12/25/2022 0 Comments Theme song sergeant preston![]() By the spring of 1959, when CBS announced its forthcoming cancellation of the series, Silvers too was complaining of fatigue induced by the show's grueling routine. Hiken's total commitment to the show proved physically and creatively exhausting and he left the series in 1957 to pursue less hectic projects. Nevertheless, the drain of weekly programming eventually began to take its toll. Along with a bevy of other awards, the series won five Emmys in its first season on the air, and more were to follow over the next couple of years. The show's popularity was matched by great critical acclaim. Consequently, the studio audience disappeared, requiring the recording of a laughtrack at a weekly screening of the final program.ĭespite being scheduled against NBC's Tuesday night powerhouse Milton Berle, The Phil Silvers Show quickly attracted viewers and passed Berle in the ratings within a few months. This meant that the scenes would be shot throughout the week and later edited together in order. Cast and crew found appealing the more relaxed shooting schedule this engendered, and the show subsequently adopted this filming technique permanently. Mike Todd appeared in one 1958 episode, insisting that it be shot using a movie-style, one camera production process. As the series developed, the storylines often incorporated outside characters who were portrayed by guest celebrities. Post-production was minimal, giving the final program a spontaneous, no-frills appeal despite its celluloid status. The Phil Silvers Show was initially recorded live on film using a three camera set-up. The network's magnanimity is understandable given that Bilko neatly fit the successful formula upon which CBS had built its television reputation: a half-hour situation comedy series written as a vehicle for an established performer. CBS confidence in the production was such that twenty episodes were in the can prior to the show's broadcast debut in the fall. In the spring of 1955, filming began at the DuMont studios in New York. The two creators experimented with numerous settings and narrative structures before deciding on a military location, a Bilko-centered narrative trajectory, and a colorful coterie of supporting characters. Silvers and Hiken were given tremendous creative license by CBS to devise and cast the show. Hiken had already earned a reputation for superb radio and TV comedy writing for such celebrities as Fred Allen and Martha Raye. The series developed as a collaboration between Silvers, a Brooklyn-born veteran of vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures, and Nat Hiken, the show's unassuming head writer, producer, and stage director. Sharp dialogue and tightly woven plot lines (involving absurd, but believable, situations), combined with a heavy emphasis on visual comedy, made The Phil Silvers Show one of the most popular and critically-acclaimed sitcoms of the 1950s. Much of the program's humor derives from Bilko's incomplete knowledge of a situation-the audience watches as he unwittingly makes matters worse for himself, before realizing his error and having to employ his quick thinking in order to make amends. ![]() Bilko's one redeeming moral quality, therefore, is his heart of gold, which prevents him both from truly prospering or losing his humanity.įrequently, unforeseen obstacles to Bilko's strategies arise out of a misunderstanding between the principal characters. Faced with innocent victims, the Sergeant's conscience kicks in and he expends every mental resource to resolve the problem. In his attempts to buck the system, Bilko is aided by his platoon-members: a motley collection of blue collar, "ethnic" Americans whose own distaste for military discipline is displayed through their visible admiration for their brilliant leader.Īside from money and favors won in poker games and elaborate rackets, however, Bilko never benefits at the expense of others. ![]() Although his reputation for masterful chicanery is well known around the base, the other characters in the show prove no match for Bilko's complex mental designs and are ultimately unable to avoid following the course of action he desires. In his relentless pursuit of personal gain and physical comfort, Bilko attempts to manipulate those around him through the selective use of flattery, false naïveté, pulling rank, and a canny ability to identify and stimulate desires, weaknesses and emotions in others. army station of Fort Baxter in Roseville, Kansas. The program's 138 episodes trace the minor victories and misfortunes of the scheming, fast-talking Master Sergeant Ernie Bilko (Phil Silvers), head of the motor pool at the mythical U.S. Since its inception the series has also been commonly referred to as " Sergeant Bilko." The show's original title was You'll Never Get Rich, but this name was dropped shortly after its debut. The Phil Silvers Show, a half-hour comedy series, first ran on CBS from September 1955 to September 1959. ![]()
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