''Mister Roberts'' is a 1955 American Warnercolor in CinemaScope

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

and Mervyn LeRoy starring an all-star cast including

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor. He had a career that spanned five decades on Broadway and in Hollywood. He cultivated an everyman screen image in several films considered to be classics. Born and ra ...

as Mister Roberts, James Cagney as Captain Morton,

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the '' Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Charles characters cr ...

(in his final film appearance) as Doc, and Jack Lemmon as Ensign Pulver. Based on the 1946 novel and 1948 Broadway play, the film was nominated for three

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, including

Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

and

Best Sound, Recording The Academy Award for Best Sound is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most euphonic sound mixing, recording, sound design, and sound editing. The award used to go to the studio sound departments until a rule change in 1969 said it ...

( William A. Mueller), with Jack Lemmon winning the award for Best Supporting Actor.

Plot

In the waning days of

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

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

cargo ship ''Reluctant'' (also called “The Bucket”) and her crew are stationed in the "backwater" areas of the Pacific Ocean. The executive officer/cargo chief,

Lieutenant (junior grade) Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), ...

Douglas A. "Doug" Roberts, shields the dispirited crew from the harsh and unpopular captain,

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

Morton. Eager to join the fighting, Roberts repeatedly requests a transfer. Morton is forced by regulation to forward his requests, but refuses to endorse them, resulting in their being rejected. Roberts shares quarters with

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

Frank Thurlowe Pulver, the laundry and morale officer. Pulver spends most of his time idling in his bunk and avoiding the captain, so much so, that Morton is initially unaware that Pulver is a crew member. Once discovered, Pulver cowers before Morton despite bold (and never realized) ideas for revenge he expresses to the crew. Roberts surreptitiously requests and is granted crew

liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

from one of Morton’s superiors, a port captain who wishes to reward the ''Reluctant''s crew for meeting a difficult resupply schedule. The liberty is supposed to be at their next resupply stop, but when the ship reaches an idyllic South Pacific island, Morton cancels the crew's much-needed shore leave. In private, Morton tells Roberts that the crew will be denied liberty as long as he continues to request a transfer and writes letters regarding disharmony aboard the ship, which is hurting Morton's promotion chances. Morton strikes a bargain with Roberts: In exchange for never requesting another transfer, never resisting Morton's rules, and never revealing why he changed his attitude, Morton will grant the crew liberty. Ashore, the crew releases months of pent-up frustration, with many arrested and hauled back to the ship by the

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...

and the

shore patrol Shore patrol are service members who are provided to aid in security for the United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, United States Marine Corps, and the British Royal Navy while on shore.Cutler And Cutler, p 202 They are often temporar ...

. The next morning, Morton is reprimanded by the port captain and ordered to leave port immediately. Morton is livid at the black mark on his sterling record. Meanwhile, the crew is mystified by Roberts’ new strictness and deference to the captain. Morton deceives them into believing Roberts is vying for a promotion. When a crew member informs Roberts of a new Navy policy which could help him receive a transfer despite the captain's opposition, Roberts declines. News of the Allied victory in Europe depresses Roberts further, knowing the war may end soon without his ever seeing combat. Inspired by a patriotic radio speech celebrating

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

, Roberts tosses Morton's prized palm tree overboard. The captain demands the identity of the culprit, but no one steps forward. He eventually realizes it was likely Roberts and summons him to his quarters and accuses him of the deed. An open microphone allows the crew to overhear their heated conversation and why Roberts changed. Weeks later, Roberts receives an unexpected transfer. "Doc," the ship's doctor and Roberts' friend, confides to him that the crew risked court-martial by submitting a transfer request with Morton's forged signature of approval. Before he leaves, the crew presents Roberts with a handmade medal, the Order of the Palm, for "action against the enemy." Several weeks later, Pulver, who has been appointed cargo officer, receives several letters. The first is from Roberts, who enthusiastically writes about his new assignment aboard the destroyer USS ''Livingston'' during the Battle of Okinawa. He writes he would rather have the Order of the Palm than the Congressional

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

. The second letter is from Pulver's college friend who is also a junior naval officer assigned to the ''Livingston''. He reveals that Roberts was killed in a

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...

attack shortly after the first letter had been posted. Incensed, Pulver throws the captain’s replacement palm tree overboard, then marches into Morton's cabin, openly bragging that he is responsible. He brazenly demands to know why Morton has cancelled the showing of a film that night. Morton slowly shakes his head, realizing his problems have not gone away.

Cast

as Lieutenant (junior grade) Douglas A. "Doug" Roberts * James Cagney as Lieutenant Commander "Captain" Morton *

as "Doc" * Jack Lemmon as Ensign Frank Thurlowe Pulver *

Betsy Palmer Betsy Palmer (born Patricia Betsy Hrunek; November 1, 1926 – May 29, 2015) was an American actress, who was known as a regular supporting film and Broadway actress and television guest star, as a panelist on the game show ''I've Got a Secret' ...

as Lieutenant Ann Girard * Ward Bond as Chief Petty Officer Dowdy *

Ken Curtis Ken Curtis (born Curtis Wain Gates; July 2, 1916 – April 28, 1991) was an American singer and actor best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the CBS western television series ''Gunsmoke''. Although he appeared on ''Gunsmoke'' earl ...

as Dolan *

Philip Carey Philip Carey (born Eugene Joseph Carey, July 15, 1925February 6, 2009) was an American actor. Early life and education On July 15, 1925, Carey was born in Hackensack, New Jersey.Nick Adams as Reber * Perry Lopez as Rodrigues * Robert Roark as Insigna * Harry Carey Jr. as Stefanowski *

Patrick Wayne Patrick John Morrison (born July 15, 1939), better known by his stage name Patrick Wayne, is an American actor. He is the second son of movie star John Wayne and his first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz. He made over 40 films, including eleven w ...

as Bookser *

Frank Aletter Frank George Aletter (January 14, 1926 – May 13, 2009) was an American theatre, film, and television actor. Early years Born in College Point, Queens, New York, Aletter studied acting at the Dramatic Workshop in Manhattan. He served in the ...

as Gerhart *

Tige Andrews Tige is a masculine given name and nickname which may refer to: People: * Tige Andrews (1920-2007), American actor * Tige Reynolds (1877–1931), American cartoonist * Tige Rodgers, co-host of the ''Tige and Daniel Show'' American radio program * ...

as Wiley *

Martin Milner Martin Sam Milner (December 28, 1931 – September 6, 2015) was an American actor and radio host. He is best known for his performances on two television series: '' Route 66'', which aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964, and ''Adam-12'', which a ...

as Shore Patrol Officer *

Harry Tenbrook Harry Tenbrook (born Henry Olaf Hansen, October 9, 1887 – September 4, 1960) was an American film actor. Henry Olaf Hansen was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. His family migrated to the United States in 1892. Under the stage nam ...

as Cookie *

Kathleen O'Malley Mary Kathleen O'Malley (March 31, 1924 – February 25, 2019) was an American film and television actress, who was the daughter of vaudevillian and actor Pat O'Malley. Her screen debut came during the silent film era as a thirteen month old bab ...

as Nurse * Gregory Walcott as Shore Patrolman *

James Flavin James William Flavin Jr. (May 14, 1906 – April 23, 1976) was an American character actor whose career lasted for nearly half a century. Early life The son of a hotel waiter of Canadian-English descent,Flavin's obituary, distributed by United ...

as Military Policeman *

Jack Pennick Ronald Jack Pennick (December 7, 1895 – August 16, 1964) was an American film actor. After working as a gold miner as a young man, serving as a US Marine, he would go on to appear in more than 140 films between 1926 and 1962. Pennick was ...

as Marine Sergeant * Duke Kahanamoku as Native Chief

Production

Fonda was not the original choice to star in the film version;

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

was considering

William Holden William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor, and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film ''Stalag 17'' (1953) ...

or Marlon Brando for the role. The studio thought Fonda had been on stage and off the screen so long (eight years) that he was no longer a box office draw. In addition, when filming began he was 49, much older than the average lieutenant junior grade. Fonda was hired only because director

insisted. The movie was directed by

, Mervyn LeRoy and Joshua Logan, who was uncredited. While directing the film, Ford had personality conflicts with Fonda and Cagney. When Ford met Cagney at the airport, the director warned that they would "tangle asses," which caught Cagney by surprise. Cagney later said, "I would have kicked his brains out. He was so goddamned mean to everybody. He was truly a nasty old man."Warren, page 191 The next day, Cagney was slightly late on set, and Ford became incensed. Cagney cut short the imminent tirade, saying, "When I started this picture, you said that we would tangle asses before this was over. I'm ready now – are you?" Ford backed down and walked away, and he and Cagney had no further conflicts on the set. Nevertheless, Ford was replaced by LeRoy after difficulties with Fonda (Ford apparently punched Fonda in the jaw during a heated argument), and a gall bladder attack that necessitated emergency surgery. It has been widely speculated which scenes were directed by LeRoy. Jack Lemmon shed some light on this issue in his DVD commentary: "Mervyn LeRoy would watch all of the rushes that Ford had shot prior to his temporary departure and decided to shoot them the way John Ford would have shot 'em." Logan, who had directed the original stage production in which Fonda starred, re-shot major portions of the film, at Fonda's request. The DVD release of this film includes an audio commentary by Lemmon in which he recounts stories of his experience making the film and his views on acting. During the production of the film, Lemmon began a long-term friendship with Cagney which continued until Cagney's death in 1986. Prior to his appearance in his first film, years before ''Mister Roberts'', he started in live television. In one particular performance, Lemmon decided to play his character differently. He decided to play the character left-handed, which was opposite to his own handedness. With much practice, he pulled off the performance without anyone noticing the change. Even Lemmon's wife was fooled. A few years later, Lemmon met Cagney on their way to Midway Island to film ''Mister Roberts''. Cagney asked, "Are you still fooling people into believing you're left-handed?" They had a great laugh and a strong friendship was born. Fonda wrote in his 1982 autobiography, ''My Life'', that he believed that as good as the movie is, the play is even better. ''Mister Roberts'' was William Powell's final acting appearance, although he lived nearly another 30 years, dying at age 91 in 1984. The film was also Cagney's last movie for Warner Bros., the studio that had propelled him to stardom in the 1930s and under which he had spent the majority of his career under contract.

USS ''Reluctant''

The Navy vessel that played the role of USS ''Reluctant'' (AK-601), a.k.a. "the Bucket," in the movie's exterior shots was a former U.S. Army Freight and Passenger/Freight and Supply (FP/FS) vessel, which was originally commissioned in the Navy following World War II. The is credited by the Navy as the ship assigned to the filming. The official Navy history for the ship notes:

In late August 1954 ''Hewell'' departed Hawaii for
Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...
, mooring at the Naval Base there on 28 August to help film the Warner Brothers movie ''Mister Roberts''. The film, starring Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell and Jack Lemmon, was partially shot on board ''Hewell'', with underway footage filmed off Midway Harbor between 1 and 16 September. The light cargo ship then sailed back to Hawaii between 24 and 29 September and additional film was shot off Kaneohe Bay between 30 September and 7 October.

A 1994 article which appeared in the newsletter of the Keyport, Washington Naval Undersea Warfare Center, contending that IX-308 (another Army FS vessel converted to a Navy AKL (light auxiliary cargo) and assigned torpedo recovery duties at Keyport) was used in filming of ''Mister Roberts'' and not ''Hewell'', created a controversy. That ship had been named for its service out of that port serving the

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

Texas Towers The Texas Towers were a set of three radar facilities off the eastern seaboard of the United States which were used for surveillance by the United States Air Force during the Cold War. Modeled on the offshore oil drilling platforms first employ ...

radar facilities off the east coast of the United States. 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 and , 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. A number of modifications to the AKL exterior appearance were made for the film. The "palm tree" was located on a "deck" built for the movie by extending the small deckhouse of the AKL and building movie set ladders to the bridge and main deck. The crew, when going below to their berthing compartment, are shown in the movie to be descending into the cargo hold.

Reception

The film was a financial success. It grossed $21.2 million, earning $8.5 million in US theatrical rentals.'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1955', '' Variety Weekly'', January 25, 1956.

Accolades

Television and sequels

''Mister Roberts'' was followed by a film sequel, ''

Ensign Pulver ''Ensign Pulver'' is a 1964 American Technicolor film in Panavision and a sequel to the 1955 film '' Mister Roberts''. The film stars Robert Walker Jr., Burl Ives, Walter Matthau and Tommy Sands and features Millie Perkins, Larry Hagman, K ...

'' (1964), with

Robert Walker Jr. Robert Hudson Walker Jr. (April 15, 1940 – December 5, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in films including ''Easy Rider'' (1969) and was a familiar presence on television in the 1960s and early 1970s. He became less active in lat ...

starring as Pulver. It also starred

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

as Captain Morton, Walter Matthau as Doc, and in small roles, Larry Hagman and

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

, among others. Much of the screenplay was derived from Heggen's original book. The original film was the basis of the 1965 TV series '' Mister Roberts'', which lasted one season, and the film was remade for television in 1984 as a live telecast shot mostly in the form of a stage play.

References

Bibliography

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mister Roberts 1955 films 1955 comedy-drama films American comedy-drama films American films based on plays Films scored by Franz Waxman Films adapted into television shows Films based on adaptations Films based on American novels Films about the United States Navy in World War II Films directed by John Ford Films directed by Mervyn LeRoy Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award-winning performance Films set in the 1940s Military humor in film Pacific War films Warner Bros. films American World War II films CinemaScope films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films