"Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am"

[Dave Wilton]

> "Mr. Roberts" was originally a book by Thomas Heggen,
> published 1946, based on Heggen's experiences on the
> USS Virgo (how's that for the name of a Navy ship?).
> In 1948 it became the play of the same name, script
> by Heggen and Joshua Logan, and in 1955 the movie of
> the same name, script by Logan and Frank Nugent.  I
> have seen all three, but not recently, so I can't say
> how much of the dialogue is carried over from the book
> to the play and from the play to the movie.

A copy of the 1948 play is sitting on a shelf within arm's reach. At the end
of Act II, Scene I, the character Gerhart says, "Well, there goes the
liberty. That was sure a wham-bam-thank you ma'am!"