''Mister Roberts'' is a 1948 play based on the 1946 Thomas Heggen novel of the same name. The novel began as a collection of short stories about Heggen's experiences aboard and in the South Pacific during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Broadway producer

Leland Hayward Leland Hayward (September 13, 1902 – March 18, 1971) was an American talent agent and theatrical producer. He was an agent to about 150 artists in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood, and produced the original Broadway theatre, Broadway st ...

acquired the rights for the play and hired Heggen and

Joshua Logan Joshua Lockwood Logan III (October 5, 1908 – July 12, 1988) was an American theatre and film director, playwright and screenwriter, and actor. He shared a Pulitzer Prize for co-writing the musical '' South Pacific'' and was involved in writing ...

for the adaptation. ''Mister Roberts'' opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on February 18, 1948, starring

Henry Fonda Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American actor whose career spanned five decades on Broadway theatre, Broadway and in Hollywood. On screen and stage, he often portrayed characters who embodied an everyman image. Bo ...

David Wayne David Wayne (born Wayne James McMeekan; January 30, 1914 – February 9, 1995) was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning over 50 years. Early life and career Wayne was born in Traverse City, Michigan, the son of Helen M ...

, Robert Keith, and Jocelyn Brando, who replaced

Eva Marie Saint Eva Marie Saint (born July 4, 1924) is an American retired actress. In a career that spanned nearly 80 years, she won an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for a Golden Globe Award and two British Academy Film Awa ...

before the show opened. Logan's brother-in-law,

William Harrigan William Harrigan (March 27, 1894 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor who performed in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s and on stage. Early years Harrigan was born in New York City and attended New York Military Academy. Harrigan was ...

, played the Captain. The original production also featured

Harvey Lembeck Harvey Lembeck (April 15, 1923 – January 5, 1982) was an American comedic actor best remembered for his role as Cpl. Rocco Barbella on '' The Phil Silvers Show'' (a.k.a. ''Sgt. Bilko'', a.k.a. ''You'll Never Get Rich'') in the late 1950s, and ...

, Ralph Meeker,

Steven Hill Steven Hill (born Solomon Krakovsky; ; February 24, 1922 – August 23, 2016) was an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as district attorney Adam Schiff (Law & Order), Adam Schiff on the NBC television drama series ''Law & ...

Lee Van Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of spaghetti Westerns, particularly t ...

, and

Murray Hamilton Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American stage, screen and television character actor who appeared in such acclaimed films as '' The Spirit of St. Louis'', ''Anatomy of a Murder'', '' The Hustler'', ''The Gradu ...

. Fonda got out of a Hollywood film contract to star in the

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

stage production. He won the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Actor in a Play. The production ran for 1,157 performances (closing on January 6, 1951). Fonda later reprised his role of Lieutenant Roberts in the 1955 film of the same name. A book dramatizing the play, co-authored by Heggen and Logan and also titled ''Mister Roberts'', was published by Random House in 1948. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' critic Lewis Nichols praised the work as standing on its own.

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James (193 ...

starred in the London company.

John Forsythe John Lincoln Forsythe ( Freund; January 29, 1918 – April 1, 2010) was an American stage, film/television actor, producer, narrator, drama teacher and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades. He also appeared as a guest on several t ...

appeared in a national touring production. Many actors began their careers in various productions and touring companies.

Fess Parker Fess Elisha Parker Jr. (born F. E. Parker Jr.;Weaver, Tom.Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers p. 148 (McFarland 2012). August 16, 1924 – March 18, 2010)(March 18, 2010Daniel Boone Actor Fess Parker Dies at 85" '' CBS ...

began his show-business career in the play, in 1951. Joshua Logan's account of his collaboration with Thomas Heggen in the writing of the play is in Logan's autobiography, ''Josh: My Up and Down, In and Out Life''. In 1963, the play was back on Broadway with

Hugh O'Brian Hugh O'Brian (born Hugh Charles Krampe; April 19, 1925 – September 5, 2016) was an American actor and humanitarian, best known for his starring roles in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC Western (genre), Western television series ' ...

in the main role. Also in the 1963 Mister Roberts play were Chris Noel, Will Hutchins,

Vincent Gardenia Vincent Gardenia (born Vincenzo Scognamiglio; January 7, 1920 – December 9, 1992) was an Italian-American stage, film and television actor. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, first for '' Bang the Drum Slowl ...

, Tony Mordente, Alan Yorke, Vince O'Brien, Bill Fletcher, and John J. Martin. It was directed by Billy Matthews.Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969,page 402

Awards and nominations

References

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External links

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1953 ''Best Plays'' radio adaptation of play
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

* https://playbill.com/production/mister-roberts-alvin-theatre-vault-0000000923 {{TonyAwardBestPlay 1947-1975 1948 plays Broadway plays American plays adapted into films Plays about World War II Plays about the military Plays based on novels Tony Award–winning plays