Francis in the Navy

Not only can this mule talk, but he can act!!! How did they ever teach him to act so well? Its amazing. You never see any decent acting mules in today's movies, let alone one that can act.

"Francis in the Navy" showcases the titular mule at his best, proving that Francis is not only a scene-stealer but also an essential part of the film's charm. His legacy is not just that of a humorous animal sidekick but as an iconic character who broke the mold for how animals were portrayed on screen. Francis's performance in this film is a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of classic Hollywood entertainment.

This is the sixth and final film of the series produced by Universal that included Donald O'Connor, and director Arthur Lubin, who created the sequence. It would be charitable to state that this entry is up to the best of its antecedents, as O'Connor's tongue-tied routine as the chowderheaded sidekick of Francis the talking mule has become rather exhausting for audiences by the time of this release. Army lieutenant Peter Stirling (O'Connor) is advised by Francis that the mule has been "drafted" into the Navy and is positioned as surplus to be auctioned at the Coronado (Calif.) base. While attempting to regain Francis' freedom, Peter is mistaken for a lookalike bosn's mate, Slicker Donovan, is captured by the Shore Patrol and must then reestablish his correct identity while disinvolving himself from various examples of pulchritude with which the rakish Slicker has supplied him by default through their personality exchange. These latter include several of the studio's most highly considered contract starlets, including Martha Hyer, Leigh Snowden and Myrna Hansen, with the always enjoyable Virginia O'Brien attempting a comeback of sorts while restricted to a single scene. The ever efficient Lubin obtains maximum mileage from the dual performance of O'Connor, who stated after the film's completion that he found troubling the larger volume of fan mail received by the mule when compared with his own. Perhaps more telling is the failure of the popular actor to develop his character, a lack made clear by his adroit variant as Slicker. There is also a significant reduction in the use of Francis, and the minimal dialogue given to Chill Wills (his voice) lacks wit and is consequently delivered with scant spirit. Contributing most to the movie's potential appeal are early appearances of subsequently well-known actors, including Paul Burke, David Janssen, Martin Milner and, in his first credited role, Clint Eastwood. Despite the potentially interesting identity crisis involving O'Connor's two roles, it is plain that termination of involvement in the series by the director and star is a move to guard against further erosion of the lead characters' appeal

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.

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

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.