The Phil Silvers Show

S01E08: Mardi Gras

When the platoon ask local socialite Miss Joy Landers to be their Mardi Gras queen she laughs and turns them down flat, so Bilko finds a way to change her mind.

Overview

The Phil Silvers Show, originally titled You'll Never Get Rich, was a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko of the United States Army.

The series was created and largely written by Nat Hiken, and won three consecutive Emmy Awards for Best Comedy Series. The show is sometimes titled Sergeant Bilko or simply Bilko in reruns, and is very often referred to by these names, both on-screen and by viewers. The show's success transformed Silvers from a journeyman comedian into a star, and writer-producer Hiken from a highly-regarded behind-the-scenes comedy writer into a publicly recognized creator.

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Episodes

New Recruits

S01E01 New Recruits

September 20, 1955 7.0 30 min
During a poker game the other sergeant's cheat and clean Bilko out of his bankroll so he has to look around for some more money. Just when it looks like he will miss out a...
The Empty Store

S01E02 The Empty Store

September 27, 1955 7.0 30 min
Bilko is still broke and can't find a way back into the big poker game. When the three sergeant's win again, by beating one of the new recruits, Bilko decides to get even by renting...
The WAC

S01E03 The WAC

October 4, 1955 7.0 30 min
A job comes up for a sergeant that has a jeep allocated Bilko applies for it only to find that he is beaten by a Sgt Joan Hogan. (1st appearance by Elisabeth Fraser As Joan...
The Horse

S01E04 The Horse

October 11, 1955 7.0 30 min
Bilko loses the platoon welfare money on a horse only to find out that it is suffering from a minor leg injury, with the last of the platoon's money he buys the horse and has...
AWOL

S01E05 AWOL

October 18, 1955 8.0 30 min
Pvt Steve Nagy goes awol so Bilko has to go and fetch him back only to find himself caught up in the middle of a family feud
The Boxer

S01E06 The Boxer

October 25, 1955 8.0 30 min
Bilko discovers that one of the platoon Claude Dillingham is a boxing champ so Bilko enters him for the interplatoon championship only to learn that Dillingham refuses to fight
The Hoodlum

S01E07 The Hoodlum

November 1, 1955 8.0 30 min
After several transfers a young tough guy is moved to the motor pool platoon and it is left to the Bilko to cut him down to size. Meanwhile Bilko is after the ' Soldier of...
Mardi Gras

S01E08 Mardi Gras

November 8, 1955 8.0 30 min
When the platoon ask local socialite Miss Joy Landers to be their Mardi Gras queen she laughs and turns them down flat, so Bilko finds a way to change her mind.
The Eating Contest

S01E09 The Eating Contest

November 15, 1955 8.0 30 min
In an eating contest between the platoons Bilko puts his money on a new member of the platoon nicknamed 'The Stomach' only to find that he can only eat when he is depressed
The Centennial

S01E10 The Centennial

November 22, 1955 7.0 30 min
Bilko organises a pageant to celebrate 100 years of Camp Baxter but after some investigation finds that it does not show the camp in a very good light
Bivouac

S01E11 Bivouac

November 29, 1955 8.0 30 min
When maneuvers come round again the Colonel is interested in which illness Bilko has in order to miss out on the joys of marching through the countryside. In order to make him go the colonel...
The Singing Contest

S01E12 The Singing Contest

December 6, 1955 8.0 30 min
Bilko hears of a singing contest in Miami and to get away from the bitterly cold weather he enters the platoon but on hearing them sing he puts a bet on for them to lose....
The Twitch

S01E13 The Twitch

December 13, 1955 8.0 30 min
Colonel Hall tells Bilko to provide an audience for a lecture on music. He finds that nobody wants to come until they learn that the lecture will be given by a friend of the Colonel's...
The Reunion

S01E14 The Reunion

December 20, 1955 8.0 30 min
When Bilko meets up with his old army buddies, he thinks that they are going to be so short of money, that he is going to have to help them out , but it turns...
The Rich Kid

S01E15 The Rich Kid

December 27, 1955 7.0 30 min
Bilko gets an idea to buy the local bar and grill, but he is stumped for cash, until he learns that one of the platoon's new recruits, is heir to a steel fortune. So they...
Hollywood

S01E16 Hollywood

January 3, 1956 8.0 30 min
Hollywood plans a film of the ' Battle of Kabuchi' and they hire Bilko as the technical adviser, but after a couple of days he has taken over the whole production, and the film people...
The Investigation

S01E17 The Investigation

January 10, 1956 8.0 30 min
A Congressional committee visit Fort Baxter to investigate waste and high living but Bilko has other ideas, he wants a pay rise instead
Kids In the Trailer

S01E18 Kids In the Trailer

January 17, 1956 7.0 30 min
While babysitting for a member of the platoon Bilko panics when he finds that he can't change the baby's nappy
The Revolutionary War

S01E19 The Revolutionary War

January 24, 1956 7.0 30 min
Bilko's aunt sends him a diary showing him that his great uncle Joshua was on the staff of George Washington so Bilko applies to become an officer but on reading the diary he discovers that...
The Transfer

S01E20 The Transfer

January 31, 1956 8.0 30 min
When the Colonel makes life difficult Bilko decides to bluff and puts in a transfer, but the Colonel calls the bluff and Bilko is on his way, but at his new camp life is to...
The Rest Cure

S01E21 The Rest Cure

February 7, 1956 8.0 30 min
During a heat wave Bilko discovers that the army have a rest centre in the Rockies but the trick is trying to persuade the doctors and the Colonel to let him go there
Dinner at Sowici's

S01E22 Dinner at Sowici's

February 14, 1956 8.0 30 min
When Bilko thinks that Joan is trying to trap him into marriage, he takes her to dinner at Sgt Sowici's to see how bad marriage can be, but they are in for a surprise.
Army Memoirs

S01E23 Army Memoirs

February 21, 1956 7.0 30 min
When Sgt's Pendleton,Grover, and Sowici get Bilko busted to private, he gets his own back by pretending to write a book on his army life
Miss America

S01E24 Miss America

February 28, 1956 7.0 30 min
When Bilko asks for pictures of the platoons girlfriends Pvt Honnagar shows them a photo of a beautiful girl taken years ago. they think it is his girl but they have a surprise in store
The Court Martial

S01E25 The Court Martial

March 6, 1956 9.0 30 min
When Zippo the ape is accidently inducted into the army the only way to get the army off the hook is to get Bilko as defense council and court martial the ape before anybody finds...
Furlough in New York

S01E26 Furlough in New York

March 13, 1956 7.0 30 min
Bilko and Joan Hogan go separately to New York and keep missing each other but when they meet up again at Fort Baxter they find that they have somehow ended up with each others dog...
The Big Uranium Strike

S01E27 The Big Uranium Strike

March 20, 1956 8.0 30 min
Bilko suspects that there are large deposits of uranium underneath Fort Baxter but he has to get rid of the Colonel before he can start digging
Bilko and the Beast

S01E28 Bilko and the Beast

March 27, 1956 8.0 30 min
When a new drill sergeant known as ' The Beast ' takes over at Fort Baxter Bilko and the platoon come up with a scheme to get rid of him
The Physical Check Up

S01E29 The Physical Check Up

April 10, 1956 8.0 30 min
When Bilko tries to get out of a 20 mile hike the Colonel preempts him and allows him to miss the hike Bilko is so shocked that he thinks the Colonel might be trying to...
The Recruiting Sergeant

S01E30 The Recruiting Sergeant

April 17, 1956 8.0 30 min
When Bilko gets a tip from a jockey on a horse he persuades the Colonel to take him on a recruiting drive to Topeka so he can get to a bookie and get a bet...
Hair

S01E31 Hair

April 24, 1956 8.0 30 min
Bilko's head is constantly being used by his barber to find a cure for baldness. The other three sergeants know this and while Bilko is asleep decide to play a trick on him, but Bilko...
The Con Men

S01E32 The Con Men

May 1, 1956 7.0 30 min
When Doberman gets a $500 windfall from an insurance policy, he loses it in a poker game with three con men. Bilko gets it back by conning the con men, but then Doberman loses it...
War Games

S01E33 War Games

May 8, 1956 7.0 30 min
Bilko is asked to be best man at a friends wedding but it coincides with a war game battle between the army and the national guard
Bilko on Wall Street

S01E34 Bilko on Wall Street

May 15, 1956 8.0 30 min
Thinking his friend is a big man on Wall Street Bilko goes to stay but when he discovers that his friend is just a clerk, Bilko sets out to get him a better job.

Cast

Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers
Ernest Bilko
Harvey Lembeck
Harvey Lembeck
Rocco Barbella
Paul Ford
Paul Ford
John Hall
Allan Melvin
Allan Melvin
Steve Henshaw
Billy Sands
Billy Sands
Dino Paparelli
Maurice Gosfield
Maurice Gosfield
Duane Doberman
Herbie Faye
Herbie Faye
Sam Fender

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