Sheepdog - Tumblr Posts
“A sheep dog guards a wolf”
I promise he's harmless if you learn to sit still
It's all he has known, could not help the urge to kill
He's too far away, hunting some new type of thrill
I give you my word, these old wounds are just not real.
The nightly vigil was not made for me
I was here to guide, not to bite
I should’ve just stayed with my family
Now my life is a painful strife
Heavily inspired by the art of Whyn Lewis
I GET MEAN WHEN IM NERVOUS LIKE A BAD DOG!!!
I GET MEAN WHEN IM NERVOUS LIKE A BAD DOG!!!!!
Imagine if you were a sheepdog that has to muzzle itself to not bite the sheep that it’s supposed to take care of even if they hurt it. Can you imagine it?? Do you even need to???
THE SHAGGY DOG (Dir: Charles Barton, 1959).
Walt Disney's first live-action comedy movie, suggested by 'Bambi' author Felix Salten's novel 'The Hound of Florence'.
Wilby Daniels (Tommy Kirk) discovers an ancient Borgian ring which magically transforms him into a shaggy Bratislavian sheepdog. Unfortunately for Wilby he has no control over when or where he will change. Also unfortunate is Wilby's father (Fred MacMurray) is a dog hating postman! As if this wasn't problem enough, Wilby is soon mixed up with Russian spies in what is undoubtedly one of the oddest concepts for a movie of all time!
Two years before the release of The Shaggy Dog, the Disney Studios scored a massive hit with Old Yeller (Robert Stevenson, 1957). This set the standard for a series of boy and dog movies such as Big Red (Norman Tokar, 1962) and The Biscuit Eater (Vincent McEveety, 1972). On the surface The Shaggy Dog might appear to be another boy and dog movie but the twist here is that the boy IS the dog. This weird set up was a welcome riposte to horror movie I Was a Teenage Werewolf (Gene Fowler Jr, 1957) and set the template for the seemingly endless steam of kooky comedies released by Disney for the next two decades.
Fresh from Old Yeller, Tommy Kirk was one of Disney's most appealing juvenile stars and here shows a knack for quirky comedy. MacMurray too, though a highly capable dramatic actor, had a flair for light comedy.
The plot is ludicrous, certainly, but it is very funny. Much of the humour comes from sight gags such as the dog putting on pyjamas and cleaning his teeth. Honestly, there is little I find funnier that a sheepdog driving a hot rod! The pre CGI effects that allow Wilby to turn canine are neat, low tech but effective.
The Shaggy Dog would eventually make over $12 million at the US box office, a massive return on an investment of around $1 million and 60 years after its original release has lost little of its peculiar charm. Disney comedies were notorious for their reliance on formula. Here the formula still feels fresh. It may not be high art but it is highly entertaining.
On a side note, the movie was computer colorized in 1986. While I highly recommend this enjoyable shaggy dog story I would implore you to watch it in its original beautiful black and white.
Check out my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for more reviews of vintage Disney classics! Link below.
THE SHAGGY D.A. (Dir: Robert Stevenson, 1976).
This kooky canine comedy from Walt Disney Productions was the belated sequel to hit The Shaggy Dog (Charles Barton, 1959).
Following on from the events of the original movie, now adult Wilby Daniels is now a successful lawyer, his dog morphing days behind him. However, the ancient cursed ring which turned him into a Bratislavian Sheepdog has been stolen from a local museum by some crooks in the pay of unscrupulous politician 'Honest' John Slade. With incredibly unfortunate timing, this occurs just as Daniels is about to run against Slade in a local election for the position of District Attorney. Daniels must run his campaign and try to get the ring back from Slade, whilst proving him corrupt. All the time running the risk of inadvertently turning into a sheepdog!
Replacing Tommy Kirk in role of Wilby Daniels from the original movie is Disney regular Dean Jones. Jones is appealing as ever, displaying his considerable talent for quirky comedy. Reunited with Jones in their 3rd film together is the equally appealing Suzanne Pleshette. With less to do than Jones, she still makes a good impression as the understanding Mrs Daniels.
Don Tait's screenplay, suggested by the Felix Salten novel The Hound of Florence, is his 5th screenplay for the studio and adheres rigidly to the cookie cutter approach adopted by Disney in this era. True to form, we have some broad slapstick humour, the inevitable car chase and the expected police car pile up. All achieved by some unconvincing back projection. Director Robert Stevenson had a 20 year association with the studio and this was to be his last feature before retiring. Responsible for classics such as Old Yeller (1957) and Mary Poppins (1964), The Shaggy D.A. must be regarded as one of his lesser works.
Still, I enjoyed this film as a child and get a nostalgic kick out of it as an adult. It doesn't quite live up to the weird and wonderful original but is certainly worth a watch if you like this sort of thing. Not quite Best in Show then, but a likeable mutt of a movie nonetheless.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of The Shaggy D.A. Link below.
Dogs in home office
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Government: Do you job from home
Herding Dogs:
(via Fyroth)
“Every dog must have his day..” . . . (March 2018) #HimachalPradesh #Grahan #Kasol #Himalayas #India #Earth #PlanetEarth #parvativalley #mountains #Nature #VrVkrm #Gaddi #sheepdog #mastiff #tibetanmastiff (at Grahan Village) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3e3Xw_HiyM/?igshid=1huqblgklzdwb