Opening Logo

The Phil Silvers Show (originally titled You'll Never Get Rich) was a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for a total of 143 episodes (including a 1959 special). It starred Phil Silvers as the conniving Master Sergeant Ernie Bilko of the United States Army, who spent the bulk of his time trying to wheedle money through various get-rich-quick scams and con games. The series was created and largely written by Nat Hiken, and won three consecutive Emmy Awards for Best Comedy Series. Image File history File links Bilko_title. ... Image File history File links Bilko_title. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... See also: 1954 in television, other events of 1955, 1956 in television and the list of years in television. // Events April 1 - The DuMont Television network drastically cuts back its programming. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Phil Silvers TV Guide cover Phil Silvers (May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedy actor. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... A confidence trick, confidence game, or con for short, (also known as a scam) is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ... A confidence trick, confidence game, or con for short, (also known as a scam) is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ... Nat Hiken (June 13, 1924 - December 7, 1968) was a pioneering American TV writer, producer, and songwriter who rose to prominence in the 1950s. ... An Emmy Award. ...

The show's success transformed Silvers from a journeyman comedian into a star, and writer-producer Hiken from a highly-regarded behind-the-scenes comedy writer into a publicly recognized creator. Hiken had previously written for Fred Allen and Milton Berle. Ironically, CBS scheduled the first season of Bilko against NBC's Berle; the sitcom's breakout success played a part in ending the reign of Hiken's former employer as "Mr. Television." He has eyes like Venetian blinds and a tongue like an adder — radio/television critic John Crosby about humourist Fred Allen, portrayed here by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. ... Milton Berle This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ...

The American television business was already moving westward to Los Angeles, but Hiken insisted on filming the series in New York City, believing it to be more conducive to the creativity and humor. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Manhattan Queens Brooklyn Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ...

The series was originally set in Fort Baxter, a sleepy, unremarkable (and non-existent) U.S. Army base in Kansas. The supporting cast included Harvey Lembeck as Cpl. Rocco Barbella, Allan Melvin as Cpl. Henshaw, Herbie Faye as Pvt. Sam Fender, Maurice Gosfield as the slovenly Pvt. Duane Doberman, Joe E. Ross as Sgt. Rupert Ritzik (the cook), and Billy Sands as Pvt. Dino Paparelli. Bilko's platoon frequently featured so many secondary cast members that few had lines and most just filled up the backgrounds. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Late nebbishy Jewish sidekick and comedic actor who began acting in 1951 and ended his career in 1982, a few years before he died. ... Allan Melvin (born February 18, 1922 in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American actor with a long history of sitcom and voice-over work. ... Maurice Gosfield (January 28, 1913–October 19, 1964) was an American comic actor, most famous for his portrayal of Private Doberman on the 1950s sitcom The Phil Silvers Show. ... Joe E. Ross Joe E. Ross (1914–1982) was born in Manhattan in 1914. ...

The soldiers regularly helped Bilko with his schemes, but were just as often Bilko's "pigeons," ripe for the plucking. Bilko exhibited an odd paternalism towards his victims, and would doggedly shield them from all outside antagonists. The character's attitude toward his loyal platoon has been described thusly: "They were his men and if anyone was going to take them, it was going to be him and only him."

Bilko's swindles were usually directed towards (or behind the back of) Col. John T. Hall (Paul Ford), the overmatched and beleaguered post commander who had early in his career been nicknamed "melon head". Despite his flaws and weaknesses, Col. Hall would get the best of Bilko just enough to establish his credentials as a wary and vigilant adversary. The Colonel would often be shown looking fretfully out his window, worried without explanation or evidence, simply because he knew that Bilko was out there somewhere, planning something. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

The show's setting changed with the fourth season, when the men of Fort Baxter were reassigned to Camp Freemont, in California. This mass transfer was explained in storyline as being the inadvertant result of a Bilko con gone wrong. In reality, creator Hiken had departed, and it was an easy excuse to move the production to California and fill the episodes with celebrity guest appearances from nearby Hollywood.

In the last episode of Sgt. Bilko, Ernie Bilko discovers a doppelganger of Colonel Hall, whom he uses to cheat the other officers for a bogus charity effort. The real Colonel Hall learns of the scam, and Bilko, Henshaw and Barbella end up being locked away in the guardhouse. As Colonel Hall looks at his prisoners on a newly-installed closed-circuit TV system, he quips: "It's a wonderful show, and as long as I'm the sponsor, it will never be cancelled." The camera turns to Bilko's image on the TV, and as it zooms in, he waves and says, "Th-th-that's all, folks!" So ended the series. For other uses of the word Doppelgänger please see Doppelgänger (disambiguation). ...

Guest stars included Dick Van Dyke, Eric Fleming, Fred Gwynne, Alan Alda, and many others. Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American television and movie actor. ... Frederick Hubbard Gwynne (July 10, 1926 – July 2, 1993) was a 6 ft 5 in (1. ... Alan Alda (born Alfonso Joseph DAbruzzo on January 28, 1936) is an Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning American actor, writer, director and sometime political activist. ...

Following the show's cancellation, Silvers frequently played off his durable Bilko persona. In 1963, he starred in The New Phil Silvers Show; the series attempted to transplant his mercenary character to a factory setting, but the result proved unpopular. He appeared frequently on The Beverly Hillbillies as a character called Honest John. He played an unscrupulous Broadway producer on an episode of Gilligan's Island. An episode of The Lucy Show guest-starred Silvers as a demanding bank inspector. At one point Lucy's boss, Mr. Mooney, remarks that Silvers reminds him of a Sergeant he used to know. Silvers also portrayed greedy connivers in films such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Some of the show's other actors went on to star in the sitcom McHale's Navy. The Beverly Hillbillies was a TV sitcom about a hillbilly family living in Southern California in the 1960s. ... For the NES video game, see Gilligans Island (video game). ... Lucille Ball in still from a 1966 episode of The Lucy Show The Lucy Show was Lucille Balls follow up show to I Love Lucy. ... Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a comedy movie that followed the Hollywood trend in the 1960s of producing gigantic and epic films as a way to woo audiences into movie theaters. ... A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. ... McHales Navy was an American television sitcom series. ...

The program, which was filmed in black-and-white, was widely rerun into the 1960s. The advent of color television rendered it, and many similar programs, less marketable than they had been previously. The series was rerun on Nick at Nite during the 1990s. Its popularity was especially enduring in Britain, where it is still shown occasionally by the BBC. In May 2006, 18 of the show's 143 episodes were compiled into a three-DVD 50th anniversary collection. The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... Nick at Nite is an evening programming block broadcast over Nickelodeon from 9 PM – 6 AM Eastern and Pacific Standard Time. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ...

The Phil Silvers Show was the basis of a critically and commercially unsuccessful 1996 movie, Sgt. Bilko (starring Steve Martin), whose extremely dry character bore no resemblance to Phil Silvers' Sgt. Bilko. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The film Sgt. ... Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, writer, producer, actor, musician and composer. ...

Trivia

• On the episode of The Flintstones that introduced the family pet Dino, the snorkasaurus could speak; the voice and its inflections were an imitation of Phil Silvers. Another Flintstones episode, "Astro'nuts," includes an unnamed sergeant who is unmistakably a cartoon version of Sgt. Bilko. A longer-running Hanna Barbera Bilko homage came in the character of Top Cat, whose vocal inflections and persona overtly mimic those of Phil Silvers. Top Cat's troupe of felines is also based on Bilko's platoon.
• Nat Hiken named Phil Silvers' character after Steve Bilko, a legendary minor league slugger of the 1950s whose formidable Pacific Coast League power never carried over to his major league career.

The Flintstones, an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, is one of the most successful animated television series of all time. ... Hanna-Barberas swirling star studio logo from 1979. ... Top Cat and the gang Top Cat (also known for several decades as Boss Cat in the United Kingdom) was a Hanna-Barbera prime-time American animated television series which ran from September 27, 1961 to September 26, 1962 for 30 episodes on the ABC network on Wednesdays and continues... Stephen Thomas Bilko (November 13, 1928 - March 7, 1978) was a home run-hitting first baseman of the 1950s and early 1960s who enjoyed his greatest fame with the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League from 1955–57. ... The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a minor league baseball league operating in the West and Midwest of the United States. ...

External links

• The Phil Silvers Show at the Internet Movie Database
• The Phil Silvers Show at the Museum of Broadcast Communications
• The Phil Silvers Show on the BBC Guide to Comedy
• Unofficial Phil Silvers Show Website: includes episode listing and synopsis
• An appreciation of the program's character dynamics