tavm
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!
ubootsmann
JoeKarlosi, if you didn't like this movie, then you most certainly won't like the remainder of the series.I grew up watching the entire Francis series, as well as the Ma and Pa Kettle movies. The object of these movies was nothing more than entertainment. In that vein, the directors did quite well. This includes Francis Joins the WACs, Francis Joines the Navy, and Francis at the Races.Sit back, clear your mind, and enjoy the movies. View them as nothing but mind candy. Thinking is not required. In today's era of mega-budget movies with dark overtones, these are quite refreshing. Think back to the days of our youth, when we were concerned not with the problems of the world, but with how to spend that quarter burning a hole in your pocket.
nmayers
No great art here, just lots and lots of fun. Donald O'Connor's Peter Stirling is endearing, sweet, gullible, and the perfect foil for the acerbic mule who has been called, among other things, Groucho on a bad day. O'Connor was always a top-notch comedien -- he had the ability to render an innocent word or phrase hilarious with an unexpected inflection or the lift of an eyebrow. O'Connor doesn't showcase his extraordinary dancing abilities in this series (more's the pity), but we are definitely treated to the eternally young looking actor's gifts as an actor and comedien. If you can talk your children into sitting through at least ten minutes of any of the movies in the Francis series, they'll be hooked -- and they might just gain appreciation for the talents of a bygone era. The comedy and pacing in "Francis" is slower than today's rapid fire movies, but once introduced, children -- and adults -- generally love them. I know I do!
swedensm
I remember watching this movie as a young child, and it is one of my sweetest memories. I used to rush to eat my dinner (or not eat at all) so I could sit in front of the television for the Sunday Matinée, which always played family movies. The Francis series is one of my favorites.Who could resist a talking mule (particularly with that squeaky-gate voice supplied by veteran actor Chill Wills) or the innocent face of Donald O'Connor as they're coming to take him away one more time (for insisting that the mule could speak)? Not this child.One of the best all-time children's series of the post WW2 era -- one I would share with any child -- or anyone who is a child at heart.
AD
