The Phil Silvers Show 2.19

Bilko Goes to Monte Carlo

Bilko comes up with a scheme to win at roulette. He convinces everyone he knows that the system is foolproof. He gathers up more than $5,000 from guys he knows. He is ready to go to Las Vegas when Colonel Hall forbids it.

Bilko instead winds up going to Monte Carlo. He gets a lot of help getting there from other soldiers and airmen. They all give him money with which to gamble  He gets to Monte Carlo, finds a casino, but then has second thoughts about gambling with other soldiers' money.

Bilko discovers a new scheme when one of the employees of the casino think he has just lost all his money and is about to commit suicide.

Thoughts

I think this episode was overly ambitious. It did a decent job setting things up but once Bilko arrived in Monte Carlo things fell apart. 

Notes

Marcel Hillaire played the casino manager. This is the first of three episodes of the show in which he appeared. He also showed up in episodes of The Twilight Zone, Lost in Space, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and Mission Impossible, to name a few.

Frederick O'Neal played Master Sergeant Harry Berch. This is the second of two episodes of the show in which he appeared. The other episode was 2.17 (Love That Guardhouse). Berch is the first non-commissioned officer or staff NCO of color to appear on the show. I have no idea if there will be any more.

Bern Hoffman played Sgt Henderson, one of the airmen who helped Bilko get to Monte Carlo. This is the third of three episodes in which he appeared. He also played a character named Henderson in his first appearance but he played a different character in his second appearance. He was also in Kiss Me, Stupid (1964), in which he played the bartender.

Dan Frazer played the jet pilot who flies Bilko part of the way to Monte Carlo. This is his second of eight appearances he made on the show. He played different characters in each of his appearances. He also appeared in two episodes of The Invaders. He was a regular member of the cast of Kojak. He appeared in all 117 episodes of that show.

Jimmy Little played MSgt Francis Grover. This is his 18th of 60 appearances on this show. He also appeared in 19 episodes of Naked City and 16 of Car 54, Where Are You?