Francis in the Navy

With Francis In The Navy Donald O'Connor called it quits with the Francis The Talking Mule series. I guess he decided to call it quits playing second fiddle to a talking jackass. And Chill Wills as the voice of Francis also sad adieu to said mule. The final Francis film would have Mickey Rooney and Paul Frees as the voice of Francis.

In this film Donald O'Connor gets a message from his friend Francis that he's been stuck in the Navy in San Diego and about to be sold as surplus at an auction. O'Connor goes to San Diego but finds he's continually mistaken for a sailor who is a dead ringer for army lieutenant O'Connor. It's only the beginning of the Comedy Of Errors situation with both O'Connor and another non-talking mule who looks like Francis.

So Donald O'Connor gives us two roles for the price of one her. I have to say that it got a little weird and freaky when army O'Connor starts romancing Martha Hyer who is a navy nurse and sister to navy O'Connor. She probably thought so to, both Hyer and her character.

A lot of familiar names who later made a mark on the small screen show up in Francis In The Navy. In the cast are Jim Backus, Paul Burke, David Janssen, and most of all Clint Eastwood who's height makes him hard to miss.

So with 2 for 1 O'Connors Francis In The Navy is a slight somewhat amusing service comedy which should give its viewers some laughs.

Peter comes to this navy base to buy Francis, who is being auctioned as surplus. Meanwhile Peter is having constant problems with navy personnel insisting he must be Slicker. Several times, he is undressed (by men and women) of his army uniform and given a navy uniform. He is sent to the psycho ward for claiming he's not Slicker. Several of the nurses there get amorous with him. One is played by Virginia O'Brien. In the '40s,she appeared in a number of musicals in which she displayed her signature deadpan singing style. Her extremely minor role was her only Hollywood film appearance during a 30 year period. A young Clint Eastwood appears several times as one of the sailors.

I am interested in the boat that this was filmed on. I was wondering if the crew on the boat were actual Navy crew members and how could I get a list. I think I saw my husbands navy buddy on it Lee Lucero and was wondering how I could find out. My husband was aboard the USS TELFAIR ( APA 210 ) same as on the film and he did recognize one of the guys, thinking it may be Lee. Since he did not know exactly where he lived prior, has been hard to locate him. If anyone can help, please email me at shelak2002@yahoo.com I am trying to find this lost Navy buddy and have been looking for years, we saw the film and realized that it had his ship numbers on the ship. WOW, were we surprised. My husband was aboard till late 1954. I have pictures of my husband and Lee but can't seem to actually locate him. The movie was funny and we truly enjoyed it.

Thanks, Sheila Kelley

Romance is hardly at a premium here. Martha Hyer,theso-called leading lady,cannot even touch Donald O'Connor with a 10-foot pole because she is his "sister". O'Connor is a lookalike for a Navy deserter,so the MP's waste no time plucking him off t eh street and throwing him in the brig.

The commander is Jim Backus, who is addled enough to Mr. Magoo several years early---no hope from that quarter.

Francis has been sold at auction as a lab test animal---they use him to measure seasickness levels in humans,He's still more comfortable than O'Connor---who has to live up to his double's reputation as a ladies man and a champion athlete.

The double wants to call it off when :War Games" are announced,so he doesn't miss the action. But Slicker is out cold in the infirmary that day,thanks to O'Connor.

Clint Eastwood has a negligable early role,but you can play "Hey,isn't that?" with at least half a dozen other people;especially if you're a Three Stooges fan.

Just so sleepy at this point.

Even for the time, 'Francis in the Navy' being the sixth 'Francis' film in five years must've been boring as heck. Not that it's a new development, because they arguably all are, but these really are a tedious watch at this point. Francis is again, oddly, in the background.

Despite one more production in 1956, Donald O'Connor decided this was the time to bow out of the series. He does so in relative style, given he portrays two characters - albeit to lame effect, for what it's worth. Clint Eastwood is the pick of the support cast, if only due to who he has since become. He is a little wooden, in what is his first credited role.

I'm actually minorly intrigued to check out 'Francis in the Haunted House' due to somewhat of a mass exodus, with O'Connor, director Arthur Lubin and Francis voice actor Chill Wills all not appearing. Could it be a slight breath of fresh air? I'm leaning the other way, but we'll see.