The Ugly Dachshund
Fran Garrison's all in a tizzy because her prize Dachshund, Danke, is having pups, and she has hopes of one of the pups becoming a champion. But at the vet's, her husband Mark is talked into letting Danke wet nurse a Great Dane pup that's been abandoned by his mother. And Mark wants to keep the Great Dane. But Brutus has this problem: he thinks he's a dachshund and he's too big to be a lapdog. But when Fran ridicules Brutus one too many times, Mark's got a plan to prove to everyone (and Fran) that a great Dane can be far more than just an ugly dachshund.
The film earned $13.5M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Ugly Dachshund (1966) exhibits carefully calibrated story structure, characteristic of Norman Tokar's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 33 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.7, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Mark Garrison
Fran Garrison
Dr. Pruitt
Brutus (The Great Dane)
Danke
Main Cast & Characters
Mark Garrison
Played by Dean Jones
An illustrator who adopts a Great Dane puppy thinking it's a dachshund, leading to household chaos as the dog grows unexpectedly large.
Fran Garrison
Played by Suzanne Pleshette
Mark's wife who is devoted to raising champion dachshunds and initially resistant to the oversized Great Dane disrupting her carefully ordered life.
Dr. Pruitt
Played by Charlie Ruggles
The veterinarian who tricks Mark into adopting the Great Dane puppy, serving as the catalyst for the film's central conflict.
Brutus (The Great Dane)
Played by Animal Performer
The enormous Great Dane who thinks he's a dachshund, causing comedic chaos while remaining lovably oblivious to his size and clumsiness.
Danke
Played by Animal Performer
Fran's prized female dachshund and mother of puppies, representing the ordered world that Brutus disrupts.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Mark and Fran Garrison live in domestic harmony with their beloved dachshund Danke, who is about to have puppies. Their home is perfectly organized around their small dogs.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Dr. Pruitt persuades Mark to take in Brutus, an orphaned Great Dane puppy whose mother died. Mark agrees, thinking it will be temporary and that Brutus will stay small like his "siblings.".. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 23 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Mark definitively decides to keep Brutus despite Fran's objections and the dog's massive size. He commits to helping Brutus find his place in the family, crossing into the world of managing chaos., moving from reaction to action.
At 46 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Brutus causes a major disaster at a garden party, humiliating Fran in front of her society friends. Fran gives Mark an ultimatum: Brutus must go. The stakes are raised - it's now about the marriage itself., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 69 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Brutus causes a catastrophic incident that appears to injure one of the dachshunds. Fran demands Brutus be removed immediately. Mark faces losing either his dog or his wife - his efforts have failed completely., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 74 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Mark realizes the solution: take both the dachshunds AND Brutus to the dog show, letting each compete as what they truly are. He decides to help Brutus embrace his Great Dane identity instead of forcing him to be something he's not., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Ugly Dachshund's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping The Ugly Dachshund against these established plot points, we can identify how Norman Tokar utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Ugly Dachshund within the comedy genre.
Norman Tokar's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Norman Tokar films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Ugly Dachshund represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Norman Tokar filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Norman Tokar analyses, see The Apple Dumpling Gang.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Mark and Fran Garrison live in domestic harmony with their beloved dachshund Danke, who is about to have puppies. Their home is perfectly organized around their small dogs.
Theme
Dr. Pruitt, the veterinarian, comments: "Every dog has to be what he is" - establishing the theme of identity and accepting one's true nature.
Worldbuilding
Danke gives birth to three dachshund puppies. Fran becomes obsessively devoted to the dachshunds. Mark's role in the household is established as subordinate to the dogs. Dr. Pruitt introduces the orphaned Great Dane puppy.
Disruption
Dr. Pruitt persuades Mark to take in Brutus, an orphaned Great Dane puppy whose mother died. Mark agrees, thinking it will be temporary and that Brutus will stay small like his "siblings."
Resistance
Mark tries to integrate Brutus into the household while Fran resists. Brutus bonds with the dachshund puppies and begins mimicking their behavior. Mark debates whether keeping Brutus is a good idea as the puppy grows rapidly.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Mark definitively decides to keep Brutus despite Fran's objections and the dog's massive size. He commits to helping Brutus find his place in the family, crossing into the world of managing chaos.
Mirror World
Mark's neighbor and friend Eddie provides comic relief and thematic contrast - he accepts chaos and unpredictability in life, while Mark tries to impose order on an impossible situation.
Premise
The "fun and games" of Brutus thinking he's a dachshund. He destroys furniture, crashes through doors, chases small animals like his tiny siblings, and creates domestic havoc while remaining lovably oblivious to his size.
Midpoint
Brutus causes a major disaster at a garden party, humiliating Fran in front of her society friends. Fran gives Mark an ultimatum: Brutus must go. The stakes are raised - it's now about the marriage itself.
Opposition
Mark tries desperately to train Brutus to behave properly while Fran pushes harder to get rid of him. Brutus's identity crisis deepens - he doesn't understand why he's punished for doing what the dachshunds do. Marital tension escalates.
Collapse
Brutus causes a catastrophic incident that appears to injure one of the dachshunds. Fran demands Brutus be removed immediately. Mark faces losing either his dog or his wife - his efforts have failed completely.
Crisis
Mark contemplates giving up Brutus. He realizes the problem isn't Brutus being a Great Dane among dachshunds - it's that no one (including Brutus) has accepted what Brutus truly is. Dark night of doubt and soul-searching.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Mark realizes the solution: take both the dachshunds AND Brutus to the dog show, letting each compete as what they truly are. He decides to help Brutus embrace his Great Dane identity instead of forcing him to be something he's not.
Synthesis
At the dog show, Brutus initially struggles but ultimately embraces his true nature as a Great Dane. The dachshunds also compete. Brutus proves himself in the Great Dane category while the family learns to accept both breeds for what they are.
Transformation
Final image mirrors the opening: the Garrison household with their dogs. But now Brutus is fully accepted as a Great Dane, the dachshunds have their place, and Mark and Fran have learned that everyone (dogs and people) must be allowed to be what they truly are.