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.
Director:
Writers:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Donald O'Connor | ... |
2nd Lt. Peter Stirling
|
|
| Patricia Medina | ... |
Maureen Gelder
|
|
| Zasu Pitts | ... |
Nurse Valerie Humpert
|
|
| Ray Collins | ... |
Colonel Hooker
|
|
| John McIntire | ... |
Lt. General Stevens
(as John McIntyre)
|
|
| Eduard Franz | ... |
Colonel Plepper
|
|
| Howland Chamberlain | ... |
Major Nadel
|
|
 |
James Todd | ... |
Colonel Saunders
|
| Robert Warwick | ... |
Col.onelCarmichael
|
|
| Frank Faylen | ... |
Sergeant Chillingbacker
|
|
| Tony Curtis | ... |
Captain Jones
(as Anthony Curtis)
|
|
| Mikel Conrad | ... |
Maj.or Garber
|
|
| Loren Tindall | ... |
Major Richards
|
|
| Charles Meredith | ... |
Banker Munroe
|
|
| Molly | ... |
Francis
(as Francis)
|
|
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Fred Aldrich | ... |
Nathanial - Soldier Patient in Psychiatric Ward (uncredited)
|
|
| Robert Anderson | ... |
Captain Grant (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Robert Blunt | ... |
Second Ambulance Man (uncredited)
|
|
|
Laura K. Brooks | ... |
Visitor (uncredited)
|
| Steve Carruthers | ... |
Officer at Officer's Club (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Roger Cole | ... |
Correspondent (uncredited)
|
|
|
Robert Conte | ... |
Photographer (uncredited)
|
| Helen Dickson | ... |
Bank Customer (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Richard Farmer | ... |
Marine Corps Captain (uncredited)
|
| Al Ferguson | ... |
Captain Dean (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Harold Fong | ... |
Japanese Soldier (uncredited)
|
|
|
Jack Gargan | ... |
Bank Employee (uncredited)
|
|
|
Tim Graham | ... |
Lieutenant Bremm (uncredited)
|
| Creighton Hale | ... |
Bank Employee (uncredited)
|
|
| Sam Harris | ... |
Officer in Service Club (uncredited)
|
|
| Harry Harvey | ... |
Correspondent (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Jim Hayward | ... |
Captain Norman (uncredited)
|
| Judd Holdren | ... |
First Ambulance Man (uncredited)
|
|
| Ted Jordan | ... |
General's Aide (uncredited)
|
|
| Marvin Kaplan | ... |
First Medical Corps lieutenant (uncredited)
|
|
| Colin Kenny | ... |
Officer at Plane Departure (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Joseph Kim | ... |
Japanese Lieutenant Taki (uncredited)
|
|
|
John Laing | ... |
Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
|
|
|
Jack Laird | ... |
Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
|
|
|
Walter Lawrence | ... |
Officer at Staff Meeting (uncredited)
|
|
|
James Linn | ... |
Correspondent (uncredited)
|
|
|
Mickey McCardle | ... |
Captain Anderson (uncredited)
|
|
|
Fraser McMinn | ... |
Second Medical Corps Lieutenant (uncredited)
|
| Roger Moore | ... |
Marine Corps Major (uncredited)
|
|
| Forbes Murray | ... |
Officer at Officer's Club (uncredited)
|
|
| Howard Negley | ... |
Correspondent (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Peter Prouse | ... |
Correspondent (uncredited)
|
|
|
Ervin Richardson | ... |
Officer at Officer's Club (uncredited)
|
|
|
Jon Riffel | ... |
Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
|
| Jeffrey Sayre | ... |
Officer at Officer's Club (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Jack Shutta | ... |
Sergeant Mller (uncredited)
|
| Larry Steers | ... |
Officer at Psychiatric Hearing (uncredited)
|
|
| Guy Way | ... |
Sergeant (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Chalky Williams | ... |
Officer at Officer's Club (uncredited)
|
| Chill Wills | ... |
Francis the Talking Mule (uncredited) (voice)
|
|
| Duke York | ... |
Sergeant Poor - G2 (uncredited)
|
|
Directed by
| Arthur Lubin | ||
Written by
| David Stern | ... | (novel) |
| David Stern | ... | (screenplay) |
Produced by
| Robert Arthur | ... | producer |
Music by
| Frank Skinner | ||
| Walter Scharf | ... | (uncredited) |
Cinematography by
| Irving Glassberg | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Milton Carruth | ||
Art Direction by
| Bernard Herzbrun | ||
| Richard H. Riedel | ||
Set Decoration by
| A. Roland Fields | ||
| Russell A. Gausman | ||
Costume Design by
| Rosemary Odell | ||
Makeup Department
| Joan St. Oegger | ... | hair stylist |
| Bud Westmore | ... | makeup artist |
| Ann Locker | ... | makeup artist (uncredited) |
Production Management
| Edward Dodds | ... | production manager (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| John Sherwood | ... | assistant director (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Leslie I. Carey | ... | sound |
| Corson Jowett | ... | sound |
Special Effects by
| David S. Horsley | ... | special effects |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Glen Adams | ... | still photographer (uncredited) |
| Everett Brown | ... | grip (uncredited) |
| Norton Kurland | ... | gaffer (uncredited) |
| Richard Towers | ... | camera operator (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Ethmer Roten | ... | musician: flute (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Adele Cannon | ... | script supervisor (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Joan Hathaway | ... | dialogue director |
| M.H. Lencer | ... | technical advisor (as Major M.H. Lencer) |
| Dave Fleischer | ... | fixed timing when Francis spoke (uncredited) |
| Lester Hilton | ... | animal trainer (uncredited) |
| Curly Twiford | ... | animal actors supplied by (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Universal Pictures (1950) (United States) (theatrical) (as Universal-International)
- Empire Universal Films (1950) (Canada) (theatrical)
- General Film Distributors (GFD) (1950) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Universal Pictures Proprietary (1950) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Universal Pictures Corporation of Far East (1950) (Philippines) (theatrical)
- Société Anonyme Universal-Film (1950) (France) (theatrical)
- Société Anonyme Universal-Film (1950) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- Nova Film (1950) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Universal Film (1950) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Universal Film (1950) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Universal Filmverleih (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- MCA/Universal Home Video (1994) (United States) (VHS)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Cooperativa Doppiatori Cinematografici (CDC) (italian post-synchronization)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
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. Written by Winston Song |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | You'll remember "Francis" as long as you can LAUGH! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
| Certification |
|
Additional Details
| Also Known As |
|
| Runtime |
|
| Country | |
| Language | |
| Color | |
| Aspect Ratio |
|
| Sound Mix | |
| Filming Locations |
Box Office
| Budget | $150,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | In 1951 Francis became the first animal performer to be awarded a PATSY - The Picture Animal Top Star of the Year. See more » |
| 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. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in It's Showtime (1976). See more » |
| Soundtracks | My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean See more » |
| Crazy Credits | The hand of Peter Stirling open the pages of the novel revealing the credits of the film. See more » |
| Quotes |
Francis the Talking Mule:
I hope to kiss a duck I can talk! See more » |