Alvin Theatre – Henry Fonda in Mister Roberts – 7/25/1949

Description

This is the July 25, 1949 issue of “The Playbill for the Alvin Theatre.” The play “Mister Roberts” was running at the theatre, starring Henry Fonda (who also starred in the movie version), Harvey Lembeck and Eli Wallach.
The program contains 36 pages and measures approximately 6.5 x 9 inches. It has articles about the play, short profiles of the key actors, a profile of the play’s authors, black & white photos, etc. There are also a number of vintage black & white advertisements.
Mister Roberts is a 1948 play based on the 1946 Thomas Heggen novel of the same name.
The novel began as a collection of short stories about Heggen's experiences aboard USS Rotanin and USS Virgo in the South Pacific during World War II. Broadway producer Leland Hayward acquired the rights for the play and hired Heggen and Joshua Logan for the adaptation.
Mister Roberts opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on February 18, 1948, starring
Henry Fonda
, David Wayne, Robert Keith and Jocelyn Brando. Logan's brother-in-law, William Harrigan, played the Captain. The original production also featured Harvey Lembeck, Ralph Meeker, Steven Hill, Lee Van Cleef and Murray Hamilton.
Fonda got out of a Hollywood film contract to star in the Broadway theatre stage production. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. The production ran for 1,157 performances. Fonda later reprised his role of Lieutenant Roberts in the 1955 film of the same name.