Mister Roberts

Mr. Roberts

Take a run down cargo ship with a motley crew, throw in a pacific island paradise and sign on board four of the biggest Hollywood heavyweights ever, then you are bound to have winning motion picture which stands the test of time.

Henry Fonda re-creates his Broadway role as Lt. Douglas Roberts a navy cargo officer, desperately aching to be transferred from what is nothing more than a floating warehouse, to a destroyer and a chance to get into the fighting.

James Cagney in what is arguably the best of his later roles, plays the selfish and ambitious Captain, who knows that Roberts' work is the key to his own success. With this motive in mind he blocks all of Roberts' requests and makes his life as miserable as possible into the bargain.

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It is this story line that provides most of the drama albeit played with a touch of comic frivolity. The true comedy however is provided by Jack Lemmon as the good natured but lazy Ensign, Frank Thurlough Pulver.

Lemmon was a relative newcomer to the movies but none of that seemed evident in his performance. He held his own against three of the best in the business and was awarded an Oscar for his efforts.

However, the highlight of this film for me is the great William Powell as the aging and quick witted Doc.. His comic timing and sophisticated presence was an invaluable asset to any film he made and Mister Roberts is no exception.

Whether he is wise cracking with the crew at sick call or making illegal scotch with his shipmates, Powell steals every scene in which he appears. My personal favorite is when he is called to the captains cabin....ON THE DOUBLE, and he is seen casually strolling slowly and carefree smoking a cigarette, almost as if he was on the Park Avenue of the 1930's where he had made his name.

Cagney's scenes with Lemmon are hilarious. He was a considerate actor and at times you can almost feel the space that he gave Lemmon in order for him to shine. Also the scene in which Fonda confronts Cagney, to ensure the crews liberty, is expertly acted. A must see on the newly released DVD (with commentary by Jack Lemmon himself) is a clip from a 1955 Ed Sullivan show where Fonda and Cagney re-create the scene live and the acting cannot be faulted.

In more than just plot, this film has high points and low points. The high point was the welcome celluloid return of Henry Fonda after an absence of eight years whilst he played Mister Roberts on the New York stage. The low point being, that this was to be William Powell's final movie venture. He had retired in 1953 after How to Marry a Millionaire, but was lured back for "Roberts" by an overwhelming script. But this was to be a final return and I think as swan songs go William Powell indeed had the best.

It was also a troubled production with two directors and constant fall outs with Fonda over the adaptation. To Fonda, Mister Roberts was a work of art he didn't want to see defaced, and he argued bitterly over changes from the original format. Yet the theatre going public and the cinema going public were two different species and the changes were needed.

They must have found the right balance however because we are presented with a flawless motion picture with equal amounts of drama and humor, happiness and sadness and anger and goodwill. This film has the ability to touch everyone on at least one level.

A must-see film with unequaled performances. Recommended.

Who was considered for Mister Roberts?

Marlon Brando
Turned down the role of "Lt. Douglas A. Roberts" in the movie version of the hit Broadway comedy-drama set about a U.S. Navy ship during the second World War.

Actor who got the part: Henry Fonda

John Ford
Ford started out as director for the movie "Mister Roberts" the stipulation that Henry Fonda star instead of Holden or Brando. However, the two friends clashed over the interpretation of the script and Ford left for "health" reasons. The two never worked together again.

Actor who got the part: Mervyn LeRoy

William Holden
Turned down the lead role in the movie version of the Broadway hit about life aboard a US Navy ship during WW II.

Actor who got the part: Henry Fonda

Spencer Tracy

Turned down the role of "Lt. 'Doc'" in the movie version of the big hit Broadway play set on a Navy ship during the Second World War.

Actor who got the part: William Powell

Life aboard a U.S. Navy cargo ship during the World War II Pacific campaign revolves around Executive Officer Doug Roberts, the sympathetic buffer between the maniacal captain and the ship’s crew. Mister Roberts desperately wants a transfer to combat duty while his Captain is adamant about keeping him as Exec. While the Captain pampers the palm tree awarded the ship for outstanding achievements in cargo delivery, he’s less than solicitous about the conditions under which his crew must work. Helping Roberts keep his sanity is bunkmate Ensign Frank Pulver, whose prime objective is keeping out of the Captain’s sight. Then there’s Doc, who prescribes pills and wisdom with equal sagacity.

John Ford directed only about half of Mister Roberts before becoming ill. Try as he might the movie remains bound by its stage origins. There is little flow to the action. Mervyn LeRoy who took over from Ford did his best to keep the movie on an even kilter. There’s never a sense that two different hands were guiding the movie. Even the original stage director Josh Logan got to directs a couple scenes in reshoots. The comic elements of the crew positively play like something out of a Broadway musical. That means the chief attraction of Mister Roberts is watching some great pros act.

Films on Disk - Mister Roberts/B-,B

Henry Fonda repeats his stage success in the title role of Mister Roberts. Fonda’s easy, laconic style is well suited to Roberts and his portrait is sympathetic. Jack Lemmon is decidedly the most fun as Ensign Frank Pulver. Whether singing a 1940s ditty to himself or planning a new attack on the Captain’s sanctity, Lemmon injects energy into the otherwise lethargic proceedings. William Powell, the erudite interpreter of Nick Charles in The Thin Man, makes his final screen appearance as Doc. Powell’s cynical world-weary delivery is a delight and a welcome compliment to Lemmon’s silliness. James Cagney goes overboard with his posturing as the captain. His vision is narrowed to a corridor somewhere between the cargo hold and his potted palm. His explosions are deadpan slapstick, but Cagney is always fun to watch.

Jack Lemmon provides commentary on an alternate audio track. It’s a privilege to share Lemmon’s memories of the shoot and the actors. It may not be the best of commentaries, but Lemmon’s stature makes up for whatever it lacks. His commentary builds nicely. In the early scenes, it’s spotty and repetitive, but as he relaxes through the experience, there are some excellent stories. While he is mostly complimentary about the principals involved in Mr. Roberts, he does criticize a technique of director John Ford’s. Ford liked to trick actors into getting performances out of them. Lemmon resents this device, but he relates a story about Victor McLaglen in The Informer and how Ford set him up for a great performance. McLaglen won the Academy Award as Best Actor for the role. There’s no question that Lemmon holds the stars of Mr. Roberts in high esteem as he reminisces about their varied professional styles. There are gaps in the commentary throughout the DVD, but a narrator instructs you to move to the chapter where commentary is picked up again. There’s a huge gap from chapter 16 to chapter 32 with no commentary. On side two of the DVD there is a short remembrance of Henry Fonda narrated by Jane Fonda and also a tape of an appearance of the principals of Mister Roberts on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Presented in 2.35 anamorphic widescreen, Mister Roberts is a welcome addition to the DVD library. Historically, the film boasts several screen legends as part of the cast. Warner Home Video should be commended on making a new transfer of the film for DVD. The source material for the transfer is quite good. Some scenes are a bit too grainy, but the overall look is pleasing. The transfer never injects itself between the viewer and the film. Images are reasonably sharp, colors adequately saturated. The soundtrack has been remastered in Dolby Digital 5:1. Dialogue is easy to understand and the Franz Waxman score, though not extensive, sounds fine.

Goofs for Mister Roberts (1955)