Mister Roberts

Mister Roberts (1948), a play by Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan. [Alvin Theatre, 1,157 perf.] Lt. Douglas Roberts ( Henry Fonda) has long served the bored, unhappy crewmen of a navy cargo ship as a buffer between themselves and the cantankerous, unsympathetic Captain Morton ( William Harrigan) who seems more interested in his palm tree than in his men. The crew often releases its frustrations in mischief, such as the time Ensign Pulver ( David Wayne) attempts to blow up the Captain's quarters but blows up the laundry instead. The Captain has regularly refused Roberts's plea for a transfer, but Roberts finally succeeds, only to be killed in action. News of his death prompts the crew to move more forcefully against the Captain. Taking his own action, Ensign Pulver knocks on the Captain's door and announces, “I just threw your palm tree overboard. Now what's all this crap about no movie tonight?” Based on Heggen's novel, the Leland Hayward production was one of the most popular plays about World War II and afforded Fonda his best (and longest) Broadway stint.