Francis, le mulet qui parle

When Mr. Ed appeared as a TV series, I thought to myself, "They're stealing Francis's thunder. We saw these movies in our local theater. It was about seven or eight years after they came out. That's the thing with small town theaters. But this was what made them great. Francis is an Army mule and he has insights into what is going on because he can eavesdrop on conversations without being suspected. Donald O'Connor, the great song and dance man, becomes Francis's foil. He receives information. After getting over the fact that the mule can talk, he is put in terrible situations where he may have to reveal where he gets his information. Of course, Francis ain't talking to anybody else. Poor Donald. He goes through this time after time after time. I guess I saw more of these movies. I just don't remember them. As a kid it was a kick.

The idea of "Francis" is clearly ridiculous and cannot possibly work. After all, Francis is a mule that talks!!! Amazingly, while a thoroughly ridiculous idea, Universal Studios managed to make it work for two reasons. First, Chill Wills' voice and dialog was perfect as Francis. Second, the writing was terrific and they made the very most of what material they were given.

The story is told in a flashback, as Peter (Donald O'Connor) tells his boss about his war exploits. During this long story, Peter recounts how he discovered a talking mule while on duty in the Pacific during WWII...and Francis not only can talk, but he's a heck of a lot smarter than Peter! Using Francis' help, Peter manages to impress his commander when again and again, he manages to know exactly what the Japanese are going to do next! But Peter makes the huge mistake of telling them where he got in the information...and they naturally think he's flipped his lid! What's next? Well, see the film.

Whether or not you enjoy "Francis" depends on whether you see it in the first place. I think the concept seems so goofy that most folks wouldn't try the film on a dare! Well, I dare you to try it...and don't be surprised if, like me, you really like it!

It is not hard to see why this film was so popular when it was released theatrically, and easy to understand why it failed to create a new generation of fans. Apparently, it is not a film worthy of being a classic, since there is nothing special about this film. In fact, it is inferior to a similarly-themed family classic released in the same year, "Harvey", starring James Stewart. In both films, the central character is accused of being mentally unsound for communicating with animals.

Still, this is a well-made movie with reasonably good writing and direction, featuring talented casts which elevated the film. In particular, Donald O'Connor displayed as much acting range here as James Stewart did in "Harvey". Both of them have this rare ability to emit boyish innocence, something which is even rarer nowadays. Best known for his comedic second-banana performance and exuberant dancing in "Singin' in the Rain", he has the opportunity to display his dramatic acting ability that is sadly overlooked.

This film is definitely a good option if you want to have an enjoyable time with the young children.

A young soldier Peter Stirling was saved from the Bermese jungles in war time by a talking mule, but nobody believed him until the intelligence information from the mule saved the whole base from Japanese bombers. The truthful soldier Stirling didn't know how to lie about his source of information, the talking army Mule, Francis, so he was treated as a lunatic and led to one after another hilarious situations where the mule is the only one that appears sane. In the process of all this, the mule assisted in uncovering a spy, Mareen, who pretended to be lost among the jungles, but was actually...

Perfect family film, even amusing to the adults. If people all have enough sense as this talking mule does, the world will be a much better place than its present condition.

I just saw this again. I can't remember exactly when I saw it first, must be 45 years ago. This movie is just plain silly fun. I thought I might be disappointed, it being so long since I saw it last I figured childhood memories would be mystical and bright, and I was partially correct. I remember thoroughly enjoying this, and tonight I laughed again. My wife saw it for the first time and loved it also. Don't expect an intense or intricate plot. If you like silly, fun family movies, then watch this. My 3 year old watched it with us. I hope to eventually see the others. This is a classic I am glad I saw again. IMDb wants more lines, what more can I say? A hilarious fun flick the whole family will enjoy.