Francis in the Navy ** (1955, Donald O’Connor, Martha Hyer, Richard Erdman, Jim Backus, Clint Eastwood, David Janssen) – Classic Movie Review 9387

Look out for an early appearance by Clint Eastwood in a Talking Mule flick.

Director Arthur Lubin’s 1955 American black-and-white comedy film Francis in the Navy (1955) is the sixth film in the mysteriously popular Universal-International Francis the Talking Mule series. It is produced by Stanley Rubin and stars Donald O’Connor, Martha Hyer, and Richard Erdman.

From small acorns large oak trees grow. It is the first credited film role of Clint Eastwood, a young and struggling Universal contract artist, as Jonesy.

Donald O’Connor stars as US Army officer Lieutenant Peter Sterling, mistaken for his US Navy lookalike, Bosun’s Mate ‘Slicker’ Donevan.  So he is shipped off to Donevan’s base, where he continues his service career misadventures with his old pal Francis the Talking Mule. Molly plays Francis and the distinctive voice of Francis is Chill Wills’s voice-over.

O’Connor was understandably reluctant to make a sixth film but agreed to do one more at the request of his daughter plus a financial inducement from Universal studio head Edward Muhl. He was head of production for Universal Pictures from 1953 until his retirement in 1973. No doubt being called Muhl, he had a personal interest in films featuring a talking mule.

The cast are Donald O’Connor as Peter Stirling/ Bosun’s Mate ‘Slicker’ Donevan, Martha Hyer as Betsy Donevan, Richard Erdman as Murph, Jim Backus as Commander E.T. Hutch, Clint Eastwood as Jonesy, David Janssen as Lieutenant Anders, Leigh Snowden as Nurse Appleby, Martin Milner as W T ‘Rick’ Rickson, Paul Burke as Tate, Myrna Hansen as Helen, Phil Garris as Tony Stover, Jane Howard as Nurse Standish, Virginia O’Brien as Nurse Kittredge and William Forrest as Admiral.

Francis in the Navy was partly shot at the US Navy base in Coronado California, near downtown San Diego. Carl E Guthrie shoots in black-and-white.

It follows Francis (1950), 1951: Francis Goes to the Races; 1952: Francis Goes to West Point; 1953: Francis Covers the Big Town; and 1954: Francis Joins the WACs.

A sixth sequel with Mickey Rooney followed in 1956: Francis in the Haunted House.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9387

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