Francis, le mulet qui parle

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.

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!

I remember watching this movie as a young child, and it is one of my sweetest memories. I used to rush to eat my dinner (or not eat at all) so I could sit in front of the television for the Sunday Matinée, which always played family movies. The Francis series is one of my favorites.

Who could resist a talking mule (particularly with that squeaky-gate voice supplied by veteran actor Chill Wills) or the innocent face of Donald O'Connor as they're coming to take him away one more time (for insisting that the mule could speak)? Not this child.

One of the best all-time children's series of the post WW2 era -- one I would share with any child -- or anyone who is a child at heart.

After years of only reading about this series, I finally watched the first entry starring Donald O'Connor with Chill Wills as the voice of the talking mule known as Francis. Donald tells his banker boss about his World War II exploits as the film flashes back to when he was a second lieutenant in the army. So he encounters Francis and when he tells his superiors how he got certain info, that's when the fun starts. I was quite guffawing at many of the scenes and lines even though the DVD I saw this on has some scenes skipping. (Thank goodness one of them wasn't the brief shot of Tony Curtis in one of his earliest appearances especially since I just watched his future wife, Janet Leigh, in Words and Music!) So on that note, I recommend Francis. P.S. Since I always like to cite when someone from my favorite movie-It's a Wonderful Life-is in something else, here it's Frank Faylen as a soldier who spits a lot!

JoeKarlosi, if you didn't like this movie, then you most certainly won't like the remainder of the series.

I grew up watching the entire Francis series, as well as the Ma and Pa Kettle movies. The object of these movies was nothing more than entertainment. In that vein, the directors did quite well. This includes Francis Joins the WACs, Francis Joines the Navy, and Francis at the Races.

Sit back, clear your mind, and enjoy the movies. View them as nothing but mind candy. Thinking is not required. In today's era of mega-budget movies with dark overtones, these are quite refreshing. Think back to the days of our youth, when we were concerned not with the problems of the world, but with how to spend that quarter burning a hole in your pocket.