Product Description

Phil Silvers plays Ernie Bilko a motor pool sgt in the US army. He is based at Fort Baxter a small camp hidden away near a town called Roseville in the wilds of Kansas. The camp is supposedly run by Colonel Hall but it's Bilko that calls the shots. Whether it's poker games betting on the horses or when ever he was short of money which was just about all the time getting his platoon to cough up. Along with the other Sgt's from the Mess Hall Signals and Supply Bilko is continually at war with Colonel Hall who is desperately trying to put a stop to the gambling once and for all.System Requirements:Running Time 542 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 097368881549 Manufacturer No: 888154

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12326 in DVD
• Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
• Released on: 2006-05-09
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 465 minutes

Amazon.com
"Goldbricker." Now there's a term you don't hear much anymore. But that's what Ed Sullivan called Sgt. Ernest G. Bilko back in the 1950s, and it's as apt a term as any for Phil Silvers' immortal comic creation. Hustler, gambler, scam artist, and con man also apply, but anyway you slice it, Bilko is inarguably one of the greatest characters to emerge in television's so-called Golden Age, and this three-disc 50th Anniversary Edition, cherry picking episodes from all four seasons (it ran from '55-'59), is a beautiful thing. Created by Nat Hiken and originally called "You'll Never Get Rich," The Phil Silvers Show is classic situation comedy. There's no character arc, no lessons learned, no sentimental denouement; just laughs, and plenty of 'em. The typical episode finds Bilko on the make--usually, though not exclusively, for money--and generally ends with him holding the short end of his own shtick. (They don't all follow the formula; a hilarious exception is "The Court Martial," in which Bilko is ordered to defend a chimpanzee that the Army has somehow managed to enlist and is now trying to expel.) Silvers, a master at both verbal and physical comedy, is the focal point, of course. But the ensemble work, featuring Bilko's usual stooges from the Fort Baxter motor pool (Barbella, Doberman, Paparelli), his favorite victims (cf. Col. Hall), and occasional guest stars (episodes with Fred Gwynne, Alan Alda, and Dick Van Dyke are included in this set), is uniformly brilliant, the acting is seemingly effortless, and the pleasure they take in their work is palpable. Bottom line: these shows may have been produced 50 years ago, but the jillions of TV comedies that followed have never improved on them. Among the many quality bonus features are a full-length "lost audition show" (recorded on kinescope), appearances by Silvers on Ed Sullivan and Dick Cavett's programs, audio commentary on some episodes, and more. Some fans will undoubtedly quibble with the episode selection; with only 18 of the more than 140 produced shows included here, it's inevitable that a few favorites didn't make the cut. Still, until (or unless) Paramount gets around to releasing each individual season, this set is a must-have. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews

SGT. BILKO 50th ANNIVERSARY
IT MAY BE 50 YEARS SINCE BILKO GRACED THE T.V. SCREENS. IT HAS LOST NONE OF IT'S MAGIC OVER THE YEARS. GIVES ANY MODERN AMERICAN COMEDY A RUN FOR IT'S MONEY. WHENEVER GREAT AMERICAN SITCOMS ARE TALKED OF BILKO IS HARDLY EVER MENTIONED SADLY.

Laugh out loud funny!
Starts a tad slow, but then gets hilarious. If you like shows from the Golden Age of TV, get this. Is there anybody who was simply funnier than Phil Silvers? The man was funny, period. He knew how to make people laugh, especially where others would have failed. And if you like old TV, then you'll be happy to see many folks who went on to greater fame elsewhere.

Oh, I'm not somebody who considers himself to be all that old. I'm in my mid-40's, but I like old TV and movies. Back then the story and the characters made you laugh, the writers actually wrote, and the actors acted. There was no need for special effects or bathroom/bedroom humor. They were funny without that stuff.

Solid gold package
"Sgt Bilko" was the first and best of all those TV sit coms set in the forces. If you like "McHale's Navy", "F Troop" or "Hogan's Heroes", you'll love Bilko.

This 50th anniversary package is outstanding value. Not only have a great selection of episodes been included with personal favourites, "The Twitch" and "The Court Martial", but there is an endless package of extras which recapture the magic of these relatively early days of television. Highlights are Phil Silvers with the immortal Jack Benny on Dick Cavett's talk show, the last televised interview with Silvers in 1987 and some great commentaries on a few of the episodes. This is a great way to package Bilko rather than simply issuing all of the episodes.