Disneyana

I’ve written before about my love of Great Danes, including Scooby-Doo & a large piece of chalkware, but one of my absolute favorite Great Dane things is the movie The Ugly Dachshund.

Walt Disney Presents The Ugly Dachshund

It’s a goofy & somewhat sappy retro Walt Disney film from 1966, featuring humans, not animated characters. In it Mark Garrison (played by Dean Jones) is married to Fran (Suzanne Pleshette), a little woman who loves her pedigreed dachshund Danke. He plays hen-pecked hubby to the delivery of Danke’s three puppies — and beyond, while Fran and her wiener dogs rule the roost. So when Mark is offered a “real man’s dog,” a Great Dane puppy, by the family vet, Mark takes the dog home and names him Brutus.

To say that Fran does not like the big “ugly” beast is an understatement. She not only doesn’t appreciate Brutus as a potential champion, like Danke is and (Fran hopes) Danke’s pups will be, but Fran finds Brutus lacking in, ah, shall we say “grace?”

The pup’s size & awkwardness (something Dane lovers find charming), is only aggravated by the fact that Brutus believes he too is a Dachshund, and tries to do what the little dogs do. The situation is further exacerbated (exploited) by Danke’s pups, who are terribly naughty and manage to leave the scene just as momma Fran walks in — leaving Brutus looking like the sole culprit. Ah, the Disney animal hijinks!

When Brutus is framed for destroying a fabulously retro (yet rather racist) Oriental themed garden party, the big dog is about to be kicked out of the Garrison home — but when the gentle giant saves one of the Dachshund puppies from death by garbage truck, Brutus is given another chance. Now it’s just up to Mark to train the big dog.

The Ugly Dachshund On VHS

There’s lots more hilarity, but who wants to ruin the film?

In true Disney fashion, the story ends well — including some comeuppance for Fran. Whether you love Danes, Dachsies, or just love to ogle a young Suzanne Pleshette (and who doesn’t?!), you’ll love this goody retro flick. (Of course, you’ll have to get past the insensitive stereotypical depictions of Asians… But it was 1966, so forgive them.) It’s not just me; the kids adore this film too!

Up until 2004, this film was only available in VHS and you had to pay hefty prices via eBay; but now that it’s on DVD, it’s not only more affordable (both in terms of pricing & the fact that DVDs don’t wear out like tape), but it’s dropped the secondary market prices on the VHS — and you’ll want one, if you’re a collector, because the video box is very different than the DVD packaging.

If you’re a collector, there are lots of Ugly Dachshund things to collect… Film stills, movie posters & other promotional materials, as well as early Disney tie-in merch, like a record album (which included Shaggy Dog songs too).

But one thing I didn’t know about, and so didn’t expect to find, was The Ugly Dachshund Little Golden Book (#D118). When I discovered this copy at a thrift shop, I squealed, had the clerk get it out of the case, hugged it to my chest and then paid the $8. Other than rubbed corners & the previous owner’s name inked in the “belongs to” inside the front cover, it’s clean as a whistle. And whistling I am. Oh happy day at the thrift store!

Ugly Dachshund Little Golden Book

We had the grandkids here over the holidays and they played their CD’s, and raved about the tunes in their iPods. Papa and I listened to some of the songs and except for the ‘rap’, enjoyed the variety and talented artists. It did bring back some memories of ’simpler times’, when we were growing up and listened to vinyls, some with incredible cover art. The best examples were found on the Walt Disney albums.

One of our favorites was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, from United Artists. Who could resist the fantastic flying car on the cover? The family was all together and no one was watching a DVD in the back seat either.

The Ugly Dachshund cover shows Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette (one of hubby’s favorites of all time) leaning forward to smooch over the doghouse. I was somewhat surprised to see that Fred MacMurray was a ‘guest saxophonist’ on this album, who knew? This was from 1965 and not only did you get the ’story/soundtrack’ from that movie but a collection of Shaggie Dog Numbers as well.

Our youngest granddaughter loves the movie The Aristocats and this record sleeve (copyright of 1970) does such a good job of displaying its wide range of characters. From the cool cats in the band (oh-yeah!!!), to the cats’ owner and her lawyer friend, to the geese in hats, they are all a delight.

What vintage Disney album collection would be worth its salt without some songs from Mickey Mouse. We found this colorful cover from the Mouse Factory with Mickey and his Friends. And they are all accounted for, Pluto, Donald, Goofy too. This one has a copyright of 1972.

But the real show-stopper is this album from 1979 – called Mickey Mouse Disco! Mickey is dressed so well, at first we thought he was John Travolta! You can almost see the spinning disco ball, huh?

Now, with all these great graphics, you’d think these albums were quite expensive. But they are not. We checked internet sites and found that many were listed, and few sold and those that did were under $10. If you are considering re-decorating the kids’ rooms, a guest room, office, TV room or bar, why not put some of these in a frame? They are colorful, have characters we all know and love, and bring back fond memories for us old-fogies. And most of the younger kids would love them as well. And they sell for less for less than record-breaking prices.