Francis in the Navy | |
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![]() Theatrical release half-sheet display poster | |
Directed by | Arthur Lubin |
Written by | Devery Freeman David Stern |
Produced by | Stanley Rubin |
Starring | Donald O'Connor Martha Hyer |
Cinematography | Carl E. Guthrie |
Edited by | Milton Carruth Ray Snyder |
Music by | Irving Gertz (uncredited) William Lava (uncredited) |
Production company | Universal Pictures |
Distributed by | Universal-International |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Francis in the Navy is a 1955 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Stanley Rubin and directed by Arthur Lubin. The film stars Donald O'Connor and Martha Hyer, and marked the first credited film role of Clint Eastwood. [1] The distinctive voice of Francis is a voice-over by actor Chill Wills.
This is the sixth film in Universal-International Francis the Talking Mule series. [2]
U.S. Army officer Lt. Peter Sterling gets mistaken for his lookalike in the U.S. Navy, Bosun's Mate 'Slicker' Donevan, and as a result gets promptly shipped to Donevan's base. With his old pal Francis, Sterling continues his military career misadventures, this time in the Navy.
Getting word that Francis is about to be sold at auction, Sterling arrives at the Coronado base to bid for him---but is pickpocketed and must watch the Navy buy Francis as a lab test animal. Slicker Donevan is AWOL and the MP'S waste no time arresting Peter. Peter's insistence they have the wrong man lands him the psychiatric ward, despite pleas to the base's semi-addled Commander Hutch. Francis advises that to gain his freedom,Peter must pretend to be Slicker. This is fine as far as it goes. But Slicker is regarded as a champion athlete, and Peter has to take part in a boxing exhibition against the bruiser Bull Bostwick. Peter is knocked out, despite Francis' effort to fix the fight(ringing the bell gong at odd times; greasing the opponent's shoes,etc.).
Peter is interested in pretty nurse Betsy, only to find out she is "his" sister.
Slicker is having too much fun with the situation and in a series of double-exposed scenes; refuses to help Peter. But when a huge Army vs. Navy war games exercise is announced, Slicker decides to call it off so he can get back on the Navy team. But the day of the Games, Slicker is out cold in the infirmary(thanks to Peter's clumsiness).
Peter's task is to drive a DUCK(amphibious vehicle) to a pre-arranged spot as a "vital supply delivery". Thanks to a heavy fog, they beach miles from the actual spot---and must drive highways around a mountain range. A traffic jam costs Peter his two shipmates, and then he runs out of gas. A service station attendant refuses to provide patriotic free gas. So Francis kicks and breaks a pump.The leaking gas must be preserved, even if it ends up in Peter's vehicle,
When the DUCK arrives, Francis is the only passenger. The Top Brass unanimously decide never to mention the incident.
Mistaken identities are straightened out with the top brass,but not the ever-present MP's. Peter must spend his train ride home hiding in the baggage car with Francis.
Donald O'Connor was reluctant to make the film but agreed to do one more at the request of his daughter [3] (in addition to a financial inducement from Universal studio head Edward Muhl). [4]
It was once known as Francis Weighs Anchor and started filming February 15, 1955. [5]
The film was partially shot at the U. S. Navy base in Coronado California, not far from downtown San Diego. [6]
Stanley Rubin was producer on the film. [7]
Donald Siegel was an American film director and producer.
Clinton Eastwood Jr. is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series Rawhide, Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy of spaghetti Westerns during the mid-1960s and as antihero cop Harry Callahan in the five Dirty Harry films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These roles, among others, have made Eastwood an enduring cultural icon of masculinity. Elected in 1986, Eastwood served for two years as the mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.
Mister Ed is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The show's title character is a talking horse which originally appeared in short stories by Walter R. Brooks.
Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred, in succession, with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule.
Martha Hyer was an American actress who played Gwen French in Some Came Running (1958), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her autobiography, Finding My Way: A Hollywood Memoir, was published in 1990.
Francis the Talking Mule is a fictional mule who first appeared in three short stories written for Esquire magazine by David Stern, which he later combined into the 1946 novel Francis. This was the basis of a series of seven Universal-International comedy films released from 1950 to 1956.
Clint Eastwood is an American film actor, film director, film producer, singer, composer and lyricist. He has appeared in over 60 films. His career has spanned 65 years and began with small uncredited film roles and television appearances. Eastwood has acted in multiple television series, including the eight-season series Rawhide (1959–1965). Although he appeared in several earlier films, mostly uncredited, his breakout film role was as the Man with No Name in the Sergio Leone–directed Dollars Trilogy: A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), which weren't released in the United States until 1967/68. In 1971, Eastwood made his directorial debut with Play Misty for Me. Also that year, he starred as San Francisco police inspector Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry. The film received critical acclaim, and spawned four more films: Magnum Force (1973), The Enforcer (1976), Sudden Impact (1983), and The Dead Pool (1988).
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Frank Jenks was an American actor and vaudevillian.
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Arthur Lubin was an American film director and producer who directed several Abbott & Costello films, Phantom of the Opera (1943), the Francis the Talking Mule series and created the talking-horse TV series Mister Ed. A prominent director for Universal Pictures in the 1940s and 1950s, he is perhaps best known today as the man who gave Clint Eastwood his first contract in film.
Francis is a 1950 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International that launched the Francis the Talking Mule film series. Francis is produced by Robert Arthur and directed by Arthur Lubin, and stars Donald O'Connor and Patricia Medina. The distinctive voice of Francis is a voice-over by actor Chill Wills.
Francis Goes to the Races is a 1951 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Leonard Goldstein, directed by Arthur Lubin, that stars Donald O'Connor, Piper Laurie, and Cecil Kellaway. The distinctive voice of Francis is a voice-over by actor Chill Wills.
Francis Goes to West Point is a 1952 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Leonard Goldstein, directed by Arthur Lubin, and starring Donald O'Connor, Lori Nelson, Alice Kelley, and Gregg Palmer. The distinctive voice of Francis is a voice-over by actor Chill Wills.
Francis Covers the Big Town is a 1953 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Leonard Goldstein, directed by Arthur Lubin, that stars Donald O'Connor, Yvette Duguay, and Gene Lockhart. The distinctive voice of Francis is a voice-over by actor Chill Wills.
Francis Joins the WACS is a 1954 American black-and-white comedy film from Universal-International, produced by Ted Richmond, directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Donald O'Connor, Julie Adams, ZaSu Pitts, Mamie Van Doren and Chill Wills in two roles, including that of the distinctive voice of Francis in voice-over.
Destroyer is a 1943 American war film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Edward G. Robinson.
Escapade in Japan is a 1957 American family adventure film. It was directed by Arthur Lubin and starred Teresa Wright, Cameron Mitchell, Jon Provost and Roger Nakagawa.
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