a brief cameo, in animated form and voiced by Marvin Miller, in the UPA cartoon short How Now Boing Boing (1954), starring Gerald McBoing Boing. David Stern and Frank Thomas scripted a 1952–53 syndicated comic strip, Francis, the Famous Talking Mule, illustrated by Cliff Rogerson, who also drew the gag panel, Tee Vee Laffs (1957–85). Seventeen issues of "Francis the Famous Talking Mule" were published as part of Dell's "Four Color Comics" series from 1951 to 1960, illustrated, alternately, by David Gantz and Don Gunn. Video releases The original film, Francis (1950), was released in 1978 as one of the first-ever titles in the new LaserDisc format, DiscoVision Catalog #22-003. It was later reissued in May 1994 on LaserDisc by MCA/Universal Home Video (Catalog #: 42024) as part of an Encore Edition Double Feature with Francis Goes to the Races (1951). The first two Francis films were released again in 2004 by Universal Pictures on Region 1 and Region 4 DVD, along with the next two in the series, as The Adventures of Francis the Talking Mule Vol. 1. Several years later, Universal released all 7 Francis films as a set on three Region 1 and Region 4 DVDs, Francis The Talking Mule: The Complete Collection. Notes Sources Bartel, Pauline. Amazing Animal Actors. Dallas: Taylor Publishing, 1997. 0878339744 American film series Fictional mules Film characters introduced in 1946 Film series introduced in 1950 American fantasy novels Talking animals in fiction