The Phil Silvers Show (1955)
The Phil Silvers Show, originally titled You'll Never Get Rich, was a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko of the United States Army. The series was created and largely written by Nat Hiken, and won three consecutive Emmy Awards for Best Comedy Series. The show is sometimes titled Sergeant Bilko or simply Bilko in reruns, and is very often referred to by these names, both on-screen and by viewers. The show's success transformed Silvers from a journeyman comedian into a star, and writer-producer Hiken from a highly-regarded behind-the-scenes comedy writer into a publicly recognized creator.
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Episode 1 - Bilko's Merry Widow
Release Date: 1957-09-17 -
Episode 2 - Bilko's Boy's Town
Release Date: 1957-09-24When the army go on maneuvers the Colonel orders Bilko to stay in camp, so with Fort Baxter empty he uses the time to form a boy's camp.
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Episode 3 - Hillbilly Whiz
Release Date: 1957-10-01When the platoon lose again in a baseball game Bilko is desperate to find new players. Then a recruit from the south Hank Lumpkin turns up and Bilko can hardly believe his luck, as Lumpkin is a baseball star in the making. Bilko then contrives to have a New York Yankee's scout to 'accidentally' find Lumpkin so he can traded, but as a Southerner Lumpkin doesn't want to play for the Yankee's
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Episode 4 - Bilko's Valentine
Release Date: 1957-10-08When Bilko forgets valentines day, Joan Hogan leaves the army, When Bilko realises what he has done, he follows her and tries to get her to reenlist
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Episode 5 - The Big Man Hunt
Release Date: 1957-10-15When two men (who have been employed by a soldier who is looking for the man who saved his life during the war ) come looking for Bilko, he comes to the wrong conclusion, why they want him, until he recognises the name of the soldier, but when the two of them finally meet, Bilko has changed so much, that the soldier fails to recognise him.
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Episode 6 - Bilko's Double Life
Release Date: 1957-10-22When his money problems start to close in on him, Bilko departs for New York, but while there he is mistaken for a millionaire. Meanwhile the real millionaire is in Roseville sorting out Bilko's problems.
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Episode 7 - Sergeant Bilko Presents
Release Date: 1957-10-29Unable to raise the necessary funds to back Pt Hugo Lockman's play 'Sharecropper's Summer', Bilko persuades the army to run a playwriting competition.
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Episode 8 - Bilko Talks in His Sleep
Release Date: 1957-12-19Sgt's Grover,and Ritzik overhear Bilko talking in his sleep and he gives away all his betting secrets. Bilko soon realises what is happening and gets his own back.
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Episode 9 - Cherokee Ernie
Release Date: 1957-11-26Bilko goes on leave with Cpl Charlie Whiteagle, a Cherokee Indian, to Tulsa for a poker game, but he gets caught up in a legal fight when a document is found stating that the Indians still own most of Oklahoma.
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Episode 10 - Bilko Buys A Club
Release Date: 1957-12-03When Bilko learns that a new member of the platoon is a merchant banker, he tries to get him to invest in a club that Bilko wants to set up.but he asks the wrong man of advice.
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Episode 11 - Lieutenant Bilko
Release Date: 1957-12-10Bilko decides to leave the army until he learns that during the war he was promoted to Lt . and due to a foul up he is still a Lt, and he is owed over $14,000 in back pay.
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Episode 12 - Bilko At Bay
Release Date: 1957-12-17Trying to get to New York, and to save money Bilko and the corporals arrange to stop off at the homes of members of the platoon for free meals.
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Episode 13 - Bilko F.O.B. Detroit
Release Date: 1957-12-24Bilko and the platoon go to Detroit to get the new trucks, the Colonel orders him back in two days, but he has other plans to stay on.
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Episode 14 - Bilko and the Flying saucers
Release Date: 1957-12-31In order to go Washington for a date with a young singer, Bilko has to report to the Colonel that he has seen a U.F.O. and has to go to Washington to be debriefed.
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Episode 15 - Bilko and the Colonel's Secretary
Release Date: 1958-01-01When the Colonel's secretary gets posted, Bilko make sure that the right WAC is posted in, but this posting takes her away from her fiance, When she learns that Bilko was responsible she makes his and the platoon's life hell, until Bilko gets rid of her and brings in another secretary only to find that he is her boyfriend and the same thing happens all over again.
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Episode 16 - Doberman the Crooner
Release Date: 1958-01-10Bilko discovers that Doberman has a beautiful singing voice but only when he has a cold. So Bilko gets him to make a record, but by then the doctors have cured his cold and his real voice returns.
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Episode 17 - Bilko Presents Kay Kendall
Release Date: 1958-01-17Movie star Kay Kendall visits Roseville to promote her film & Bilko gets her to appear in a show he's producing. Bilko's hoping to make a bundle of dough but Miss Kendall soon proves to be more than a match for the wily Sgt.
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Episode 18 - Bilko's Cousin
Release Date: 1958-01-24When the Colonel hears that another Bilko is about to arrive he hopes that he is no relation to Ernie because with two Bilko's at the camp life is going to be worse that ever but he turns out to be Ernie's cousin Swifty, but there is a surprise in store for everybody.
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Episode 19 - Bilko's Pigeons
Release Date: 1958-01-31When an order banning the use of pigeons comes through from Washington, Bilko's source of income dries up.
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Episode 20 - Cyrano De Bilko
Release Date: 1958-02-11Bilko helps out one the platoon when he is to shy to ask for a date with a local girl called Natalie. But complications arise when it turns out that there are two girls called Natalie.
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Episode 21 - The Colonel's Reunion
Release Date: 1958-02-17The Colonel goes all out in his fight against the gambling, so Bilko gets the Colonel to leave the camp to go to a class reunion, but just when he thinks he has a free hand to carry on the Colonel decides it would crazy to leave him at the camp, so Bilko has to drive the Colonel to the reunion.
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Episode 22 - Bilko Saves Ritzik's Marriage
Release Date: 1958-02-22When Sgt Ritzik plays one too many poker games with Bilko, his wife leaves him, so Ernie has to find a way of bringing them back together.
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Episode 23 - Bilko The Art Lover
Release Date: 1958-03-05In New York, Bilko stays with an old buddy who is a prospective artist, but he falls out with his father, until the father realises how good his son is.
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Episode 24 - Bilko The Genius
Release Date: 2001-03-14In a mix up over test results, Bilko is told that he has a genius rating and he goes on a course with other test winners. They try and come up with a foolproof method of predicting the result of any horse race.
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Episode 25 - Bilko the Male Model
Release Date: 1958-03-19When Bilko is caught in a photograph taken in a night club when he should be elsewhere, an advertising agency spots his potential and tries to sign him as a male model.
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Episode 26 - The Colonel's Inheritance
Release Date: 1958-04-04When the Colonel is left $5000 Bilko gets hold of it and invests it on the stock market. When he gets wiped out, he is desperate to replace the money before the Colonel hears about it
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Episode 27 - Bilko's Honeymoon
Release Date: 1958-04-09When Paparelli wins a competition for a holiday to Florida, he is overjoyed, until he learns that it is for newlyweds, then Bilko has an idea.
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Episode 28 - Bilko's Chinese Restaurant
Release Date: 1958-04-25When they learn that one of the new recruit's father started a chain of Chinese restaurants with very little money he decides to get in on the food business.
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Episode 29 - Operation Love
Release Date: 1958-04-30Fort Baxter's WAC's are fed up with their boyfriends gambling with Bilko, instead of taking them out, so they get themselves transferred.
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Episode 30 - Bilko's TV Pilot
Release Date: 1958-05-06A cowboy joins the platoon, and Bilko gets the idea of building a TV show around him
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Episode 31 - Bilko Retires From Gambling
Release Date: 1958-05-13Colonel hall hires a professional card player, to beat Bilko at cards. He is so upset at losing that he gives up gambling
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Episode 32 - Bilko's Vacation
Release Date: 1958-05-23When he wants a free holiday at Dimmeldorf lodge, Bilko convinces the platoon, and the Colonel to go as well. But after they realise what has happened, the Colonel gets his own back.
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Episode 33 - Bilko's Insurance Company
Release Date: 1958-05-30A car accident near the camp gives Bilko the idea of starting an insurance company.
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Episode 34 - Bilko's Prize Poodle
Release Date: 1958-06-03Doberman gets attached to a poodle, and Bilko sees a chance of winning $10,000 in a dog show.
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Episode 35 - Bilko's School Days
Release Date: 1958-06-10Bilko learns that a new training camp is to be opened at Fort Baxter, Just when it looks like a new source of cash has presented itself, he finds that it is for M.P.'s not trainees.
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Episode 36 - Joan's Big Romance
Release Date: 1958-06-24Joan Hogan is fed up waiting for Bilko, so she takes off for Chicago, and meets up with a wealthy playboy on the train. When her picture appears in the paper, she sees a way of making Bilko jealous.
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Episode 37 - Papa Bilko
Release Date: 1958-07-18During the war Bilko befriends a French family. Years later, the daughter of the family calls to see ‘ Papa Bilko ‘ as she calls him. Meanwhile the platoon's lady killer Pearly trying to find dates for the platoon falls for her.