BJ's Bootleg Comic Adventures: Francis the Talking Mule: A Little History and Five Things You Might Not Know (1953)

Francis the Talking Mule: Meet The Players

**Arthur Lubin**
Director · 1926 portrait

Well, Francis didn’t get that newspaper job in our Bootleg Comic, but I suspect the office would have run better if he had. That was always the fun of this character: the people made everything complicated, and the mule usually had the clearest head in the room. Sometimes four legs beat a roomful of fancy shoes.

Francis reached movie screens in 1950, adapted from David Stern’s 1946 novel. Donald O’Connor played Peter Stirling, the good-hearted fellow whose friendship with a talking Army mule kept landing him in trouble. Universal eventually made seven Francis pictures, taking the pair through adventures involving horse racing, West Point, newspapers and military life.

In Francis Covers the Big Town (1953), Peter heads to New York hoping to become a reporter. Francis helps him gather news by talking with police horses. Peter’s remarkable scoops attract attention, but success brings complications, including a murder mystery. Yvette Duguay plays Maria Scola, Nancy Guild is society editor Alberta Ames, and Gene Lockhart plays newspaper boss Tom Henderson.

Here are five things you might not know about Francis and this picture:

That familiar voice belonged to Chill Wills. He supplied Francis’s voice in the first six movies. The patient, slightly weary delivery helped make the mule sound like somebody who had already heard every foolish excuse mankind could offer. O’Connor’s reactions gave that voice a wonderful comic partner.

The movie was filmed well before its release. The American Film Institute lists production from August through October 1951, although audiences received it in 1953. It also carried the working title Francis, Racket Buster. That earlier name hints at the crime story tucked inside the comedy.

Some of the city scenery was real. Portions were filmed on location in New York City, rather than creating the entire setting on a studio lot. The film also marked Larry Gates’s feature-film debut, according to AFI. He plays reporter Dan Austin. Keep an eye out for him among the newsroom faces.

Francis received star treatment offscreen, too. AFI records a contemporary report that the mule had a seven-year Universal contract. Francis also won the first PATSY animal-performance award, presented in 1951. Imagine explaining to your family that your coworker has a studio contract, an acting award—and eats hay between scenes.

There is a connection to Mister Ed. Arthur Lubin directed the first six Francis movies and later helped bring the talking horse to television. The final Francis picture, Francis in the Haunted House (1956), changed the team: Mickey Rooney starred, Paul Frees supplied the voice, and Charles Lamont directed.

What I enjoy about Francis is the friendship underneath the wisecracks. Peter needs help, and his stubborn companion keeps showing up. You don’t have to believe a mule can talk to enjoy that. Settle in with your coffee, enjoy the picture, and remember: if the smartest fellow in the newsroom has hooves, listen when he speaks.

History sources: AFI: Francis; AFI: Francis Covers the Big Town; Universal’s Francis collection.
Portraits via Wikimedia Commons: Donald O’Connor, NBC publicity photo (1952); Yvette Duguay, Universal publicity photo (1952); Arthur Lubin, Picture Play magazine (1926).

Old School Movie Theater

Francis Covers the Big Town

Read Old School's introduction

Movie source and history

Movie: Francis Covers the Big Town on Internet Archive. History: American Film Institute and Universal Pictures.

Old School’s voice is a fixed male recording, with lip movement timed to it. The Archive upload’s rights statement has not been independently verified.