And, what will happen with the 'French' girl keeps forgetting she's French, as her accent seems to come and go!
Kirk and MacMurray teamed up again two years later for the classic "The Absent Minded Professor"....and my advice is see that one instead. Now I am not saying "The Shaggy Dog" is bad...but it's really not very good...mostly because the plot is completely ridiculous. And, being completely ridiculous, Disney remade this film decades later!
By the way, the dog in this film is called a 'Bratislavian Sheepdog' but it clearly is an Old English Sheepdog. Also, in the remake, they used a Bearded Collie--a breed which looks somewhat similar but with a longer and more elegant coat.
Also, James Westerfield plays Officer Hanson in this film...the exact same role he played a couple years later in "The Absent Minded Professor"!
And, finally, one odd but good thing about this film is that the teenagers are actual teenagers!! In most Hollywood films of the era, the 'teens' are in their 20s or even 30s...such as in "The Blob" where the 'teen' (Steve McQueen) is 28 and in "Teenagers From Outer Space" where ALL of them are well beyond their teen years.