Mister Roberts (film)
"Mister Roberts" is a 1955 film directed by John Ford, adapted from the successful Broadway play of the same name. The story follows Lieutenant Doug Roberts, played by Henry Fonda, who seeks to maintain morale among his crew aboard the cargo ship USS Reluctant, while grappling with the oppressive leadership of Captain Morton. The film explores themes of duty, camaraderie, and the desire for combat during World War II.
Despite a challenging production marked by conflicts between Ford and Fonda, particularly over the film's direction, "Mister Roberts" ultimately achieved box office success and received critical acclaim, grossing over eight million dollars. It garnered three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and Jack Lemmon won an Oscar for his portrayal of Ensign Frank Pulver.
While some critics consider it a minor work in Ford's oeuvre, the British Film Institute recognizes it as one of his essential films. The film's legacy continued to impact the careers of both Fonda and Ford, with Fonda later receiving an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement and Ford continuing to direct successful films.
Mister Roberts (film)
- Release Date: 1955
- Director(s): John Ford ; Mervyn LeRoy ; Joshua Logan
- Writer(s): Joshua Logan ; Frank S. Nugent
- Principal Actors and Roles: James Cagney (Capt. Morton); Henry Fonda (Lt. JG Douglas A. "Doug" Roberts); Jack Lemmon (Ens. Frank Thurlowe Pulver); William Powell (Lt. "Doc"); Philip Carey (Mannion)
- Book / Story Film Based On: Mister Roberts by Thomas Heggen
The filming of Mister Roberts began on a high note in the Midway Islands with old friends and collaborators aboard the USS Hewell (known in the movie as the Reluctant and "the bucket"). Warner Studios had hired John Ford to direct the film. Ford, in turn, had brought on his "Stock Company," actors he often used in his highly successful movies. In his early 60s, Ford was an acknowledged virtuoso who had already won four best director awards. The Broadway production of Mister Roberts had been a long-running smash hit. The studio wanted to bring on a youthful actor, such as Marlon Brando or William Holden, to play the lead. Ford insisted on Henry Fonda, the Tony-award-winning star of the Broadway play. The studio thought Fonda, at age 49, was too old for the part of a ship’s lieutenant. However, Fonda had proved himself in numerous Ford movies, including Young Mr. Lincoln, Fort Apache, and The Grapes of Wrath, for which Ford had received a directing Oscar. Fonda had also narrated Ford’s short wartime film, The Battle of Midway Islands, for the US Navy, which had garnered Ford another Academy Award for best documentary.
The mood aboard ship quickly turned sour. Fonda disagreed with Ford over changes to the play, such as the addition of "roughhouse humor." Having played the role of Mister Roberts more than 1,000 times over seven years during his Broadway stint, Fonda knew the play intimately and objected to Ford’s direction. For his part, Ford understood how to adapt other works into movies and was not inclined to simply film a play. Before long, the director and actor came to blows. According to one account, Ford hit Fonda in the jaw. A long-time alcoholic who normally stayed sober on the job, Ford took to the bottle. When they got back to Hollywood for interior shots at the studio, Ford had a gall bladder attack requiring surgery. At that point, Warner Brothers brought Mervyn LeRoy on to wrap up the film. Unlike Ford, LeRoy was not considered a serious artist. In the end, both Ford and LeRoy received directing credits for their work on Mister Roberts.
Plot
Lieutenant Roberts keeps the Reluctant running efficiently and protects his men from the excesses of their martinet commander, Captain Morton. But Robert’s true desire is to see combat, and he has sent one letter after another requesting transfer to a fighting ship. Because the captain needs Roberts’ help, he has obstructed every one of his transfer bids.
As the Reluctant approaches an island paradise, the men prepare to enjoy their first liberty. When the captain discovers their plans, he stops them, and Roberts confronts him. The captain offers a deal: Roberts will stop his transfer requests and his letter-writing campaign against Morton’s oppressive practices; he will stop talking back to him; and he will reveal their understanding to no one. Roberts agrees, and the men leave for a night of revelry. Afterward, the captain tells the men he expects them to move more cargo than ever, and lets them know that Roberts will support that effort.
Confused by the change in Roberts, the men suspect that he has sold out for a promotion. Misunderstood by his men and mistreated by the captain, Roberts tosses the captain’s trophy palm tree overboard. The captain quickly realizes what has happened and berates Roberts with the loudspeaker still on. The men finally understand their lieutenant’s behavior.
In appreciation, the crewmen take it upon themselves to help their lieutenant. Without Roberts’ knowledge, they send a letter requesting a transfer and forging the captain’s signature. As Roberts is about to leave for his new assignment, he learns what his men have done for him. In a final scene, Ensign Pulver reads a letter from Roberts thanking the crew for their service and bravery. Moments later, the ensign reads a second letter explaining that Roberts has been killed in action. This knowledge elicits a change in the ensign who takes on the Roberts’ mantle and throws the captain’s new palm overboard.
Significance
Despite the disaster aboard the USS Hewell, Mister Roberts turned out to be a box office hit, bringing in more than eight million dollars, a hefty sum in 1955. It was also a critical success. At The New York Times, A. H. Weiler called the film "strikingly superior entertainment" and "one of the season’s greatest pleasures." It received three Academy Award nominations, for best picture, best sound, and best supporting actor. Jack Lemmon won his first Oscar for his role as Ensign Frank Pulver. Some Ford apologists have since blamed LeRoy for the film’s unevenness and lack of visual interest, and Mister Roberts is generally regarded as a minor picture. Yet the British Film Institute places Mister Roberts among the ten essential John Ford films.
The Mister Roberts disaster did not prove to be a career ender for Ford or Fonda. Fonda continued his distinguished work in stage and film acting. In 1980, he received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement. The next year, he won a best actor Oscar for his role in On Golden Pond. The American Film Institute ranked Fonda number six on their 1999 list of the fifty greatest American screen legends. Though Ford and Fonda would trade phone calls in the years after their blowup, they never worked together again.
As for Ford, he went on directing movies for another ten years. Well before Mister Roberts, Ford had been known as a prima donna who abused his staff, but he was also a critical and box-office wonder. Even so, Ford needed a hit. He scored with his next full-length film, The Searchers (1956), a Western starring John Wayne. Many critics consider this film one of Ford’s best. In all, Ford directed about 140 films during his fifty years in the motion picture business. In his book, The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968, Andrew Sarris, one of the premier film critics of the day, placed Ford in the pantheon of America’s very greatest directors.
Awards and nominations
Won
- Academy Award (1955) Best Supporting Actor: Jack Lemmon
Nominated
- Academy Award (1955) Best Picture
- Academy Award (1955) Best Sound Recording
Bibliography
British Film Institute. "John Ford 10 Essential Films." BFI. British Film Institute, 2015. Web. 8 Sep. 2015. <http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/lists/10-best-john-ford-films>.
Gallagher, Tag. John Ford: The Man and His Films. Los Angeles: U of California, 1986. Print.
Garlen, Jennifer. "Mister Roberts (1955)." Examiner.com. AXS Digital Group, 7 April 2012. Web. 8 Sep. 2015. <http://www.examiner.com/review/classic-films-focus-mister-roberts-1955>.
Malham, Joseph M. John Ford: Poet in the Desert. Chicago: Lake Street, 2013. Print.
Sarris, Andrew. The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929–1968. New York: Dutton, 1968. Print.
Weiler, A. H. "Mister Roberts (1955)." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 July 1955. Web. 8 Sep. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9902E2D9113EE63BBC4D52DFB166838E649EDE>.