The Shaggy D.A. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Shaggy D.A.
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Stevenson
Produced by	Bill Anderson
Written by	Don Tait
Starring	Dean Jones Suzanne Pleshette Tim Conway Keenan Wynn
Music by	Paul J. Smith Buddy Baker
Cinematography	Frank V. Phillips
Editing by	Bob Bring Norman R. Palmer
Studio	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Distribution
Release date(s)	December 16, 1976 (1976-12-16)
Running time	91 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Money made	$10.5 million (US and Canada rentals)

The Shaggy D.A. is a funny American movie from 1976. It's a sequel to The Shaggy Dog (1959). Walt Disney Productions made the film. Robert Stevenson directed it, and Don Tait wrote the story. Like the first movie, it got some ideas from the book The Hound of Florence by Felix Salten.

The movie stars Dean Jones as Wilby Daniels, who is now grown up. It also features Suzanne Pleshette, Tim Conway, Keenan Wynn, Dick Van Patten, Jo Anne Worley, and Shane Sinutko. This was the last movie directed by Robert Stevenson.

Plot Summary: What Happens in the Movie?

Wilby's New Life and a Big Problem

Wilby Daniels (played by Dean Jones) is now a successful lawyer. He is married to Betty (Suzanne Pleshette), and they have a son named Brian (Shane Sinutko). After a vacation, their family comes home to find their house robbed! Wilby is upset and blames the local district attorney (a public prosecutor), John Slade (Keenan Wynn). Wilby thinks Slade might be connected to bad people, especially a warehouse owner named Edward "Fast Eddie" Roshak (Vic Tayback).

Later that night, Wilby's house is robbed again. Their neighbor, Admiral Gordon C. Brenner, is also robbed. Wilby decides he will run for district attorney himself. He wants to make his town safe again.

The Magical Ring and a Shaggy Surprise

Meanwhile, two robbers, Freddie (Richard Bakalyan) and Dip (Warren Berlinger), steal a special ring from a museum. It's called the Borgia ring and has a scarab beetle on it. They try to sell it to Tim, a clumsy ice cream salesman. Tim (Tim Conway) owns a big Old English Sheepdog named Elwood. Tim decides to give the ring to his girlfriend, Katrinka (Jo Anne Worley), who is a roller derby star.

Wilby is getting ready for a TV show to announce he's running for office. He hears about the stolen Borgia ring. He remembers a secret from his past: the ring can turn him into a shaggy dog! He warns his wife that if the words on the ring ("In canis corpore transmuto" – which means "I transmute into the body of a dog") are said aloud, he will change.

Just before Wilby's TV appearance, Tim finds the words on the ring and reads them out loud. Suddenly, Elwood the dog disappears! Wilby starts growing shaggy hair and turns into Elwood. He runs out of the house in his dog form. Tim is confused because his dog can suddenly talk! The spell wears off, and Wilby is human again. He knows he has to find that ring.

More Transformations and Suspicions

Wilby's fears come true again. Katrinka gets the ring, and the words are read aloud. This happens while Wilby is giving a speech at a ladies' club. Betty quickly warns him, and he barely escapes before everyone sees him turn into a dog. Tim finds Wilby as Elwood again and thinks his talking dog could make him rich. When Tim looks away, Wilby changes back, leaving a silent Elwood.

Wilby's rival, John Slade, has an agent named Raymond (Dick Van Patten). Raymond starts to get suspicious about Wilby's strange disappearances.

The Pie Fight and the Police Station

To find the ring, Wilby looks for Katrinka. She seems to have lost it in a big vat of cherry pie filling! This pie filling is for a fundraiser for John Slade. Katrinka offers a reward for the ring, and everyone starts searching. This turns into a huge pie fight!

During the chaos, the ring ends up with the robbers again. They try to sell it to a police detective who is working undercover. The ring is returned to the museum. At the police station, the museum's curator reads the inscription aloud to explain the ring's power. Wilby, who is there to check on the ring, turns into Elwood the dog right in the police station! Slade's agent, Raymond, finally puts all the pieces together. He hears the curator talk about the ring's power and remembers a story about a young man who turned into a sheepdog years ago.

Slade's Plan and Wilby's Escape

Slade hears about Wilby's secret weakness. At first, he doesn't believe it. He invites Wilby to his office and tells him to quit the election. Wilby refuses and says he will investigate Slade's bad connections if he wins. Slade then reveals he has the ring! He reads the inscription and is thrilled to see Wilby turn into the shaggy dog. Slade calls the dog pound.

Wilby escapes, but Slade keeps repeating the inscription. This means the spell won't wear off for a while, and Wilby will be stuck as a dog. Slade ignores warnings that saying the words too often could make the spell transfer to him.

Wilby disguises himself as a female roller-derby player to hide from Slade. Slade, as the district attorney, uses the police and animal control to find him. Wilby is eventually caught and taken to the dog pound. There, he can understand the other dogs, and they all work together to help him escape.

Catching the Bad Guy

With help from Brian and Tim, Wilby gets proof that John Slade is connected to bad people. Wilby tells Tim the truth about what happened. Wilby and Tim trick Slade into meeting them at Roshak's warehouse. Wilby uses a tape recorder to record Slade admitting his wrongdoings.

With help from his dog friends from the pound, Wilby also gets the ring back from John Slade. But because Slade read the inscription so many times, the curse transfers to him! Slade turns into a bulldog.

In the end, Wilby gets elected district attorney. Slade is supposedly jailed (though we don't see it happen). Tim and Katrinka get engaged. They also adopt all of Wilby's dog friends from the pound!

Cast of Characters

Behind the Scenes: How the Movie Was Made

The Success of The Shaggy Dog

The first movie, The Shaggy Dog, was a huge success for Walt Disney Productions. It made a lot of money! This success influenced how the studio made live-action movies for the next 20 years.

Disney's "Gimmick Comedies"

Disney started making many "gimmick comedies." These movies often mixed everyday American life with something magical or fantastical. They had enough action to keep kids entertained. They also had some light humor for adults.

These comedies were made cheaply. The studio often used TV actors who were popular but didn't cost a lot. They also used the same movie sets over and over again. This made it less risky for Disney to make these films. Even if a movie only did okay in theaters, it could still make money. They could also show these movies on the popular TV show The Wonderful World of Disney.

Some of these inexpensive comedies became huge hits. The Absent-Minded Professor and The Love Bug are examples. The Shaggy Dog made over $9 million on a budget of less than $1 million when it first came out in 1959. This made it more profitable than Ben-Hur, which was released the same year. The Shaggy Dog also did very well when it was re-released in 1967. The Shaggy D.A. is a sequel to this very successful first movie.

Movie's Impact: What Came After?

Political Humor in the Film

Some people see The Shaggy D.A. as a light joke about politics in the time after the Watergate event. It shows politicians who might not be what they seem. It also shows them possibly connected to bad things.

Other Shaggy Dog Movies

A TV movie called The Return of the Shaggy Dog came out in 1987. Its story takes place between the first Shaggy Dog movie and The Shaggy D.A..

The original 1959 film has been remade two times. First, as a TV movie in 1994. Then, as a movie for theaters in 2006.

The 2019 movie Mister America shows The Shaggy D.A. as part of a fictional movie project. Mister America also has some funny similarities to The Shaggy D.A..

See also

In Spanish: Un candidato muy peludo para niños