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Finally! The complete first season of "The Phil Silvers' Show", often known just as "Sgt. Bilko", has been released on DVD.
Silvers was a comedic genius who perfected the personae as the quick witted fast talking con man, yet one with a good heart. Steve Martin is very talented and did a good job in the movie version, but he just did not reach Silvers' height.
Add to that a great supporting cast, and you have a great classic. Paul Ford plays Bilko's nemesis, Colonel Hall. He has a talent for delivering his lines for their greatest effect. For instance, in the episode where a chimp accidentally gets inducted into the army, he delivers possibly the funniest line, about no one ever remembering him for being at the top of his class at West Point or for all his medals of valor -- but remembering him as the man who opened up the military to the animal kingdom! The expression on his face is a howl!
Then, there are familiar faces like Allan Melvin (Sgt. Hacker from Gomer Pyle) and Harvey Lembeck (Eric Von Zipper).
In the first season, it becomes obvious that the series hit its stride very early. Just one great episode after another.
Do you want to know how to turn an incorrigible hoodlum into a model soldier? Bilko does, just involve him in an insane plan to rob Fort Knox! Or, how do you get a pretty debutante to want the homeliest man in the platoon? Or, why does a sergeant have his own private telephone when the commanding officer has to share his with 14 others? Or can one get busted and get his stripes back in 6 hours?
To sum up, this show is a great example of TV from its golden age. It has almost become a lost classic. Hopefully, the season one release will renew interest. The series certainly deserves it.
UPDATE: A few months ago, I bought the entire series on DVD, even though I already had season 1. Though season one was duplicated, it was worth it. The series maintains the laughs throughout every season. Not many sitcoms can claim such consistency.
Though I am a fan of "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld", the "Phil Silvers Show" outshines both of them.
Some highlights of the seasons two through four: Bilko finagling a promotion for Col. Hall, Bilko taking the advice of a psychiatrist and reforming his ways -- only no one in the camp can get any sleep worrying what he is up to, and Bilko getting back at a reporter from a scandal sheet which is trashing the army (after selling him mess hall menus and laundry lists as classified information, Bilko convinces the reporter that the platoon is part of a revolutionary cell dedicated to overthrowing the government, and with Col. Hall as the leader! Achtung!)
Once again, I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves comedy. It is a classic!
score 10/10
RoswellFan 30 July 2010
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2287836/ |
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12-10-2020 03:22:05