mike48128 I just learned that Kevin Corcoran ("Moochie") died in 2015 in his middle 60's. He was a Disney child actor that played in several notable Disney Movies including "Pollyanna", "Swiss Family Robinson", this film and many others. He was also a regular on the (original) Mickey Mouse Club, "Spin and Marty" and (surprisingly) many non-Disney productions as well. He quit acting at age 15 and became a respected film and TV director for many decades. Yes, he even directed "Murder She Wrote" episodes. Not standing on nostalgia, both this film and "The Absent-Minded Professor" were well-colorized and are more enjoyable because of it. Readily available from Amazon and "the usual" mail-order companies, bundled with the "Shaggy D.A." sequel. Annette steals the show. She was "dressed down" to make her look younger and less grown-up. It didn't work. I had a "crush" on her, too. The well-known plot involves awkward foreign intrigue and teenage romance as Annette completes with new girl on the block who even doesn't look remotely French and has a beautiful shaggy sheep dog. A magical "Borgia Ring" is involved along with a "real" sheepdog that disappears every time the "trans muto" dog transformation occurs. A silly sub-plot involves foreign spies. The best scene involves Moochies' brother (Tommy Kirk) in shaggy sheepdog fur, leading the police on a wild-goose car chase. (yeah, the dog is driving.) Note: "The Shaggy D.A." with Dean Jones is quite good, also. (I don't care for the 2006 Tim Allen remake at all.) A priceless classic Walt Disney Production.

Electrified_Voltage I saw lots of Disney animated films from different eras as a kid, back in the '90s, but never heard of this particular live action flick from Walt Disney Productions. I remember when the remake starring Tim Allen came out in 2006 and I saw a trailer for it, but I didn't know that film was a remake at the time. I still haven't seen that version, and have known for sometime now that it's not all that popular, but now I have finally seen the original 1959 version of "The Shaggy Dog", with a cast featuring Fred MacMurray and several cast members of "The Mickey Mouse Club". I didn't think this movie would be amazing family entertainment, since it doesn't seem to have that kind of reputation, but I was expecting it to be a 7/10 for me, which it is.Wilby Daniels is a teenager who likes to conduct experiments in the basement, but his father, Wilson, does not like this, and after Wilby accidentally launches a missile from the basement, Wilson tells him to clear out all his experiments. A new family moves into the neighbourhood, and Wilby and his friend, Buzz Miller, soon meet the daughter of the family, Franceska Andrassy. They also meet the family's sheep dog. Wilby, Buzz, and Franceska go to the museum together, but Wilby is separated from the other two. He meets Professor Plumcutt, a man he used to know, who tells him about his beliefs in ancient magic, including shape-shifting. Wilby ends up accidentally bringing home a mystical ring, which turns him into the Andrassy dog! This is not a good thing, since his father hates dogs! He sneaks out to tell Plumcutt what has happened, and learns from him that he is now under a spell, which will turn him back and forth from human to dog, and the only way to break this spell is through a selfless act of heroism! As a comedy, this 1959 live action Disney flick is far from consistent, but I did laugh a number of times, starting around the beginning when Wilby has his missile in the basement and accidentally launches it from there, obviously putting holes in every floor above! More laughs come after Wilby turns into a dog, including the scenes where Officer Hanson hears the teenager talk to him while in dog form. I didn't usually laugh that hard, but those parts were definitely exceptions, and were not the only ones! The acting in "The Shaggy Dog" is mostly not that impressive, and the plot isn't the most interesting, but in both cases, I've certainly seen worse. The dance sequence is maybe a bit tedious, and during parts like that, it was somewhat of a struggle for me to stay into it, but eventually, that changed, as the story gets better and the suspense builds up! For the rest of the film, I had no trouble staying into it, even if it wears out its welcome just a BIT towards the end. So, while by no means a masterpiece, this original "Shaggy Dog" probably still has enough to please the family.

Woodyanders Cranky mailman Wilson Daniels (a delightfully charming portrayal by Fred MacMurray) has a vehement disdain for dogs. Things get hairy (both literally and figuratively) when his likable misfit son Wilby (a wonderfully amiable performance by Tommy Kirk) gets stricken by a magical ring that causes him to transform into a big shaggy sheepdog. Wilby has to perform an act of heroism by thwarting an international spy ring so he can break the spell. Director Charles Bartun, working from a witty and good-natured script by Bill Walsh and Lillie Haward, relates the zany plot at a constant zippy pace, maintains a pleasant and frothy tone throughout, and stages the slapstick gags with praiseworthy brio (amusing comic highlights include the dog disrupting a swanky dance party, a hapless patrolman's sidesplitting constant run-ins with the talking pooch, and a marvelously wacky last reel car chase). Moreover, the characters are well-developed, sympathetic, and above all even pretty believable as everyday folks who find themselves caught up in a fantastic situation. Extra kudos are in order for the uniformly sound acting from a tip-top cast: MacMurray and Kirk shine in the lead roles, with fine support from Jean Hagen as Wilson's doting wife Freeda, Kevin Corcoran as Wilby's mischievous little squirt kid brother Moochie, Tim Considine as Wilby's hip pal Buzz Miller, Roberta Shore as fetching French hottie Franceska Andrassy, Annette Funicello as the sweet and adorable Allison D'Allessio, Cecil Kellaway as the jolly Professor Plumcutt, and Strother Martin as no-count criminal Thurm. Sam the dog is simply amazing as the titular canine. Legendary voice actor Paul Frees provides the narration and even has an uncredited minor part as disbelieving psychiatrist Dr. J.W. Galvin. The theme song is an absolute groovy gas. Edward Colman's crisp black and white cinematography makes neat occasional use of fades and dissolves. Endearing family fare.

edwagreen Fred MacMurray and Jean Hagen starred in this 1959 film. Miss Hagen was given very little to do here. Ironically, about 15 years after this film, both MacMurray and Hagen were diagnosed with throat cancer. He survived,dying from pneumonia years later. She succumbed 2 years later, in 1977, at age 54.This lighthearted film deals with MacMurray being afraid of dogs only to have his son fall victim to a Borgia curse and turn into a dog at times. Naturally, there is the new girl next door whose father leads a spy ring. Our son turned dog hears all about their plots and the rest of the film is devoted to MacMurray not being believed by police that his son has turned into a dog. There is the usual wily car chase but this time a dog is at the wheel.A typical Disney film without the usual fanfare. That's probably because the film is in black and white.