Search - My Dog, the Thief on DVD

Hilarious hi-jinks of St. Bernard

microjoe | 04/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THE STORY: This kind of fun filled family movie is really hard to find anymore. Right from the fun opening song and opening credits, this animal comedy caper movie starts with a laugh and never stops. It is the story of a St. Bernard named Barabbas (after the biblical thief) that has been through 8 owners, all who give him up since he escapes from home to steal stuff. Barabbas spends a lot of time running from the dog catcher. He takes lunch bags, gloves, and the other things that interest a dog out for a stroll and he usually drops it somewhere when it doesn't interest him anymore. But he meets the helicopter pilot (Dwayne Hickman) for a radio station whose traffic reporting puts people to sleep and they hit it off - and together on the air they turn the sagging ratings around. During an unscheduled stop for a dogy break, the dog steals a lunchbox from some real thieves, and it has a million dollar necklace inside. The pilot, his new girl Mary Ann Mobley), and the dog are in danger from the desperate thieves when the dog is kidnapped. And all of this is occurring while the pilot tries to keep his horse-sized dog hidden from his landlady. If you like dogs, you will really connect with this movie.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Directed by a Disney powerhouse, Robert Stevenson, who directed over 20 of the studio's biggest hits including Darby O'Gill, Mary Poppins, Blackbeards Ghost, The Love Bug, Kidnapped, The Absent Minded Professor, and Old Yeller just to mention a few. One of the things that really works in this movie is the great supporting cast, all of which had been in other Disney features. Elsa Lanchester as apartment landlady and Disney regular Joe Flynn as the radio station manager are two perfect examples. Charles Lane has a bit part as the owner of a dog food company. Roger C. Carmel and Michael Shaugnessy are the bungling jewel thieves. The catchy opening song was written by Terry Gilkyson, who also wrote "The Bare Necessities" song for Disney's The Jungle Book. The song really explains and sets the stage for what is to come. This was originally created as a movie for the weekly "Wonderful World of Disney" show, and it aired for the first time as a two part episode on September 21 & 28 1969. It re-aired 19 April of 1975, and again on July 1979. It was also edited to be released theatrically to the overseas market in 1970, and this is the version we see here. It was done so well, that you can't spot any places where they usually edit for commercials.

DVD ISSUE: January 2006 saw the movie's release to DVD, in a full screen format and mono sound as it was originally filmed for television. The strange part is that the color on my old VHS release is much better than the new DVD, where they did not bother to do a re-master or improve the picture in any way. There are no extra features her either, no cartoons, or behind the scenes footage. Bottom line is, save your old copy of the VHS, until a better copy comes out. The movie itself is a favorite of mine, charming and funny, much better than many more well-known Disney movies."

Very good

Moia Giorgio | Italy Europe | 06/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"good morning
I am italian and I have had a San Bernardo dog .
I try to find on internet every movies about this type of dog
and I have very happy to have that dvd .
In my country this dvd don't exist .
excuse me for the grammar errors during this letter .
Best regards ."

Loved It!!

M. Bonham | Tennessee | 07/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After having this movie for 3 years, I just now watched it today. And I have to say that this movie was hilarious! This is a great movie to watch with your kids. You will honestly be laughing through out the whole movie.
Can't believe it took me so long to watch it!!!"

A must for dog lovers

Raynette C. Brown | north charleston,sc | 05/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"a must have for fans of walt disney or dogs lovers. a dog as a thief you
wont stop laughing till the end of the flimdis"