The Phil Silvers Show

The Phil Silvers Show

1955
The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show

The Phil Silvers Show

8.4 | TV-PG | en | Comedy

The Phil Silvers Show, originally titled You'll Never Get Rich, was a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko of the United States Army. The series was created and largely written by Nat Hiken, and won three consecutive Emmy Awards for Best Comedy Series. The show is sometimes titled Sergeant Bilko or simply Bilko in reruns, and is very often referred to by these names, both on-screen and by viewers. 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.

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Seasons & Episodes

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EP37  DELETE
Jan. 01,0001
DELETE

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EP36  DELETE
Jan. 01,0001
DELETE

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EP35  Weekend Colonel
Jun. 17,1959
Weekend Colonel

CCTV set up by the Colonel cleans up the gambling, so Bilko finds a double of the Colonel who then orders the removal of the camera's.

EP34  The Bilko Boycott
Jun. 12,1959
The Bilko Boycott

Tired of the way Bilko is fleecing the platoon, Cpl Henshaw sets up a gamblers anonymous organisation, so with his source of money drying up ,he starts on the WAC's

EP33  Bilko in Outer Space
Jun. 05,1959
Bilko in Outer Space

Sgt's Ritzik and Grover win $600 but are terrified of losing it to Bilko, so they hide out in a space capsule mock up, but Bilko finds them

EP32  The Colonel's Second Honeymoon
May. 29,1959
The Colonel's Second Honeymoon

With the Colonel away on a second honeymoon, Bilko and Zimmerman who has won a prize in a competition find that they are staying at the same hotel

EP31  Bilko's Casino
May. 20,1959
Bilko's Casino

Bilko discovers an old document saying that the Grove City USO is exempt from California's Gambling laws. So Bilko opens a gambling club, but the mob muscle in on him so Bilko reverts the club back to the USO

EP30  Doberman Missing Heir
May. 15,1959
Doberman Missing Heir

Lord and Lady Rockford think they have discovered Doberman as their long lost son and heir, then they find it is all a mistake.

EP29  Bilko's Small Car
May. 08,1959
Bilko's Small Car

When the police seize the Colonel's sports car Bilko converts a jeep and takes an order for ten from a local motor dealer.

EP28  Ritzik Goes Civilian
May. 01,1959
Ritzik Goes Civilian

Sgt Ritzik leaves the army, and sets up in roadside diner.But in no time he discovers that he has been swindled and calls for Bilko to help get his money back.

EP27  Bilko the Butler
Apr. 24,1959
Bilko the Butler

While helping out as a waiter, Bilko overhears a stock tip so he phones Cpl Henshaw to invest their money, but before Henshaw can act the Stock falls and Bilko thinks that their money has been lost.

EP26  Guinea Pig Bilko
Apr. 17,1959
Guinea Pig Bilko

Bilko takes a tranquilliser and loses his love for gambling, but the Colonel can't stand the change and tries to shock him out of it.

EP25  Bilko's Godson
Apr. 03,1959
Bilko's Godson

When he is named as the godfather to the son of a G.I. friend, Bilko tries to get the boy enrolled at Stanford University.

EP24  Warrant Officer Paparelli
Mar. 25,1959
Warrant Officer Paparelli

Bilko gets Paparelli promoted, but he turns into a monster, so Bilko has to think of a way to demote him.

EP23  Bilko's Ape Man
Mar. 18,1959
Bilko's Ape Man

Bilko hopes to launch Pvt Forbes in a film career, by entering him in a Mister Universe contest

EP22  Bilko's Formula Seven
Mar. 04,1959
Bilko's Formula Seven

When applejack is accidentally mixed with crankcase oil, Bilko finds that they have discovered a formula for anti wrinkle, which Bilko tries to sell to the cosmetic firms.

EP21  Bilko's Sharpshooter
Feb. 25,1959
Bilko's Sharpshooter

Bilko discovers a WAC sharpshooter and starts to promote her as a new Annie Oakley, until she falls for another contestant in a competition.

EP20  The Colonel's Promotion
Feb. 18,1959
The Colonel's Promotion

When a promotion he expected doesn't happen Colonel hall goes to Washington and gets to play golf with Eisenhower.

EP19  Viva Bilko
Feb. 11,1959
Viva Bilko

Bilko and three of the platoon are on holiday in Mexico, when they are robbed of their clothes by Mexican bandits, who use the clothes as a disguise to rob a bank. Later when Bilko gets their clothes back, they are arrested, until he can explain what happened.

EP18  Bilko's Credit Card
Feb. 04,1959
Bilko's Credit Card

Bilko signs up the camp to his credit card scheme, the men like the idea, but when it comes time to settle their bills, the camp leave on manoeuvres.

EP17  Bilko's Grand Hotel
Jan. 28,1959
Bilko's Grand Hotel

Bilko opens a pizza stand,But it burns down with Paparelli and Zimmerman in charge. So he tries again with a cheap hotel but the same thing happens again.

EP16  Bilko's Hollywood Romance
Jan. 09,1959
Bilko's Hollywood Romance

A film star's agent decides that a romance with a soldier would be a good public relations exercise. Bilko gets chosen but in next to no time he becomes to powerful.

EP15  Bilko's Bopster
Jan. 01,1959
Bilko's Bopster

When jazz drummer Skinny Sanders joins the platoon, Bilko dreams of forming a band and touring Europe.

EP14  Bilko and the Medium
Dec. 22,1958
Bilko and the Medium

Hearing that Ritzik's have won $500 ,Bilko tries to borrow the money to open a pool hall.

EP13  Bilko's Giveaway
Dec. 17,1958
Bilko's Giveaway

In Hollywood with no money, Bilko teams up with a child genius to win big prizes on a TV game show. but no cash.

EP12  Bilko's Secret Mission
Dec. 10,1958
Bilko's Secret Mission

When Ritzik is accidentally given a dose of electricity it makes him magnetic. He doesn't realise it, but it helps him control the ball in a roulette wheel. He thinks he has come up with a foolproof method of winning at roulette.

EP11  Bilko Presents the McGuire Sisters
Dec. 03,1958
Bilko Presents the McGuire Sisters

We don't have an overview of this episode, please check back later.

EP10  Bilko and the Chaplin
Nov. 26,1958
Bilko and the Chaplin

The Chaplin and Bilko get back at a crooked real estate agent, who wants to close a boys home and open a parking lot.

EP9  Bilko's Allergy
Nov. 19,1958
Bilko's Allergy

Bilko develops an allergy to playing cards which prevents him taking part in poker games.

EP8  Bilko and the Crosby's
Nov. 12,1958
Bilko and the Crosby's

Bilko dreams of what life would be like if he and not Bing were the father of the Crosby Sons.

EP7  Bilko's Big Woman Hunt
Nov. 05,1958
Bilko's Big Woman Hunt

Cpl Henshaw falls in love and ruins Bilko's business,so when the same thing happens to Bilko, when he gets trapped in a lift with a girl, she then disappears and he has to go to the police in order to find her.

EP6  Bilko Joins the Navy
Oct. 28,1958
Bilko Joins the Navy

When word of a big crap game for sailors only gets around Bilko Paparelli, and Zimmerman join the navy to take part but somehow they all end up at sea and have problems getting back ashore.

EP5  Bilko v's Covington
Oct. 22,1958
Bilko v's Covington

Bilko is getting beaten at his own game by a Sgt Covington, so he starts a rumour about a big money making opportunities in Japan, but the plan backfires when Covington learns the truth.

EP4  Bilko the Potato Sack King
Oct. 15,1958
Bilko the Potato Sack King

When offered a $20,000 wage Bilko leaves the army for a firm making potato sacks, but it is not long before he is back in the army.

EP3  Bilko's De Luxe Tours
Oct. 08,1958
Bilko's De Luxe Tours

When they have problems getting to town, Bilko goes into the transportation business, by joining the PTA and getting hold of one of their buses.

EP2  Bilko's Vampire
Oct. 01,1958
Bilko's Vampire

When Ritzik starts watching horror films instead of playing poker, Bilko tries to scare him off

EP1  Gold Fever
Sep. 23,1958
Gold Fever

Bilko finds an old map of a secret gold mine near Grove City and investigates the site.

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8.4 | TV-PG | en | Comedy | More Info
Released: 1955-09-20 | Released Producted By: CBS Studios , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

The Phil Silvers Show, originally titled You'll Never Get Rich, was a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko of the United States Army. The series was created and largely written by Nat Hiken, and won three consecutive Emmy Awards for Best Comedy Series. The show is sometimes titled Sergeant Bilko or simply Bilko in reruns, and is very often referred to by these names, both on-screen and by viewers. 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.

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The tv show is currently not available onine

Cast

Phil Silvers , Harvey Lembeck , Paul Ford

Director

Nat Hiken

Producted By

CBS Studios ,

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Reviews

geonosianindustries Easily enjoyed as a singular episode or as a season. Every episode is entertaining. While the show has clearly aged it has a classic style an humour that most people should be able to relate too.
william-read-2 Other reviews have highlighted many of the superb elements of writing, casting, direction, acting etc that made "Bilko" an outstanding comedy success that is as funny now as almost 60 years ago when it was first broadcast.One element is rarely mentioned, which has helped Bilko to have a timeless appeal... it appeals to all ages, and is completely lacking in "off colour" gags or any obscenities. Was this realistic? Of course not, in an almost all male Army camp in any country or at any time period. But the strict rules of US television in the 1950s meant that nothing in the slightest bit "doubtful" was permitted; everyone knew this, the writers and the actors, and so Bilko was 100% clean.What a contrast with so many "comedy" shows and performers of the 21st century... whose work is scattered with expletives etc that make them unsuitable for family viewing...and in some cases any viewing at all. We can all be grateful that 1950s US television had these strict rules.. which has permitted Bilko to entertain millions worldwide, and which will continue... hopefully for many decades to come.
John T. Ryan With World War II ending just 10 years before, THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW, alias YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH, alias SGT. BILKO found a ready family audience in the young "Boomers" and their Depression/WWII parents.Therefore, we had a nation full of Mothers and Fathers roughly aged mid 30's to late 40's who together with their "Boomer" offspring , found that material relating to the "War" (or the Military in general) and the 1930's seemed to be favourite topics of 1950-60's TV Series. Hence we saw the great successes of shows like COMBAT, NAVY LOG, and THE UNTOUCHABLES.It was during these years that the "Service Comedy" became a staple for the sitcom. This format of being on the inside of the Armed Forces, no doubt has its genealogy traceable back to eras far before any electronic media of TV, Radio or the Movies. Indeed, we can no doubt find the embryonic beginnings of the Service Comedy among the works of Mr. W. Shakespeare and company.As for our own research, we believe the direct Ancestor or "Missing Link" between the Service Comedy Feature Film and the Service TV Sitcom "evolved" over at Hal Roach Studios' "Laugh Factory". "Streamliner" was his name for his approximately 55 minute film. This put them in between feature and a 2 or 3 Reeler (short subject). During his period that Roach Studios gave us t of the World the "Streamliner" Series of Eight SGT. DOUBLEDAY Movies (1941-52). The comedies featured the misadventures of Sgt. Dorian "Dodo" Doubleday (Mr. Tracy) and everybody's Screen Sergeant, Joe Sawyer as Sgt. William Ames. The two made a splendid film comedy team; with their whole often hilarious interplay's being the friction between the two. On the one hand, Sgt. Ames (Mr. Sawyer), was the gruff, self made Army career-man and Blue Collar type. College man, Sgt. Doubleday (Tracy), on the other hand, was the "90 Day Wonder" type. His character was representative of those called-up in 1940's first ever Peace Time Draft in U.S. History. It was guys like this who got promoted from PFC to Corporal and Sergeant on the Fast Track. This of course created animosity with the veteran career men as represented by Sgt. Ames (still Joe Sawyer).So, this brings us to the 1950's and the Golden Age of Television. During this time and up to 1958 and the dawn of Videotape, a series was either on film (regular or Kinescoped) or it was live. And pre-dating BILKO by three months (June '55 to September '55) was Bud Yorkin's THE SOLDIERS on NBC. The Series which was most likely slotted as one of those old Summer Replacement series, a status from which it never would matriculate to the higher level of Regular Series University. (Too bad; as it had shown a sort of adult humor promise. No, Schultz, I didn't mean 'Blue Humor.') So it was after this we were inundated with the likes of McHALE'S NAVY, BROADSIDE (a female version of McHale), ENSIGN O'TOOLE, NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS (Broadway, Movie & TV), GOMER PYLE, U.S.M.C. and even F TROOP. Oh, yeah, by the way, we almost forgot THE PHIL SILVERS' SHOW.SERGEANT BILKO hit the CBS TV Network 1n September of 1955 and remained a staple until 1959. Its main feature was in giving the Army's Enlisted Men, Non Coms and Officers foibles, equal to or far surpassing everyone in Civilian Life. In the fictional Kansas locale of Fort Baxter, the Motor Pool Platoon is run by con-man and old War War II Veteran Master Sergeant Ernest Bilko (Phil Silvers). He runs the motor pool in whatever time he can squeeze-in between hatching whatever get rich schemes that his always grifting little head can conceive.The now middle-aged Ernie Bilko also sees himself as quite a Ladies' Man and many of the weekly episodes involve his on base girlfriend, some visiting beauty or even both.Some of our favourite episodes in volved: a.the Platoon's getting a Chimpanzee through an Army physical, Bilko's being audited by Uncle Sugar and the Sgt.'s getting to see himself as others do vs. what he thinks of himself.Aiding and abetting in this was a great, if somewhat elderly players doing the men of Bilko's Motor Pool Platoon as well as others in the Fort Baxter Command. Starting from the top we have the C.O., Colonel Hall (outstanding Paul Ford), Sergeant Grover (Signal Corps, Jimmy Little*) and Mess Sergeant Rupert Ritzy ( hilarious Joe E. Ross), Cpl. Barbella (Harvey Lembeck), Cpl. Henshaw (Allan Melvin), Pvt.'s Duane Doberman** (Maurice Gosfield), Dino Paparelli (Billy Sands), Pvt. Gander, Cpl. Fender (Herbie Faye) and others. As an example of a truly strange anecdote of the BILKO Show; they were assigned a young Officer by the Army Brass as Technical Adviser. The Captain was asked to do an on-camera appearance as an M.P., which he reprised several more times. The Captain's name was George Kennedy! Ya gotta start somewhere, Schultz! NOTE: * Mr. Nat Hiken had great admiration for the Old Time Vaudeville & Burlesque Comedians. He proved so by casting guys like Jimmy Little and Joe E. Ross (both former Burlesque Comics) in not only the SGT.BILKO Series, but also in CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU? NOTE: ** In a most unusual of merchandising, National Comics Publications (aka Superman/DC) not only published a SGT. BILKO Comic Book; but also spun-off a second title, SGT. BILKO'S PRIVATE DOBERMAN!
adamski177 The depth and sheer ingenuity of the jokes and comedy on display in this riotous programme is simply hilarious.The fast-thinking, quick, clever and irrepressibly lovable character of st. Bilko is the funniest thing i can think of.The stories are simple but carefully provide sufficient platform in each episode for mr. Silvers to perform his comedic hijinx.His is the most endearing, lovable, hilarious and witty character i have ever witnessed in a comedy and i can watch episodes of this fabulous show time and time again without ever managing to stifle my giggles.