policy134 Phil Silvers was a great comedian and by that I mean his characters were for the most part snidely, largely unsympathetic characters who had very little scruples. Here are all those traits wrapped into one person, Sgt. Bilko.Forget the 90's movie version with Steve Martin. The real Bilko is Phil Silvers and to think that this show came out in the 50's is a little astonishing. 50's sitcom were mostly about families and happy families at that. Bilko is not a happy fella even though he tries very hard to be. He is a con man who worries that he will get caught every minute of the day. That was the essence of the show. Bilko comes up with a grand scheme but there are always something that comes up to prevent him getting the thing he wants the most of all: All the money in the world.What makes this show so different from other 50's sitcoms is that Bilko is not a hero and he knows it. He is not self confident and he doesn't seem to have any real friends, just the ass kissers that follow him around all the time to get in on one of his schemes.When you look at sitcoms today, they have been sliding towards the level they had with the bad ones of the 50's. Family shows with a moral. That's too bad but this one is surprisingly fresh even after so many years. Too bad that you can't find an actor who would be able to play the character. Phil Silvers is the one and only Bilko. Bravo!

smfarnsworth Probably the greatest comedy programme EVER, bar none. Seinfeld comes close, Fraiser was great, The Office is class, Everybody Loves Raymond tried, Black Adder was funny - but Bilko (NOT the movie) is head and shoulders above every other comedy ever made.Ask a Bilko fan to name their favourite episode - it's impossible. They never produced a weak, weakish, so-so, OK episode. Every episode is comedy gold.It's outrageous that the entire catalogue has not been made available. Paramount should just get it released NOW - and not in chunks like this. They should do a series at a time.

frankhartry Like everyone else in those days in the 1950s, i never ever missed the weekly episode of the 'Phil Silvers Show' on television. I recently purchased the 3 disc -18 episodes- set of the 5Oth anniversary of the show, here in South Africa. It was as funny as ever. Sadly, most of that excellent cast have passed on now, but a youthful Dick Van Dyke is in one of the episodes and Alan Melvin -Corporal Henshaw- narrated throughout. It brought back so many memories and sheer joy to watch these episodes of Sgt Bilko, that i sent away to the United Kingdom via e bay, for the full 142 episodes. They have just arrived in the post. OK, some episodes are showing a little wear but overall they are going to provide me with a lot of enjoyment in the days ahead. The comedy of Phil Silvers will never age as far as i am concerned. One thing that i will never ever understand is why they canceled the show after only four seasons when it was top of the ratings. But, perhaps that is why it has remained a classic for fifty years and will continue to do so for the next fifty and more.

Raymond Valinoti, Jr. I regret that I have only seen a fraction of the episodes of THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW. But those that I have seen confirms the show's reputation as an authentic television classic. Consider the star, Phil Silvers as Sgt. Ernie Bilko. Was there a more lovable conniver? His joy in his scheming was so droll and endearing one couldn't help but root for him. Yet Bilko never wanted to hurt anyone and whenever he learned any plan could hurt someone, he wouldn't go through with it. Silvers' ruefulness at such moments was as delightful as his ecstasy.Silvers was backed by a delightful supporting cast. Particularly memorable were Maurice Gosfeld as the innocent Private Duane Doberman and Paul Ford as Bilko's flustered superior Colonel John Hall. Joe E. Ross got his big break as the gruff but lovable Sgt. Rupert Ritzik. Producer Nat Hiken would later team up Ross with Fred Gwynne in the police sitcom CAR 54 WHERE ARE YOU? And what hilarious, inventive scripts that so deftly served those performers. I'm no prude but I consider such riotous episodes like "The Trial of Harry Speakup" and "The Face on the Recruiting Poster" proof that writers don't have to stoop to raunchiness to generate laughs. The problem with today's television sitcoms is that they often indulge in gratuitous filth.With so many old sitcoms coming out on DVD today, isn't it about time for DVD episode guides of THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW? Why should DVD users be denied access to, from what episodes I've seen, a wonderful show? Such a treasure does not deserve oblivion.