Francis

1950
Approved
1h 31m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

1.5K

YOUR RATING

Theatrical Trailer from Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Play trailer3:28

2 Videos

8 Photos

Animal Adventure Comedy Drama Family Fantasy War

During World War II, a junior American Army officer, Lt. Peter Stirling, gets sent to the psychiatric ward whenever he insists that an Army mule named Francis speaks to him.During World War II, a junior American Army officer, Lt. Peter Stirling, gets sent to the psychiatric ward whenever he insists that an Army mule named Francis speaks to him.During World War II, a junior American Army officer, Lt. Peter Stirling, gets sent to the psychiatric ward whenever he insists that an Army mule named Francis speaks to him.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

1.5K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos2

Trailer 3:28

Francis

Trailer 0:50

Francis the Talking Mule

Trailer 0:50

Francis the Talking Mule

Photos8

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
In 1951 Francis became the first animal performer to be awarded a PATSY - The Picture Animal Top Star of the Year.

Goofs
When Francis is loaded on a Douglas C-47 to be transported to the US, the insignias on the fuselage show the red bar in the white rectangles on either side of the white star on a blue background. This insignia was not adopted until January 14, 1947, nearly a year and a half after the end of the war on September 2, 1945.

Quotes
Francis the Talking Mule: I hope to kiss a duck I can talk!

Crazy credits
The hand of Peter Stirling open the pages of the novel revealing the credits of the film.

Connections
Featured in It's Showtime (1976)

Soundtracks
My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean
(uncredited)
Traditional Scottish folk song
Performed by Chill Wills

User reviews21

Review

Featured review

7/10

Endearing family entertainment

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.