The Phil Silvers Show 1.13

The Twitch

Col Hall makes another attempt to clean up the gambling at Fort Baxter. Captain Whitney, one of Col Hall's officers who is new to the base, believes he knows just the trick to distract the men from their gambling ways. He organizes a lecture on Beethoven that will be delivered by his wife.

Col. Hall puts Sgt. Bilko in charge of selling tickets to the lecture. He threatens to revoke Bilko's furlough if the room isn't full. Bilko is at a loss until he discovers a way to turn it into a gambling opportunity. He packs the room with GIs who are very eager to get in on the gambling pool.

The Phil Silvers Show 1.12

The Singing Contest

Sgt. Bilko convinces the platoon that they should enter a singing contest. It is freezing at Fort Baxter, where they are stationed, and first prize is a trip to the Miami, FL. They practice singing but they aren't very good. Bilko bets the platoon's welfare fund against his platoon but then they discover that there's a new soldier in the platoon who has a beautiful voice. Bilko is in a bit of a bind and does what he can to make them lose without telling them that he bet against them.

The Phil Silvers Show 1.11

Bivouac

Col. Hall knows that Sgt. Bilko will do something to get out of going to the field on bivouac. He warns Captain Curtis about Bilko's past, how he has evaded going into the field in the past. Captain Curtis is ready for almost anything but he's not ready for Bilko, who fools him into believing he that he's developed Wilkinson's disease. Bilko gets his way until Captain Curtis realizes he's been fooled. The Captain turns the tables on Bilko at that point by diagnosing him as being terminally ill.

The Phil Silvers Show 1.10

The Centennial

Lt. Parker, the new Special Services officer is tricked into trying to put on a pageant celebrating the 100th anniversary of Fort Baxter. Sgt Bilko puts together the pageant which reveals nothing but bad things about the officers that ran the base in the mid to late 19th century.

This wasn't so great an episode. I could see what they were attempting to do but I don't think it worked or at the very least didn't age well. I think part of my problem with it is that Bilko and company barely seem to break a sweat. I like it better when it feels like there are some real stakes.

The Phil Silvers Show 1.09

The Eating Contest

A prime opportunity to get back at Company A drops into Bilko's lap when Corporal Ed Honnegan (Fred Gwynne), an eating champion, is transferred into his platoon. Company A happily takes the bet before knowing who will be representing Company B. Bilko subsequently learns that Honnegan only became an eating champion after he got a Dear John letter from his girlfriend, while he was overseas. Honnegan has gotten over losing her and no longer has much of an appetite. Bilko has to scramble to figure out how to get Honnegan back into the right mood for the contest.

The Phil Silvers Show 1.08

Mardi Gras

Doberman is selected to be the platoon's Mardi Grad king. He wants Joy Landers, a local woman from the right side of the tracks, to be his queen. Bilko sends Henshaw and Barbella to deliver the invitation to Miss Landers. She laughs in their faces. This angers Bilko. He hatches a plan to make her want to meet Doberman and be his queen.

A calypso group at a Chinese restaurant? This one stretched things a little too far for me. I got a chuckle or two but for the most part this episode was a little too old school for me. I didn't buy the quick turn around. It seemed much too far fetched and dated for me.

The Phil Silvers Show 1.07

The Hoodlum

Sgt Bilko has to deal with Private Parker, a lowlife soldier who thinks he's a tough guy and just wants to get out of the Army. Colonel Hall was ready to give Parker a Big Chicken Dinner but the chaplain talks him into transferring him to Bilko's platoon. Bilko fools Parker into thinking that they are planning to rob Fort Knox. He keeps Parker so busy that he doesn't have time to sleep. Bilko's plan kind of backfires when Parker is named soldier of the month, an award that Bilko was hoping to win himself.

I thought it started a bit slow but I like how the episode shifted once Bilko started acting like they were getting ready to rob Fort Knox. Pretty good even if it does feel a bit dated.