Review of Francis

I'd heard about this series but I'd never seen any until I bought a DVD set of 4 films in the series, starting with this one (which is titled "Francis the Talking Mule" on the packaging). It was cute sometimes, never offensive, and occasionally clever; and I enjoyed Chill Wills's loping, relaxed style of talking -- perfect for a mule. But the timing always seemed to be a little off -- pauses too long, sideways glances too late, etc. -- which isn't unusual for a movie at that time, but it made the jokes a little less funny. I enjoyed John McIntire's performance. I'm sure that if I'd seen this as a kid I would've loved it, but the conspiracy aspect of the plot, with Patricia Medina as a lying spy felt very dark, and left me with a feeling not usually associated with light comedy. I'll watch the other three eventually, with an open mind.