Our video for this week is the trailer for Francis in the Haunted House (1956), directed by Charles Lamont. See Tim as as Hugo, silent lumbering servant of the castle, literally getting his butt kicked by Francis the Talking Mule! Francis is voiced by the great Paul Frees, whom Timothy would later hire to provide the silky smooth seductive tones of The Snake in The World’s Greatest Sinner (1962).

Timothy’s IMDb filmography also has him listed as appearing in another Francis film, Francis in the Navy (1955), as “Auctioneer’s Helper (uncredited).” I have seen the film several times, watched the one auction scene carefully, and I do not see him anywhere. Unless there is compelling evidence that he is indeed in the film, I believe it should be removed from Tim’s filmography until such evidence, if any, can be presented.