User reviews

The combination of William Powell, in his last role, Henry Fonda, and Jack Lemmon is enough of a pull. But to have James Cagney as the nasty and overbearing captain is nirvana. The film needed more female influence, and Betsy Palmer supplies that to a degree, but she is given nothing much to work with.

The end result, though, is great, and the actors show they have the timing and the grace to carry this one through magnificently.

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.

'Mister Roberts' is one of two movies that I sometimes name as my all-time favorite movies. The other is 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' with Errol Flynn. I definitely believe that this is one of Henry Fonda's finest roles.

When my now nineteen year old nephew was younger, he would ask to watch my copy of 'Mister Roberts' on VHS just for the hilarious scene where Pulver blows up the laundry and the ship starts to fill up with soap suds. I have a copy of the play which includes pictures from when Fonda played the role of Doug Roberts on stage, and there are some differences from the play, but those differences certainly work in this movie.

I can't imagine better casting for any of these parts--

Henry Fonda as Doug Roberts

Jack Lemmon as Ensign Pulver

Ward Bond as Dowdy

William Powell as Doc

This is an excellent story of a man who yearns to serve in a war, but yet not to be a hero. He just wants to do his part, and he thinks that in order for his part to be important he has to be in combat. It takes him a while, and a few lectures from Doc, to realize that what he and the crew on the 'bucket' on which they serve do a necessary and important job even as they sail from boredom to tedium and back again, as Roberts says in his letter to Pulver in one of the movie's last scenes. The men are bored, and they can't stand their captain; and during the scene where the captain calls them to their battle stations after finding his special palm tree missing most of them aren't even sure where their battle stations are! The character of Doc has never even seen a battleship and he's in the navy. The entire movie is worth just the scenes of the crew returning from liberty, the making of the scotch, and the soap suds incident.

For a while when I was up at Northern Arizona University I had these lines from the opening scene as part of my answering machine message:

"Now here this. Now here this. Revelry. I repeat...revelry! Attention all hands..."

I recommend this movie very highly and rate it nine out of ten stars!

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 transfered 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.

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 favourite 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 humour, 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.

"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.

Through the collaborative efforts of John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy, Joshua Logan and Henry Fonda the film version of Mister Roberts finally got made. As in Spartacus a lot of creative differences were aired and there was animosity, but the thing got made and got made well.

The film Mister Roberts is the screen adaption of a play that ran on Broadway from 1948 to 1951 for 1157 performances. It was based on the novel written by Thomas Heggen and was directed by Joshua Logan. It marked a return to the stage for Henry Fonda who for the rest of his life shuttled back and forth between Broadway and Hollywood. Mister Roberts became his career signature part.

According to the book In the Company of Heroes by Harry Carey, Jr., Henry Fonda because this was his signature part, the part that won him a Tony Award on Broadway, he had a certain proprietary interest in seeing a faithful adaption was done for the screen.

John Ford however wanted to put his own individual stamp on the picture as he always does. Fonda and Ford had done six films together before 1948 and Fonda was a willing pupil. But after the acclaim he got for this play Fonda was no longer willing to respond to Ford's direction dutifully. This led to an ugly clash on set and Ford leaving the picture. The direction was taken over by Mervyn LeRoy officially, but Joshua Logan came over from Broadway and in the background Henry Fonda himself directed some of it.

There are certainly enough Ford touches to recognize the film as a Ford product. But Fonda kept the essence of Doug Roberts as the average man doing a disagreeable task, serving as a buffer between the crew and the tyrannical captain. He makes life somewhat bearable for the crew of the cargo ship he's the executive officer. And like James Stewart in It's A Wonderful Life, Fonda also has to be shown just how important his contribution to the morale of that ship is.

And what a boss they have. The role of the Captain is a very difficult part. Though there are certainly elements of comedy with the captain, James Cagney never allows the captain to become a figure of burlesque. It's a very difficult tightrope to walk, but Mr. Cagney brought over 30 years of professionalism to that part. During the scene of the cabin confrontation with Fonda, Cagney does go into his background, going to sea as a kid, doing a lot of menial jobs and rising through his own efforts in the Merchant Marine. We get to understand Cagney, but we never sympathize with him.

Even though Mister Roberts is a military setting, the themes are universal and that is why I think it got the popular acclaim it did. I think most of us in our lives as workers have occasionally had to work in settings where the boss was a tin pot dictator, using and abusing his position of authority. And maybe we've also had immediate supervisors who did buffer between the employer and the workers. I'm sure that applied to just about anyone who ever had any kind of work history.

What allows Cagney to become the little martinet that he's become is the fact that the cargo ship is in the backwater of the war. You do kind of wonder what might happen if the ship was ever a target of some Japanese submarines or airplanes. He and the man are bored, but he's in the position of authority. Mister Roberts is the only film I know that ever made boredom a component of a successful production.

William Powell who was a player for over 40 years on stage and screen put a cap to his career as Doc, the ship's medical officer and confidante of Fonda. John Ford never met a doctor he didn't like and I'm sure that part might have attracted him to the play. From Arrowsmith to Stagecoach to Seven Women, Ford's doctors are all kinds of characters, but they are all wise and offer good counsel on all subjects, not necessarily medical.

And the collaborative efforts of the creators netted for Jack Lemmon his first Oscar as the Best Supporting Actor of 1955. Lemmon is a nice man of admittedly limited character as Ensign Pulver. But his stay on the ship shows a dramatic growth in character as we see in the finale.

The crew is populated by a mostly Ford stock company characters. In fact the only other player besides Fonda from the original Broadway production to repeat his part is Tige Andrews as one of the crew. It's with them that we see the real Ford touches. Note that horse whinny that Ward Bond uses when the visiting nurses led by Betsy Palmer come to the ship at "Captain" Lemmon's request. Bond did the same thing in My Darling Clementine to a passing Linda Darnell.

Despite a difficult birthing, Mister Roberts has become an American classic and will be so as long as we have a planet.

MISTER ROBERTS (3 outta 5 stars)

Funny, kind of sentimental war movie starring Henry Fonda as the title character, forced to serve on a Navy vessel for one of the worst Captains ever (James Cagney). Mr. Roberts dreams of getting off the ship, which is devoted mostly to transporting cargo and being transferred to a battleship to do his bit for WW2. Unfortunately, he makes the Captain look too good... and the Captain refuses to let him go. Meanwhile, the crew's morale keeps going down and down due to the Captain's incompetence and hardheadedness. Classic 50s comedy has some great performances... Fonda, Cagney, William Powell and Jack Lemmon are all in great form! Very similar in style to TV's M*A*SH... in fact, the sentimental finale reminded me quite a bit of a much-heralded episode of that show. Also has the distinction of having one of the best closing lines in cinematic history: "It is I, Ensign Pulver..." Ahhh, I can't spoil it and tell you the rest... see the movie for yourself.

Somewhere between tedium and apathy the U.S.S. Reluctant sails to this day with it's crew of U.S. navy swabs who have to deliver cargoes of supplies to our men fighting the enemy (Japan) in World War II. The war is long over, but the spirit of men rotting under a vicious squirt of a Captain, with only an intelligent cargo officer (Lt. Doug Roberts) protecting them, remains an image that people retain sixty years after Japan surrendered.

In another review, I mentioned that (ironically) the American naval mutiny everyone recalls is that on board the U.S.S.Caine in the Herman Wouk novel and the film made as a result. That like "Mr. Roberts" was fictional, but the two stories have taken on a life of their own. The stories transcended the events that were the backgrounds for them. Oddly enough, both stories eventually center upon the events of the closing part of the Pacific War: THE CAINE MUTINY going up to the typhoon before the battle of Okinawa in January 1945 (Roberts sees part of the fleet headed for Okinawa early in MR. ROBERTS), and Roberts getting transferred to the battle zone where he dies after Germany's surrender in May 1945.

Despite problems between John Ford and star Henry Fonda, that led to Ford's removal as director, the film actually is one of those movies where several hands were involved and the results were good (like GONE WITH THE WIND). Fonda had been in the Broadway production and worked on it with Leland Heyward and Joshua Logan, so he knew precisely what was necessary for the film. Ford, before he was fired, set up the film perfectly - he was an old "navy" man himself, so he brought a sense of reality to the project that (mercifully) was not damaged.

One thing that Ford did which was worthwhile was casting Jack Lemmon (then at the start of his film career) as Ensign Frank Thurlow Pulver, would-be sex object and would-be pain-in-the-ass to the Captain. Lemmon had somehow caught Ford's eye, and had actually done a test for a current project that Ford was planning, THE LONG GREY LINE. Lemmon told an interviewer on AMC years ago that Ford gave him the test for the role that went to Tyrone Power, and Lemmon was delivering a speech as an old Irish-American man, complete with a brogue. Ford later told Lemmon he was dreadful for the role in THE LONG GREY LINE, but he wanted him for Pulver. It was a great opportunity, as it netted Lemmon the first of his two Oscars (here for best supporting actor). He would have some great moments here, singing "If I can be with you" several times in the film, watching Fonda and William Powell turn a bottle of Coca Cola into Scotch, explaining to an amazed Jimmy Cagney that he has been the laundry officer on the boat for over a year but has managed never to see Cagney, causing a massive explosion in the ship's laundry on May 8, 1945, and finally pulling his guts together and taking up where Fonda left off as the movie ends.

Fonda, Cagney, Powell, and Ward Bond were all old hands in film. For William Powell, "Doc" would be his last movie role - but a good one as it showed his humanity and wryness so well. Towards the end, he shows Ward Bond that his wife selected a new wall paper for home, and sent him a sample (I keep imagining the wife, of course, is Myrna Loy, but that is besides the point). Cagney had a number of films left in the next five years (and two follow movies in the 1980s), and Fonda would have movies and stage work (and a final Oscar for his last film, ON GOLDEN POND) in 1982. But the scenes between Cagney and Fonda were wonderful, with the latter (even when explaining what caused his miserable personality) failing to win audience sympathy. Fonda does knuckle under to help the crew, but his act of defiance (throwing the palm tree off the boat) ends his deference to this tyrant. It is typical of Cagney's acting gifts that he balances the comic and ruthless aspects of his villains. When he finds the palm tree destroyed he starts screaming the line in the "Summary" Line above. As for Bond, besides giving his role as Robert's cargo assistant good mileage, he also makes the word "coffee" have a disgusting and ironic connotation at the film's end. It was a terrific cast in a great film.

I know this movie is a revered favorite of most film fans, but in my opinion, it has a fatal flaw. Although it tries very hard to blend pathos and humor, the humor seems to fall into two distinct categories. There is the witty, sometimes hilarious humor that we see between Mr Roberts, Ensign Pulver, Doc, and especially The Captain. Then there is the slob humor we get from the crew, as well as all other enlisted personnel in the movie. I was in the service, and I am certain that most of the morons depicted in this movie, would never be allowed to serve. I don't mind a little moronic humor (I even like the Bowery Boys), but this almost amounts to class warfare. I'm not totally knocking the movie. There are a number of genuinely touching scenes worth seeing, and some of the comedy is priceless, but I think they could have toned down the stereotypes and improved the product.

Mister Roberts (1955) - CO-Directors: John Ford & Mervyn LeRoy Enough time had passed that Americans were able to laugh at some of the kookier aspects about military life and Hollywood provided just the right amount of seriousness and irreverence with this 1955 hit.

Henry Fonda gave one of his career making performances in this film as a lieutenant in the Navy who feels that the action of the war is passing him by. Instead of fighting the enemy, he's engaged in a battle of wills with off kilter superior officer James Cagney, who also turns in one of his mythic-making performances. The great William Powell is on board in one of his last roles as the friendly on board doctor. The late Jack Lemmon won an Academy Award for his supporting role of Ensign Pulver, a man who finally straightens his spine and takes macho Cagney on mano-a-mano. (Color)

Stuck on a cargo ship during WWII, Mr. Roberts (Henry Fonda) longs for another assignment that would allow him to get into combat. But his captain (James Cagney) is a selfish man who has personal reasons for keeping Roberts on his ship. The captain is also an anti-intellectual who resents Roberts' college education. The crew dislikes the captain due to his bitter, sadistic personality.

Ensign Pulver's (Jack Lemmon) strategy is to avoid the captain altogether.

This is an uneven film that suffers from a mid-course change in directors and from differences in directorial vision. Conditions on the set were contentious. Perhaps that is why so many involved with the film said later they disliked it or hated making it.

Jack Lemmon, who was early in his film career, won the Oscar for his supporting role, but he played a minor part that would easily be eclipsed by many of his later roles. Among those who were beaten for that Oscar were Arthur O'Connell, who gave a stellar performance in "Picnic".

The film does have a strong ending. And watch for William Powell playing the ship's doctor in his last film role.

This is one of the Best films I have ever seen..I was in the Navy and there was a lot of realism to the movie. Not to mention the wonderful performances by a 1st class Cast.. To put James Cagney, Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Ward Bond, and the great William Powell all in one Movie, you couldn't miss having a Classic Film..A suberb Film and Terrific cast and writing, make this my all time Favorite..

Great comedy film that has just the right amount of drama to prevent it from being a total comedy. William Powell is superb in his final film as the ships doctor. James Cagney also is superb as the ships semi-tyrannical captain. He does exhibit a few soft points (but not many) which makes him only semi-tyrannical. Henry Fonda in one of his most remembered roles. Jack Lemmon creates a character that only he can play. The sequel "Ensign Pulver" was a decent attempt to recreate the original and is a fine film in it's own right but not as good as this one.

John Ford apparently directed half of this film and Melvin Leroy the other half. It is so lacking in any style that it is impossible to tell who did which scenes.

The play must have seemed original in the 1950's, but now it seems like an episode of McHale's Navy dragged out from 1/2 hour to 2 hours. One can also more generously look at it as a 1950's version of MASH without sex or blood.

The cast is great, but everybody, James Cagney, Henry Fonda, William Powell and Jack Lemon all did tons of better films.

It is a talky play without much action. We don't even see the one big explosion in the film, but only hear it off-screen and see soapsuds ridiculously pouring through the decks of a ship.

The more I see of Ford, the less impressed I am. His films tend to be about male bonding, and all the men act like 13 year old adolescents, except for the hero who always acts like a 15 year old adolescent. As in most of his films, women are basically off the radar or just hanging around the edges.

Again, the four lead actors are pros and could make reading the phone booth exciting, but the material is geared towards a 1950's middle-class mentality.

I think people were saturated with World War II action movies, so making a World War II movie without any action must have seemed like a real daring thing in the 1950's, but it just comes off as boring today.

I wish the character of the captain had been expanded. He is just not two dimensional enough and there is a lack of sympathy there. Actually, the film doesn't make sense in that the Captain is actually saving Robert's life by denying him his request to be a hero. Ensign Pulver's and the crew's anger at him seems unjustified.

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.

One of Henry Fonda's very best roles, and I understand, one of his favorites. Apparently, he starred in the play which had a years-long run on Broadway. However, this was before my time, and so I was unaware of that until reading it yesterday on IMDb. While a very good movie, it didn't seem to be as good as I remembered it, from seeing it on television in the late Sixties. This more likely reflects on me, rather than the film. William Powell was excellent in the role he came out of retirement to play, and Jimmy Cagney found an excellent role here for him to play in middle age. He chewed the scenery some, but everyone knows that martinet ship captains like that do exist, and are a literary mainstay, reaching back to Wolf Larssen, Ahab, and beyond. Jack Lemmon won an Oscar for his role as Ensign Pulver, and it seems well-deserved to me, though I don't know who the competition was. I haven't seen the film wherein Lemmon reprised this role, but I have not heard good things about it. The ending shouldn't surprise anyone, although it did me, when I saw this as a kid. Still a darned good movie, deserving of a place in anyone's DVD collection, particularly anyone who is fond of the work of any of the four main performers.

What a wonderful movie! I can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to seeing it.

In a bit of convenient coincidence, I happened to be reading "The Caine Mutiny" at the same time that I saw "Mister Roberts," and the two stories are kissing cousins. Both concern the tyrannical captain of a largely obsolete ship in the late days of WWII and the second-in-command officers who try to bring some humanity to the lives of the sailors suffering under the strict leadership. In "Mister Roberts," that captain is James Cagney, and the executive officer is Henry Fonda (Mr. Roberts), beleaguered by the notion that he's missing out on the important parts of the war, and that his time aboard a supplies ship stationed in the safe zone of the South Pacific is wasted. The point of the movie, though, is that the world is full of all kinds of heroes, and combat heroes are only one type. There's a valid heroism to be found in simply being reliable and decent, and the kind of person that knows how to be a good leader. It's less glamorous, but no less important or necessary. One of the points that I liked best about the film was the acknowledgement that the hero's job can be a quite thankless one. Mister Roberts is a hero to his men, but they don't necessarily know it -- they easily turn on him when things don't go exactly their way. Anyone who's ever supervised a group of individuals in any context should be able to appreciate the same feeling.

Fonda is wonderful in his role, and he's backed by a tremendous cast. Cagney, Jack Lemmon and William Powell fill out the other major roles, and this is one of those instances where an entire cast just clicks -- the chemistry between all of them is palpable.

The film gets a bit maudlin and treacly towards its conclusion, and it tries to race through too much plot in its last moments, but I forgive it these flaws, since it did come out at a time when there would still have been an intense nostalgia for and a great deal of sentimentality surrounding WWII stories like this one.

Grade: A

This big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway play was equally as successful at the film box office. It has a big-name cast with Fonda returning to movie work after a break of several years while he was playing stage roles, Cagney was playing his second "mean guy" role of the year (after his part in "Love Me Or Leave Me"), William Powell in his last film role and Jack Lemmon in his breakthrough part as Ensign Pulver, along with a cast of recognisable Ford supporting regulars.

I can get why contemporary audiences would savour the movie, bolstering as it does themes such as male-bonding, recent armed forces service and mild anti-authority rebelliousness, but time, it seems to me, has weakened its resolve, not least down to thankfully altered societal attitudes in the workplace and in particular to women.

Fonda is the titular Mr Roberts, the much put-upon first officer of a U. S. supply ship, situated somewhere out in the Eastern war theatre but sat pretty much up in the gods, well out of harm's way, rather than in front row seats which Roberts especially, as well as the other men on board, craves. His captain is a selfish, glory-hunting martinet, played with suitable bluster by Cagney. Roberts' job is to keep the ship functioning, which he tries to do by ameliorating the seamen's restive feelings against the captain's despotic rule, which sets him up as a sort of politer Fletcher Christian to Cagney's tyrannical Bligh, while at the same time observing his duty as the ship's second-in-command, leaving him caught somewhere between a rock and a soft place. It's clear where his own sympathies lie, but he's too much of a good officer to flaunt the order of command. But of course, you can push a good man too far which naturally sets him up for a showdown with Cagney.

There's a surprising, bitter-sweet epilogue, which at least shows that the spirit of non-conformity will likely continue on the boat if in a much more energetic and demonstrative way in future voyages.

Roberts' two pals on board are his room-mates, the all-talk-and-no-action but likeable young Ensign Pulver played by Jack Lemmon and his old buddy, the ship's doc played by William Powell. Inevitably Cagney's character finds a way to compromise Roberts but the truth will out it seems, so that just desserts are in the end meted out even if the slightly heavy-handed "war-is-hell" conclusion would tend to rather detract, I'd imagine, from any upbeat feelings in the audience, as they left the movie theatre.

There was a fair bit to like about the film especially if you're a fan of Ford's old-fashioned ethos on grace under pressure and boys-will-be-boys brand of raucous humour, but for me anyway, both were wearing a little thin by this time. There's not a single black crew member on board for one thing and the treatment of the women as mere sex-objects is distasteful to modern eyes. The humour too often comes across as forced and watered-down while much of the action seems episodic. In fact, I wouldn't have been surprised to see Frank Sinatra or Gene Kelly hoofing it up out on the town with these jolly jack tars, so mild and unrealistic does the rest of the crew seem.

As far as the acting is concerned, Fonda does his redoubtable best, but hardly gets to demonstrate his range, Cagney is just too overblown in his caricature part while Lemmon alternates inconsistently between gaucheness and charm. I liked Powell best as the sober down-to-earth voice of reason on board, although ironically he apparently had such difficulty remembering his lines that he decided this was to be his last role in front of the cameras and promptly retired.

It's still an entertaining enough film, nicely shot and reasonably well played but I think it is somewhat overrated and as for any relevance to today's viewers, I'm bound to say that I think this ship has definitely sailed.

Watching this again many years after I first saw it, I expected to be disappointed. After all, the great films of our youth sometimes turn out to be something less than we had imagined. But Mister Roberts does not disappoint. This is one of the gems of the American cinema, a poignant comedy featuring a multitudinously clever and delightful script by Frank Nugent and Joshua Logan from a novel by Thomas Heggen made into a play by Logan and Heggen that ran for many years on Broadway. The movie features sterling performances from Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell and Jack Lemmon. Fonda is particularly brilliant in the kind of role from which legends are made. (He also played the part on Broadway.) You can take all your John Wayne classics and toss them overboard with the Captain's palm tree. Henry Fonda as Lt (j.g.) Doug Roberts, cargo officer of the USS Reluctant, shines forth as the noblest hero of them all. He is a quiet, strong, fair, courageous man in a story sure to mist up your eyes even if you're watching it for the twentieth time.

Jack Lemmon won a supporting Oscar for his performance as Ensign Pulver, a kind of lazy, but slyly resourceful Walter Mitty type who talks a great game but never follows through... James Cagney is the Captain, a sour, resentful man who mercilessly badgers Mister Roberts and grossly neglects the morale of his crew. He is just perfect. The way he bellows "Mister Roberts!" or way he trembles out the line, "Mister...Mister...this time you've gone too far" delights the audience. William Powell, in his last film, plays the ship's wise and ever diplomatic doc with graceful precision.

Marty (1955) starring Ernest Borgnine, a kind of politically correct (for its time) love story about ordinary folk, won the Academy's honor for best picture in 1956, the year Mister Roberts was nominated. Henry Fonda, in perhaps his most beloved and certainly one of his finest performances, was not even nominated. Incidentally, Hollywood legend John Ford directed, but fell ill and Mervyn LeRoy--no slouch himself (e.g., The Bad Seed, 1956; No Time for Sergeants, 1958, etc.)--finished up.

There are a number of memorable scenes in the film, the kind recalled with delight. My favorite involves the crew, their binoculars and the nurses. I also loved the careful concocting of the "scotch whiskey" by Doc. The weekly letters requesting a transfer, the Hoot Gibson films we (thankfully) never see, the ever worshipful palm tree, Pulver's marbles in a tobacco tin that he shakes in Roberts's face, vowing to prove his manhood by putting them in the captain's overbin, his "firecracker," his "If I could be with you/One hour tonight/To do the things I might/I'm telling you true/I'd be anything but blue," the giddy nurses, and the infamous liberty are other unforgettable bits. But more than anything, what makes this a great movie, are the indelible characters so very true to our experience, and how nicely they meld and contrast.

This is, along with From Here to Eternity, Das Boot, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Caine Mutiny, Stalag 17, and Twelve O'Clock High, among my favorite movies to come out of World War II. What sets Mister Roberts apart is the humor born of the boredom, frustration, and tedium that most truly characterizes life in the service. In this regard I recall a saying that goes something like this: "War is filled with long stretches of boredom punctuated by moments of absolute terror." The crew of the Reluctant got only the boredom.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)

1st watched 11/30/02 - 7 out of 10(Dir-John Ford & Mervyn Leroy): Slow starting, but strong finishing comedy-drama about a navy cargo & it's crew that are in the 2nd World War, but not in the battle. Mister Roberts, played by Henry Fonda, is kind of like the first mate, and the Captain is played brilliantly by James Cagney, in a harsh but comic role. The 1st hour is confusing because the music is played in an overly-dramatic fashion, yet the actors & the action is rather comedic in nature. There are also many scenes with obvious voice-overs involving mostly Ensign Pullver(played by Jack Lemmon), then right when you're about to write this off it makes a tremendous turn-around probably mostly due to the performances of Fonda & Cagney. In the last hour, there are moments of tremendous hilarity and moments of tremendous calamity and we feel both of them. All in all this is very similar to what we saw two decades later in the TV-series MASH(in a different war, with a different point of view) but the same combination of hilarity & calamity in a setting off of the mainstream battle. The similarities are very intriguing but both stand out for a unique viewing experience of their own.

"Mr. Roberts" was originally a Broadway play and it was amazingly successful--running for well over 1000 performances. While today this may not seem so amazing, back in the late 40s and 50s, this was almost unheard of and kept its leading man, Henry Fonda, very busy. Oddly, however, when it came to filming this story, the studios fought the original director (John Ford) because they didn't want Fonda. While he was arguably too old for the part, the studio's first choice (Marlon Brando) seems today ludicrous. It's ironic that although Ford insisted on Fonda for the film, Ford himself would be taken off the project due to his totally unprofessional and sadistic treatment of Fonda.

The film is set aboard a very unimportant cargo vessel stationed in the Pacific in the latter portion of WWII. It's Captain (James Cagney) is a dictatorial little tyrant who seems to enjoy making the crew miserable--probably due to his own inadequacies. His first officer is Mr. Roberts--a man frustrated to serve under such a man and because he desperately wants a transfer to a ship that has some chance of seeing action. Other important characters on the ship are Ensign Pulver (Jack Lemmon)--a wimpy upstart who talks big but refuses to do anything as well as the Doc (William Powell)--a sympathetic but passive ear for people on board. Pulver is clearly intended as comic relief and spends much of the film hiding from the Captain--who, after fourteen months aboard, doesn't even recognize Pulver as a member of his crew! And, for this memorable role, Lemmon received the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

As for the film, it lacks the excitement of many war films and often has to do with the mundane and petty activities on such a ship. In many ways, it plays like "Operation Petticoat"--but with even less action and a bit less comedy. It can also be compared to "The Caine Mutiny", though this film is definitely grittier and totally unfunny compared to "Mr. Roberts". In "Mr. Roberts", most of the film is a power struggle between this second in command and the Captain. The crew love Roberts and cannot stand the Captain--and it's easy to see why. The result is generally funny but with some very poignant moments (such as the very downbeat ending). Not a great film...but very, very good.

Reading IMDb's trivia further solidifies in my mind that although John Ford was a masterful director, as a human being...he wasn't. If it's true that he slugged Henry Fonda, it would fit in with a lot of the information I read about him. Despite today being admired as a great man, he was a horrible person. Apparently, he was so nasty and dictatorial with his family as well. Try doing more than watching the glowing documentaries on the gifted but very flawed man--it makes for fascinating and rather sad reading.

In the Pacific Ocen, during the Second World War, Lt. j.g. Douglas A. Roberts (Henry Fonda) is the deck officer of the old Navy Cargo Ship "Reluctant", a.k.a. "The Bucket". Her Captain (James Cagney) is a tyrannic man and Mr. Roberts defends the crew from his outbursts. Mr. Roberts also wish to leave the "Reluctant" to join a battle ship and participate of the action of the war. When the ship is moored to a habour, Mr. Roberts promises a military liberty for the crew; however, the Captain call off the liberty to force Mr. Roberts to change his behavior, give up leaving "Reluctant" and support his decisions. When the crew returns from the liberty, they note that Mr. Roberts changed his behavior and they are apart Mr. Roberts. What will happen next?

"Mister Roberts" is a funny and sad film directed by John Ford and Mervyn LeRoy. The plot is highly entertaining, supported by great names of the cinema industry in the 50s and the conclusion is heartbreaking. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Mister Roberts"