Francis Covers the Big Town
"It's Brand NEW and it's all Hilarious!"
A man who has a talking mule gets a job on a newspaper, and both get mixed up in a murder trial.
"It's Brand NEW and it's all Hilarious!"
A man who has a talking mule gets a job on a newspaper, and both get mixed up in a murder trial.
Donald O'Connor
Peter Stirling
Yvette Duguay
Maria Scola
Gene Lockhart
Tom Henderson
Nancy Guild
Alberta Ames
William Harrigan
Inspector Hansen
Silvio Minciotti
Salvatore Scola
Lowell Gilmore
Jefferson Garnet
Larry Gates
Dan Austin
Hanley Stafford
Dr. Goodrich
A man who has a talking mule gets a job on a newspaper, and both get mixed up in a murder trial.
'Francis Covers the Big Town' drags on a fair bit, with that said it's marginally better than two of its three predecessors. The lack of an army-related plot is a big plus, with a visit to New York City as a wannabe journalist making for a decent storyline. As noted, it does lose steam as the 85 minute or so run time ticks on, but I prefer this entry to 1950's 'Francis' and 1952's 'Francis Goes to West Point'. Donald O'Connor - even though his character is made a tad more unlikeable here, intentionally so I presume - remains the only cast member worth talking about; well, alongside voice actor Chill Wills, I guess. Just the three films left to watch from this series...
'Toon star Roger is worried that his wife Jessica is playing pattycake with someone else, so the studio hires detective Eddie Valiant to snoop on her. But the stakes are quickly raised when Marvin Acme is found dead and Roger is the prime suspect.
A drug sniffing agent canine is a target for an assassin boss so the FBI calls Witness Protection to send him somewhere else. Meanwhile a single Mom puts her 6 year old boy James in the care of her irresponsible, mailman, neighbor, Gordon, when the babysitter bails on her. Meanwhile, an assassin mob boss hires 2 goons to kill Agent 11. But when 11 escapes from the van when they tried to kill him, he hides in Gordon's Mailtruck that James is in too. And guess what they name him. Spot.
George Hardy is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can't possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.
Max the terrier must cope with some major life changes when his owner gets married and has a baby. When the family takes a trip to the countryside, nervous Max has numerous run-ins with canine-intolerant cows, hostile foxes and a scary turkey. Luckily for Max, he soon catches a break when he meets Rooster, a gruff farm dog who tries to cure the lovable pooch of his neuroses.
FBI agent Barney Coopersmith is assigned to protect former Mafia figure turned informant Vincent Antonelli. In the witness protection program one is supposed to keep a low profile, but that is something that Antonelli has trouble doing. Coopersmith certainly has his hands full keeping Antonelli away from the Mafia hitmen who want to stop him testifying, not to mention the nightclubs...
When the murdered body discovered by beautiful, vivacious socialite Melsa Manton disappears, police and press label her a prankster until she and her group of friends prove them wrong.
A young man falls for a young woman on his trip home; unbeknownst to him, her family has vowed to kill every member of his family.
Career gambler Dan Milner agrees to a $50,000 deal to leave the USA for Mexico, only to find himself entangled with fellow guests at a luxurious resort and suspecting that the man who hired him may be the deported crime boss Nick Ferraro aiming to re-enter to the USA.
A criminal mastermind sets up a phony film production as part of a plan to smuggle stolen gold.
When investigative reporter Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher goes undercover to write a piece on the drug trade at a local beach, he's approached by wealthy businessman Alan Stanwyk, who offers him $50,000 to murder him. With sarcastic wit and a knack for disguises, Fletch sets out to uncover Stanwyk's story.