tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post2378977862539608237..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: My salute to Sgt. BilkoBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56920906717796191612015-08-15T22:14:21.685-07:002015-08-15T22:14:21.685-07:00Two part Friday question:
1. I had heard that Bil...Two part Friday question:<br /><br />1. I had heard that Bilko scripts were twice as long as normal sitcom scripts, due to the warp factor farce speed of the performances. On a Bilko fan site, a script was donated by Nick Saunders, who played Captain Barker. They didn't post the entire script, but on the first page are Saunders' notes about which scenes he was in. His final appearance was on page 55. Page. Fifty. Five. 55 pages for a half hour sitcom. Have you ever encountered a half hour script of that length?<br /><br />2. In Don Knotts' autobiography, he stated that "The Love God?" by Nat Hiken was written with Phil Silvers in mind as the villain, but that Universal didn't want to meet Silvers' price. So the part went to the God of Comedy, Edmund O'Brien. What is your opinion of this missed opportunity? I actually like "The Love God?" I think the only reason it tanked was because it was Don Knotts in a sex comedy. Sort of like Captain Kangaroo staging "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" for his audience. "Look out for those goddamn bats, Mr. Moose..."Craig Gustafsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21604434796127067672015-07-18T13:30:26.071-07:002015-07-18T13:30:26.071-07:00Loved BILKO as a kid. Remember it as being literal...Loved BILKO as a kid. Remember it as being literally laugh-out-loud funny. <br /><br />Just watched the pilot and the famous "Court-Martial" episode. <br /><br />Throughout most of the pilot, I usually reacted to the jokes with a genuinely fond, amused grin. I think I literally laughed out loud once.<br /><br />Did so more times (I think about five) during "The Court-Martial," laughing the hardest when the chimp skates by and Bilko says "No smoking!" and a couple of times during the court-martial scene itself, especially at the "He's calling for another lawyer" line.<br /><br />So, I don't know if it's just the passage of time or my mood today, but the show was met here with more fondness than hearty hilarity. The best thing I can say is the humor isn't dated at all. I may have to save my pennies and buy the complete series set. <br /><br />But, alas, I wasn't rolling around on the floor crying, like I thought I might. Jake Mabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01908036270824377919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10284683998320655932015-07-17T23:14:06.017-07:002015-07-17T23:14:06.017-07:00MikeK: No, McHALE was not pitched as a BILKO knock...MikeK: No, McHALE was not pitched as a BILKO knock-off. In fact, kind of the opposite: The pilot was a one-hour drama called "McHale's Men." ABC passed, but liked elements of it enough to suggest trying it again as a sitcom. Joseph Heller, who had just scored a blockbuster with "Catch-22," was hired to help turn it into a satire. (Meanwhile, the initial pilot was retitled "Seven Against The Sea" and aired as an episode of ALCOA PREMIERE.) Only Borgnine, Vinson and Wright were kept from the original cast. The new pilot scored, it went to series and the rest is history.<br /><br />It should also be noted that three years later, ABC went to this well again with F TROOP. If you watch one random episode each of all three series in a row, as I have done, you'll find they're all basically the same set-up; i.e., con artists in the service--only the time-frames and uniforms are different.<br />cadavranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-39132463934664558422015-07-16T18:52:33.630-07:002015-07-16T18:52:33.630-07:00If you get a chance, you should listen to Lewis Bl...If you get a chance, you should listen to Lewis Black's episode of Gilbert Gottfried's podcast. Black explains how much he loves Bilko & how "The Court Martial" is not only one of the best episodes of television, but it also convinced him that there was no chance he'd ever go into the army. Black also praises the genius of Amos &Andy and what an a,axing character the Kingfish is. Definitely worth a listen.crackblindhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13088682009537848311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60793337579070315502015-07-16T14:18:54.420-07:002015-07-16T14:18:54.420-07:00This was always on TV when I was a kid, but I neve...This was always on TV when I was a kid, but I never really got it. I have a feeling I'd appreciate it more as an adult... Wish it was on Netflix!Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24236549572150478032015-07-16T08:46:04.403-07:002015-07-16T08:46:04.403-07:00Was it the parting of the ways with (and sadly, pr...Was it the parting of the ways with (and sadly, premature death of) Nat Hiken that crimped Phil's final decades. After MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD and A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, he never found that "next vehicle."<br /><br />Other than being the moneyman for GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, he seemed to just fade away like a once brilliant candle in the distance.Mike McCannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06369457898152250682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90704158493169018452015-07-16T02:22:46.700-07:002015-07-16T02:22:46.700-07:00My mom saw Phil Silvers in "Top Banana" ...My mom saw Phil Silvers in "Top Banana" when it played in Chicago. She said it was the funniest thing she had ever seen.<br />When the Steve Martin movie came out, it was promoted by having Martin, Dan Aykroyd and Phil Hartman host a "Phil Silvers Show" marathon. And that's where they lost the fans of the original series, because they smirked. After showing some clips it was, "Well, we certainly can't act *that* big these days!" They talked about how much they loved the show, with condescension dripping from every word. Since they were being jerks about performers they couldn't hold a candle to, I decided to skip seeing their smarmy movie.<br />Silvers, who won a Tony Award for "Top Banana," was the first actor to win a Tony for a revival, when he played Pseudolus in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." I have bootleg recordings of two performances - the entire show. God, I wish I could have seen him live. Genius.Craig Gustafsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60232654405843333792015-07-16T01:35:38.079-07:002015-07-16T01:35:38.079-07:00We've revered Mr Silvers for over thirty years...We've revered Mr Silvers for over thirty years. Check out our website: www.philsilvers.co.uk Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01618055490862459744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45566956999232735972015-07-16T01:35:35.943-07:002015-07-16T01:35:35.943-07:00We've revered Mr Silvers for over thirty years...We've revered Mr Silvers for over thirty years. Check out our website: www.philsilvers.co.uk Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01618055490862459744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49601619079690283592015-07-16T00:58:23.981-07:002015-07-16T00:58:23.981-07:00We've revered Mr Silvers for over thirty years...We've revered Mr Silvers for over thirty years. Check out our website: www.philsilvers.co.uk Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01618055490862459744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26813915509951708392015-07-15T12:24:40.723-07:002015-07-15T12:24:40.723-07:00Dw Washburn: I discovered the Phil Silvers Show vi...<i>Dw Washburn: I discovered the Phil Silvers Show via Top Cat. I watched Top Cat's first run and heard people saying that it was just an animated version of You'll Never Get Rich.</i><br /><br />To the point where the voice of the feline Doberman, Benny the Ball, was voiced by...yes, Maurice "Doberman" Gosfield!LouOCNYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16151395857835632917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84676153830248122202015-07-15T10:47:48.053-07:002015-07-15T10:47:48.053-07:00Not having anything to do with the show, but when ...Not having anything to do with the show, but when he was performing in his breakout hit Broadway show, "Top Banana", one of his co-stars at a certain part of the run was Audrey Meadows. She auditioned for and won the part of Alice Kramden in "The Honeymooners", which meant she had to leave "Top Banana" rather suddenly. <br /><br />Meadows told Silvers about the new show. He said, "Sounds like a great opportunity. Have a great time!"<br /><br />She replied, "But what about finding my replacement?"<br /><br />He said, "That's MY problem and I'll worry about it."<br /><br />From Meadows' book "Love, Alice":<br /><br />"Phil Silvers. One of the biggest stars and one of the best!"Brian Phillipsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72657534580321821082015-07-15T02:11:21.103-07:002015-07-15T02:11:21.103-07:00I just re watched IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, WORLD ...I just re watched IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, WORLD and among all the comedic geniuses in that film Phil Silvers is a stand out. A very, very funny man.Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23717980294403246082015-07-14T19:37:57.330-07:002015-07-14T19:37:57.330-07:00Somewhere along the line I read that Sgt. Bilko is...Somewhere along the line I read that Sgt. Bilko is Larry David's all time favorite TV Show. But what did not realize until just the other day is that the final episode of the Bilko show ended with Bilko and several of the platoon characters in jail!!<br /><br />Sounds familiar...Ken K. in NJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56367007147439885862015-07-14T19:12:24.798-07:002015-07-14T19:12:24.798-07:00"the court-martial" is my absolute favor..."the court-martial" is my absolute favorite episode.<br /><br />Terrence Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09365112876091271689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63038396607141614822015-07-14T19:10:49.143-07:002015-07-14T19:10:49.143-07:00charlotte rae is the twitch in that episode. class...charlotte rae is the twitch in that episode. classic.Terrence Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09365112876091271689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29986930547723650612015-07-14T18:33:23.805-07:002015-07-14T18:33:23.805-07:00There are 2 full seasons of The Phil Silvers Show ...There are 2 full seasons of The Phil Silvers Show on Youtube.Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26950618781693661122015-07-14T17:32:12.645-07:002015-07-14T17:32:12.645-07:00My favorite Bilko episode was the one where a fema...My favorite Bilko episode was the one where a female guest speaker comes to the base to give a lecture. Bilko discovers she has a weird tic...she snaps her girdle every once in a while without realizing it. He immediately sets up a pool and sells tickets to award a prize for the closest estimate. All through her speech, the men keep count. It's hysterical!!!Tobinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1432916901065716752015-07-14T17:03:14.785-07:002015-07-14T17:03:14.785-07:00"Nancy" wasn't written for Frank'..."Nancy" wasn't written for Frank's daughter, but when Sinatra thought so and was genuinely moved, Van Heusen and Silvers just went with it. Some time later, Jimmy (truly the alpha male that most of us imagined Sinatra to be) presented Nancy with an envelope for Christmas. In it was a document assigning to Nancy his publishing rights to "her" song.michaleenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09684345469356834614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-38174820099681489842015-07-14T16:40:33.315-07:002015-07-14T16:40:33.315-07:00Best movie about Hollywood- there is Sunset Boulev...Best movie about Hollywood- there is Sunset Boulevard and everything else.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20189084847232949592015-07-14T15:39:06.101-07:002015-07-14T15:39:06.101-07:00BTW, Bilko was on ME TV early Sundays (4-5 a.m.) u...BTW, Bilko was on ME TV early Sundays (4-5 a.m.) until a couple months ago. There's another channel - Decades - that runs binge marathons on weekends and I believe Bilko is in that rotation along with CAR 54, DOBIE GILLIS and others.MikeK.Pa.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85205957417713016732015-07-14T15:38:37.442-07:002015-07-14T15:38:37.442-07:00I got through 27 or so comments and no mention of ...I got through 27 or so comments and no mention of Phil Silvers co-writing "Nancy With The Laughing Face" with Jimmy Van Heusen? He did the lyrics. It was NOT originally written for Nancy Sinatra, as is commonly thought, though.Don K.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31783754932854616782015-07-14T15:35:09.399-07:002015-07-14T15:35:09.399-07:00I love Nat Hiken and highly recommend the bio on h...I love Nat Hiken and highly recommend the bio on him "King of the Half Hour" by David Everitt. Just saw a binge marathon of CAR 54 WHERE ARE YOU? - another Hiken creation - over the weekend. Hiken was a master of misdirection and mistaken identity. Fifty years later and it still kills.<br /><br />I was thinking of McHALE'S NAVY the other day and wondering if that was pitched as Bilko on a boat? Ernest Borgnine's character wasn't as slick as Phil Silvers' but he was always on the con. Bilko would con anyone - including the men in his unit - while McHale's target was usually Capt. Binghamton (Joe Flynn did a slow burn as well as anyone). <br />MikeK.Pa.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18418577562747318932015-07-14T14:21:03.275-07:002015-07-14T14:21:03.275-07:00don't see it on any channel I have access to, ...don't see it on any channel I have access to, but I'll keep looking.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04514127184704002111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77789816656891104662015-07-14T13:49:28.074-07:002015-07-14T13:49:28.074-07:00I discovered the Phil Silvers Show via Top Cat. I...I discovered the Phil Silvers Show via Top Cat. I watched Top Cat's first run and heard people saying that it was just an animated version of You'll Never Get Rich. When Phil Silvers was stripped I started watching and I've been a fan ever since.DwWashburnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03057278992504418291noreply@blogger.com