My Dog the Thief (1969)

Best movie of this year hands down!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

It's a very cute Wonderful World of Disney Television movie from the early sixties. Produced by Ron Miller in 1963 before Walt died but after he gave control of it's TV movie departments over to others. It still has that Disney touch, but not in the same way as Norman Tokar movies of an earlier period. It's generally about a traffic reporter who ends up with a thieving St. Bernard who gets into trouble. Two bumbling thieves and a jewel heist. It's actually got a lot of charm and cute jokes in it. It has that Disney feel of that time period, a bit corny, but in our world who can't use sweet charm and humor?For anyone who grew up watching television in the early seventies, The Actor who Played Doby Gillis is in it, as well as a few background actors from other series such as Bewitched, Star Trek, and other seventies series.

According to the good folks at Disney/Buena Vista, "Jack Crandall (Dwayne Hickman) flies a helicopter for a radio station. But, Crandall's traffic reports are caught in a bad-ratings tailspin ... until a huge St. Bernard dog named Barabbas stows away on the craft, sending the program's ratings through the clouds! - But, both Crandall and his girlfriend Kim (Mary Ann Mobley) are unaware that Barabbas is a hopeless kleptomaniac…" But, you'll know, after viewing the doggone donut-loving canine's crime spree. Somebody ought to have called the dogcatcher on this one. To be continued next week, if you haven't already switched over to Ed Sullivan or "The F.B.I."… ** My Dog, the Thief, pt 1 (9/21/69) Robert Stevenson ~ Dwayne Hickman, Mary Ann Mobley, Elsa Lanchester

Jack Crandall (Dwayne Hickman) is a traffic reporter who seems to put his audience to sleep. One day, a stray St. Bernard dog hops in the back of Jack's helicopter and helps him create a new, exciting format for future traffic updates. Jack is fortunate enough to acquire a lovely new neighbor (Mary Ann Mobley), also. The darling doggy, however, has a past life as a kleptomaniac and he continues to create havoc at work, at home, everywhere. When he steals a priceless necklace, however, the real jewel thieves are eager to kidnap a canine. Is there a way out of this mess?This is a fine family film with a wonderful cast, especially Elsa Lanchester and Joe Flynn, in their supporting roles as apartment owner and radio station manager, respectively. Dog lovers will drool over the movie, naturally, as well. Then, too, the innocent quality of the film making is almost a lost art these days. Steal away to the family room with your loved ones and enjoy the fun as the show unfolds. Although the movie may be difficult to locate, those who do will find a serenity and humor that is a haven from the outside world.