Comedy19554 seasonsTV-PG★ 7.1

The Phil Silvers Show

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.

Created by Nat Hiken

Episodes

  1. 1

    New Recruits

    Sep 20, 195530 min

    During a poker game the other sergeant's cheat and clean Bilko out of his bankroll so he has to look around for some more money. Just when it looks like he will miss out a new squad of rookies arrive for basic training. With a new source of cash the platoon think he can get back into the game but Bilko's conscience will not let him.

  2. 2

    The Empty Store

    Sep 27, 195530 min

    Bilko is still broke and can't find a way back into the big poker game. When the three sergeant's win again, by beating one of the new recruits, Bilko decides to get even by renting an empty store and getting the sergeant's to invest in it

  3. 3

    The WAC

    Oct 4, 195530 min

    A job comes up for a sergeant that has a jeep allocated Bilko applies for it only to find that he is beaten by a Sgt Joan Hogan. (1st appearance by Elisabeth Fraser As Joan Hogan)

  4. 4

    The Horse

    Oct 11, 195530 min

    Bilko loses the platoon welfare money on a horse only to find out that it is suffering from a minor leg injury, with the last of the platoon's money he buys the horse and has to keep it on the post until it is fit to run Then a visiting general comes on a surprise visit

  5. 5

    AWOL

    Oct 18, 195530 min

    Pvt Steve Nagy goes awol so Bilko has to go and fetch him back only to find himself caught up in the middle of a family feud

  6. 6

    The Boxer

    Oct 25, 195530 min

    Bilko discovers that one of the platoon Claude Dillingham is a boxing champ so Bilko enters him for the interplatoon championship only to learn that Dillingham refuses to fight

  7. 7

    The Hoodlum

    Nov 1, 195530 min

    After several transfers a young tough guy is moved to the motor pool platoon and it is left to the Bilko to cut him down to size. Meanwhile Bilko is after the ' Soldier of the Month' competition. Little does he know that the tough guy will spring a surprise.

  8. 8

    Mardi Gras

    Nov 8, 195530 min

    When the platoon ask local socialite Miss Joy Landers to be their Mardi Gras queen she laughs and turns them down flat, so Bilko finds a way to change her mind.

  9. 9

    The Eating Contest

    Nov 15, 195530 min

    In an eating contest between the platoons Bilko puts his money on a new member of the platoon nicknamed 'The Stomach' only to find that he can only eat when he is depressed

  10. 10

    The Centennial

    Nov 22, 195530 min

    Bilko organises a pageant to celebrate 100 years of Camp Baxter but after some investigation finds that it does not show the camp in a very good light

  11. 11

    Bivouac

    Nov 29, 195530 min

    When maneuvers come round again the Colonel is interested in which illness Bilko has in order to miss out on the joys of marching through the countryside. In order to make him go the colonel uses reverse psychology

  12. 12

    The Singing Contest

    Dec 6, 195530 min

    Bilko hears of a singing contest in Miami and to get away from the bitterly cold weather he enters the platoon but on hearing them sing he puts a bet on for them to lose. While he is putting on the bet a new platoon member is found to have a beautiful singing voice

  13. 13

    The Twitch

    Dec 13, 195530 min

    Colonel Hall tells Bilko to provide an audience for a lecture on music. He finds that nobody wants to come until they learn that the lecture will be given by a friend of the Colonel's wife and they can bet on the number of ' twitches' that she will give during the lecture

  14. 14

    The Reunion

    Dec 20, 195530 min

    When Bilko meets up with his old army buddies, he thinks that they are going to be so short of money, that he is going to have to help them out , but it turns out that they have all been very successful.

  15. 15

    The Rich Kid

    Dec 27, 195530 min

    Bilko gets an idea to buy the local bar and grill, but he is stumped for cash, until he learns that one of the platoon's new recruits, is heir to a steel fortune. So they play up to him in order to get him to invest in their scheme, but Bilko's conscience wins out in the end.

  16. 16

    Hollywood

    Jan 3, 195630 min

    Hollywood plans a film of the ' Battle of Kabuchi' and they hire Bilko as the technical adviser, but after a couple of days he has taken over the whole production, and the film people want shot of him.

  17. 17

    The Investigation

    Jan 10, 195630 min

    A Congressional committee visit Fort Baxter to investigate waste and high living but Bilko has other ideas, he wants a pay rise instead

  18. 18

    Kids In the Trailer

    Jan 17, 195630 min

    While babysitting for a member of the platoon Bilko panics when he finds that he can't change the baby's nappy

  19. 19

    The Revolutionary War

    Jan 24, 195630 min

    Bilko's aunt sends him a diary showing him that his great uncle Joshua was on the staff of George Washington so Bilko applies to become an officer but on reading the diary he discovers that Joshua was a traitor so Bilko keeps quiet and withdraws his application

  20. 20

    The Transfer

    Jan 31, 195630 min

    When the Colonel makes life difficult Bilko decides to bluff and puts in a transfer, but the Colonel calls the bluff and Bilko is on his way, but at his new camp life is to easy and Bilko hopes he can find a way to get back to Camp Baxter

  21. 21

    The Rest Cure

    Feb 7, 195630 min

    During a heat wave Bilko discovers that the army have a rest centre in the Rockies but the trick is trying to persuade the doctors and the Colonel to let him go there

  22. 22

    Dinner at Sowici's

    Feb 14, 195630 min

    When Bilko thinks that Joan is trying to trap him into marriage, he takes her to dinner at Sgt Sowici's to see how bad marriage can be, but they are in for a surprise.

  23. 23

    Army Memoirs

    Feb 21, 195630 min

    When Sgt's Pendleton,Grover, and Sowici get Bilko busted to private, he gets his own back by pretending to write a book on his army life

  24. 24

    Miss America

    Feb 28, 195630 min

    When Bilko asks for pictures of the platoons girlfriends Pvt Honnagar shows them a photo of a beautiful girl taken years ago. they think it is his girl but they have a surprise in store

  25. 25

    The Court Martial

    Mar 6, 195630 min

    When Zippo the ape is accidently inducted into the army the only way to get the army off the hook is to get Bilko as defense council and court martial the ape before anybody finds out

  26. 26

    Furlough in New York

    Mar 13, 195630 min

    Bilko and Joan Hogan go separately to New York and keep missing each other but when they meet up again at Fort Baxter they find that they have somehow ended up with each others dog tags

  27. 27

    The Big Uranium Strike

    Mar 20, 195630 min

    Bilko suspects that there are large deposits of uranium underneath Fort Baxter but he has to get rid of the Colonel before he can start digging

  28. 28

    Bilko and the Beast

    Mar 27, 195630 min

    When a new drill sergeant known as ' The Beast ' takes over at Fort Baxter Bilko and the platoon come up with a scheme to get rid of him

  29. 29

    The Physical Check Up

    Apr 10, 195630 min

    When Bilko tries to get out of a 20 mile hike the Colonel preempts him and allows him to miss the hike Bilko is so shocked that he thinks the Colonel might be trying to get rid of him

  30. 30

    The Recruiting Sergeant

    Apr 17, 195630 min

    When Bilko gets a tip from a jockey on a horse he persuades the Colonel to take him on a recruiting drive to Topeka so he can get to a bookie and get a bet on

  31. 31

    Hair

    Apr 24, 195630 min

    Bilko's head is constantly being used by his barber to find a cure for baldness. The other three sergeants know this and while Bilko is asleep decide to play a trick on him, but Bilko has the last laugh

  32. 32

    The Con Men

    May 1, 195630 min

    When Doberman gets a $500 windfall from an insurance policy, he loses it in a poker game with three con men. Bilko gets it back by conning the con men, but then Doberman loses it again by being conned into buying the hotel from another con man

  33. 33

    War Games

    May 8, 195630 min

    Bilko is asked to be best man at a friends wedding but it coincides with a war game battle between the army and the national guard

  34. 34

    Bilko on Wall Street

    May 15, 195630 min

    Thinking his friend is a big man on Wall Street Bilko goes to stay but when he discovers that his friend is just a clerk, Bilko sets out to get him a better job.

Cast

  • Phil Silvers

    Phil Silvers

    Ernest Bilko

  • Harvey Lembeck

    Harvey Lembeck

    Rocco Barbella

  • Paul Ford

    Paul Ford

    John Hall

  • Allan Melvin

    Allan Melvin

    Steve Henshaw

  • Billy Sands

    Billy Sands

    Dino Paparelli

  • Maurice Gosfield

    Maurice Gosfield

    Duane Doberman

  • Herbie Faye

    Herbie Faye

    Sam Fender

  • Terry Carter

    Terry Carter

    Private 'Sugie' Sugarman

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