Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

ofpsmith After the opening titles, we see a view of 1950s suburb United States. Afterwards we see Wilson Daniels (Fred MacMurray) yelling at a dog to get off his lawn. A narrator tells us that Wilson loves his fellow man, but despises man's best friend the dog (mostly because he's a postman). But Wilson's oldest son Wilby Daniels (Tommy Kirk) inadvertently turns into a dog and has to uncover a group of spies who are planning to steal a missile. If that story line makes no sense, that's because it was written down. Trust me the story is a lot better when you watch the movie. Even though it may not make any sense when you read my review it will when you watch it. The acting is also good. MacMurray plays the average American everyman and does a really good job with it. When all these strange things happen to Wilson, he pretty much goes along with it. Most of the runtime is actually spent on Wilby, because he's the person that actually turns into the dog. So Wilby sees all these things that Wilson is pretty much oblivious too for the majority if the film. Even at the end when Wilson is being hailed as a hero he still doesn't really know what jut happened to him. The rest of the cast also turned in a great performance. I highly recommend this movie. It's available on DVD and VHS so if you can find a copy check it out.

TheLittleSongbird I re-watched this film as I often do with my childhood favourites. I loved The Shaggy Dog as a child, and at 18 I still do. But I wasn't so taken with the spy subplot, thinking it went on for too long and took up too much time in the narrative. Also, the film feels a little too long.However, despite how silly some of it it never fails to be amusing and charming, which is more than good enough for me. The film's production values are decent and hold up fairly well, while Paul J.Smith's score is jaunty and dynamic. The script is snappy as well and the story doesn't fall into the trap of being too predictable complete with a number of very entertaining scenes especially the pursuit in the police car, hectic it may be but also entertaining.The direction is pretty good too, as is the acting. Fred MacMurray is likable with some fun acting chops, while Jean Hagen shows some great comic timing. The real star though is Tommy Kirk, who is just great here. All in all, a fun, charming and amusing movie. 8/10 Bethany Cox

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.

MCL1150 I caught this film on Turner Classic Movies one Sundy morning. I almost NEVER watch Disney movies but for some reason ended up sitting through the whole flick. More enjoyable than most Disney movies I must say. I saw plenty as a youth and and there's one thing I'll always remember. As much as I wanted to see the films, I was always disappointed because all of the best/funny parts were already in the promotional TV ads which made the theater viewings redundant. Anyway, throughout the entire movie, after his exposure to a magic ring, Wilby turns into the Shaggy Dog and back without warning several more times. Every time this happens, the real shaggy dog disappears from wherever he is as the Dilby transformation takes palace. By the end of the movie though, Dilby seems to have been cured of this Jeckll & Hyde routine, What did I miss? What cured him? It went right over my head!