Mister Roberts (1955)

In the waning days of World War II, the United States Navy cargo ship Reluctant and her crew are stationed in the "backwater" areas of the Pacific Ocean. Trouble ensues when the crew members are granted liberty.

Directors:

John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Frank S. Nugent (screenplay) (as Frank Nugent), Joshua Logan (screenplay)

Stars:

Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Henry Fonda	...	Lt. j.g. Douglas A. Roberts
James Cagney	...	The Captain
William Powell	...	Doc
Jack Lemmon	...	Ensign 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	...	Dolan
Robert Roark	...	Insigna
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Stefanowski
Patrick Wayne	...	Bookser (as Pat Wayne)
Frank Aletter	...	Gerhart
Tige Andrews	...	Wiley (as Tiger Andrews)

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

naval officer | tribe | tree | american | victory in europe day | 

---

Taglines:

All the Uproarious Fun of the Smash Broadway Play!

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | War

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 July 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mister Roberts

Filming Locations:

Naval Air Station Midway, Midway Islands

Box Office

Gross USA:

$21,200,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orange Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (WarnerColor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All but one of the Navy's AKLs were built as U.S. Army FP/FS type cargo vessels transferred to the Navy. As it was, an AKL carried a much smaller crew than the USS Virgo (AKA-20) and USS Rotanin (AK-108), both of which Thomas Heggen served on during the war. In the movie, Mr. Roberts says to Doc that there are "62 men" aboard which would have been far too many for an AKL.

---

Goofs

The shore patrol arrives with a truckload of guards to restrict ship's personnel from leaving "The Bucket" and Schlemmer drives a motorcycle off of the dock. Before he does so, he passes the ship and the truck and all the shore patrol personnel are missing.

---

Quotes

Ensign Frank Thurlowe Pulver: [telling Doc and Mr. Roberts about his visit the shore hospital, where he met nurses] They flew in last night. Knockouts! And one big blonde, especially, see. Of course she went for me right away, naturally. So I started to turn on the old personality, you know, and I said, "Isn't there anything in the world that will make you come out to this ship with me?" And she... and she says, "Yes, there is one thing, and one thing only! A good, stiff drink of scotch."

---

Crazy Credits

The seven top-billed actors listed in the opening credits are not listed with the other players in the end credits.

---

Alternate Versions

Television and the standard VHS prints substitute a different march that is played over the loudspeakers during the scene where Henry Fonda is listening to the VE Day celebrations and throws the captain's palm tree overboard. Also eliminated is the voice-over of Fonda humming the march as he walks up the gang ladder leaving the scene.

---

Connections

Referenced in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In: Episode #3.4 (1969)

---

Soundtracks

Army Air Corps Song
(uncredited)
Written by Robert Crawford

User Reviews

Fine Combination of Comedy & Drama, With An Excellent Cast

The cast and story of "Mister Roberts" are both of high quality, and they fit together well to produce one of the best war movies to be set in the Second World War. It effectively and thoughtfully presents many facets of military life - from boredom to conflict, from slapstick to sadness - without resorting to any labored or overblown material.

The cast is excellent in its own right, and the main characters are ideally matched with their roles. Henry Fonda could be no better in portraying Roberts in all his interactions with the other characters, Jack Lemmon is always entertaining as Pulver, and in Doc, William Powell gets the kind of role he played better than anyone. James Cagney is flawless as the sometimes small-minded captain, bringing out his shortcomings, yet also allowing you to understand why the character is like that.

Most of the settings work well, and they help to create a believable atmosphere of navy life. The running confrontations with the palm tree and the letters are well-conceived, and they are also used effectively, getting a lot of material out of them without stretching things too far. "Mr. Roberts" communicates some worthwhile ideas while remaining enjoyable, and provides good entertainment and comedy without avoiding the realities in the characters' lives.