Here's another one of my favorite all-time scenes from a sitcom. From the PHIL SILVERS SHOW, co-written by Nat Hiken, this is the Court-Martial of Harry Speakup -- the famous trial scene where Bilko (Silvers) defends a monkey. At one point you'll see the monkey go to the phone. Silvers then ad libs a great line.
THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW is out on DVD. I can't recommend it enough.
Your right, that is a great line. Thanks for showing off the clasic clip, I may have to rent the series on DVD.
ReplyDelete"Monkey?" I object. Private Speakup is clearly not a monkey; he's a chimpanzee.
ReplyDeleteThis is off topic, but please have Erin Murphy in your thoughts as she faces some medical problems.
ReplyDeletehttp://starwebsitescomerinmurphy.blogspot.com/
Erin played Tabitha in Bewitched. I guess watching the morning Women shows may have saved her life.
Erin is a great lady. My best wishes and prayers to her for a full and speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us know about the awesome Erin Murphy, Mike. Let's hope she has a full and speedy recovery this week!!!
ReplyDeleteNow, back to our regularly scheduled program:
I saw the now retired Private Speakup working the window at Carl's Jr. in Palm Springs a few weeks ago. Apparently, he's still a little bitter about not getting any residuals from The Phil Silvers Show or from his later work on B.J. and the Bear.
Apparently Private Speakup was played by Zippy. According to IMDB.com he also appeared in Titanic 2000 filmed in 1999, and in 1998 worked as a Second Assistant Cameraman. Good to see our senior chimpanzees make second careers for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI'm a lawyer, and my clients are ALWAYS making calls like that.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic clip Ken. And how I miss those old shows. Not to hijack the post but I wrote about Dick Cavett's newly released DVD set last year at my blog. When I see shows like Phil Silver's I realize how brilliant they were and how much we've lost.
ReplyDeleteThat has to be adlib of the century, no? On topic, in character, and as funny as the script that, er, precipitated it.
ReplyDeleteI know it's a matter of opinion, but I think Sgt. Bilko was the finest written and acted sitcom in television history.
ReplyDeleteI was just watching It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World the other day and appreciating Silvers' role in that. What I love about him and all the other talent in that movie is how just a bit of expression will make an A-quality scene into an A-plus.
ReplyDeleteGreat clip.
as someone much too young to have watched the show when it aired (24) that was a fantastic line, and i even knew it was coming. i rarely laugh out loud and this made me almost drop my laptop.
ReplyDeleteVideo is gone! Know if it's posted anywhere else?
ReplyDelete