Believe it or not, Francis and its six sequels were pretty successful in the 1950s. Francis, the precursor to Mister Ed and voiced by Chill Wills, is a talking mule who befriends a young soldier, Donald O'Connor. For some reason never explained, Francis the army mule has knowledge of many military secrets and strategies. He repeatedly tells Donald how to be a better soldier during the war, but he never speaks in front of anyone else, so when Donald tells his superior officer where he got the information, he's sent to the mental ward.
Yes, you read correctly: this film franchise was successful. While Donald enjoyed continued fame after his teen musicals in the 1940s, acting alongside a donkey got a little long in the tooth after a while. He actually contracted an illness from Molly, the mule who played Francis, which prevented him from taking the second lead in White Christmas. Instead of watching the singing and dancing talents of Donald O'Connor every Christmas, audienes can catch him talking to a mule in six movies.
I tried to watch this movie with an open mind and awareness of the time period, but it was just too silly. I'm sure kids would love watching it, but grown-ups will probably roll their eyes for ninety minutes. It's more awkward than funny, and it's mostly mindboggling as to why 1950s audiences were so entertained by talking animals.
Yes, you read correctly: this film franchise was successful. While Donald enjoyed continued fame after his teen musicals in the 1940s, acting alongside a donkey got a little long in the tooth after a while. He actually contracted an illness from Molly, the mule who played Francis, which prevented him from taking the second lead in White Christmas. Instead of watching the singing and dancing talents of Donald O'Connor every Christmas, audienes can catch him talking to a mule in six movies.
I tried to watch this movie with an open mind and awareness of the time period, but it was just too silly. I'm sure kids would love watching it, but grown-ups will probably roll their eyes for ninety minutes. It's more awkward than funny, and it's mostly mindboggling as to why 1950s audiences were so entertained by talking animals.