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Francis

  • 19501950
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Francis (1950)
Theatrical Trailer from Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Play trailer3:28
2 Videos
11 Photos
ComedyDramaFamily

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.

IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Arthur Lubin
  • Writer
    • David Stern(novel)
  • Stars
    • Donald O'Connor
    • Patricia Medina
    • Zasu Pitts
Top credits
  • Director
    • Arthur Lubin
  • Writer
    • David Stern(novel)
  • Stars
    • Donald O'Connor
    • Patricia Medina
    • Zasu Pitts
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 18User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    Francis
    Trailer 3:28
    Francis
    Francis the Talking Mule
    Trailer 0:50
    Francis the Talking Mule

    Photos11

    Francis (1950)
    Francis (1950)
    Francis (1950)
    Patricia Medina in Francis (1950)
    Donald O'Connor and Chill Wills in Francis (1950)
    Donald O'Connor and Chill Wills in Francis (1950)
    Patricia Medina and Donald O'Connor in Francis (1950)
    Francis (1950)
    Francis (1950)
    Francis (1950)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Donald O'Connor
    Donald O'Connor
    • 2nd Lt. Peter Stirlingas 2nd Lt. Peter Stirling
    Patricia Medina
    Patricia Medina
    • Maureen Gelderas Maureen Gelder
    Zasu Pitts
    Zasu Pitts
    • Nurse Valerie Humpertas Nurse Valerie Humpert
    Ray Collins
    Ray Collins
    • Colonel Hookeras Colonel Hooker
    John McIntire
    John McIntire
    • Lt. General Stevensas Lt. General Stevens
    • (as John McIntyre)
    Eduard Franz
    Eduard Franz
    • Colonel Plepperas Colonel Plepper
    Howland Chamberlain
    Howland Chamberlain
    • Major Nadelas Major Nadel
    James Todd
    • Colonel Saundersas Colonel Saunders
    Robert Warwick
    Robert Warwick
    • Col.onelCarmichaelas Col.onelCarmichael
    Frank Faylen
    Frank Faylen
    • Sergeant Chillingbackeras Sergeant Chillingbacker
    Tony Curtis
    Tony Curtis
    • Captain Jonesas Captain Jones
    • (as Anthony Curtis)
    Mikel Conrad
    Mikel Conrad
    • Maj.or Garberas Maj.or Garber
    Loren Tindall
    Loren Tindall
    • Major Richardsas Major Richards
    Charles Meredith
    Charles Meredith
    • Banker Munroeas Banker Munroe
    Molly
    Molly
    • Francisas Francis
    • (as Francis)
    Fred Aldrich
    Fred Aldrich
    • Nathanial - Soldier Patient in Psychiatric Wardas Nathanial - Soldier Patient in Psychiatric Ward
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Anderson
    Robert Anderson
    • Captain Grantas Captain Grant
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Blunt
    • Second Ambulance Manas Second Ambulance Man
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Arthur Lubin
    • Writer
      • David Stern(novel) (screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    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 was the only one that appeared in his right mind. In the process of all this, the mule assisted in uncovering a spy, Maureen, who pretended to be lost among the jungles. —Winston Song
    animal character name as titlepsychotronic filmfrancis the mule charactermulehorse4 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • You'll remember "Francis" as long as you can LAUGH!
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Family
      • Fantasy
      • War
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Included among the American Film Institute's 2000 list of the 500 movies nominated for the Top 100 Funniest American Movies.
    • 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 reviews18

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Francis is a good beginning for the series involving a talking mule
    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!
    helpful•3
    0
    • tavm
    • Aug 2, 2015

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 8, 1950 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Fancis
    • Filming locations
      • Conejo Valley Airport - Thousand Oaks Blvd at Moorpark Blvd., Thousand Oaks, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal International Pictures (UI)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $150,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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