Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Overlooked Movies: Francis (The Talking Mule)

Before there was Mr. Ed, there was Francis.  Some you know me as a "hip" and "with it" kind of guy, very sophisticated and debonair.  Others of you have read my comments on movies like The Mouse that Roared and Carry On Nurse (not to mention The Good Humor Man) and realize that I'm actually a slapstick-loving hayseed.  And if you're not convinced of that already, well, this post should do the trick.  Because, you see, I loved the series of movies about Francis, the talking mule.  There were quite a few of them, and I saw most of them in the theater, laughing all the way.

The setup in the first on in the series is simple. It's a service comedy. Donald O'Connor is a soldier lost in the jungles of Burma.  He happens to run into a mule that talks.  More importantly, the mule knows the way back to the base, so O'Connor is saved.  Naturally the mule won't talk to anyone but O'Connor, but that's okay at first. Then O'Connor is assigned to intelligence work and starts coming up with great intel.  Which all comes from Francis.  O'Connor, who cannot tell a lie, thought to be nutty.  Hilarity ensues.  Or it does if you're like me, which you probably aren't.

At the end of every one of these movies, things are made all right when Francis finally speaks up to a group of people.  Nobody remembers that by the time of the next movie, though, so it all begins again.  Francis is voiced by Chill Wills, and he has all the best lines in the movies.  Donald O'Connor doesn't sing and dance, more's the pity, but I never saw him in a movie in which he didn't do a fine job, as he does here.  Sometime when you're feeling the need of a little craziness, take a look at Francis.

7 comments:

Dale said...

One of my favorite movie series

Undine said...

I miss movies like this.

I really, really do.

Anonymous said...

Is it mere coincidence that you posted this at Christmas? To a kid who grew up in Cleveland in the '50s, it makes perfect sense that you ran this today. You may think I'm hallucinating, but I swear this is true. For 2 or 3 years when the Francis movies were popular, one of the second-string department stores downtown - Sterling Lindner Davis - had Francis as a secondary Christmas attraction for the kids. You could sit on Santa's lap, of course, but you could also visit Francis - a full-size puppet in a Christmassy barn stall tableaux. His neck would bob and lips would move as Chill Wills' voice (or at least a fair imitation) asked if you'd been good and what did you want for Christmas? At the close of the chat, a wrapped present would slide down a chute and off you'd go. I was there, honest to my grandma! Anybody else out there have a holiday visit with Francis?

Art Scott

Unknown said...

I never doubted it for a second. I wish I'd been lucky enough to visit with Francis.

James Reasoner said...

I watched all the Francis movies on TV when I was a kid and loved them.

Unknown said...

You whippersnappers missed out on seeing them on the big screen. Or what passed for the big screen in the old days.

Cap'n Bob said...

I saw the first one or two at the movies, but the rest on TV. I've always liked them. Francis had a wiseacre attitude, which I like.