"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.
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.