Francis
A Talking Mule....the funniest film surprise in 5 years!
1950 | 91m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Arthur Lubin |
|---|---|
| Writer: | David Stern |
| Staring: |
| 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. | |
| Release Date: | Feb 08, 1950 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Arthur Lubin |
| Writer: | David Stern |
| Genres: | War, Comedy, Family, Fantasy |
| Keywords | based on novel or book, horse, sergeant, mule, psychotronic film, animals family |
| Production Companies | Universal International Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jan 28, 2026 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Donald O'Connor | Peter Stirling |
| Patricia Medina | Maureen Gelder |
| Zasu Pitts | Valerie Humpert |
| Ray Collins | Colonel Hooker |
| John McIntire | General Stevens |
| Eduard Franz | Colonel Plepper |
| Howland Chamberlain | Major Nadel |
| James Todd | Colonel Saunders |
| Robert Warwick | Colonel Carmichael |
| Frank Faylen | Sergeant Chillingbacker |
| Tony Curtis | Captain Jones |
| Mikel Conrad | Major Garber |
| Loren Tindall | Major Richards |
| Charles Meredith | Banker Munroe |
| Chill Wills | Francis the Talking Mule (voice) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| David Stern | Screenplay, Novel |
| Richard H. Riedel | Art Direction |
| Russell A. Gausman | Set Decoration |
| Joan St. Oegger | Hairstylist |
| Leslie I. Carey | Sound |
| David S. Horsley | Special Effects |
| M.H. Lencer | Technical Advisor |
| Milton Carruth | Editor |
| Bernard Herzbrun | Art Direction |
| A. Roland Fields | Set Decoration |
| Rosemary Odell | Costume Design |
| Corson Jowett | Sound |
| Joan Hathaway | Dialogue |
| Arthur Lubin | Director |
| Frank Skinner | Music |
| Irving Glassberg | Director of Photography |
| Bud Westmore | Makeup Artist |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Robert Arthur | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 4 |
| 2024 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 6 |
| 2024 | 6 | 9 | 24 | 4 |
| 2024 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 4 |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 5 |
| 2024 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| 2024 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2026 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
Trending Position
<em>'Francis'</em> is exactly what you'd expect it to be. It isn't something I'd consider worthy of a watch due to many things, with one being the repetitive nature of the story. It's a poor flick, lacking in interest, from 1950; showing all the signs of a film from that era too, distastefully. ... Donald O'Connor's performance is solid enough, he is definitely the reason why I'm not rating this film lower. Chill Wills voices the titular character and suits the role well, while Patricia Medina shows glimpses; despite a lousy accent. It's more so the plot that sticks out most, if not necessarily positively. It's as dumb as you'd predict and the film, for the most part, knows that in fairness. Incredibly, it's the first of seven films from this series. One down and all that...