"THE NEW PHIL SILVERS SHOW" - A LOOK BACK

Thanks to Mick Clews and the British appreciation society for the work of Phil Silvers, I was finally able to see some examples of what the second Phil Silvers sitcom was like.

Apparently, CBS cancelled the 'Bilko' show (officially, 'You'll Never Get Rich') so that they could bring on a new sitcom which they had more control over - especially its profits. But it failed within a year, probably because the audience still wanted more of Ernie Bilko.

The character of Harry Grafton wasn't too far off the mark from Sgt. Bilko, - this time a grafter in a factory rather than an army base. But some of the elements were off in fantasy land; it was just too much. And when it focused more on his home life, there was no way I could believe those two kids could be his children. (Maybe Elena Verdugo's character as his wife cheated on him. Or, more likely, they adopted.)

See for yourself what the show was like with these excerpts:

















And then there's this song, "The Bilko Growl", by Silvers' son-in-law. Phil Silvers recorded his bits shortly before his death.




Thanks for sharing that with us, Mick!

BCnU!