Customer Reviews

Francis Joins the Wacs [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Newspaper critics in '54 said this was the funniest Francis... and they were right. Donald O'Connor plays the mule's pal a bit more broadly than usual, and the script situations are amusing (you can imagine the complications when O'Connor is drafted into the Women's Army Corps by mistake). One of the best bits has Francis heckling the cast members when O'Connor has to masquerade as a WAC nurse -- it's very funny. Chill Wills dubs the mule's dialogue expertly, and you'll be amazed at how good the synchronization is when Francis talks. A fine cast helps: Lynn Bari, Julia Adams, Mamie Van Doren, and especially the fluttery ZaSu Pitts. The video opens with the original coming-attractions trailer, but it gives away some of the jokes, so the viewer might fast-forward past this part. Picture is excellent, sound is very good (a few parts sounded a little thin but still listenable). A fun show from Universal.

Donald O'Conner as Pter Sterling is re-called from the reserves to active duty. But an early computer error (we're talking a 1954 computer error) send him to a WACS unti. While there he is re-joined by his old army buddy, Francis. Suspected of being there to sabotage the women's unit during war game exercises, Peter must prove himself to the unit's commander. Francis gives plenty of advice to help Peter save his honor and get the girl. Chill Wills does double duty as the General and as the voice of Francis. As you might suspect, this mule makes a better general than a person! Emma liked seeing Chill Wills in order to put a face with the voice. She also liked the fact that the girls were able to beat the guys! Dad likes seeing the old military gear and uniforms. Dad gives it 2 1/2 stars and Emma gives it three.

How did this movie escape my attention for so long?

Production values? Direction? Plot?

Feh.

Buffs and especially B-movie fans should examine the cast:
Julie Adams! Mamie Van Doren! Allison Hayes! Mara Corday!

Enough said.

Fifth in the series of Universal Studios' talking mule movies, this entry provides very little that is not predictable since the Francis films, in spite of their scripted absurdity, were calculable successes at the box office and there was scant cause to use innovation. Peter Stirling (Donald O'Connor), is recalled to active Army duty, but when the hapless lieutenant is assigned to a Women's Army Corps (WAC) detachment due to a flawed clerical procedure in the Pentagon, neither he nor his new distaff officer companions are pleased with a nonsensical situation. His WAC superiors believe that Peter has been planted as a scout and is being used to undermine their efforts opposing a men's army unit in an upcoming War Games matchup, and Peter and Francis invent a method to persuade the women that he is not there for clandestine purposes. The quaint pair is capable of attempting this because Peter's proxy specialty is training women soldiers to become camouflage experts and since the Games are going to be focussed upon just such activity, the situation is readied for crucial events. The film was completed in Spring of 1954, shot primarily at California's Fort Ord, with numerous WACS assigned there being employed as extras in a film that pleasingly reflects the result of high-quality production values contributed by the Universal management. Arthur Lubin, director of all six of the O'Connor featured Francis films, offers sluggish pacing with this item, largely due to an overly complicated scenario that weighs down the final section dealing with camouflage competition between the military men and women. As with all Francis pictures, a primary interest in this one relates to early performances of well-known actors, including the initial yelps of fear from "Scream Queen" Allison Hayes, and Universal ingénues Mamie Van Doren and Julia Adams, although the best playing is by veteran ZaSu Pitts as an undone Army nurse; clever thematic scoring by Irving Gertz was used years later by the Studio for other releases.

When i watched this, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was still as funny as I remembered it to be. When I was younger, I was a fan of the Francis films, and watched whenever they came on TV back in the Fifties.When I found this one,it was like discovering an old friend and finding that though times had changed,it didn't lessen my appreciation for the films-or my enjoyment when I saw them again.

This isn't my favorite of the Francis films -- it just struck me as being an obvious excuse to crank out another quick money maker. But that's okay, 'cause it's still fun. If you're following the series expecting cohesion to prior plot points, however, forget it! Peter is supposed to be a West Point graduate, but in this installment he's working in a bank and is quite upset about being called out of the reserves into active duty. Go figure. If a mule can talk, a West Point graduate can work in a bank, I guess! Contrasting Peter's traditional shyness with women in the previous films, in this one he's stuck in with a whole platoon of 'em, and he handles it all quite nicely, thank you, stutter and all. We do get a chance to meet Francis' voice, Chill Wills, playing the role of a visiting General, so that's a treat! Not the best in the series, but still a fun way to spend an hour and a half! And in my opinion, Francis is still better than an awful lot of what masquerades as light entertainment now!

I love these series even though this is not my favorite I do enjoy the humor of Donald O'Connor. This series reminds me my childhood and watching with my dad.

Best if the Francis the Talking Mule series.....It stars Mami Van Doren and Julie Adams....Need I Say MORE! ?