The Phil Silvers Show: Difference between revisions

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* [[Animated Credits Opening]]: Albeit a very tame one.

* [[Armed Farces]]

* [[Bald of Evil]]: While not evil ''per se'', Bilko tends to be self-centered and manipulative, and his baldness is one of his signature physical traits.

* [[Bald of Evil]]: While not evil ''per see'', Bilko tends to be self-centered and manipulative, and his baldness is one of his signature physical traits.

* [[Batman Gambit]]: Frequently used by Bilko.

* [[Braids, Beads, and Buckskins]]: Subverted {{spoiler|''and'' played straight}} in "Cherokee Ernie": While traveling to the home of a Native American soldier, Bilko daydreams about the stereotypical Indian village only to find himself on a rather standard upper-middle-class ranch. {{spoiler|The elders, on the other hand, are depicted in full traditional dress and living in tipis.}}

* [[Braids, Beads, and Buckskins]]: Subverted {{spoiler|''and'' played straight}} in "Cherokee Ernie": While traveling to the home of a Native American soldier, Bilko daydreams about the stereotypical Indian village only to find himself on a rather standard upper-middle-class ranch. {{spoiler|The elders, on the other hand, are depicted in full traditional dress and living in tipis}}.

* [[Butt Monkey]]: Duane Doberman.

* [[Disability Superpower]]: Doberman gains the ability to sing beautifully when he {{spoiler|catches a cold}}.

* [[Dream Sequence]]: In one episode Bilko tricks the platoon into thinking that Doberman's sister is a beauty, and we see the men dreaming of her.

* [[Dream Sequence]]: In one episode, Bilko tricks the platoon into thinking that Doberman's sister is a beauty, and we see the men dreaming of her.

* [[The Eponymous Show]]

* [[A Father to His Men]]: Bilko tries to pass himself off as one of these, but is quick to drop the ruse when it is no longer useful to him.

* [[The Film of the Series]]: ''Sgt. Bilko'' (1996), starring [[Steve Martin]].

* [[Game Show Appearance]]: In one episode Bilko trys to cheat on the [[Hilarious in Hindsight|already rigged]] ''[[The Sixty Four Thousand Dollar Question]]'' about a year before the quiz show scandals broke.

* [[Game Show Appearance]]: In one episode, Bilko trys to cheat on the [[Hilarious in Hindsight|already rigged]] ''[[The Sixty Four Thousand Dollar Question]]'' about a year before the quiz show scandals broke.

* [[Get Rich Quick Scheme]]

* [[Good-Looking Privates]]: The WACs.

* [[Honest John's Dealership]]: While Bilko never has a formal store, it doesn't stop him from always thinking about profit and acting accordingly.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Ernest Bilko. [[Don't Explain the Joke|Please don't make me explain it.]]

* [[Mighty Whitey]]: In "Cherokee Ernie", having been ~~rebaptized~~ as Bald Eagle of the Cherokee Nation, Bilko {{spoiler|uses inconsistencies in the original treaty ceding Oklahoma to the United States to lead a statewide Cherokee secessionist movement.}}

* [[Mighty Whitey]]: In "Cherokee Ernie", having been re-baptized as Bald Eagle of the Cherokee Nation, Bilko {{spoiler|uses inconsistencies in the original treaty ceding Oklahoma to the United States to lead a statewide Cherokee secessionist movement}}.

* [[Once Per Episode]]: Bilko's get-rich-quick schemes.

* [[Playing Cyrano]]: Bilko plays this role for one of his soldiers in one episode, aptly titled "Cyrano de Bilko".

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* [[Special Guest]]: Bing Crosby (and his brother/manager Everett Crosby), Ed Sullivan, Kay Kendall, and others appeared as themselves, with the three major ones mentioned here receiving top billing in three separate episodes titled "[Sergeant] Bilko Presents [name of celebrity]".

* [[Studio Audience]]: The first 59 episodes were performed similarly to stage plays in front of a live audience; this changed when ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (1956) producer Mike Todd, who was making a guest appearance, suggested that it would be better to film the show out-of-sequence like a Hollywood movie.

** In both cases no laugh track was used...the completed episodes would be screened exclusively for an audience of Military personnel whose laughter would be recorded and dubbed in later.

** In both cases, no laugh track was used... the completed episodes would be screened exclusively for an audience of Military personnel whose laughter would be recorded and dubbed in later.

* [[Syndication Title]]: ''Sergeant Bilko'', or simply ''Bilko.''

* [[Syndication Title]]: ''Sergeant Bilko'', or simply ''Bilko''.

* [[Title Drop]]: The army chant that serves as the source of the original title of the series is often recited by new recruits to show their eagerness.

{{quote|'''Privates:''' We're in the army now / We're not behind a plow / ''You'll never get rich'' / By digging a ditch / We're in the army now.}}

** Doubles as a [[Bowdlerized]] version from the [[Precision F-Strike|original Army chant]]

** Doubles as a [[Bowdlerized]] version from the [[Precision F-Strike|original Army chant]].

* [[Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist]]: Bilko.

* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]: Not only the speed at which Bilko changes plans, but also how he formulates his schemes in the first place.