Mister Roberts

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Mister Roberts, 1955.

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Mister Roberts, 1955.

TCM's Saturday afternoon host Tiffany Vazquez introduces Mister Roberts, 1955.

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Mister Roberts, 1955.

Ben Mankiewicz introduces Mister Roberts, 1955.

Henry Fonda (title character) joined by Jack Lemmon (in his Best Supporting Actor award-winning role) as scalawag Ensign Pulver, who’s ashore on a ruse, to visit the nurses he and the crew have been ogling with binoculars, met by Betsy Palmer as Lt. Girard and her team, in the “safe area of the Pacific,” April, 1945, in Mister Roberts, 1955.

Henry Fonda, who won the Tony on Broadway in the same title role, takes a startling, indecent dressing down from James Cagney (the always-nameless “Captain,”), standing up for his crew (Ken Curtis et al) and his right to seek a transfer, in Mister Roberts, 1955, from Joshua Logan’s play, from the book by Thomas Heggen.

A hefty first scene, from the play by Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan, for the title character (Henry Fonda) discussing his dilemma with wise Doc (William Powell), from Mister Roberts, 1955, in a segment directed by Mervyn LeRoy, who replaced John Ford.

Henry Fonda re-creates his Broadway stage success in the World War II comedy Mister Roberts (1955).