The Phil Silvers Show

1955

Seasons & Episodes

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EP11 Bilko Presents the McGuire Sisters Dec 03, 1958

8.4| 0h30m| TV-PG| en
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.

Director

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CBS Studios

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Reviews

KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?
Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
smfarnsworth Probably the greatest comedy programme EVER, bar none. Seinfeld comes close, Fraiser was great, The Office is class, Everybody Loves Raymond tried, Black Adder was funny - but Bilko (NOT the movie) is head and shoulders above every other comedy ever made.Ask a Bilko fan to name their favourite episode - it's impossible. They never produced a weak, weakish, so-so, OK episode. Every episode is comedy gold.It's outrageous that the entire catalogue has not been made available. Paramount should just get it released NOW - and not in chunks like this. They should do a series at a time.
Geoffrey Parfitt In the massive and essential "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy" the editor Mark Lewisohn includes his personal Top 20 Sitcoms of all time on British TV. His Number One is not a British production, but it is a show that has been part of the BBC schedules for nearly 50 years, and is an important element of British television heritage."The Phil Silvers Show" - or "Bilko" as it is usually known - has been and remains a sitcom with a unique feature that makes it Number One (or close to that) for lovers of good comedy. That feature is Phil Silvers, who was a comedy performer of undeniable genius. He dominates every moment that he is on that small screen, and even then he is complemented by wonderful performances by a host of other regular characters - Colonel Hall, Doberman, Ritzic, and the rest.To celebrate 50 years since this historic show began on US TV, a new DVD box-set has been produced. On the three discs there are 21 complete episodes, plus some great extras, including the original pilot show never shown on British TV, revealing commentaries by Dick Van Dyke and other members of the cast, and other Phil Silvers appearances and interviews. A must-have for the DVD collections of all comedy lovers.
dave-greg As time goes on comedies come and go, some stand up to the test of time and some do not. Both the Brits and the Americans have made their share of funny shows: 'Fawlty Towers', 'Frasier', 'Cheers','The Office' etc, but if one show deserves to be the 'daddy' of all comedies then i think 'The Phil Silvers Show' is it! Just even thinking of Sgt Ernie Bilko makes me smile! Mr Silvers played this character to the max along with the rest of the cast. It still pops up from time to time on British t.v., usually at about 2 'o' clock in the morning or something! But if i'm still up and about i will always watch it, with a beer or two, and laugh my a*s off at the funniest comedy character ever created!
Raymond Valinoti, Jr. I regret that I have only seen a fraction of the episodes of THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW. But those that I have seen confirms the show's reputation as an authentic television classic. Consider the star, Phil Silvers as Sgt. Ernie Bilko. Was there a more lovable conniver? His joy in his scheming was so droll and endearing one couldn't help but root for him. Yet Bilko never wanted to hurt anyone and whenever he learned any plan could hurt someone, he wouldn't go through with it. Silvers' ruefulness at such moments was as delightful as his ecstasy.Silvers was backed by a delightful supporting cast. Particularly memorable were Maurice Gosfeld as the innocent Private Duane Doberman and Paul Ford as Bilko's flustered superior Colonel John Hall. Joe E. Ross got his big break as the gruff but lovable Sgt. Rupert Ritzik. Producer Nat Hiken would later team up Ross with Fred Gwynne in the police sitcom CAR 54 WHERE ARE YOU? And what hilarious, inventive scripts that so deftly served those performers. I'm no prude but I consider such riotous episodes like "The Trial of Harry Speakup" and "The Face on the Recruiting Poster" proof that writers don't have to stoop to raunchiness to generate laughs. The problem with today's television sitcoms is that they often indulge in gratuitous filth.With so many old sitcoms coming out on DVD today, isn't it about time for DVD episode guides of THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW? Why should DVD users be denied access to, from what episodes I've seen, a wonderful show? Such a treasure does not deserve oblivion.