The Phil Silvers Show is one of my absolutely all time, favourite American TV comedy shows, I recall hearing some back that Phil Silvers said, his show was very popular in Britain. And apparently he was so chuffed by this that he insisted, on putting in specific touches to appeal to fans his side of the pond. Personally I have never noticed anything at the time I watched it, originally but I will certainly keep an eye out for it.
Phil Silvers is of course the driving force behind the show, as Sergeant Ernest Bilko is for the Fort Baxter motor pool. But he is by no means the be all and end all of the entire proceedings, the show is a group proceedings with the ensemble cast. Of the motley crew in the motor pool, the assorted sergeants of all of the other Fort Baxter platoons, not to mention the indomitable Colonel Hall.
All of these magnificent characters are more than ably, indeed perfectly personified by the superlative acting performances. I hadn't seen any of them before hand even Phil Silvers, but one of my favourites was the character of, Sergeant Rupert Ritzik played brilliantly by Joe E. Ross. He subsequently appeared in another American television comedy Car 54 Where Are You? Another yank favourite of mine this side of the pond, alongside Fred Gwynn who remains for me personified as Herman Munster, in another American fave TV rib tickler.
Another actor on Bilko Maurice Gosfield, played the Fort Baxter Motor Pool Private Duane Doberman, he later went onto brilliantly personify the character Benny the Ball, in the wonderful American television cartoon show of Top Cat.
The yanks unfortunately had the temerity to screen a film version of this fantastic comedy, understandable in and of itself, but there were personally two momentous errors committed in this entire endeavour.
One was to cast Steve Martin in the central role of Ernest Bilko, of all the people who masqueraded as comedians, in the states when this film was made, he should never have featured on any list.
The second mistake was to film it as a solo performance, when the television show quite rightly used a whole ensemble of actors, to represent all of the colourful characters involved.
Phil Silvers is of course the driving force behind the show, as Sergeant Ernest Bilko is for the Fort Baxter motor pool. But he is by no means the be all and end all of the entire proceedings, the show is a group proceedings with the ensemble cast. Of the motley crew in the motor pool, the assorted sergeants of all of the other Fort Baxter platoons, not to mention the indomitable Colonel Hall.
All of these magnificent characters are more than ably, indeed perfectly personified by the superlative acting performances. I hadn't seen any of them before hand even Phil Silvers, but one of my favourites was the character of, Sergeant Rupert Ritzik played brilliantly by Joe E. Ross. He subsequently appeared in another American television comedy Car 54 Where Are You? Another yank favourite of mine this side of the pond, alongside Fred Gwynn who remains for me personified as Herman Munster, in another American fave TV rib tickler.
Another actor on Bilko Maurice Gosfield, played the Fort Baxter Motor Pool Private Duane Doberman, he later went onto brilliantly personify the character Benny the Ball, in the wonderful American television cartoon show of Top Cat.
The yanks unfortunately had the temerity to screen a film version of this fantastic comedy, understandable in and of itself, but there were personally two momentous errors committed in this entire endeavour.
One was to cast Steve Martin in the central role of Ernest Bilko, of all the people who masqueraded as comedians, in the states when this film was made, he should never have featured on any list.
The second mistake was to film it as a solo performance, when the television show quite rightly used a whole ensemble of actors, to represent all of the colourful characters involved.