Product Details

• Actors: Donald O'Connor, Martha Hyer, Richard Erdman, Jim Backus, Clint Eastwood
• Directors: Arthur Lubin
• Writers: David Stern, Devery Freeman
• Producers: Stanley Rubin
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: May 23, 1995
• Run Time: 80 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303072364
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,045 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Francis in the Navy [VHS]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Last of the series falls a bit short of its predecessors., March 4, 2005

By 

rsoonsa (Lake Isabella, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Francis in the Navy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is the sixth and final film of the series produced by Universal that included Donald O'Connor, and director Arthur Lubin, who created the sequence. It would be charitable to state that this entry is up to the best of its antecedents, as O'Connor's tongue-tied routine as the chowderheaded sidekick of Francis the talking mule has become rather exhausting for audiences by the time of this release. Army lieutenant Peter Stirling (O'Connor) is advised by Francis that the mule has been "drafted" into the Navy and is positioned as surplus to be auctioned at the Coronado (Calif.) base. While attempting to regain Francis' freedom, Peter is mistaken for a lookalike bosn's mate, Slicker Donovan, is captured by the Shore Patrol and must then reestablish his correct identity while disinvolving himself from various examples of pulchritude with which the rakish Slicker has supplied him by default through their personality exchange. These latter include several of the studio's most highly considered contract starlets, including Martha Hyer, Leigh Snowden and Myrna Hansen, with the always enjoyable Virginia O'Brien attempting a comeback of sorts while restricted to a single scene. The ever efficient Lubin obtains maximum mileage from the dual performance of O'Connor, who stated after the film's completion that he found troubling the larger volume of fan mail received by the mule when compared with his own. Perhaps more telling is the failure of the popular actor to develop his character, a lack made clear by his adroit variant as Slicker. There is also a significant reduction in the use of Francis, and the minimal dialogue given to Chill Wills (his voice) lacks wit and is consequently delivered with scant spirit. Contributing most to the movie's potential appeal are early appearances of subsequently well-known actors, including Paul Burke, David Janssen, Martin Milner and, in his first credited role, Clint Eastwood. Despite the potentially interesting identity crisis involving O'Connor's two roles, it is plain that termination of involvement in the series by the director and star is a move to guard against further erosion of the lead characters' appeal.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ahoy There Mate! Pipe me On Board!, April 13, 2000

By 

Grand Puba of the Putter Palace (pilfering through the video stack) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Francis in the Navy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The Grand Puba (that's Mister Puba to You!) loves Francis! These videos really are great if you are in to family fare! Something that you can let the kids watch without fear of comprimising your values. If you liked Mr. Ed - you'll love Francis! Barney? Ppphhorgetaboudit! Get Francis instead!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Of the series, this is Emma's favorite., August 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Francis in the Navy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Francis ends up as post-war surplus and the Navy auctions him off. Donald O'Conner as Peter Sterling is Francis' innocent and likeable pal who tries to save him. But enter "Slicker", a notorious, tough womanizer who happens to look exactly like Peter. Slicker's friends (look for a very young Clint Eastwood) and naval commanders get the two mixed up and Peter ends up in a Navy uniform. An old plot (even for 1955) Peter, with the help of Francis, save the day. Emma's favorite scenn is where Slicker, Slicker's sister, and Peter all meet together for the first time. Dad enjoyed seeing some of the young stars (Eastwood, Martin Milner) who went on to bigger things. Emma gives it five stars, but Dad ony give it three.