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Mister Roberts (1955)

Unrated | | Comedy, Drama, War | 27 January 1956 (West Germany)
Mister Roberts Poster
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4:07 | Trailer

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Comedy-drama about life on a not particularly important ship of the US Navy during WW2.

Directors:

, | 1 more credit »

Writers:

(screenplay) (as Frank Nugent), (screenplay) | 3 more credits »

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

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Photos

40 photos | 1 video | 50 news articles »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Mannion (as Phil Carey)
...
...
Rodrigues
...
Robert Roark ...
...
...
Bookser (as Pat Wayne)
...
Gerhart
...
Wiley (as Tiger Andrews)
See full cast »
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Storyline

Mister Roberts is aboard a US cargo ship, working in the Pacific during the Second World War. He'd do anything to leave the quiet of the ship to join in the "action". Trouble is, the captain of the ship, is a bit of a tyrant, and isn't willing to sign Roberts' transfer requests. Also on board is Ensign Pulver, who avoids work as best he can, whilst living off the riches of his buying and selling. Roberts and the crew are in constant battle, even over the smallest of disagreements. Written by Rob Hartill

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

shore leave | south pacific | tyrant | navy | u.s. navy | See All (52) »

Taglines:

Now . . . Hilariously on the Screen ! See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | War

Certificate:

Unrated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

27 January 1956 (West Germany)  »

Also Known As:

Keine Zeit für Heldentum  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Gross:

$21,200,000 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

,  »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

(WarnerColor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Ensign Pulver tells the sailors to "flemish up the lines" as he gives the nurses a tour. "Flemish" is a nautical term meaning to tidy up ropes (lines) by making a Flemish coil, i.e., by taking the end of a line and laying it in a tight flat spiral on the deck. See more »

Goofs

The Reluctant is a Camano-class cargo ship an AKL type ship. It was controlled by the army. And crewed by the United States Coast Guard. Not the United States Navy as shown in this film. See more »

Quotes

Doug Roberts: Doc, he lies in his sack all day long, bores me silly with great, moronic plots against the captain. He's never carried out one of them.
Ensign Pulver: I haven't, huh?
Doug Roberts: No, Frank, you haven't. What ever happened to those marbles you were gonna put in the captain's overhead so they'd roll around all night and keep him awake?
Ensign Pulver: Now you've gone too far. Now you've asked for it.
[Pulls out a box]
Ensign Pulver: What does that look like? Five marbles. Got another one in my pocket. Six marbles. I'm looking for marbles all day long!
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Fonda on Fonda (1992) See more »

Soundtracks

Army Air Corps Song
(uncredited)
Written by Robert Crawford
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why was the Captain's palm tree so important to him and the story?
See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

So fun, so real, so heartbreaking
18 January 2003 | by (Xanadu) – See all my reviews

This film is a Classic, with a capital C! You have a great story, a great cast, laughs, tears and a dose of reality. How can you go wrong with Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell and Jack Lemmon?

What always struck me about this film was its realism. I spent some time on an auxiliary ship in the navy, and it's not glamorous. This film perfectly captures the life aboard non-combatant ships. They provide a vital service, but rarely get recognized for it. It also demonstrates what real leadership is. The main duty of an officer is to provide leadership and to see to the welfare of his troops. Mr Roberts is a shining example of a great officer.

The film also shows that the enemy isn't always on the other ship. I have seen captains like Cagney's, and you often spent more time defending your crew from those skippers, than you did from the opposing force. As Mr Roberts said, "....I know in wartime they scrape the bottom of the barrel...", well, they sometimes scrape that barrel in peacetime.

There's a great blend of comedy and drama throughout; but, just when you are feeling good, it delivers a punch to the gut. This is life as it is, not an idealized world.

Sign on board for a tour of duty with this film. You'll be glad you did.
30 of 33 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?
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