Mister Roberts

Trouble-bound adaptation of Thomas Heggen's Broadway hit about a WWII supply ship, its martinet captain, and the junior officer who finally makes the symbolic gesture required to liberate the pent-up tensions in the crew. Ford became diplomatically ill, LeRoy took over, and an uncredited Joshua Logan (responsible for the original stage show) directed bits as well. The fact that the picture is seamlessly anonymous testifies to the power of star performances rather than to any directorial engagement. The acting is the only reason to watch it: Fonda as the frustrated lieutenant who craves a go at the Japs; Cagney as the tyrannical captain; Powell as the cynical medico; and Lemmon as Ensign Pulver, the joker in the pack.