The Shaggy Dog

I said the other day that I got a VHS tape of "The Shaggy Dog," the old Disney movie from around 1958.

I actually watched it, piecemeal like I do while I'm exercising morning and night. Then today I knew I was close to the end so I just sat and let it play out.

It was OK. Very lightweight, easy stuff to handle. And in "glorious black and white" as the box says. It didn't look all that glorious, but it's VHS ... you're not getting digital sharpness. That's OK though, because I won't ever be buying it on DVD. It's not something I want to see over and over.

As for the story, the kid keeps turning into a shaggy dog, then back to a kid, and he has some adventures. It becomes a spy story, and the real story is how do they break up the spies or get the government to believe their information, since it's hard for the authorities to believe the guy's kid is a dog.

It's amazing though how accepting others are of this weird fact. The old professor at the beginning, he has no problem with it. He's the one who's able to explain how this could've happened to Wilby. (He read the inscription off a magical ring that the Borgias owned.) The brother Montgomery "Moochie" Daniels has no trouble accepting it. In fact he prefers his brother as a dog. And the Dad, played by Fred MacMurray, even though he hates dogs, is able to accept it that his son is in fact a dog without many questions. You'd think he'd think they were pulling a prank on him.

I don't think Mom ever finds out about Wilby. And his best friend doesn't find out exactly. Except they're both enmeshed in a net fighting, with the fight starting out with a dog and ending up somehow with Wilby. And speaking of being enmeshed in a net, Annette Funicello is in the movie as their sometimes love interest. Annette's role is surprising minor. She comes and goes a few times and is at the big dance. The main female role is the French girl who moves in next door, who owns the shaggy dog who keeps being absorbed into Wilby. In the movie, Annette doesn't have an interesting role in the least.

The police are used for some of the comic relief, as one officer in particular keeps hearing Wilby as the dog talking, other various things. It's almost too much though. And I'm thinking of one scene close to the end, where they're radioing headquarters, and the captain has them repeat the whole description of the dog. I thought this could've been trimmed down.

It's a harmless, lightweight, nothing major film, entertaining in its way. I'm glad to have seen it. And now that I have, I'm also glad to move on.