History Series / ThePhilSilversShow

* TheDanza: [[Film/{{Airport}} George Kennedy]], yes ''that'' [[Film/{{Earthquake}} George Kennedy]], worked as a military advisor for the show. He was seen in the background for 14 episodes as MP Sergeant Kennedy.

* TheDanza: [[{{Airport}} George Kennedy]], yes ''that'' [[{{Earthquake}} George Kennedy]], worked as a military advisor for the show. He was seen in the background for 14 episodes as [[=MP=]] Sergeant Kennedy.

* BigEater: Ed "The Stomach" Hog

* ButtMonkey: Duane Doberman.

* GameShowAppearance: In one episode Bilko trys to cheat on the already rigged ''TheSixtyFourThousandDollarQuestion'' about a year before the quiz show scandals broke.

* HonestJohnsDealership: While Bilko never has a formal store, it doesn't stop him from always thinking about profit and acting accordingly.
** Pretty much invoked in ''The Empty Store''. After one of Bilko's men loses the squad's money in a poker game, Bilko gets it back by renting out an empty store. ''Everyone'' assumes he's starting one of these, and are desperate to get in on it. Eventually he sells a third of it to each of the guys who ran the game. All three of them. The episode ends with Bilko congratulating the card sharks on ''their'' ownership of an empty store, and asking what they intend to do with it.

* StudioAudience: The first 59 episodes were performed similarly to stage plays in front of a live audience; this changed when ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (1956) producer Mike Todd, who was making a guest appearance, suggested that it would be better to film the show out-of-sequence like a Hollywood movie.
** In both cases no laugh track was used...the completed episodes would be screened exclusively for an audience of Military personnel whose laughter would be recorded and dubbed in later.

** Doubles as a {{Bowdlerized}} version from the [[PrecisionFStrike original Army chant]]

* FountainOfExpies: Sgt. Ernie Bilko would be the inspiration for numerous military con-men and fast-talkers, including [[TheNavyLark CPO Jon Pertwee]], [[Series/McHalesNavy Torpedoman's Mate Lester Gruber]], and perhaps even [[Series/{{MASH}} Cpl., later Sgt. Maxwell Q. Klinger]].

* IAmNotSpock: Sgt. Bilko is far more famous than Phil Silvers.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Major Thorn is a mild example. He doesn't target any minority or individual in particular, but at least two scenes showcase him in situations that contrast him against modern sensibilities. In the first, he interrogates Sergeant Henshaw on why there are women's undergarments in his closet (among other feminine accoutrements around the room) and is informed that he can no longer ask such questions[[note]]Major Thorn is currently operating a surprise inspection, and advance warning allows Bilko to avoid immediate trouble by temporarily switching barracks with another company, since his own is in complete shambles from the Hockey Playoffs. This company is female.[[/note]]. In the second example, he explains that Bilko has been "sucking the khaki tit for years", which description vividly startles Lt. Monday.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Major Thorn is a mild example. He doesn't target any minority or individual in particular, but at least two scenes showcase him in situations that contrast him against modern sensibilities. In the first, he interrogates Sergeant Henshaw on why there are women's undergarments in his closet (among other feminine accoutrements around the room) and is informed that he can no longer ask such questions[[hottip:*:Major Thorn is currently operating a surprise inspection, and advance warning allows Bilko to avoid immediate trouble by temporarily switching barracks with another company, since his own is in complete shambles from the Hockey Playoffs. This company is female.]]. In the second example, he explains that Bilko has been "sucking the khaki tit for years", which description vividly startles Lt. Monday.

* TheFilmOfTheSeries: ''Sgt. Bilko'' (1996), starring SteveMartin.
* FountainOfExpies: Sgt. Ernie Bilko would be the inspiration for numerous military con-men and fast-talkers, including [[TheNavyLark CPO Jon Pertwee]], [Series/[McHalesNavy Torpedoman's Mate Lester Gruber]], and perhaps even [[Series/{{MASH}} Cpl., later Sgt. Maxwell Q. Klinger]].

* FountainOfExpies: Sgt. Ernie Bilko would be the inspiration for numerous military con-men and fast-talkers, including [[TheNavyLark CPO Jon Pertwee]], [[McHalesNavy Torpedoman's Mate Lester Gruber]], and perhaps even [[Series/{{Mash}} Cpl., later Sgt. Maxwell Q. Klinger]].

Despite its relative obscurity compared to other contemporary sitcoms like ''Series/ILoveLucy'', ''The Phil Silvers Show'' was highly critically acclaimed in its day and still remains popular among critics. It was also popular in Britain, where [[TheBBC the BBC]] re-ran it for many years. It won three consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series from 1956 to 1958, and in 2003, the ''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy'' named it [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3148934.stm the best sitcom ever made]], beating ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' and ''Series/FawltyTowers'' to the top spot.

Originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', ''The Phil Silvers Show'' was a popular [[TheFifties 1950s]] [[SitCom sitcom]] created by Nat Hiken and starring [[TheEponymousShow Phil Silvers]] as Sgt. Ernest Bilko, the man in charge of the motor pool at the fictional Fort Baxter military base in Kansas. Running from 1955 to 1959 on CBS (notably over a decade before the same network ran ''Series/{{Mash}}''), a total of 143 episodes were produced, of which only 18 have yet been released on DVD.

Despite its relative obscurity compared to other contemporary sitcoms like ''ILoveLucy'', ''The Phil Silvers Show'' was highly critically acclaimed in its day and still remains popular among critics. It was also popular in Britain, where [[TheBBC the BBC]] re-ran it for many years. It won three consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series from 1956 to 1958, and in 2003, the ''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy'' named it [[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3148934.stm the best sitcom ever made]], beating ''{{Seinfeld}}'' and ''FawltyTowers'' to the top spot.

* DraggedIntoDrag: Spc. Dino Paparelli, when Bilko needs a mysterious woman to make Rita jealous. Dino hates it, but is flattered into embracing the role; it helps that Major Thorn is puzzlingly attracted to him.

* StealthInsult: A few. "Ah, Doberman. The son I never wanted."

* LoveableRogue: Sgt. Bilko's chief re-characterization makes him one of these. Unlike his original, he's a hugely successful and not-a-little oily conman, much-beloved by everyone at the post who is not part of the brass (and even then, they tend to find him little worse than an annoyance). His opponent is Major Thorn, who nurses a huge grudge for taking Bilko's rap during a rigged boxing-match payoff. In fact, much of the popularity of the film hinged on whether one accepted Bilko as the hero (which he's presented as) or the villain who succeeds at abusing a Major who's just trying to do his job.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Major Thorn is a mild example. He doesn't target any minority or individual in particular, but at least two scenes showcase him in situations that contrast him against modern sensibilities. In the first, he interrogates Sergeant Henshaw on why there are women's undergarments in his closet (among other feminine accoutrements around the room) and is informed that he can no longer ask such questions[[hottip:*:Major Thorn is currently operating a surprise inspection, and advance warning allows Bilko to avoid immediate trouble by temporarily switching barracks with another company, since his own is in complete shambles from the Hockey Playoffs. In the chaos of choosing rooms, Henshaw ended up with a woman's]]. In the second example, he explains that Bilko has been "sucking the khaki tit for years", which description vividly startles Lt. Monday.

!!This show provides examples of:

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: BIlko was shown as having the tinniest sliver of conscience on occasions and would occasionally his skills to defend his men from other conmen.