Mister Roberts (1955) (Movie)

format_quote Doug Roberts: I looked down from our bridge and saw our captain's palm tree! Our trophy for superior achievement! The Admiral John J. Finchley award for delivering more toothpaste and toilet paper than any other Navy cargo ship in the safe area of the Pacific.

stars  William Powell's last film. Powell had marked difficulties retaining his lines, something that had not happened to him in earlier films, and this was one of the reasons "Mister Roberts" was his final movie appearance.

stars  Henry Fonda reprises the title role that he originated on Broadway (for which he won a Tony Award in 1948).

stars  The ship used for filming is the fishing vessel "Ghost".

stars  When the stuntman hired to do the motorcycle going off the pier stunt refused to do the stunt, John Ford hired a bystander who couldn't ride a motorcycle but had the nerve to try the stunt. The "bystander" was a young Marine named Jack Lewis, who wasn't even an experienced rider. However, being young and foolish, Lewis said, "Sure, I'll do it." The Marine Corps wouldn't let Ford pay Lewis the $700 he offered, so Ford went into the nearby Hilton hotel and told the management that Lewis could drink in the bar on Ford's tab for the next year. Lewis went on to become an author ("Chosen Tales of Chosin;" "The Sandtrap Marines") and publisher of magazines ("Gun World") and trade paperbacks ("Gun Digest Book of Guns," etc.), but one who maintained friendships with many in the movie business, including numerous cowboy film stars.

stars  The part of Doc was originally offered to Spencer Tracy, who declined.