Description: The Phil Silvers Show, originally titled You'll Never Get Rich, is a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes were broadcast – all half-an-hour long except for a 1959 one-hour live special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko of the United States Army. The series was created 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 it 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. PRODUCTION By 1955, the American television business was already moving westward to Los Angeles, but Nat Hiken insisted on filming the series in New York City, believing it to be more conducive to comedic creativity and the show's humor. Early episodes were filmed at Dumont's television center in New York City – now home to WNYW-TV – with later episodes shot at the CBS "Hi Brown" Studios in Chelsea, Manhattan. Most of the series was filmed to simulate a live performance. The actors memorized their lines and performed the scenes in sequence before a studio audience. Thus, there are occasional flubs and awkward pauses. Actor Paul Ford, playing Bilko's commanding officer, was notorious for forgetting his lines; when he would get a blank expression on his face, Silvers and the rest of the cast would improvise something to save the scene, like "Oh, you remember, Colonel, the top brass is coming..." At that point, Ford would pick up where he left off. Later episodes were filmed in California. Famous producer Mike Todd, making a guest appearance, insisted that his show should be filmed like a movie, out of sequence. The cast and crew tried it and soon found that Todd's way was indeed easier. Production continued in this manner until the series ended in 1959. PREMISE The series was originally set in Fort Baxter, a sleepy, unremarkable U.S. Army post in the fictional town of Roseville, Kansas, and centered on the soldiers of the Fort Baxter motor pool under Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko. However, Bilko and his men seemed to spend very little time actually performing their duties—Bilko in particular spent most of his time trying to wheedle money through various get-rich-quick scams and promotions or to find ways to get others to do his work for him. While Bilko's soldiers regularly helped him with his schemes, they were just as likely to become "pigeons" in one of his schemes. Nevertheless, Bilko exhibited an odd paternalism toward his victims, and he would doggedly shield them from all outside antagonists. The sergeant's attitude toward his men has been described thus: "They were his men and if anyone was going to take them, it was going to be him and only him." Through it all, the platoon was generally loyal to Bilko, despite their wariness of his crafty nature, and would depend on him to get them out of any military misfortune. If one of his boys was treated unfairly or was cheated in any way, Bilko always helped the injured party, using the same psychological guile and chicanery he always used to outwit his suckers. This benevolent side of Bilko was toned down in the series's later seasons (with scripts, significantly, by different writers); Bilko became strictly mercenary, willing to swindle anyone for a fast buck. Bilko's swindles were usually directed toward (or behind the back of) Col. John T. Hall, 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 often 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. The colonel's wife, Nell (Hope Sansberry), had only the kindest thoughts toward Bilko, who would shamelessly flatter her whenever he met her. Bilko and Hall were not always adversaries. In an episode entitled "The Court Martial" (1956), Bilko tries to assist the colonel in setting a speed record for inducting new recruits, which accidentally results in a private's pet chimpanzee being enrolled. The animal's failure to answer when addressed by the phrase "Hurry! Speak Up!" is soon misheard and interpreted as being his name, "Harry Speakup," continuing the error and the imposture. Harry passes the medical and psychiatric exams, receives a uniform, and is formally sworn in. With the superior officers in a panic, Bilko saves the day by orchestrating an honorable discharge for the chimpanzee. The show's setting changed with the fourth season, when the men of Fort Baxter were reassigned to Camp Fremont in California. This mass transfer was explained in storyline as being orchestrated by Bilko, who had discovered a map showing a gold deposit near the abandoned army post. One reason for the change from Kansas was so that the series could more plausibly bring in guest stars from nearby Hollywood, such as Dean Martin, Mickey Rooney, Diana Dors and Lucille Ball. Silvers even played himself in an hourlong episode.
Price: 99 AUD
Location: Bundaberg, QLD
End Time: 2025-01-05T08:31:50.000Z
Shipping Cost: 17.65 AUD
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Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
Returns Accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Case Type: Tall/DVD Case
Former Rental: No
Rating: G
Subtitle Language: None
Custom Bundle: No
MPN: Multi Region Player Required To Play Outside Aust & NZ
Studio: Time Life, CBS Video & Direct Holdings Worldwide
Format: DVD
Region Code: DVD: 4 (AU, NZ, Latin America...)
Release Year: Original release September 20, 1955 – September 11, 1959
Language: English
Actor: Starring Phil Silvers
Features: Black & White, Menu & Episode Selections
Season: 16 Episodes: 01 - Bivouac, 02 - Transfer, 03 - Bilko’s Giveaway, 04 - Bilko In Outer Space, 05 - The Con Man, 06 - Bilko Gets Some Sleep, 07 - Rock ‘N’ Roll Rookie, 08 - Bilko And The Medium, 09 - Bilko And The Beast, 10 - Love That Guard House, 11 - Bilko’s Formula #7, 12 - Bilko’s Small Car, 13 - The Twitch, 14 - Doberman’s Sister, 15 - Sgt Bilko Presents Ed Sullivan, 16 - Bilko And The Flying Saucers
Movie/TV Title: Sgt Bilko
Music Artist: John Strauss
Video Format: PAL
Director: Nat Hiken Al De Caprio Charles Friedman
Sub-Genre: Sitcom
Cinematic Movement: Experimental, Expressionism, Abstract
Franchise: Also known as You'll Never Get Rich Sergeant Bilko Bilko
Edition: Standard Edition
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Type: TV Series
Producer: Nat Hiken Edward J. Montagne
Genre: Comedy, Army
Run Time: 420 Minutes (105 Minutes Per DVD)
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
