Mister Roberts

"Mister Roberts," released in 1955 and directed by John Ford and Mervyn LeRoy, is a great film adaptation of the hit Broadway play by Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan. Lieutenant Douglas Roberts (Henry Fonda), a cargo officer stationed on the weary cargo ship the USS Reluctant in the spring of 1945, is BORED. Roberts yearns for a transfer to a combat vessel. The problem is, he needs the approval of the captain (James Cagney), and the captain, though obligated to send Roberts' requests for transfer as written, exercises his discretion to stamp every letter "disapproved". The brass would never go over the head of a captain who disapproves of a transfer. The captain does this not because he realizes Roberts' importance to the ship, but instead because he is a small mean petty man.

The captain grew up poor and this did not teach him empathy for his fellow man when he climbed out of poverty and became an officer. Instead he just learned to be the ultimate bully. He denies the crew privileges because he can, but he is always interested in schmoozing superior officers whom he deems as important. In the words of "Philadelphia Story", In spite of the fact that somebody's up from the bottom, he can still be quite a heel. "

The crew idolizes Roberts because he is constantly antagonizing their tormenter. But then one day the Captain holds the crew's much deserved and much needed liberty for ransom - Roberts has to stop writing requests for transfers and act like he is toadying to the captain from now on and moreso keep this arrangement secret - and Roberts has to choose.

Because the film is about boredom during wartime, it would be easy for this film to be - well - boring, but to its credit it is not. This is because of all of the small scenes involving the four leads and the outstanding cast. Henry Fonda starred as Mr. Roberts onstage, and it is said he actually directed parts of it after John Ford walked off. William Powell makes his last film appearance as the ship's surgeon, "Doc", and he has some scenes that have that wily and humorous Powell greatness while delivering words of wisdom or a recipe for fake Scotch. Jack Lemmon won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Ensign Pulver, a slimy little weasel and wannabe womanizer who has potential.

I'd recommend this even if you are not particularly fond of war films - I'm not and I enjoyed it a great deal.

I recently saw "Mister Roberts" for the first time in a theater, part of a double-bill with "Twelve Angry Men". The latter is one of my all-time favorite movies, but I've always had reservations about "Mister Roberts", in large part, I think, because I'd always seen it in pan-and-scan on AMC instead of the original CinemaScope perspective of the original. Well, even on a movie screen, I think some of the scenes had to be chopped (or Mervyn LeRoy just liked including William Powell's shoe in a screen-shot, but not the rest of him) but I enjoyed this movie much more in a theater than on a TV screen. For one small example, I'd never noticed the detail of the warships passing by during the opening credits before.

The story of "Mister Roberts" is a bit melodramatic for my taste -- after all, it started out on Broadway -- but it doesn't matter because you have five huge headliners to carry it, all at different stages of their careers -- William Powell in his last feature film; James Cagney, James Fonda, and Ward Bond in their mid-career phases (though Bond would be cut down too young in 1960); and Jack Lemmon in practically his first movie. There is an outstanding photo of these five actors singing together accompanied by Cagney's guitar in the photo gallery. Anyway, Mister Roberts is a college-grad who felt a duty to be involved in WWII, but who had the bad luck to be assigned to a cargo ship that is never involved in combat duty. What's worse, the commanding officer is a petty Merchant Marine who got in the Navy because they needed anyone they could get, and he resents Mister Roberts and anyone else who he thinks looks down on him. Roberts shares a room with Ensign Pulver, not exactly a coward but someone who'd be happy to go through the entire war without meeting his Captain. The ship's surgeon is played by William Powell with the same wit and facile mastery that he brought to the "The Thin Man" series decades earlier; but you can tell he's not Nick Charles because of his gray hair. Finally, the great Ward Bond is the top noncom in the cargo hold.

The movie depends on a lot of stereotypes that feel like crutches to me -- sailors ogling women, sailors getting drunk, sailors going nuts on liberty, etc. The high points of the action involve the interaction of the headliners, or their solo moments. Jack Lemmon's outstanding (and Oscar-winning) performance established him as an up and coming star, and presaged his great work in "The Apartment", "Some Like it Hot", "The Days of Wine and Roses", and the other masterpieces of his "Early" period. The final scene is one of the best in Lemmon's career.

I strongly recommend you find a way to see "Mister Roberts" in widescreen format. This is a movie, like "Lawrence of Arabia" or "Anastasia", that is just ruined when presented full-screen.

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.

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.

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.