Francis Goes to West Point

This is the third in the Francis, the Talking Mule series. It begins with Peter and Francis at a plant where they save the building from being blown up. So Stirling now ends up at West Point. Some later familiar faces turn up here: David Janssen (credited as Dave, later of "The Fugitive") and James Best (yes, the later Roscoe P. Coltrane on "The Dukes of Hazzard"!) as a couple of guards at the place giving Peter a hard time, and Leonard Nimoy (partially recognizable as a younger version of Mr. Spock from the original "Star Trek" despite not wearing his hair with bangs and no pointy ears!) as one of the cadet football players. As usual, the funniest scenes involve Chill Wills' voice as the mule and his interactions with not only Donald O'Connor but some of the supporting players who discover Francis talking to them. So on that note, Francis Goes to West Point is worth a look.

'Francis Goes to West Point' is, for me, the least enjoyable entry of the first three films from this series.

I obviously didn't tally it all up exactly, but this 1952 release seems to include more Stirling and less Francis - which is an odd choice, if we aren't here for the mule then what we doing?! Not that more Francis would've improved this, but you get my point. A second army-related storyline across just three productions - coupled with the (now usual) repetitiveness - also makes things feel boring.

This is the same as its predecessors when it comes to the cast: Donald O'Connor good, rest meh. I haven't seen the show myself, but 'Star Trek' fans may spot a certain Leonard Nimoy appear in this.

'Francis Covers the Big Town' is up next!

The third in the FRANCIS THE TALKING MULE series is yet another ordinary affair, with nothing much to recommend in it. The setting is military school, with Francis missing in action far too much of the time, as well as most of the laughs, apparently. The only thing interesting for me was spotting a very young Leonard Nimoy as a cadet late into the film.

It's a shame that more entertainment was not accomplished with this formula, as Donald O'Connor and his jabbering jackass had the potential for being an entertaining pair together.

** out of ****

It lacks the warmth found in the original film, but it is certainly funnier and has a better storyline than the second installment. Some audiences may be put off by the military setting considering that this film is supposed to be a light family film, but it does add some tensions to the story.

Francis the Mule is not quite the center of attention (It is as though the film should be called "Peter Goes to West Point"), but his role is much more involved here than it was in the second film. In fact, the film shift the attention away from Peter Stirling to Francis towards the end of the film.

On the whole, this film is worth your time whether or not you are a fan of the series.

I have to admit, this film has nothing much to recommend it except for the fact that it was among the very first movies I ever saw. I believe it was in the Fox Theater in New Orleans, off Elysee Blvd. way, way back there. I know I was young enough to be mightily impressed at how on earth they got a mule to talk! I'm still not sure.

Anyway, Donald O'Connor is one of the more underrated musical comedy guys from back then, and the show as a whole is pleasantly sawdust-brained. It's part of my education in films, and I love it just for that.