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.