''Mister Roberts'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

that aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

from September 17, 1965 to September 2, 1966. Based on the best selling 1946 novel, 1948 play, and the 1955 film of the same name, the series stars Roger Smith in the title role and

Richard X. Slattery Richard Xavier Slattery (June 26, 1925 – January 27, 1997) was an American character actor in film, theater and television. Slattery appeared in such films as '' A Distant Trumpet'', '' The Boston Strangler'', '' Walking Tall'', '' The No Merc ...

as the ship's captain.Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows 1946 – Present'' (first edition), pages 409-410, Ballantine, 1979

Synopsis

Set during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the series chronicled the adventures of the crew of the USS ''Reluctant'' AK-601 cargo ship. Produced by

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

, ''Mister Roberts'' was executive produced by William T. Orr. The series' theme song was composed by Frank Perkins. Lieutenant Roberts found life on a cargo ship monotonous, and he wanted to get transferred to another ship so he could participate more fully in the war effort. Ensign Pulver was constantly trying to liven up the ship's routine, and most of the crew were looking for ways to drive stern Captain Morton out of his mind. Featuring a cast of

stars and unknowns, the series aired on Fridays at 9:30 and was canceled after its first season due to low ratings.

Cast

* Roger Smith as Lieutenant Douglas Roberts *

Steve Harmon Slapstick (Steve Harmon) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He resembles an animated clown and has the abilities of a slapstick cartoon character, such as one from ''Looney Tunes'', including wa ...

as Ensign Frank Pulver * George Ives as Doc * Ray Reese as Seaman Reber * Richard Sinatra as Seaman D'Angelo *

as Captain John Morton * Ronald Starr as Seaman Mannion

Episodes

Season One (1965-66)

References

External links

* {{Mister Roberts 1965 American television series debuts 1966 American television series endings 1960s American sitcoms Military comedy television series Live action television shows based on films Television shows based on American novels Television series based on plays Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios World War II television comedy series Nautical television series