{"id":81085,"date":"2022-02-11T00:12:38","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T07:12:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81085"},"modified":"2022-02-21T23:21:51","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T06:21:51","slug":"mister-roberts-1955","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81085","title":{"rendered":"Mister Roberts (1955)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Maybe that&#8217;s why we&#8217;re on this ship &#8212; &#8217;cause we&#8217;re not good enough to fight!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Poster-198x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-81086\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Poster-198x300.png 198w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Poster-675x1024.png 675w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Poster-84x128.png 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Poster-178x270.png 178w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Poster.png 727w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nDuring World War II, the beloved executive officer (Henry Fonda) of a cargo ship repeatedly requests a transfer to be able to engage in combat, but is denied by his unreasonably insecure captain (James Cagney), who also refuses to grant his men &#8212; including Ensign Pulver (Jack Lemmon) &#8212; a much-deserved leave; will Mister Roberts (Fonda) prevail on their behalf?\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At Sea<\/li>\n<li>Betsy Palmer Films<\/li>\n<li>Henry Fonda Films<\/li>\n<li>Jack Lemmon Films<\/li>\n<li>James Cagney Films<\/li>\n<li>John Ford Films<\/li>\n<li>Joshua Logan Films<\/li>\n<li>Mervyn Le Roy Films<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptations<\/li>\n<li>Ruthless Leaders<\/li>\n<li>Ward Bond Films<\/li>\n<li>William Powell Films<\/li>\n<li>World War II<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThis adaptation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mister_Roberts_(play)\">Joshua Logan&#8217;s long-running Broadway play<\/a> &#8212; itself based on <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mister_Roberts_(novel)\">a 1946 novel by Thomas Heggen<\/a> &#8212; was fraught with directorial challenges: John Ford began the film but was eventually replaced by Mervyn LeRoy (with some scenes directed by Logan himself). Apparently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0048380\/trivia?item=tr1864525\">Ford and Fonda &#8212; who starred in the lead role on Broadway for seven years: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81092\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda2.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda2-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda2-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda2-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8212; had a major falling out<\/a>, ending their 16 year friendship and string of 8 films together. However, the resulting movie was no worse for wear as far as audiences were concerned, given that they made it the second highest grossing film of the year. Jimmy Cagney plays a Bligh\/Queeg type of power-tripping naval leader, though no reason is given for his attitude other than class resentment. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cagney.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cagney.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81090\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cagney.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cagney-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cagney-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cagney-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>William Powell gave his final screen performance as a laid-back ship&#8217;s doctor who is friends with Fonda: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Powell.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Powell.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81096\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Powell.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Powell-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Powell-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Powell-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and Jack Lemmon won an Oscar for his supporting role as lazy Ensign Pulver, who is primarily interested in doing as little as possible other than bedding a beautiful nurse (Betsy Palmer): <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lemmon-Palmer.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lemmon-Palmer.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81093\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lemmon-Palmer.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lemmon-Palmer-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lemmon-Palmer-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lemmon-Palmer-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Speaking of beautiful nurses, a bevy of them are conveniently spotted across the way, and end up on board the ship: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Nurses.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Nurses.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81094\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Nurses.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Nurses-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Nurses-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Nurses-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; while the local natives are exoticized on behalf of the men&#8217;s R&#038;R. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lei.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lei.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81097\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lei.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lei-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lei-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Lei-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the humor in this film &#8212; including the men ogling the nurses using spyglasses and binoculars: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Spying.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Spying.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81098\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Spying.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Spying-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Spying-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Spying-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; Powell and Fonda crafting a faux-rum for Lemmon using grain alcohol, Coke, iodine, and hair tonic: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Faux-Rum.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Faux-Rum.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Faux-Rum.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Faux-Rum-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Faux-Rum-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Faux-Rum-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; Cagney&#8217;s obsession with a palm tree: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Palm.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Palm.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Palm.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Palm-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Palm-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Palm-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and the men getting stinking drunk while on leave: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Goat.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Goat.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81102\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Goat.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Goat-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Goat-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Goat-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8212; hasn&#8217;t aged well. We primarily enjoy watching Fonda in a role he wears like a glove, epitomizing a man who does the right and decent thing without anticipating anything in return. Fonda makes this film worth a one-time look, but it&#8217;s not must-see viewing otherwise. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Henry Fonda as Mister Roberts<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda6.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda6.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81107\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda6.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda6-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda6-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Fonda6-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine CinemaScope cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"272\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-81088\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cinematography.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cinematography-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cinematography-128x54.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Mister-Roberts-Cinematography-604x257.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, though Oscar completists will want to see it. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary&#8217;s book, and nominated as one of the Best Pictures of the Year in Peary&#8217;s Alternate Oscars. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0048380\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1955\/07\/15\/archives\/screen-mr-roberts-is-back-in-port-the-reluctant-ties-up-at-music.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/16883\/mister-roberts#articles-reviews?articleId=72472\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/trailersfromhell.com\/mister-roberts\/\">Trailer From Hell Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/mister-roberts\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Maybe that&#8217;s why we&#8217;re on this ship &#8212; &#8217;cause we&#8217;re not good enough to fight!&#8221; Synopsis: During World War II, the beloved executive officer (Henry Fonda) of a cargo ship repeatedly requests a transfer to be able to engage in combat, but is denied by his unreasonably insecure captain (James Cagney), who also refuses to grant his men &#8212; including Ensign Pulver (Jack Lemmon) &#8212; a much-deserved leave; will Mister Roberts (Fonda) prevail on their behalf? Genres, Themes, Actors, and&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=81085\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=81085"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81608,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81085\/revisions\/81608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=81085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=81085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=81085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}