Phil Silvers | |
|---|---|
 Silvers as Sgt. Bilko | |
| Born | Phillip Silver (1911-05-11)May 11, 1911 New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 1985(1985-11-01) (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Notable work | The Phil Silvers Show |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5 |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1922–1985 |
| Genre | Character comedy |
Phil Silvers (bornPhillip Silver; May 11, 1911[1] – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King ofChutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly 60 years. He achieved major popularity when he starred inThe Phil Silvers Show, a 1950ssitcom set on aU.S. Army post in which he playedMaster Sergeant Ernest (Ernie) Bilko. He also starred in the filmsIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) andA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966). He was a winner of twoPrimetime Emmy Awards for his work onThe Phil Silvers Show and twoTony Awards for his performances inTop Banana andA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He also wrote the original lyrics to the jazz standard "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)".
Born Philip Silver, he was the eighth and youngest child of Russian Jewish immigrants, Saul and Sarah (née Handler) Silver.[2] His father, a sheet metal worker, helped build the early New Yorkskyscrapers.[3]
Silvers began entertaining at the age of 11, when he would sing in theaters when thefilm projector broke (a common occurrence in those days), to the point where he was allowed to keep attending the same movie theater free of charge, to sing through any future breakdowns.[4] By age 13, he was working as a singer in theGus Edwards Revue. Subsequently, he worked invaudeville and as aburlesque comic.[5]
Silvers next worked in short films for theVitaphone studio, such asUps and Downs (1937), and onBroadway, where he made his début in the short-lived showYokel Boy in 1939. Critics raved about Silvers, who was hailed as the bright spot in the mediocre play.[6] The Broadway revueHigh Kickers (1941) was based on his concept.[7]
He made his feature film début inHit Parade of 1941 in 1940[8] (his previous appearance as a 'pitch man' inStrike Up the Band was cut). Over the next two decades, he worked as acharacter actor forWarner Bros.,Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,Columbia, and20th Century Fox, in such films asAll Through the Night (1942) withHumphrey Bogart. Around the same time, he played a scene withW. C. Fields inTales of Manhattan (also 1942) which was cut from the original release, but restored decades later in home video issues. Silvers also appeared inLady Be Good (1941),Coney Island (1943),Cover Girl (1944), withGene Kelly andRita Hayworth, and inSummer Stock (1950) with Kelly andJudy Garland.[9] When the studio system began to decline, he returned to the stage.
Silvers wrote the lyrics forFrank Sinatra's "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)". Although he was not a songwriter, he wrote the lyrics while visiting composerJimmy Van Heusen. The two composed the song for Van Heusen's writing partnerJohnny Burke, for his wife Bessie's birthday. Substituting Sinatra's little daughter's nameNancy at her birthday party, the trio pressed the singer to record it himself. The song became a popular hit in 1945 and was a staple in Sinatra's live performances.[10] Towards the end ofWorld War II, Silvers entertained the troops during several successful overseasUSO tours with Sinatra.[11]
Silvers became a household name in 1955 when he starred as Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko inYou'll Never Get Rich, later retitledThe Phil Silvers Show. The military comedy became a television hit, with the opportunistic Bilko fast-talking his way through one obstacle after another. In 1958, CBS switched the show to be telecast on Friday nights and moved the setting to Camp Fremont in California. A year later, the show was off the schedule.[12] In the 1963–1964 television season, he appeared as Harry Grafton, a factory foreman interested in get-rich-quick schemes, much like the previous Bilko character, in CBS's 30-episodeThe New Phil Silvers Show,[13] with co-starsStafford Repp,Herbie Faye,Buddy Lester,Elena Verdugo as his sister, Audrey, and her children, played byRonnie Dapo andSandy Descher.
Throughout the 1960s, he appeared in films such asIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)[14] and40 Pounds of Trouble (1963).[15] According to the documentary on the DVD ofIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Silvers was not a traditional comedian: he was a comic actor. He never did stand-up, and, out of character, was not known for cracking jokes.
He was featured in the unfinishedSomething's Got to Give (1962) withMarilyn Monroe andDean Martin. In 1967, he starred as a guest in one of theBritishCarry On films,Follow That Camel, aForeign Legion parody in which he played a variation of the Sergeant Bilko character, Sergeant Nocker.[16] ProducerPeter Rogers employed him to ensure the Carry On films' success in America, though Silvers's presence did not ensure the film's success on either side of the Atlantic.[17] His salary was £30,000, the largest Carry On salary ever, only later met by the appearance ofElke Sommer inCarry On Behind.
When Silvers played the quintessential con-man Harrison Floy in the 1947 Broadway production ofHigh Button Shoes, Brooks Atkinson praised him as "an uproarious comic. He has the speed, the drollery and the shell-game style of a honky-tonk buffoon." Silvers later scored a major triumph inTop Banana, a Broadway show of 1952. Silvers played Jerry Biffle, the egocentric, always-busy star of a major television show. (The character is said to have been based onMilton Berle.) Silvers dominated the show and won aTony Award for his performance. He repeated the role inthe 1954 film version which was initially released in3-D.[4] Silvers returned to Broadway in the musicalDo Re Mi in December 1960, receiving a nomination for theTony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.Stanley Green wrote, "It was particularly blessed by offering two outstanding clowns in Phil Silvers as the pushiest of patsies andNancy Walker."[18] Silvers was offered the leading role of conniving Roman slave Pseudolus in the Broadway musical comedyA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Silvers declined, and the role went instead toZero Mostel, who was so successful in the role that he repeated the role in the 1966 film version.[4] By this time, Silvers realized his error and agreed to appear in the film as a secondary character, flesh merchant Marcus Lycus. When actor-producerLarry Blyden mounted a Broadway revival ofForum in 1972, he wanted Phil Silvers to play the lead, and this time Silvers agreed.[19] The revival was a hit and Silvers became the first leading actor ever to win a Tony Award in a revival of a musical.
Later in his career, Silvers guest-starred onThe Beverly Hillbillies, and various TV variety shows such asThe Carol Burnett Show,Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In andThe Dean Martin Show. He appeared as curmudgeonly Hollywood producer Harold Hecuba in the classic 1966 episode "The Producer" onGilligan's Island, where he and the castaways performed a musical version ofHamlet.[20] (Silvers's production company Gladasya – named after hiscatchphrase "Gladdaseeya!"[A] – financed the show.) He continued to make guest appearances in television sitcoms including,The Love Boat,Fantasy Island,Happy Days, and his final screen creditCHiPs in 1983. He also starred in various television specials and talk shows such asThe Bob Hope Special,The Jackie Gleason Show,The Merv Griffin Show,The Dick Cavett Show,The David Frost Show,The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson andThe Mike Douglas Show. In 1980, Silvers participated inThe Friar's Club Tribute toMilton Berle alongsideDon Rickles,Dick Shawn,Walter Matthau,Jack Lemmon,George Burns,Karl Malden, andRobert Culp.[21]
Phil Silvers was married twice, toJo-Carroll Dennison and to Evelyn Patrick.[22] Both of his marriages ended in divorce.[12] He had five daughters, includingCathy,[22] all by his second wife, Evelyn Patrick, who later married British musicianTerry Dene.[4]
Like his alter-ego Ernie Bilko, Silvers was a compulsive gambler, and also suffered fromchronic depression.[23] He suffered anervous breakdown in 1962 while performing in Spain. While staying inReno, Nevada, in the 1950s, he would often gamble all night. On one occasion, at the tinyCal-Neva Lodge in nearbyLake Tahoe, Nevada, Silvers spent an entire night playingcraps until he lost all his money and then went through $1,000 in credit. A taxi was called to return him to Reno. It was one "of the worst nights of my life", Silvers told the driver, adding, "Don't wait for any lights and don't wait for any tip . . . I left it at the Cal-Neva!"[24]
His memoir is titledThis Laugh Is On Me.
Silvers suffered astroke during the run ofA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in August 1972 at theLunt-Fontanne Theatre.[25] He was left with slurred speech. Despite his poor health, he continued working, playing Harry Starman in the 1974 "Horror in the Heights" episode ofKolchak: The Night Stalker starringDarren McGavin. His guest appearances continued into the early 1980s, including co-starring inThe Chicken Chronicles (1977),[26] an appearance onFantasy Island as an old comic trying to reunite with his old partner, and onHappy Days as the father of Jenny Piccolo (played by his real-life daughter,Cathy).[27] Silvers played the cab driver Hoppy inNeil Simon's send-up of hard-boiled detective films,The Cheap Detective (1978), which starredPeter Falk. In his cab, Silvers can be heard (three words) and seen turning his head towards the camera and breaking into a smile (1/4 fps) at the film's ending immediately prior to Falk entering "Hoppy's" cab. His final appearance was in an episode ofCHiPs (entitled "Hot Date") in 1983.
In a later DVD audio commentary for the British comedy filmFollow That Camel (1967), actor Jim Dale recalled that Silvers would sometimes repeat the same anecdotes several times during filming. According to Dale, this initially irritated some members of the cast, including Kenneth Williams, before they realised Silvers may have been experiencing short-term memory difficulties.[28]
On November 1, 1985, Silvers died in his sleep inCentury City, California. He is interred atMount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery inLos Angeles.[29]
In 1996,TV Guide ranked him number 31 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.[30]
In 2003,The Phil Silvers Show was voted Best Sitcom[31] in theRadio Times Guide to TV Comedy. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, Silvers was voted #42 on the list of the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.Dick Van Dyke, who made his TV debut onBilko, says he "was always fascinated with Phil's sense of timing. Incredible."
Voice actorDaws Butler employed animpression of Silvers as the voice of theHanna-Barbera cartoon characterHokey Wolf[32] and also used the same voice in numerous cartoons forJay Ward.[citation needed] The premise ofThe Phil Silvers Show was the basis for the Hanna-Barbera animated seriesTop Cat, for whichArnold Stang moderately imitated Silvers's voice for the title character.[33] The 1993 animated seriesAdventures of Sonic the Hedgehog featured a character called Wes Weasley, who had a very similar appearance and voice to Silvers.
Sgt Bilko's Vintage Emporium and The Phil Silvers Archival Museum houses personal and commercial memorabilia collected by Silvers's correspondent Steve Everitt. Opened in 2015 it is located inFarGo Village,Coventry,United Kingdom.[34]
| Title[35] | Date |
|---|---|
| The Rudy Vallee Sealtest Show | June 19, July 17, 1941 |
| Command Performance | June 23, 1942; September 29, 1947 |
| Mail Call | January 09, 1943 |
| The Kraft Music Hall | September 30, December 16, 1943; February 24, 1944 |
| The Dinah Shore Program | October 14, 1943 |
| The Hollywood Democratic Committee broadcast | October 08, 1944 |
| The Phil Silvers Show (NBC radio) | February 09, 1946 |
| The Phil Silvers Show (ABC radio) | June 25 to October 20, 1947 |
| Songs By Sinatra | May 21, 1947 |
| The Big Show | December 1, 1950 |
| Suspense "The Swift Rise Of Eddie Albright" | April 03, 1947 |
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Yokel Boy | "Punko" Parks | Majestic Theatre, Broadway | [36] |
| 1947 | High Button Shoes | Harrison Floy | Broadway Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1951 | Top Banana | Jerry Biffle | Winter Garden Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1960 | Do Re Mi | Hubert Cram | 54th Street Theatre, Broadway U.S. National Tour | |
| 1971 | How the Other Half Loves | Frank Foster | Royale Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1972 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Pseudolus/Prologus | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Broadway |
Source: Turner Classic Movies[37]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | The Phil Silvers Arrow Show | Host-Performer | 3 episodes[38] |
| 1955–59 | The Phil Silvers Show | MSgt. Ernest G. 'Ernie' Bilko | 143 episodes |
| 1959 | Keep in Step | Himself/Sgt. Ernest G. Bilko | Television movie |
| 1959 | The Ballad of Louie the Louse | Louie | Television movie |
| 1960 | The Slowest Gun in the West | Fletcher Bissell III The Silver Dollar Kid | Television movie |
| 1962 | The Jack Benny Program | Himself | Episode: "The Phil Silvers Show " |
| 1963 | Judy and Her Guests, Phil Silvers and Robert Goulet | Himself | Television special |
| 1963–64 | The New Phil Silvers Show | Harry Grafton | 30 episodes |
| 1966 | Gilligan's Island | Harold Hecuba | Episode: "The Producer" |
| 1966 | The Lucy Show | Oliver Kasten | Episode: "Lucy and the Efficiency Expert" |
| 1966 | At Your Service | Performer | Unsold pilot |
| 1967 | Damn Yankees | Mr. Applegate | Television movie |
| 1967–70 | The Beverly Hillbillies | Shifty Shafer aka Honest John | 6 episodes |
| 1970 | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | Guest Performer | Episode: #4.13 |
| 1971 | Eddie | Eddie Skinner | unsold pilot |
| 1971 | Julia | Capt. Biestoff | Episode: "Swing Low, Sweet Charity" |
| 1972 | The Dean Martin Show | Performer | Episode: #7.24 |
| 1974 | Kolchak: The Night Stalker | Harry | Episode: "Horror in the Heights" |
| 1975 | Get Christy Love! | Uncle Harry | Episode: "A Few Excess Love" |
| 1975 | S.W.A.T. | Russ Baker | 2 episodes |
| 1975 | The Carol Burnett Show | Self | Episode: #8.23 |
| 1976 | Bob Hope Special: Bob Hope in "Joys" | Self | Television special |
| 1977 | The Night They Took Miss Beautiful | Marv Barker | Television movie |
| 1977 | Charlie's Angels | Max Brown | Episode: "Angels on Ice" |
| 1977 | The Love Boat | Stubby/Morris Beckman | 2 episodes |
| 1978 | Fantasy Island | Charlie Parks | Episode: "Carnival/The Vaudevillians" |
| 1979 | Goldie and the Boxer | Wally | Television movie |
| 1980 | Take Me Up to the Ball Game | Irwin | Voice; television movie |
| 1981 | Happy Days | Roscoe Piccalo | Episode: "Just a Piccalo" |
| 1983 | CHiPs | Herman Hinton | Episode: "Hot Date" |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Television Hall of Fame | Inducted | [39] | |
| 1956 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Best Comedian | Won | [40] | |
| Best Actor in a Continuing Performance | The Phil Silvers Show | Won | |||
| 1957 | Best Continuing Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| 1958 | Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic or Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| 1959 | Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| 1952 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Musical | Top Banana | Won | [41] |
| 1961 | Best Leading Actor in a Musical | Do Re Mi | Nominated | [42] | |
| 1972 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Won | [43] | ||
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