Mister Roberts (1955)

Directors:

John Ford
Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Frank S. Nugent (screenplay) and
Joshua Logan (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

4 December 1955 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Tagline:

All the Uproarious Fun of the Smash Broadway Play!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Tyrant | US Navy | Navy | Vomit | Extortion

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Henry Fonda	...	Lt. JG Douglas A. 'Doug' Roberts
James Cagney	...	Capt. Morton
William Powell	...	Lt. 'Doc'
Jack Lemmon	...	Ens. Frank Thurlowe Pulver
Betsy Palmer	...	Lt. Ann Girard
Ward Bond	...	Chief Petty Officer Dowdy
Philip Carey	...	Mannion (as Phil Carey)
Nick Adams	...	Reber
Perry Lopez	...	Rodrigues
Ken Curtis	...	Yeoman 3rd Class Dolan
Robert Roark	...	Insigna
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Stefanowski
Patrick Wayne	...	Bookser (as Pat Wayne)
Frank Aletter	...	Gerhart
Tige Andrews	...	Wiley (as Tiger Andrews)

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:U | Australia:G | West Germany:12 (nf) | Canada:14A (video rating) | Finland:K-12 | USA:Approved (certificate #17195)

Filming Locations:

Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Orange

Trivia:

Joshua Logan, who directed and co-wrote the Broadway production, was brought in to redirect some sequences which the producers felt that original director John Ford had captured ineffectively before he was taken off the project. Logan was credited as co-writer instead of co-director because it was felt that having three names listed as director would look silly in the credits. Both Logan and Henry Fonda felt that the film version did not have anywhere near the quality of the stage production.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When they hear of the end of the war in Europe, Pulver calls it "VE Day". As there was no mention of this prior, he could not have known of this appellation and used the term.

Quotes:

Doug Roberts: Captain, you told me...
Capt. Morton: Never mind what I told you. I'M TELLING YOU!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fonda on Fonda (1992) (TV)

Who did it...?

Mister Roberts is a very personal film for me. This is the first i vividly remember watching with my father. Lt Douglas Roberts is a cargo officer on a cargo ship dubbed "The Bucket". Mister Roberts feels that war in the Pacific is passing him by. An all-star cast and crew adopt this novel and play. Henry Fonda (Grapes of Wrath, On Golden Pond) reprises his role from the play as Roberts. Henry Fonda must clash heads with the captain played by the great James Cagney (Angles with Dirty Faces, Yankee Doodle Dandy). They are joined by William Powell (My Man Godfrey), Betsy Palmer, Ward Bond (It's a Wonderful Life, My Darling Clementine) and Jack Lemmon (Odd Couple, Some Like it Hot). This is Jack Lemmon's first academy award winning performance. This is a movie is filled with humor and drama. This is movie is a great enjoyment. Naturally some things are different from the play and book. This is a great movie to add to your collection.