Henry Fonda, brings the character he created on stage, to the big screen. It was his first appearance, in a movie, since Fort Apache. Despite the long hiatus, Fonda appears like he never stopped at all. The transition from stage to screen looks seamless. It is a comedy, and both John Ford and Henry Fonda had comedy experience. The villain of the piece, is the captain, (James Cagney). His credits include nearly every genre, and an academy award. The actor does his best comedic version, of Captain Bligh.
Mister Roberts is a simple story. Lt. JG. Doug Roberts, is on a supply ship, in the South Pacific. His goal is to see action, before the war ends. He is constantly asking the captain for a transfer, in writing. This is constantly denied. This prompts Roberts to continue writing, but stating that the morale is bad, because of the captain. His confidante, Doc, (William Powell), encourages him to be steadfast. It is not something Roberts can do. Powell was very good in this film. He was an underrated actor, and retired from films after this. This was due to health reasons. Roberts has as his junior officer, Ensign Pulver, (Jack Lemmon). The ensign, is very afraid of the captain. He dodges him on every occasion. Pulver is also afraid of hard work. This is mentioned to him by Roberts. The most ironic thing, is when the captain meets Pulver, he likes him. Jack Lemmon’s performance earned him an Oscar. Another character is Chief Petty Officer Dowdy, (Ward Bond). He keeps the ship running, and the enlisted men in line. Bond was a good friend of John Ford. He was one of his stock players. He could always be depended upon.
The tension boils over between Roberts and the captain. The captain uses a form of blackmail. He tells Roberts that the crew gets no liberty, unless he stops his transfer request. Roberts gives in, and the men get liberty. The men go crazy, and nearly destroy the town. This includes stealing a motorcycle and the rider going into the water with it. Things are so insane, that the captain is told to leave port. This infuriates the captain, and he makes the men work harder than before. It also changes Lt. Roberts. He becomes by the book, alienating the men. The men wonder about his change in behavior. He can’t tell them, but it is later found out. The speaker is left on in the captain’s office, and the crew hears everything. This is topped off by Roberts throwing the captain’s prized palm tree in the sea. It also gives the crew incentive. They write a letter of transfer, forging the captain’s name. This gets Roberts his wish. It leaves Ensign Pulver as senior officer. He changes his behavior and becomes a thorn in the captain’s side.
Mister Roberts turned out well. It did have its problems. John Ford and Henry Fonda, were friends for years. They argued constantly on the set. It was so bad, that Ford hit Fonda. This ended their friendship. Ford had a disagreement with Cagney. Ford, when challenged by Cagney, walked away. The worst was that Ford, couldn’t finish the movie. He had to have gallbladder surgery. Mervyn Leroy finished it, as well as the editing. John Ford was so unhappy with the finished product, that he asked that his name be removed. It wasn’t and his name remained, along with Mervyn Leroy.
One of the reasons, that Mister Roberts succeeds is the writing. It was adapted from Joshua Logan’s play. Frank Nugent crafted the screenplay along with Logan. Nugent had written several screenplays for John Ford. This included Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. They were part of Ford’s cavalry trilogy. Nugent, before screenwriting, was a film critic. He was mainly a script supervisor, until the cavalry trilogy. This changed his career path, and he became one of Hollywood’s best writers.
Mister Roberts works well in looking into the life of a despairing officer. It gets into the details of life at sea. It was like many Hollywood adaptations, changed from its original story. The characters were softened. This was mainly to get the cooperation from the navy. They wanted a more positive portrayal. The best part of Mister Roberts, is the characters. It remains a fine portrayal of life at sea.