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Starring Phil Silvers as Sergeant Ernest Bilko
Season 1 (CBS) (1955-56)
Episode Guide compiled by The Classic TV Archive
with contributions by:
references:
TV Guide /   Library of Congress (telnet://locis.loc.gov)
Internet Movie Database (https://us.imdb.com)
UCLA Film and Television Archive / Writers Guild of America (wga)

  ### The Phil Silvers Show: Sergeant Bilko ####
############## season 1 1955-56 ##############
##############################################
CBS Tuesdays 8:30 pm Eastern (pilot + 34 episodes)

Produced and staged by Nat Hiken
Directed by Al De Caprio
Photographed by William J. Miller
Supervised by Edward J.Montagne
Editors: Sy Singer, Ray Sandiford
Art directors: Don Gilman, Al Brenner
Production manager: M. Clay Adams
Music: John Strauss
Additional music: Hank Sylvern
Recording engineer: James Shields
Assistant to producer: Kevin Pynes
Settings: Jack Landau
*
Writers:
Nat Hiken, Arnold Auerbach, Barry Blitzer, Vincent Bogert, Coleman Jacoby,
Harvey Orkin, Arnie Rosen, Terry Ryan, Tony Webster
*
34 episodes + 1 pilot/audition show
(Episode serial numbers are as listed in The Fort Baxter Story. All dates given
are for original US broadcast - note the differences between the order of
production and of broadcast)

1.0 Audition Show
(Written by Nat Hiken, according to The Fort Baxter Story.
Television Chronicles lists the writers as Nat Hiken and Phil Silvers. Silvers'
autobiography mentions that although he was present, it was Nat Hiken who
wrote this pilot. Both The Fort Baxter Story and Television Chronicles list
this episode as being originally broadcast on August 26th 1955.) Bilko and the
other characters are introduced in this pilot show. Sleeve notes accompanying
one UK video release mention that a pilot show was filmed the previous year  but never transmitted.

1.1 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: NEW RECRUITS
20Sep55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken; #3501)
 Synopsis:
Cleaned out by the other sergeants, Bilko needs to raise some money for Saturday's
big poker game - could some new recruits provide the solution...

1.2 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: EMPTY STORE
27Sep55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken; #3502)
 Synopsis:
When Bilko mysteriously rents an empty store in Roseville, nobody knows why
- but everyone wants a piece of the action!

1.3 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: WAC
04Oct55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken & Arnold Auerbach; #3510)
Bilko battles with Sgt. Hogan for a new posting on the Fort - and the personal
Jeep that goes with the job.

1.4  [--] The Phil Silvers Show: THE HORSE
11Oct55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan & Barry Blitzer; #3503)
 Bilko and the platoon buy an ailing racehorse which they hope to transform
into a winner - looking after it presents a few problems...

1.5 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: A.W.O.L.
18Oct55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken; #3508)
A soldier goes AWOL - it is Bilko's task to bring him back from Chicago before
his absence is noticed.

1.6  [--] The Phil Silvers Show: THE BOXER
25Oct55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan & Barry Blitzer; #3520)
 Bilko discovers that Pvt. Dillingham is a former champion boxer. However, Dillingham
now refuses to fight - not that this will stop Ernie from trying to cash in.

1.7 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: THE HOODLUM
01Nov55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken; #3507)
 Bilko's plan for the platoon to smarten up and win the 'Soldier of the month award'
are threatened by one particularly disruptive recruit. Bilko sets out to get the
soldier out of the army - by any means necessary.

1.8 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: MARDI GRAS
08Nov55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan & Barry Blitzer; #3521)
 Doberman is humiliated by Joy Landers, the noted Roseville socialite. Nobody
treats one of Ernie's boys like that and gets away with it...

1.9 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: EATING CONTEST
15Nov55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken & Arnold Auerbach; #3504)
 Synopsis:
Pvt. Honnergan (Fred Gwynne) is transferred to the platoon. A former army eating
champion better known as 'The Stomach', Bilko sees in him a chance to end his
losing streak.

1.10 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: THE CENTENNIAL
22Nov55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan & Barry Blitzer; #3513)
 Lieutenant Parker threatens to introduce the men to more cultured activities than
gambling - Bilko uses a pageant marking Fort Baxter's centennial to make Parker
sees the error of his ways.

1.11 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: BIVOUAC
29Nov55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan & Barry Blitzer; #3514)
As the annual camp maneuvers approach, Bilko has to think about which tropical
diseases he will 'contract' this year to ensure his non-participation. Colonel
Hall has other ideas however...

1.12 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: SINGING CONTEST
06Dec55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan & Barry Blitzer; #3509)
Fort Baxter is in the grip of a big chill - can the Army singing contest
(and its 1st prize trip to Florida) provide the platoon with a welcome break -
or is the platoon so bad at singing that it just has to lose...

1.13 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: THE TWITCH
13Dec55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan & Barry Blitzer; #3512)
The Colonel orders lectures on Beethoven for the men as a punishment for gambling
- Captain Whitney's wife is to give the talks. Unfortunately for the Colonel,
Mrs. Whitney is better known throughout the service as 'The Twitch'....

1.14 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: REUNION
20Dec55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken & Arnold Auerbach; #3506)
At a reunion with his wartime buddies, Bilko begins to feel like the underachiever
of the group. Then he is offered a job in New York- can a US Army Master
Sergeant make his way in big business?

1.15 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: RICH KID
27Dec55 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken; #3515)
 Synopsis:
Can Pvt. Thompson - sole heir to a multi-million dollar fortune- possibly be of any
help to Bilko as he tries to be purchase one of Roseville's finest restaurants...

1.16 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: HOLLYWOOD
03Jan56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken; #3517)
 A Hollywood production company is planning a movie recreating the famous Battle For
Kabuchi Island. The Pentagon decides to send Sgt. Bilko to act as a technical advisor.

1.17 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: INVESTIGATION
10Jan56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan & Barry Blitzer; #3516)
A Congressional committee visits Fort Baxter to investigate reports of Army waste. However
when Bilko gives the Congressmen a guided tour they discover the soldiers living in squalor.

1.18 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: KIDS IN TRAILER
17Jan56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan & Barry Blitzer; #3505)
Bilko offers to baby-sit while one of his men enjoys a three-day furlough. However a crisis
develops when he has to change a nappy and all of the Army resources at Bilko's disposal
have to come into play.

1.19 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: REVOLUTIONARY WAR
24Jan56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan & Barry Blitzer; #3519)
Inspired by the diary of his great-great uncle Joshua Bilko, Ernie decides to apply for officer
training. Closer inspection of Joshua Bilko's exploits reveal him to be not much of a role
model after all.

1.20 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: TRANSFER
31Jan56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Vincent Bogert & Harvey Orkin; #3522)
 After being severely reprimanded by the Colonel, Bilko gets himself transferred to another
base - one full of amazingly gullible soldiers. Meanwhile, Bilko's replacement at Fort Baxter
rules the men with an iron rod. You would imagine that both Colonel Hall and Bilko would be overjoyed...

1.21 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: THE REST CURE
07Feb56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Vincent Bogert & Harvey Orkin; #3523)
Fort Baxter is struck by a heatwave and Bilko's attempts to raise money for a vacation flop.
The only solution appears to be an Army rest centre in the cool Rockies - the only catch
being that the men will have to be certified as mad to get transferred there.

1.22 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: DINNER AT SOWICI'S
14Feb56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Harvey Orkin & Barry Blitzer; #3524)
Bilko is convinced that Sgt. Hogan is trying to trap him into marriage. By taking Joan to
dinner at the Sowicis', whose marriage is somewhat less than happy, he hopes to make her
see the error of her ways.

1.23 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: ARMY MEMOIRS
21Feb56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Harvey Orkin & Barry Blitzer; #3525)
 The other sergeants get Bilko busted down to the rank of Private by revealing some of his
misdemeanors to the Colonel. But they haven't counted on Bilko beating them at their own
game by writing his memoirs and dishing the dirt on them ...and the Colonel.

1.24 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: MISS AMERICA
28Feb56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Arnie Rosen, Coleman Jacoby, Terry Ryan & Barry Blitzer; #3526)
When Bilko sees a picture of Pvt. Honnegar's beautiful 'sweetheart' he decides to enter
her in a beauty contest. Naturally things do not turn out quite as Bilko plans.

1.25 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: THE COURT-MARTIAL
06Mar56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Coleman Jacoby & Arnie Rosen; #3528)
 Fort Baxter is being used to try out a streamlined mass induction program - unfortunately
Capt. Baxter's new method is so efficient that a chimpanzee is enrolled into the service
as Pvt. Harry Speakup!

1.26 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: FURLOUGH IN NEW YORK
13Mar56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken & Terry Ryan; #3527)
Bilko and Joan want to get away from each other for a little rest - little
knowing that they are both heading to New York...

1.27 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: THE BIG URANIUM STRIKE
20Mar56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Tony Webster, Coleman Jacoby & Arnie Rosen; #3529)
 Bilko is convinced that there is Uranium under Fort Baxter - the only catch is that Doberman's
Geiger counter indicates that the largest deposits are under Colonel Hall's house!

1.28 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: BILKO AND THE BEAST
27Mar56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Tony Webster, Coleman Jacoby & Arnie Rosen; #3531)
 The Colonel sends in Sgt. Quentin B. Benson, otherwise known as 'The Beast', to sort out Sgt.
Bilko once and for all. Bilko's usual schemes fail to get the better of The Beast, so he is
has to resort to psychological warfare..

[--] 03Apr56 - no details

1.29 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: THE PHYSICAL CHECK-UP
10Apr56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Coleman Jacoby & Arnie Rosen; #3532)
All Sergeants are forced to have medical examinations - Bilko thinks the Colonel is trying
to get him discharged from the Army. So Ernie embarks on a crash course of exercises...

1.30 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: RECRUITING SERGEANT
17Apr56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Tony Webster & Terry Ryan; #3533)
All the men are restricted to base while the Colonel is away on a recruiting drive.
Ernie gets a sure-fire tip on a horse and must get off the base to place his bet -
the only solution is to accompany the Colonel on his trip.

1.31 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: HAIR
24Apr56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan, Barry Blitzer & Arnold Auerbach; #3518)
 Conscious of his lack of hair when Joan falls for a 'wavy-haired' Corporal, Bilko turns
to Tony the Barber for help. The latest in a long line of experimental hair-restorers
suddenly produces amazing results!

1.32 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: THE CON MEN
01May56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken & Tony Webster; #3530)
 On the way to the bank to deposit a sudden windfall of $500, Doberman meets some card
sharks. Naturally Bilko has to come to Doberman's rescue once more.

1.33 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: WAR GAMES
08May56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken & Arnold Auerbach; #3511)
When Bilko's promise to be best man at a friend's wedding coincides with Army war
games, he has to sneak away from the mock battle. Unfortunately his troops think
he is leading then to 'the enemy'.

1.34 [--] The Phil Silvers Show: BILKO IN WALL STREET
15May56 CBS Tue
(Written by Nat Hiken & Tony Webster; #3534)
 Bilko visits an old Army buddy who he thinks is now a top banker in New York -
and is dismayed to find that he is a lowly teller on $42 a week. Ernie sets out
to rapidly advance his friend's career.

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