M is for "Mister Roberts"

I feel the M movie that best exemplifies the war movie genre is "Mister Roberts".  “Mister Roberts” was based on the novel by Thomas Heggen and the subsequent play written by Heggen and Joshua Logan.  Heggen based the novel on his experiences as a young officer on a supply ship in WWII.  Henry Fonda starred in the play, but he was not the studio’s first choice because he had not made a movie in eight years and he was considered too old at 49 to play a lieutenant.  The studio wanted William Holden or Marlon Brando, but John Ford insisted on Fonda.   Because of Fonda’s age, older actors were cast around him.  Cagney was 56.  He got the role when Spencer Tracy turned it down.  William Powell was 63 when he played Doc.  He was in poor health due to cancer bouts and had trouble remembering his lines.  It was his last film, but he lived almost 30 more years.  The exteriors were filmed on a Navy ship at Midway, the place where Ford had filmed his acclaimed WWII documentary.  Partly because of Ford’s service with the Navy, he had full cooperation.  The movie was a big hit and finished third at the box office that year.  It was nominated for Best Picture and Best Sound and Lemmon won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

I chose "Mister Roberts" because it is a classic example of the service comedy and one of the best war movie comedies. It holds up very well and has many memorable scenes and lines. The cast was outstanding. It also has one of the best closing scenes which emphasizes that although you can find humor in war, it is still a deadly business.

Here were the other choices:

MacArthur  (Feb., 2022)

Major Dundee  (Nov, 2013)
Malta Story (Mar, 2015)

A Man Called Sarge  (Jan., 2022)
# 85 – Manchurian Candidate  (Oct, 2010)

Manchurian Candidate (2004)  (Apr., 2022)
A Man Escaped  (Oct., 2014)
Man Hunt  (Jan, 2016)

The Man Who Never Was  (Mar, 2021)

# 74 – Man Who Would Be King  (Jan, 2011)
The Mark of Cain  (Dec., 2013)

# 33 - MASH  (Jul, 2012)
Master and Commander  (June, 2017)

Masters of the Air (series) (Jan., 2023)

Matter of Life and Death, A  (May, 2023)

Mauritanian, The (2021)  (Mar, 2023)
Max Manus  (June, 2016)
The McConnell Story  (May, 2015)
The McKenzie Break  (May, 2014)
Meagan Leavey  (June, 2017)
Meet the Spartans vs. Hot Shots

Memoir of War (2017) (Dec, 2022)

Memorial Day (2012)  (May, 2022)
Memphis Belle (1990) vs. Memphis Belle (1943)  (March, 2019)

Memphis Belle vs. 30 Seconds (Sep, 2010)
Men in Battle (May, 2018)
Men in War  (Oct., 2015)
Men of Honor  (Jan, 2018)
Merrill's Marauders (July, 2015)

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence  (Nov, 2012)

A Midnight Clear  (Dec, 2011)

# 92 – Midway  (Sep, 2010)
Midway (2019)  (Nov. 2019)
Mine  (June, 2018)
Minesweeper  (June, 2019)

# 53 – Ministry of Fear  (Aug, 2011)

Ministry of Ungentlemenly Warfare, The  (April, 2023)

Miracle of Morgan's Creek   (June, 2021)

Miracle at St. Anna  (Aug, 2011)
Mrs. Miniver (May, 2013)

Missiles of October   (Jan., 2022)

Mission of Honor  (Dec., 2021)
Mission of the Shark vs. USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage  (Apr, 2017)
Mission Over Korea  (May, 2015)

Mister Roberts  (June, 2023)
More American Graffiti  (Au, 2019)

Monuments Men, The  (Feb., 2014)

Mosquito Squadron  (Sept., 2017)

Mosul   (Nov, 2020)

Mother Night  (Jan., 2022)

Mountain Road, The  (Sept., 2021)

Mulan (2020)  (June. 2023)

Munich: The Edge of War   (Feb., 2022)
Murphy's War vs. Shout at the Devil  (May, 2014)
My Boy Jack (June, 2014)
My Way  (Dec., 2016)