The Phil Silvers Show 3.11

Bilko Buys a Club

Bilko comes up with a plan to buy an old piece of land that no one is interested in and build a club there. He doesn't have the money needed for a down payment but then he finds out that one of the national guard troops who is now stationed in his barracks is a millionaire.

Papparelli overhears a conversation between two of the National Guard troops that leads him to believe he knows the identity of the millionaire. Bilko jumps on it and treats Private Dewitt like gold. Dewitt is actually a butcher in his civilian life. It is Private Baker who's the millionaire but Bilko spends the whole episode pushing him around.

Thoughts

I had a hard time buying that Private Dewitt would still have been serving in the National Guard. He looked way too old for that. The actor playing him was in his early to mid 50s at the time the episode was filmed and he looked it.

There's a pattern that I have detected. Bilko starts to do something but gets sidetracked into doing something else. This episode definitely fits that mold. He is supposed to be buying some land to build a club but then he spends most of the episode trying to get the money for the down payment.

This isn't awful but it isn't very good either. This episode is average at best.

Notes

Edward Andrews played the part of Private DeWitt. This is the second of three appearances that he made on the show. He played the same character in his first and third appearances on the show, Major Lukens. All three appearances take place within the third season of the show. His first appearance was in 3.07 (Sergeant Bilko Presents). For a little more about Edward Andrews see my notes about The Invaders 1.03 (The Mutation).

John Boruff played the part of an unnamed Major General in one scene. This is the fourth of seven appearances he made on the show. It is the only one in which he was not officially credited.

Harry Gresham played the part of a realtor named Crowe. This is his fourth and final appearance on the show. He played different characters in each of his appearances.