Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers, born Philip Silversmith, was a prominent American comedian and actor known for his work in television and vaudeville. He began his career in entertainment as a singer but found greater success in comedy. Silvers gained significant fame for his role as Master Sergeant Ernest Bilko in the television series "The Phil Silvers Show," initially titled "You'll Never Get Rich." The show, which humorously portrayed army life and military bureaucracy, attracted both attention and controversy for its lighthearted approach. Its popularity soared, especially after President Dwight D. Eisenhower publicly expressed his enjoyment of the series, allowing it to secure a stable place in television history for its four-year run. Despite his comedic talent, Silvers became closely associated with the character of Bilko, making it challenging for him to take on different roles in later sitcoms. The series won numerous Emmy Awards and continues to be celebrated in syndication, contributing to Silvers's lasting legacy in American comedy.
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Subject Terms
Phil Silvers
- Born: May 11, 1912
- Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
- Died: November 1, 1985
- Place of death: Los Angeles, California
The Phil Silvers Show (1955-1959) was an enormously popular television sitcom, which, in a daring manner for the period, spoofed the U.S. Army, as well as by extension, any entrenched bureaucracy.
Born Philip Silversmith, Phil Silvers began his entertainment career in vaudeville as a singer. However, he showed more talent in comedy, and it was this genre that brought him show business success. When composer Nat Hiken was searching for someone to star in the television show You’ll Never Get Rich , a comedic depiction of army life on a rural Kansas base, Silvers seemed to fit the part perfectly. Silvers played Master Sergeant Ernest Bilko, part career soldier, full-time con man, and leader of a platoon of misfits. The show—whose title was soon changed to The Phil Silvers Show—initially created controversy in its lighthearted approach to military bureaucracy, but it was entertaining. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower admitted that he enjoyed the show, it became entrenched in its weekly time period. The show lasted four years, but Silvers so fit the image of Bilko that he was never able to successfully star in later television sitcoms.
Impact
Though Silvers had long been a popular comedian, the popularity of the show resulted in Silvers’s being stereotyped in the image of Sergeant Bilko. The show itself brought a human image, however, to the armed services. Winner of numerous Emmy Awards, its popularity continued in syndication in subsequent decades.
Bibliography
Javna, John. The Best of TV Sitcoms. New York: Harmony Books, 1988. A discussion of critics’ favorite television comedies, complete with “insider’s stories.”
Silvers, Phil, and Robert Saffron. This Laugh Is on Me: The Phil Silvers Story. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1973. Silvers’s autobiography.