Mister Robert (1955) Full Movie

Beneath the blazing Pacific sun, the USS Reluctant carries cargo along the forgotten sea- ways of World War II. Its crew is going crazy. Somewhere be- yond the horizon, the real war is passing them by. Thomas Heggen's novel Mister Roberts, recreated by Heggen and Joshua Logan as a long-running, Tony Award-winning play, told the story of men fighting to survive not the dangers but the indignities of war. Lt. Doug Roberts is one of Henry Fonda's most beloved roles, and director John Ford insisted on Fonda for the movie version. Although Fonda won a Tony creating the role on Broadway and made it indelibly his own, he had not made a film in seven years. When illness sidelined Ford, Mervyn LeRoy took over direction of the film, retained Fonda, and crafted a sensitive, quiet- ly heroic portrayal that restored Fonda's screen career. Jack Lemmon won his first Academy Award as Ensign Pulver, who doubled as officer in charge of laundry and morale, and by this, his fourth film role, had already mastered the comic delivery and mannerisms that would become his trademark. James Cagney as the Reluctant's petty, ambitious captain creates a wonderful adversary to Fonda; their scenes together crackle with tension. And in his final film role, William Powell makes the world-weary Doc a sage for the ages. Mister Roberts has moments of unforgettable hilarity, including Pulver's demolition of the ship's laundry and the crew's riotous return from liberty. But the comedy is tempered by sadness. Not a shot is fired. Not a drop of blood is spilled. Yet Mister Roberts endures as one of our finest, most truthful war stories.