The Shaggy D.A. - Plot

Plot

Wilby Daniels (Dean Jones) is now a successful attorney who is married to Betty (Suzanne Pleshette), and they have a son named Brian (Shane Sinutko). Returning to the town of Medfield from a vacation, the family discovers that they have been robbed of almost all their possessions and Wilby blames the local district attorney John Slade (Keenan Wynn), who is reputed to have connections with organized crime, particularly with warehouse owner Edward "Fast Eddie" Roshak (Vic Tayback). After being robbed a second time later that night (along with their Navy admiral neighbor), Wilby vows to run for district attorney to make his town safe again.

Meanwhile, the two thugs who had robbed the Daniels', Freddie (Richard Bakalyan) and Dip (Warren Berlinger), observe the Borgia ring at the local museum and assume it might fetch a large sum so they steal it. The ugly ring with a scarab on it can only be pawned off to local bumbling ice cream salesman Tim, who is the owner of a large Old English Sheepdog named Elwood. Tim figures he will give the ring to his girlfriend Katrinka, a local roller derby star and pastry assistant.

While dressing himself in preparation for a live television broadcast to announce his candidacy, Wilby hears a report of the Borgia ring being stolen. He freezes in terror, then reveals his former shape-shifting secret to his wife who is certain his story cannot be true; he warns her that if the inscription on the ring ("In canis corpore transmuto") is spoken aloud he will turn into a shaggy dog. Soon afterwards, Wilby is moments before his live television debut as Tim discovers the inscription on the ring and reads it aloud, causing Elwood to disappear – only to reappear moments later as he takes over Wilby’s body. Moments before the cameras roll, Brian notices that shaggy hair is growing all over his father who reacts in horror as he realizes he is turning into a dog. He rushes from the house and cameras in his dog form and briefly confounds Tim who can’t understand why his dog Elwood suddenly can speak. The spell wears off and Wilby is now in his human form again and determined to find the ring as he faces the prospect of being a candidate in the public eye who never knows when he might turn into a dog.

Soon, Wilby’s fears come true as Katrinka receives the ring and once again the inscription is read, just as Wilby is giving a public address at a ladies garden club (The Daisies). Betty warns him of his shaggy condition a split-second before his canine form would become apparent to all gathered and creates a near riot while trying to escape. Once again, Tim finds Wilby in Elwood’s form and in convinced that his talking dog could make millions; when Tim wanders off momentarily Wilby returns to his human form, leaving a silent Elwood to confound Tim further. Meanwhile, an agent (Dick Van Patten) of Wilby’s rival John Slade gets suspicious as to why Wilby keeps disappearing.

Desperate to find the ring, the hunt leads to Katrinka who seems to have lost it in a vat of cherry pie filling intended for a John Slade fundraiser. Offering a reward to whoever finds the ring Katrinka and her colleagues go into a mad dash to find it, eventually escalating into a large-scale pie fight. In the pandemonium, the ring once again finds itself in the hands of the local thugs who this time attempt to pass it off to an undercover police detective. Once again in the hands of the museum, the inscription is read aloud as a point of reference; in the middle of the police station, Wilby (who had arrived to confirm the ring had been recovered) finds himself turning into Elwood once again. This time, Slade’s agent puts two and two together when he overhears the museum’s curator explaining the ring’s reputed power, and how his predecessor (from the first film) told him a story of a young man turned into a sheepdog years ago. Slade is informed of this weakness in his rival, is dubious at first and then invites Wilby to his office to test out the theory.

Slade invites Wilby to his office and advises him to withdraw his campaign. Wilby refuses and tells Slade that when he is elected, he will have him investigated regarding his criminal connections. Slade then reveals he has his ring. With a reading of the inscription, Slade is thrilled to see Wilby Daniels turn into a shaggy dog right before his eyes and makes a call to the local pound. Wilby escapes hearing Slade repeat the inscription several times, which guarantees that the spell will not wear off and he will be trapped in a dog’s form for some time to come.

Wilby eventually disguises himself as a female roller-derby competitor to elude Slade, who as district attorney has the entire police force and animal control at his disposal. Eventually, Wilby is caught and taken to the local dog pound where he is able to understand the other dogs, who band together to help him escape.

With the help of Tim (who, until finally told by Wilby, still thinks his dog Elwood can speak) and Brian, Wilby gets evidence that John Slade is connected to organized crime. Wilby and Tim trick Slade into showing up at Roshak's warehouse and Wilby uses a tape recorder to collect information that confirms Slade's wrongdoings. With the help of his dog friends from the pound, he also manages to retrieve the ring from John Slade, who unfortunately has read the inscription so many times aloud that the curse has now passed onto him as he transforms into a bulldog. A happy ending for all as Wilby gets elected district attorney, Slade is supposedly jailed (it is never actually revealed) and Tim gets engaged to Katrinka; together they adopt Wilby’s dog friends from the pound.