The star-studded, live television production of Mister Roberts debuts on DVD on October 7, 2008 from Acorn Media. Capturing all the intimacy and electricity of live theatre, this stirring comedic drama rekindles the rousing warmth of the original production that won five Tony Awards on Broadway.
The time is 1945. The setting, a navy cargo ship far from battles raging in the Pacific. Longing to see real action, Lt. Doug Roberts (Robert Hays, Airplane!) wages a war of wills against Capt. Morton (two-time Oscar®-nominee
Charles Durning), a petty tyrant whom the rambunctious crew considers "approximately God." Allied with Ensign Pulver (
Kevin Bacon, Mystic River, Apollo 13, Footloose) and Doc (Howard Hesseman, WKRP in Cincinnati), Roberts finds himself torn between his ambition to serve his country and his duty to serve his men. The production also co-stars
Marilu Henner (Taxi) as Nurse Girard.
By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, the script was supervised by
Joshua Logan (Picnic,
South Pacific), the Oscar-nominated and Tony®-winning original Broadway director and co-writer. Broadcast on NBC in 1984 and filmed before a studio audience, it gracefully combines the magic of a theatre performance and the daring of a live broadcast.
The original production of "Mister Roberts" won five Tony Awards in 1948 including Best Dramatic Actor for
Henry Fonda and Best Play.
Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media distributes distinctive home video releases to the North American market with a special focus on the best of British television. Acorn's DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or
www.acornonline.com.
