Mister Roberts
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| Mister Roberts | |
| Author | Thomas Heggen |
|---|---|
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | War novel |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Publication date | 1946 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
Mister Roberts is a novel, a Tony Award–winning play, and a 1955 Academy Award–nominated film. The title character, a naval Lieutenant Junior Grade, stands up for his crew against the petty tyranny of his ship's commanding officer during World War II. The novel was written by Thomas Heggen, who co-wrote the stage play with Joshua Logan, the play's director. Logan wrote the screenplay with Frank S. Nugent.
[edit] The novel
Heggen based his novel on his experiences aboard the USS Virgo (AKA-20) ([1]) in the South Pacific during World War II. The novel started out as a collection of short stories. Broadway producer Leland Hayward bought the rights to the novel with the aim of producing it as a play and hired Heggen to adapt it. Logan later re-wrote most of the play, in collaboration with Heggen. The play was well received and a major hit. It won the 1948 Tony Award for Best Play.
Nearly all of the action takes place on a backwater cargo ship, the USS Reluctant that sails, as written in the play, "from apathy to tedium with occasional sidetrips to monotony and ennui."
[edit] The play
The play opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on February 18, 1948. The stage version starred Henry Fonda, David Wayne, Robert Keith and Jocelyn Brando, who replaced Eva Marie Saint before the show opened. Fonda's brother-in-law, William Harrigan, played the Captain. The original production also featured Harvey Lembeck, Ralph Meeker, Steven Hill and Murray Hamilton. Fonda got out of a Hollywood film contract in order to star in the Broadway theatre stage production. Fonda won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. It ran for 1,157 performances.
Tyrone Power starred in the London company. John Forsythe appeared in a national touring production. Many actors began their career in various productions and touring companies. Fess Parker began his show business career in the play, in 1951.
[edit] The film
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Mister Roberts (1948) · Death of a Salesman (1949) · The Cocktail Party (1950) · The Rose Tattoo (1951) · The Fourposter (1952) · The Crucible (1953) · The Teahouse of the August Moon (1954) · The Desperate Hours (1955) · The Diary of Anne Frank (1956) · Long Day's Journey into Night (1957) · Sunrise at Campobello (1958) · J.B. (1959) · The Miracle Worker (1960) · Becket (1961) · A Man for All Seasons (1962) · Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1963) · Luther (1964) · The Subject Was Roses (1965) · Marat/Sade (1966) · The Homecoming (1967) · Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1968) · The Great White Hope (1969) · Borstal Boy (1970) · Sleuth (1971) · Sticks and Bones (1972) · That Championship Season (1973) · The River Niger (1974) · Equus (1975) |
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