classicsoncall I've seen Phil Silvers in movies before, primarily in bit parts. My best recollection of him is from the hit TV series "The Phil Silvers Show", better known as 'Sgt. Bilko'. Great name Bilko, because it described his con-man character to a T. Reading a bit about this picture from other reviewers helps set the stage (no pun intended) for what it was all about. The movie for the most part looks like it was a filmed stage play, but with stuff occurring 'off stage' between Jerry Biffle (Silvers) and his coterie of friends and business acquaintances. The transitions aren't very smooth, so it's difficult at times to know if what you're watching is a play, or the troupe getting ready for a play. Biffle barks orders and demands one-liners from his writer Vic Davis (Jack Albertson), and when delivered, many of them fall flat, unintentionally or otherwise. A semblance of a romantic sub-plot is offered between singer Cliff Lane (Danny Scholl) and would be actress Sally Peters (Judy Lynn) who also catches Jerry's eye, but it's a mish-mash that's nuked by Silvers' rapid fire delivery and undiscerning attitude toward those around him. Second billed Rose Marie doesn't appear until well into the story, and when a moment of triumph seemed to present itself with Jerry, the let down was palpably embarrassing. By the time the second half rolled around, the whole thing got rather tedious for this viewer, but I stuck it out for the colorful production numbers which if anything, showed that they put in some significant rehearsal time to pull them off. Die hard Phil Silvers fans would probably make this a must see; for all others, tune in for as long as you can take it.

bkoganbing I imagine that Top Banana was a Broadway show that was difficult to adapt to the big screen. The producers decided to eschew reality and settle for a photographed stage play. Not unlike the early musicals made when the talkies arrived. Guys And Dolls did that also, but it was a much better show.Fans who liked old time burlesque flocked to see Top Banana on Broadway which ran for 350 performances. Phil Silvers, Rose Marie, Jack Albertson and a whole bunch of the cast repeated their roles. For all the other talent Top Banana is essentially a showcase for Phil Silvers. You'd better be a big fan of his otherwise you will not enjoy this film.Silvers was a guy who scored his biggest success on the small screen as Sergeant Ernie Bilko. For me he's fine in small doses, but I've often wondered what he was like in private life, was he always 'on' as he is here.The plot such as it is has Silvers unwittingly playing cupid for the singer in his show Danny Scholl with Judy Lynn whom he likes. In the meantime Rose Marie likes Silvers, but he can't see her. Do I need to go any further.Johnny Mercer one of the most talented men of music ever, mostly wrote lyrics to other's melodies, but occasionally did music as well. Here he wrote the music and lyrics for the whole score, but you'll find nothing here that especially stands out.For fans of Phil Silvers and others curious to see what his comedy style was about this film is recommended.

Ripshin Previous users have done a great job of commenting on this "film." It's definitely B-grade - a poorly filmed Broadway production. Actually, quite a bit of early-50s television is BETTER than this Vaudeville rehash. TCM plays this every once in a while, and I happened to tape it this afternoon. Although I rarely fast-forward through a film, I couldn't resist it with this bomb. Sure, it is great to see Rose Marie as an early version of "Sally" from "The Dick Van Dyke Show," but that's about all it has going for it.....well, that, and the Johnny Mercer score. I'm really surprised at how low-tech this film appears, in production value, as well as color quality.

filmkr I believe the only current way to truely appreciate this movie is to get the soundtrack of the stage play on disc or CD and listen to it. It will certainly fill in a lot of the gaps and lessen the confusion when the VHS video is viewed. Somewhere I read that "A Word A Day" was never filmed; too bad, as it's a great number. Based on the soundtrack, which has surprisingly good fidelity (especially after listening to the video), one can envision the play, and possibly uncut movie, as having been very enjoyable. So after watching the video, close your eyes and listen to all the outstanding musical numbers on the soundtrack and envision the stage play as it was and movie as it should have been. Let's hope an full length print someday surfaces.