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| image = Phil silvers as bilko.JPG |
| image = Phil silvers as bilko.JPG |
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| caption = Silvers as Sgt. Bilko |
| caption = Silvers as Sgt. Bilko |
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|alt = Silvers in a military uniform |
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| birth_name = Phillip Silver |
| birth_name = Phillip Silver |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1911| |
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1911|05|11}} |
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| birth_place = [[ |
| birth_place = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S. |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1985|11| |
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1985|11|01|1911|05|11}} |
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| death_place = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S. |
| death_place = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S. |
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|years_active = 1922–1985 |
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| genre = [[Character comedy]] |
| genre = [[Character comedy]] |
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| notable_works = ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]'' |
| notable_works = ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]'' |
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| spouse = {{marriage|[[Jo-Carroll Dennison]]|1945|1950|end=div}} |
| spouse = {{plainlist| |
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* {{marriage|[[Jo-Carroll Dennison]]|1945|1950|end=div}} |
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* {{marriage|Evelyn Patrick|1956|1966|end=div}} |
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}} |
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| children = 5 |
| children = 5 |
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}} |
}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} |
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'''Phil Silvers''' (born '''Phillip Silver'''; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of [[Chutzpah]]". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly |
'''Phil Silvers''' (born '''Phillip Silver'''; May 11, 1911<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |date=2024-05-01 |department=Entertainment & Pop Culture > Actors |access-date=2024-05-07 |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Phil-Silvers |language=en-US |title=Phil Silvers {{!}} Biography, TV Show, & Facts}}</ref> – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of [[Chutzpah]]". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly 60 years. He achieved major popularity when he starred in ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]'', a 1950s [[sitcom]] set on a [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] post in which he played [[Master Sergeant]] Ernest (Ernie) Bilko. He also starred in the films ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963) and ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (film)|A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]'' (1966). He was a winner of two [[Primetime Emmy Awards]] for his work on ''The Phil Silvers Show'' and two [[Tony Award]]s for his performances in ''[[Top Banana (musical)|Top Banana]]'' and ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]''. He also wrote the original lyrics to the jazz standard "[[Nancy (with the Laughing Face)]]". |
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Born Philip Silver<ref>{{cite book |title=This Laugh Is on Me: The Phil Silvers Story |author=Silvers, Phil |author2=Saffron, Robert |page=15 |publisher=[[Prentice-Hall]] |location=Englewood Cliffs, N.J. |year=1973 |isbn=0- |
Born Philip Silver, he was the eighth and youngest child of Russian Jewish immigrants, Saul and Sarah (née Handler) Silver.<ref>{{cite book |title=This Laugh Is on Me: The Phil Silvers Story |author=Silvers, Phil |author2=Saffron, Robert |page=15 |publisher=[[Prentice-Hall]] |location=Englewood Cliffs, N.J. |url=https://archive.org/details/thislaughisonmep0000silv/page/14/mode/2up?q=philip |year=1973 |isbn=978-0-1391-9100-8 |url-access=registration}}</ref> His siblings were Lillian, Harry, Jack, Saul, Pearl, Michael, and Reuben Silver. His father, a sheet metal worker, helped build the early New York [[skyscraper]]s.<ref name="Cavett">{{cite web |title=Dick Cavett interviews Phil Silvers in Hollywood in 1981 | website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg5_zgHtXVc |access-date=19 March 2023 |language=en |date=22 January 1982}}</ref> |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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Silvers began entertaining at the age of 11, when he would sing in theaters when the [[film 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.<ref name=master>{{cite web| url= |
Silvers began entertaining at the age of 11, when he would sing in theaters when the [[film 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.<ref name=master>{{cite web| url=http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/artist/phil-silvers| title=Phil Silvers| website=[[Masterworks Broadway]]| access-date=November 25, 2011| archive-date=November 8, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108153633/http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/artist/phil-silvers| url-status=live}}</ref> By age 13, he was working as a singer in the [[Gus Edwards (vaudeville)|Gus Edwards]] Revue. Subsequently, he worked in [[vaudeville]] and as a [[burlesque]] comic.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Monush |first=Barry |title=Phil Silvers |encyclopedia=Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965 |volume=1 |year=2003 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=978-1-5578-3551-2 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=toTIb1Ek2WwC&dq=%22Phil+Silvers%22+%22This+Laugh+Is+On+Me%22&pg=PA681 681]}}</ref> |
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Silvers next worked in short films for the [[Vitaphone]] studio, such as ''[[Ups and Downs (1937 film)|Ups and Downs]]'' (1937), and on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], where he made his début in the short-lived show ''Yokel Boy'' in 1939. Critics raved about Silvers, who was hailed as the bright spot in the mediocre play.<ref>{{cite book | |
Silvers next worked in short films for the [[Vitaphone]] studio, such as ''[[Ups and Downs (1937 film)|Ups and Downs]]'' (1937), and on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]], where he made his début in the short-lived show ''Yokel Boy'' in 1939. Critics raved about Silvers, who was hailed as the bright spot in the mediocre play.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bordman |first1=Gerald |last2=Norton |first2=Richard |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=OVdShkzkX74C&dq=%22Yokel+Boy%22+%22Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA575 575] |
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|chapter |
|chapter=Yokel Boy |title=American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle |year=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-19-972970-8}}</ref> The Broadway revue ''High Kickers'' (1941) was based on his concept.<ref>{{cite book |last=Suskin |first=Steven |title=The Sound of Broadway Music |year=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-979084-5 |page=https://books.google.com/books?id=yy_9UJLhAUMC&pg=PT407 123]}}</ref> |
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He made his feature film début in ''Hit Parade of 1941'' in 1940<ref>Crowther, Bosley.[https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9502EED61E3CE73ABC4D53DFB467838B659EDE "Movie Review: 'Hit Parade of 1941' at Loew's Criterion"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310180918/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9502EED61E3CE73ABC4D53DFB467838B659EDE |date=2012-03-10 }} ''The New York Times'' |
He made his feature film début in ''Hit Parade of 1941'' in 1940<ref>Crowther, Bosley (December 5, 1940). [https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9502EED61E3CE73ABC4D53DFB467838B659EDE "Movie Review: 'Hit Parade of 1941' at Loew's Criterion"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310180918/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9502EED61E3CE73ABC4D53DFB467838B659EDE |date=2012-03-10 }}. ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> (his previous appearance as a 'pitch man' in ''[[Strike Up the Band (film)|Strike Up the Band]]'' was cut). Over the next two decades, he worked as a [[character actor]] for [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]], and [[20th Century Fox]], in such films as ''[[All Through the Night (film)|All Through the Night]]'' (1942) with [[Humphrey Bogart]]. Around the same time, he played a scene with [[W. C. Fields]] in ''[[Tales of Manhattan]]'' (also 1942) which was cut from the original release, but restored decades later in home video issues. Silvers also appeared in ''[[Lady Be Good (1941 film)|Lady Be Good]]'' (1941), ''[[Coney Island (1943 film)|Coney Island]]'' (1943), ''[[Cover Girl (film)|Cover Girl]]'' (1944), with [[Gene Kelly]] and [[Rita Hayworth]], and in ''[[Summer Stock]]'' (1950) with Kelly and [[Judy Garland]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.fandango.com/philsilvers/filmography/p65703| title=Phil Silvers Filmography| website=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]| access-date=November 25, 2011| archive-date=October 13, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013041937/http://www.fandango.com/philsilvers/filmography/p65703| url-status=live}}</ref> When the studio system began to decline, he returned to the stage. |
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Silvers wrote the lyrics for [[Frank Sinatra]]'s "[[Nancy (With the Laughing Face)]]". Although he was not a songwriter, he wrote the lyrics while visiting composer [[Jimmy Van Heusen]]. The two composed the song for Van Heusen's writing partner [[Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke]], for his wife Bessie's birthday. Substituting Sinatra's little daughter's name [[Nancy Sinatra|Nancy]] 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.<ref>{{cite book| url= |
Silvers wrote the lyrics for [[Frank Sinatra]]'s "[[Nancy (With the Laughing Face)]]". Although he was not a songwriter, he wrote the lyrics while visiting composer [[Jimmy Van Heusen]]. The two composed the song for Van Heusen's writing partner [[Johnny Burke (lyricist)|Johnny Burke]], for his wife Bessie's birthday. Substituting Sinatra's little daughter's name [[Nancy Sinatra|Nancy]] 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.<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yw40lISdzJkC&q=Van+Heusen+%22Phil+Silvers%22+%22Nancy%22&pg=PA443| title=Frank Sinatra: The Complete Guide| publisher=Google eBook| access-date=November 25, 2011}}{{dead link|date=September 2023}}</ref> Towards the end of [[World War II]], Silvers entertained the troops during several successful overseas [[United Service Organizations|USO tour]]s with Sinatra.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Andrews| first1=Maxene| last2=Gilbert| first2=Bill| year=1993| title=Over Here, Over There: The Andrews Sisters and the USO Stars in World War II| publisher=Thorndike Press| isbn=978-0-7862-0094-8| page=200}}</ref> |
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===''The Phil Silvers Show''=== |
===''The Phil Silvers Show''=== |
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Silvers became a household name in 1955 when he starred as Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko in ''You'll Never Get Rich'', later retitled ''[[The 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.<ref name=museum>{{cite web| last= |
Silvers became a household name in 1955 when he starred as Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko in ''You'll Never Get Rich'', later retitled ''[[The 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.<ref name=museum>{{cite web| last=Gomery| first=Douglas| url=http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=silversphil| title=Phil Silvers| website=[[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]| access-date=November 25, 2011| archive-date=December 4, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204232815/http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=silversphil| url-status=live}}</ref> 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-episode ''[[The New Phil Silvers Show]]'',<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| last=Newcomb| first=Horace| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CFXgj7a55agC&q=Grafton+%22The+New+Phil+Silvers+Show%22&pg=PA1758| title=Phil Silvers Show| encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Television| volume=1| year= 2004| edition=2nd| publisher=CRC Press| isbn=978-1-5795-8394-1| page=1758| access-date=2020-10-28| archive-date=2022-01-02| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102234717/https://books.google.com/books?id=CFXgj7a55agC&q=Grafton+%22The+New+Phil+Silvers+Show%22&pg=PA1758| url-status=live}}</ref> with co-stars [[Stafford Repp]], [[Herbie Faye]], [[Buddy Lester]], [[Elena Verdugo]] as his sister, Audrey, and her children, played by [[Ronnie Dapo]] and [[Sandy Descher]]. |
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=== Film roles === |
=== Film roles === |
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[[File:Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Trailer16.jpg|thumb|Silvers in ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963)]] |
[[File:Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Trailer16.jpg|thumb|Silvers in ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963)]] |
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Throughout the 1960s, he appeared in films such as ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963)<ref>{{cite web| url= |
Throughout the 1960s, he appeared in films such as ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963)<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79559/It-s-a-Mad-Mad-Mad-Mad-World/| title=It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World| website=[[Turner Classic Movies]]| access-date=November 25, 2011| archive-date=January 25, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125063911/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79559/It-s-a-Mad-Mad-Mad-Mad-World/| url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[40 Pounds of Trouble]]'' (1963).<ref>{{cite news| last=Crowther| first=Bosley| author-link=Bosley Crowther| url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B03E1DA173CEF3BBC4C51DFB7668388679EDE| title=Movie Review: '40 Pounds of Trouble'| newspaper=[[The New York Times]]| date=January 24, 1963| access-date=February 12, 2017| archive-date=October 12, 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012011635/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B03E1DA173CEF3BBC4C51DFB7668388679EDE| url-status=live}}</ref> According to the documentary on the DVD of ''It'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. |
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He was featured in [[Marilyn Monroe]]'s last film, the unfinished ''[[Something's Got to Give]]'' (1962). In 1967, he starred as a guest in one of the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Carry On films]], ''[[Follow That Camel]]'', a [[French Foreign Legion|Foreign Legion]] parody in which he played a variation of the Sergeant Bilko character, Sergeant Nocker.<ref>{{cite |
He was featured in [[Marilyn Monroe]]'s last film, the unfinished ''[[Something's Got to Give]]'' (1962). In 1967, he starred as a guest in one of the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Carry On films]], ''[[Follow That Camel]]'', a [[French Foreign Legion|Foreign Legion]] parody in which he played a variation of the Sergeant Bilko character, Sergeant Nocker.<ref>{{cite book| last=Munden| first=Kenneth White| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s1k1RsGvFwwC&q=%22Follow+That+Camel%22+%22+Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA360| chapter=Follow That Camel| title=The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures| year=1971| publisher=University of California Press| isbn=978-0-5202-0970-1| page=360| access-date=2020-10-28| archive-date=2022-01-02| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102234717/https://books.google.com/books?id=s1k1RsGvFwwC&q=%22Follow+That+Camel%22+%22+Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA360| url-status=live}}</ref> Producer [[Peter 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.<ref>{{cite book| editor-last1=Childs| editor-first1=Peter| editor-first2=Mike| editor-last2=Storry| chapter=Carry On films| title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture| year=1999| publisher=Taylor & Francis| isbn=978-0-4151-4726-2| page=83| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iS4hsxKiMNgC&q=%22Follow+That+Camel%22+%22+Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA83|access-date= 2020-10-28|archive-date=2022-01-02| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102234747/https://books.google.com/books?id=iS4hsxKiMNgC&q=%22Follow+That+Camel%22+%22+Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA83| url-status=live}}</ref> His salary was £30,000, the largest Carry On salary ever, only later met by the appearance of [[Elke Sommer]] in ''[[Carry On Behind]]''. |
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=== Broadway === |
=== Broadway === |
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[[File:Phil Silvers Top Banana.JPG|thumb|Publicity photo of Silvers from the musical ''Top Banana'']] |
[[File:Phil Silvers Top Banana.JPG|thumb|Publicity photo of Silvers from the musical ''Top Banana'']] |
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When Silvers played the quintessential con-man Harrison Floy in the 1947 Broadway production of ''[[High 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." |
When Silvers played the quintessential con-man Harrison Floy in the 1947 Broadway production of ''[[High 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 in ''[[Top Banana (musical)|Top 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 on [[Milton Berle]].) Silvers dominated the show and won a [[Tony Award]] for his performance. He repeated the role in [[Top Banana (film)|the 1954 film version]] which was initially released in [[3-D film|3-D]].<ref name=master/> Silvers returned to Broadway in the musical ''[[Do Re Mi (musical)|Do Re Mi]]'' in December 1960, receiving a nomination for the [[Tony 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 and [[Nancy Walker]]."<ref>{{cite book| last1=Green| first1=Stanley| last2=Green| first2=Kay| chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/broadwaymusicals0000gree_f1q2/page/194/mode/2up?q=%22do+re+mi%22| chapter=Do Re Mi| title=Broadway Musicals, Show By Show| year=1996| edition=5th| publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation| isbn=978-0-7935-7750-7| page=194| access-date=2023-09-11| archive-date=2022-01-02| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102234745/https://books.google.com/books?id=KDKFHniTy1YC&q=%22Jule+Styne%22+%22Do+Re+Mi%22&pg=PA194| url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Silvers was offered the leading role of conniving Roman slave Pseudolus in the Broadway musical comedy ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]''. Silvers declined, |
Silvers was offered the leading role of conniving Roman slave Pseudolus in the Broadway musical comedy ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]''. Silvers declined, and the role went instead to [[Zero Mostel]], who was so successful in the role that he repeated the role in the 1966 film version.<ref name=master/> By this time, Silvers realized his error and agreed to appear in the film as a secondary character, flesh merchant Marcus Lycus. When actor-producer [[Larry Blyden]] mounted a Broadway revival of ''Forum'' in 1972, he wanted Phil Silvers to play the lead, and this time Silvers agreed.<ref>{{cite book| last1=Green| first1=Stanley| last2=Green| first2=Kay| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KDKFHniTy1YC&q=%22A+Funny+Thing+Happened%22+%22Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA198| chapter=A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum| title=Broadway Musicals, Show by Show| year=1996| publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation| isbn=978-0-7935-7750-7| page=198| access-date=2020-10-28| archive-date=2022-01-02| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102234816/https://books.google.com/books?id=KDKFHniTy1YC&q=%22A+Funny+Thing+Happened%22+%22Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA198| url-status=live}}</ref> The revival was a hit and Silvers became the first leading actor ever to win a [[Tony Award]] in a revival of a musical. |
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===Later career=== |
===Later career=== |
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[[File:Silvers hillbillies 1970.JPG|left|thumb|170px|Silvers in ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' (circa 1969–1970)]] |
[[File:Silvers hillbillies 1970.JPG|left|thumb|170px|Silvers in ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' (circa 1969–1970)]] |
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Later in his career, Silvers guest-starred on ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'', and various TV variety shows such as ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'', ''[[Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In]]'' and ''[[The Dean Martin Show]]''. He appeared as curmudgeonly Hollywood producer Harold Hecuba in the classic 1966 episode "[[The Producer]]" on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', where he and the castaways performed a musical version of ''[[Hamlet]]''.<ref>{{cite book| last= |
Later in his career, Silvers guest-starred on ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'', and various TV variety shows such as ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'', ''[[Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In]]'' and ''[[The Dean Martin Show]]''. He appeared as curmudgeonly Hollywood producer Harold Hecuba in the classic 1966 episode "[[The Producer]]" on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', where he and the castaways performed a musical version of ''[[Hamlet]]''.<ref>{{cite book| last=Cantor| first=Paul A.| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A6Qr6BFJUjoC&q=%22Gilligan%27s+Island%22+%22Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA19| chapter=The Courage of the Fearless Crew| title=Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization| year=2003| publisher=Rowman & Littlefield| isbn=978-0-7425-0779-1| page=19| access-date=2020-10-28| archive-date=2022-01-02| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102234719/https://books.google.com/books?id=A6Qr6BFJUjoC&q=%22Gilligan%27s+Island%22+%22Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA19| url-status=live}}</ref> (Silvers's production company Gladasya – named after his [[catchphrase]] "Gladdaseeya!"{{Cref2|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 credit ''[[CHiPs]]'' in 1983. He also starred in various television specials and talk shows such as ''[[Bob Hope television specials#1976|The 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]]'' and ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]''. In 1980, Silvers participated in ''The Friar's Club Tribute to [[Milton Berle]]'' alongside [[Don Rickles]], [[Dick Shawn]], [[Walter Matthau]], [[Jack Lemmon]], [[George Burns]], [[Karl Malden]], and [[Robert Culp]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.classicfriarsroasts.com/product/friarsroastsmiltonberle| title=Milton Berle Roast| website=classicfriarroasts.com| access-date=May 26, 2020| archive-date=September 26, 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926094822/https://www.classicfriarsroasts.com/product/friarsroastsmiltonberle| url-status=live}}</ref> |
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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Phil Silvers was married twice, to [[Jo-Carroll Dennison]] and to Evelyn Patrick.<ref name=tvgbio>[http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/phil-silvers/bio/170182 "Phil Silvers: Biography"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309135207/http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/phil-silvers/bio/170182 |date=2012-03-09 }} |
Phil Silvers was married twice, to [[Jo-Carroll Dennison]] and to Evelyn Patrick.<ref name=tvgbio>[http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/phil-silvers/bio/170182 "Phil Silvers: Biography"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309135207/http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/phil-silvers/bio/170182 |date=2012-03-09 }}. ''[[TV Guide]]''.</ref> Both of his marriages ended in divorce.<ref name=museum/> He had five daughters — Candace, [[Cathy Silvers|Cathy]], Laury, Nancey<!--sp OK-->, and Tracey <ref name=tvgbio /> — all by his second wife, Evelyn Patrick, who later married British musician [[Terry Dene]].<ref name=master/> |
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Like his alter-ego Ernie Bilko, Silvers was a compulsive gambler, and also suffered from [[Depression (mood)|chronic depression]].<ref>Maslon |
Like his alter-ego Ernie Bilko, Silvers was a compulsive gambler, and also suffered from [[Depression (mood)|chronic depression]].<ref>{{cite book| last1=Maslon| first1=Lawrence| last2=Kantor| first2=Michael| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uV2gZKvQwR0C&dq=compulsive+gambler+%22+Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PT229| chapter=Phil Silvers| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508113028/https://books.google.com/books?id=uV2gZKvQwR0C&pg=PT229&dq=compulsive+gambler+%22+Phil+Silvers%22&hl=en#v=onepage&q=compulsive%20gambler%20%22%20Phil%20Silvers%22&f=false| archive-date=2016-05-08| title=Make 'em Laugh: The Funny Business of America| date=December 2, 2008| publisher=Hachette Digital| isbn=978-0-4465-5575-3}}</ref> He suffered a [[Mental breakdown|nervous breakdown]] in 1962 while performing in Spain. While staying in [[Reno, Nevada]], in the 1950s, he would often gamble all night. On one occasion, at the tiny [[Cal Neva Lodge & Casino|Cal-Neva Lodge]] in nearby [[Lake Tahoe, Nevada]], Silvers spent an entire night playing [[craps]] 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!"<ref>{{cite book| last=Moe| first=Albert Woods| title=Nevada's Golden Age of Gambling| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yHP6Usz3vJ0C&q=phil+silvers| page=30| publisher=Puget Sound Books| year=2001| isbn=978-0-9715-0190-4| access-date=2023-09-11}}</ref> |
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His memoir is titled ''This Laugh Is On Me''. |
His memoir is titled ''This Laugh Is On Me''. |
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==Illness and death== |
==Illness and death== |
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Silvers suffered a [[stroke]] during the run of ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]'' in August 1972.<ref> |
Silvers suffered a [[stroke]] during the run of ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]'' in August 1972 at the [[Lunt-Fontanne Theatre]].<ref>{{cite news| title=Phil Silver's Illness Threatens 'Forum' Run| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/08/archives/phil-silverss-illness-threatens-forum-run.html| newspaper=The New York Times| date=August 8, 1972| page=21}}</ref> He was left with slurred speech. Despite his poor health, he continued working, playing Harry Starman in the 1974 "Horror in the Heights" episode of ''[[Kolchak: The Night Stalker]]'' starring [[Darren McGavin]]. His guest appearances continued into the early 1980s, including co-starring in ''[[The Chicken Chronicles]]'' (1977),<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=886&dat=19770825&id=-gVZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IVADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5022,1883586 "Phil Silvers Rough Road Back"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403030127/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=886&dat=19770825&id=-gVZAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IVADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5022,1883586 |date=2016-04-03}}. ''[[The Daily Courier (Arizona)|The Prescott Courier]]''. August 25, 1977.</ref> an appearance on ''[[Fantasy Island]]'' as an old comic trying to reunite with his old partner, and on ''[[Happy Days]]'' as the father of Jenny Piccolo (played by his real daughter [[Cathy Silvers|Cathy]]).<ref>{{cite book| last=Brant| first=Marley| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3XnpqmYAxcC&dq=%22Happy+Days%22+%22+Phil+Silvers%22+Piccolo&pg=PA59| chapter=Jennie Piccolo| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213605/https://books.google.com/books?id=_3XnpqmYAxcC&pg=PA59&dq=%22Happy+Days%22+%22+Phil+Silvers%22+Piccolo&hl=en#v=onepage&q=%22Happy%20Days%22%20%22%20Phil%20Silvers%22%20Piccolo&f=false| archive-date=2016-03-03| title=Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms 1974-1984| publisher=Billboard Books| year=2006| isbn=978-0-8230-8933-8| page=59}}</ref> Silvers played the cab driver Hoppy in [[Neil Simon]]'s send-up of hard-boiled detective films, ''[[The Cheap Detective]]'' (1978), which starred [[Peter 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 of ''[[CHiPs]]'' (entitled "Hot Date") in 1983. |
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On November 1, 1985, Silvers died in his sleep in [[Century City, California]]. |
On November 1, 1985, Silvers died in his sleep in [[Century City, California]]. He was interred at [[Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery]] in [[Los Angeles]].<ref>Farah, Judy. "Kings of Comedy Mourn Funnyman Phil Silvers". ''The Associated Press''. November 4, 1985.</ref> |
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==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
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In 1996, ''[[TV Guide]]'' ranked him number 31 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.<ref>{{cite book |title=TV Guide Guide to TV |year=2004 |publisher=Barnes and Noble |isbn=0-7607-5634- |
In 1996, ''[[TV Guide]]'' ranked him number 31 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.<ref>{{cite book |title=TV Guide Guide to TV |year=2004 |publisher=Barnes and Noble |location=New York |isbn=978-0-7607-5634-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/596 596] |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/596}}</ref> |
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In 2003, ''The Phil Silvers Show'' was voted Best Sitcom<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3148934.stm Best Sitcom] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221033421/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3148934.stm |date=2007-02-21 |
In 2003, ''The Phil Silvers Show'' was voted Best Sitcom<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3148934.stm "Best Sitcom"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070221033421/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3148934.stm |date=2007-02-21}}. ''[[BBC News]]''. September 29, 2003.</ref> in the ''[[Radio 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 on ''Bilko'', says he "was always fascinated with Phil's sense of timing. Incredible." |
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Voice actor [[Daws Butler]] employed an [[impressionist (entertainment)|impression]] of Silvers as the voice of the [[Hanna-Barbera]] cartoon character [[Hokey Wolf]]<ref>{{cite web| url= |
Voice actor [[Daws Butler]] employed an [[impressionist (entertainment)|impression]] of Silvers as the voice of the [[Hanna-Barbera]] cartoon character [[Hokey Wolf]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cartoonscrapbook.com/H/hokeywolf1960.htm |title=Hokey Wolf| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208180953/http://www.cartoonscrapbook.com/H/hokeywolf1960.htm |archive-date=2010-12-08| website=Cartoon Scrapbook |access-date=November 25, 2011}}</ref> and also used the same voice in numerous cartoons for [[Jay Ward]].{{citation needed |date=January 2011}} The premise of ''The Phil Silvers Show'' was the basis for the Hanna-Barbera animated series ''[[Top Cat]]'', for which [[Arnold Stang]] moderately imitated Silvers's voice for the title character.<ref>{{cite news| last=Weber| first=Bruce| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/arts/television/22stang.html| title=Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91| newspaper=The New York Times| date=December 22, 2009| access-date=February 12, 2017| archive-date=December 7, 2016| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207110849/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/arts/television/22stang.html| url-status=live}}</ref> The 1993 animated series ''[[Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' featured a character called Wes Weasley, who had a very similar appearance and voice to Silvers. |
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''[[Phil Silvers Archival Museum|Sgt Bilko's Vintage Emporium and The Phil Silvers Archival Museum]]'' houses personal and commercial memorabilia collected by Silvers' correspondent Steve Everitt. Opened in 2015 it is located in [[Fargo Village|FarGo Village]], [[Coventry]], [[United Kingdom]].<ref> |
''[[Phil Silvers Archival Museum|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 in [[Fargo Village|FarGo Village]], [[Coventry]], [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.fargovillage.co.uk/tenants/sgt-bilko/| title=Sgt Bilko's Vintage Emporium & the Phil Silvers Archival Museum| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115113945/http://www.fargovillage.co.uk/tenants/sgt-bilko/| archive-date=2019-01-15| website=Fargo Village| access-date=2023-09-11}}</ref> |
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== Work == |
== Work == |
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| Line 77: | Line 82: | ||
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Venue !! Ref |
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Venue !! Ref |
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|- |
|- |
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|1939 || ''[[Yokel Boy]]'' || "Punko" Parks || [[Majestic Theatre (Broadway)|Majestic Theatre]], Broadway || <ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=11169 "Phil Silvers |
|1939 || ''[[Yokel Boy]]'' || "Punko" Parks || [[Majestic Theatre (Broadway)|Majestic Theatre]], Broadway || <ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=11169 "Phil Silvers"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104095120/http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=11169 |date=2011-11-04}}. ''[[Internet Broadway Database]]''. Retrieved November 25, 2011.</ref> |
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|- |
|- |
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|1947 || ''[[High Button Shoes]]'' || Harrison Floy || [[Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)|Broadway Theatre]], Broadway || |
|1947 || ''[[High Button Shoes]]'' || Harrison Floy || [[Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)|Broadway Theatre]], Broadway || |
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| Line 83: | Line 88: | ||
|1951 || ''[[Top Banana (musical)|Top Banana]]'' || Jerry Biffle || [[Winter Garden Theatre]], Broadway || |
|1951 || ''[[Top Banana (musical)|Top Banana]]'' || Jerry Biffle || [[Winter Garden Theatre]], Broadway || |
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|- |
|- |
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|1960 || ''[[Do Re Mi (musical)|Do Re Mi]]'' || Hubert |
|1960 || ''[[Do Re Mi (musical)|Do Re Mi]]'' || Hubert Cram || [[54th Street Theatre]], Broadway <br/> U.S. National Tour || |
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|- |
|- |
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|1971 || ''[[How the Other Half Loves]]'' || Frank Foster || [[Royale Theatre]], Broadway || |
|1971 || ''[[How the Other Half Loves]]'' || Frank Foster || [[Royale Theatre]], Broadway || |
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===Filmography=== |
===Filmography=== |
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Source: Turner Classic Movies<ref>[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/177675%7C124703/Phil-Silvers/ "Phil Silvers Biography"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927045326/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/177675%7C124703/Phil-Silvers/ |date=2011-09-27 |
Source: Turner Classic Movies<ref>[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/177675%7C124703/Phil-Silvers/ "Phil Silvers Biography"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927045326/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/177675%7C124703/Phil-Silvers/ |date=2011-09-27}}. ''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved November 25, 2011.</ref> |
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{| class=wikitable |
{| class=wikitable |
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! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |
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| Line 190: | Line 195: | ||
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |
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|- |
|- |
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|1948 || ''The Phil Silvers Arrow Show''|| Host-Performer || 3 episodes<ref>{{cite news|title=The Phil Silvers Arrow Show|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9xYEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Harry+Salter%22&pg=PA1895|access-date=17 August 2016|magazine=Billboard|date=December 4, 1948|page=10|archive-date=2 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102234826/https://books.google.com/books?id=9xYEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Harry+Salter%22&pg=PA1895|url-status=live}}</ref> |
|1948 || ''The Phil Silvers Arrow Show''|| Host-Performer || 3 episodes<ref>{{cite news| title=The Phil Silvers Arrow Show| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9xYEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Harry+Salter%22&pg=PA1895| access-date=17 August 2016| magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| date=December 4, 1948| page=10| archive-date=2 January 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102234826/https://books.google.com/books?id=9xYEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Harry+Salter%22&pg=PA1895| url-status=live}}</ref> |
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|- |
|- |
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|{{nowrap|1955–59}} || ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]'' || |
|{{nowrap|1955–59}} || ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]'' || MSgt. Ernest G. 'Ernie' Bilko || 143 episodes |
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|1959 || ''Keep in Step'' || Himself/Sgt. Ernest G. Bilko || Television movie |
|1959 || ''Keep in Step'' || Himself/Sgt. Ernest G. Bilko || Television movie |
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| Line 248: | Line 253: | ||
|1981 || ''[[Happy Days]]'' || Roscoe Piccalo || Episode: "Just a Piccalo" |
|1981 || ''[[Happy Days]]'' || Roscoe Piccalo || Episode: "Just a Piccalo" |
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|1983 || ''[[CHiPs]]'' || Herman Hinton || Episode: "Hot Date" |
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== Awards and nominations == |
== Awards and nominations == |
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{| class=wikitable |
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
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|- |
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! Year !! Award !! Category !! Project !! Result |
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! Year |
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! Award |
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! Category |
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! Nominated work |
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! Result |
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! Ref. |
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|- |
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| 2014 |
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| Online Film & Television Association Awards |
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| colspan="2"| Television Hall of Fame |
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| {{Won|Inducted}} |
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| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.oftaawards.com/tv-hall-of-fame/television-hall-of-fame-actors/ |title=Television Hall of Fame: Actors |publisher=Online Film & Television Association |access-date=August 18, 2024}}</ref> |
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|- |
|- |
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|rowspan=2|[[8th Primetime Emmy Awards|1956]] |
| rowspan="2"| [[8th Primetime Emmy Awards|1956]] |
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| rowspan="5"| [[Primetime Emmy Awards]] |
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| colspan="2"| Best Comedian |
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| {{won}} |
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| align="center" rowspan="5"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/phil-silvers |title=Phil Silvers |publisher=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] |access-date=August 18, 2024}}</ref> |
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|- |
|- |
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| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series|Best Actor in a Continuing Performance]] |
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series|Best Actor in a Continuing Performance]] |
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| rowspan="4"| ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]'' |
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| {{won}} |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[9th Primetime Emmy Awards|1957]] |
| [[9th Primetime Emmy Awards|1957]] |
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| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series|Best Continuing Actor in a Comedy Series]] |
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| {{nom}} |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[10th Primetime Emmy Awards|1958]] |
| [[10th Primetime Emmy Awards|1958]] |
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| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series|Best Continuing Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic or Comedy Series]] |
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| {{nom}} |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[11th Primetime Emmy Awards|1959]] |
| [[11th Primetime Emmy Awards|1959]] |
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| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series|Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series]] |
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| {{nom}} |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[6th Tony Awards|1952]] |
| [[6th Tony Awards|1952]] |
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| rowspan="3"| [[Tony Awards]] |
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| [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Best Actor in a Musical]] |
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| ''[[Top Banana (musical)|Top Banana]]'' |
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| {{won}} |
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| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1952/category/any/show/any/ |title=The 1952 Tony Awards |publisher=[[Tony Awards]] |access-date=August 18, 2024}}</ref> |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[15th Tony Awards|1961]] |
| [[15th Tony Awards|1961]] |
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| rowspan="3"| [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Best Leading Actor in a Musical]] |
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| ''[[Do Re Mi (musical)|Do Re Mi]]'' |
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| {{nom}} |
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| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1961/category/any/show/any/ |title=The 1961 Tony Awards |publisher=[[Tony Awards]] |access-date=August 18, 2024}}</ref> |
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|- |
|- |
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|[[26th Tony Awards|1972]] |
| [[26th Tony Awards|1972]] |
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| ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]'' |
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| {{won}} |
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| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1972/category/any/show/any/ |title=The 1972 Tony Awards |publisher=[[Tony Awards]] |access-date=August 18, 2024}}</ref> |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{Cnote2 Begin|liststyle=upper-alpha|colwidth=40em}} |
{{Cnote2 Begin|liststyle=upper-alpha|colwidth=40em}} |
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{{Cnote2|A|Or "Glad to see you". A 1944 musical titled ''[[Glad To See You]]'' was written with Silvers intended for the starring role, but he was contracted for the film ''[[Diamond Horseshoe]]'' and not available (and the musical closed during out-of-town tryouts and did not reach Broadway).<ref>{{cite book |last=Bloom |first=Ken |title=The Routledge Guide to Broadway |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fYbYyQjHwdsC&pg=516 |access-date=July 18, 2021 |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |isbn= |
{{Cnote2|A|Or "Glad to see you". A 1944 musical titled ''[[Glad To See You]]'' was written with Silvers intended for the starring role, but he was contracted for the film ''[[Diamond Horseshoe]]'' and not available (and the musical closed during out-of-town tryouts and did not reach Broadway).<ref>{{cite book |last=Bloom |first=Ken |title=The Routledge Guide to Broadway |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fYbYyQjHwdsC&pg=516 |access-date=July 18, 2021 |year=2006 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-4159-7380-9 |page=516 |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102234809/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Broadway/fYbYyQjHwdsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=516 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://masterworksbroadway.com/blog/say-hi-to-high-button-shoes-by-peter-filichia/ |title=Say Hi to High Button Shoes |first=Peter |last=Filichia |date=23 April 2019 |website=Masterworks Broadway |access-date=July 18, 2021 |archive-date=July 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718034833/https://masterworksbroadway.com/blog/say-hi-to-high-button-shoes-by-peter-filichia/ |url-status=live}}</ref>}} |
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{{Cnote2 End}} |
{{Cnote2 End}} |
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[[Category:Donaldson Award winners]] |
[[Category:Donaldson Award winners]] |
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[[Category:Jewish American male actors]] |
[[Category:Jewish American male actors]] |
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[[Category:People from Brownsville, Brooklyn]] |
[[Category:People from Brownsville, Brooklyn]] |
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[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]] |
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]] |
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[[Category:Tony Award winners]] |
[[Category:Tony Award winners]] |
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[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners]] |
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]] |
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[[Category:Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery]] |
[[Category:Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American male actors]] |
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]] |
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[[Category:20th Century Studios contract players]] |
[[Category:20th Century Studios contract players]] |
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[[Category:Comedians from Brooklyn]] |
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[[Category:Jewish American comedians]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American comedians]] |
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]] |
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[[Category:American male comedy actors]] |
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[[Category:Writers from Brooklyn]] |
[[Category:Writers from Brooklyn]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American male singers]] |
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American singers]] |
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[[Category:Jews from New York (state)]] |
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Latest revision as of 17:24, 25 October 2024
| Phil Silvers | |
|---|---|
 Silvers as Sgt. Bilko | |
| Birth name | Phillip Silver |
| Born | May 11, 1911 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 1, 1985 (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1922–1985 |
| Genres | Character comedy |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
| Notable works and roles | The Phil Silvers Show |
Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911[1] – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly 60 years. He achieved major popularity when he starred in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S. Army post in which he played Master Sergeant Ernest (Ernie) Bilko. He also starred in the films It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966). He was a winner of two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on The Phil Silvers Show and two Tony Awards for his performances in Top Banana and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He also wrote the original lyrics to the jazz standard "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)".
Early life
[edit]Born Philip Silver, he was the eighth and youngest child of Russian Jewish immigrants, Saul and Sarah (née Handler) Silver.[2] His siblings were Lillian, Harry, Jack, Saul, Pearl, Michael, and Reuben Silver. His father, a sheet metal worker, helped build the early New York skyscrapers.[3]
Career
[edit]Silvers began entertaining at the age of 11, when he would sing in theaters when the film 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 the Gus Edwards Revue. Subsequently, he worked in vaudeville and as a burlesque comic.[5]
Silvers next worked in short films for the Vitaphone studio, such as Ups and Downs (1937), and on Broadway, where he made his début in the short-lived show Yokel Boy in 1939. Critics raved about Silvers, who was hailed as the bright spot in the mediocre play.[6] The Broadway revue High Kickers (1941) was based on his concept.[7]
He made his feature film début in Hit Parade of 1941 in 1940[8] (his previous appearance as a 'pitch man' in Strike Up the Band was cut). Over the next two decades, he worked as a character actor for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Columbia, and 20th Century Fox, in such films as All Through the Night (1942) with Humphrey Bogart. Around the same time, he played a scene with W. C. Fields in Tales of Manhattan (also 1942) which was cut from the original release, but restored decades later in home video issues. Silvers also appeared in Lady Be Good (1941), Coney Island (1943), Cover Girl (1944), with Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth, and in Summer Stock (1950) with Kelly and Judy Garland.[9] When the studio system began to decline, he returned to the stage.
Silvers wrote the lyrics for Frank Sinatra's "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)". Although he was not a songwriter, he wrote the lyrics while visiting composer Jimmy Van Heusen. The two composed the song for Van Heusen's writing partner Johnny Burke, for his wife Bessie's birthday. Substituting Sinatra's little daughter's name Nancy 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 of World War II, Silvers entertained the troops during several successful overseas USO tours with Sinatra.[11]
The Phil Silvers Show
[edit]Silvers became a household name in 1955 when he starred as Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko in You'll Never Get Rich, later retitled The 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-episode The New Phil Silvers Show,[13] with co-stars Stafford Repp, Herbie Faye, Buddy Lester, Elena Verdugo as his sister, Audrey, and her children, played by Ronnie Dapo and Sandy Descher.
Film roles
[edit]
Throughout the 1960s, he appeared in films such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)[14] and 40 Pounds of Trouble (1963).[15] According to the documentary on the DVD of It'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 Marilyn Monroe's last film, the unfinished Something's Got to Give (1962). In 1967, he starred as a guest in one of the British Carry On films, Follow That Camel, a Foreign Legion parody in which he played a variation of the Sergeant Bilko character, Sergeant Nocker.[16] Producer Peter 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 of Elke Sommer in Carry On Behind.
Broadway
[edit]
When Silvers played the quintessential con-man Harrison Floy in the 1947 Broadway production of High 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 in Top 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 on Milton Berle.) Silvers dominated the show and won a Tony Award for his performance. He repeated the role in the 1954 film version which was initially released in 3-D.[4] Silvers returned to Broadway in the musical Do Re Mi in December 1960, receiving a nomination for the Tony 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 and Nancy Walker."[18] Silvers was offered the leading role of conniving Roman slave Pseudolus in the Broadway musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Silvers declined, and the role went instead to Zero 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-producer Larry Blyden mounted a Broadway revival of Forum 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 career
[edit]
Later in his career, Silvers guest-starred on The Beverly Hillbillies, and various TV variety shows such as The Carol Burnett Show, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and The Dean Martin Show. He appeared as curmudgeonly Hollywood producer Harold Hecuba in the classic 1966 episode "The Producer" on Gilligan's Island, where he and the castaways performed a musical version of Hamlet.[20] (Silvers's production company Gladasya – named after his catchphrase "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 credit CHiPs in 1983. He also starred in various television specials and talk shows such as The 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 and The Mike Douglas Show. In 1980, Silvers participated in The Friar's Club Tribute to Milton Berle alongside Don Rickles, Dick Shawn, Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, George Burns, Karl Malden, and Robert Culp.[21]
Personal life
[edit]Phil Silvers was married twice, to Jo-Carroll Dennison and to Evelyn Patrick.[22] Both of his marriages ended in divorce.[12] He had five daughters — Candace, Cathy, Laury, Nancey, and Tracey [22] — all by his second wife, Evelyn Patrick, who later married British musician Terry Dene.[4]
Like his alter-ego Ernie Bilko, Silvers was a compulsive gambler, and also suffered from chronic depression.[23] He suffered a nervous breakdown in 1962 while performing in Spain. While staying in Reno, Nevada, in the 1950s, he would often gamble all night. On one occasion, at the tiny Cal-Neva Lodge in nearby Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Silvers spent an entire night playing craps 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 titled This Laugh Is On Me.
Illness and death
[edit]Silvers suffered a stroke during the run of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in August 1972 at the Lunt-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 of Kolchak: The Night Stalker starring Darren McGavin. His guest appearances continued into the early 1980s, including co-starring in The Chicken Chronicles (1977),[26] an appearance on Fantasy Island as an old comic trying to reunite with his old partner, and on Happy Days as the father of Jenny Piccolo (played by his real daughter Cathy).[27] Silvers played the cab driver Hoppy in Neil Simon's send-up of hard-boiled detective films, The Cheap Detective (1978), which starred Peter 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 of CHiPs (entitled "Hot Date") in 1983.
On November 1, 1985, Silvers died in his sleep in Century City, California. He was interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.[28]
Legacy
[edit]In 1996, TV Guide ranked him number 31 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.[29]
In 2003, The Phil Silvers Show was voted Best Sitcom[30] in the Radio 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 on Bilko, says he "was always fascinated with Phil's sense of timing. Incredible."
Voice actor Daws Butler employed an impression of Silvers as the voice of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Hokey Wolf[31] and also used the same voice in numerous cartoons for Jay Ward.[citation needed] The premise of The Phil Silvers Show was the basis for the Hanna-Barbera animated series Top Cat, for which Arnold Stang moderately imitated Silvers's voice for the title character.[32] The 1993 animated series Adventures 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 in FarGo Village, Coventry, United Kingdom.[33]
Work
[edit]Theatre
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Yokel Boy | "Punko" Parks | Majestic Theatre, Broadway | [34] |
| 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 |
Filmography
[edit]Source: Turner Classic Movies[35]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Ups and Downs | Charlie | Short film |
| 1940 | Strike Up the Band | Pitch Man | Scenes deleted |
| 1940 | Hit Parade of 1941 | Charlie Moore | |
| 1941 | The Wild Man of Borneo | Murdock | |
| 1941 | The Penalty | Hobo | |
| 1941 | Tom, Dick and Harry | Ice Cream Vendor | |
| 1941 | Ice-Capades | Larry Herman | |
| 1941 | Lady Be Good | Master of Ceremonies | |
| 1941 | You're in the Army Now | Breezy Jones | |
| 1942 | Roxie Hart | Babe | |
| 1942 | My Gal Sal | Wiley | |
| 1942 | All Through the Night | Waiter | |
| 1942 | Footlight Serenade | Slap | |
| 1942 | Tales of Manhattan | 1st Salesman at Santelli's | Uncredited; scenes deleted |
| 1942 | Just Off Broadway | Roy Higgins | |
| 1943 | Coney Island | Frankie | |
| 1943 | A Lady Takes a Chance | Smiley Lambert | |
| 1944 | Four Jills in a Jeep | Eddie | |
| 1944 | Cover Girl | Genius | |
| 1944 | Take It or Leave It | Phil Silvers | |
| 1944 | Something for the Boys | Harry Hart | |
| 1945 | Diamond Horseshoe | Blinkie Miller | |
| 1945 | Don Juan Quilligan | 'Mac' MacDenny | |
| 1945 | A Thousand and One Nights | Abdullah | |
| 1946 | If I'm Lucky | Wallingham M. 'Wally' Jones | |
| 1950 | Summer Stock | Herb Blake | |
| 1954 | Top Banana | Jerry Biffle | |
| 1954 | Lucky Me | Hap Schneider | |
| 1962 | Something's Got to Give | Insurance Salesman | Incomplete |
| 1962 | 40 Pounds of Trouble | Bernie Friedman | |
| 1963 | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Otto Meyer | |
| 1966 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Marcus Lycus | |
| 1967 | A Guide for the Married Man | Technical Advisor (Realtor) | |
| 1967 | Follow That Camel | Sergeant Nocker | |
| 1968 | Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell | Phil Newman | |
| 1970 | The Boatniks | Harry Simmons | |
| 1975 | The Strongest Man in the World | Kirwood Krinkle | |
| 1976 | Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood | Murray Fromberg | |
| 1977 | The Chicken Chronicles | Max Ober | |
| 1977 | The Night They Took Miss Beautiful | Marv Barker | |
| 1978 | The Cheap Detective | Hoppy | |
| 1979 | Racquet | Arthur Sargent | |
| 1980 | The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood | William B. Warkoff | |
| 1980 | There Goes the Bride | Psychiatrist |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | The Phil Silvers Arrow Show | Host-Performer | 3 episodes[36] |
| 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" |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Television Hall of Fame | Inducted | [37] | |
| 1956 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Best Comedian | Won | [38] | |
| 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 | [39] |
| 1961 | Best Leading Actor in a Musical | Do Re Mi | Nominated | [40] | |
| 1972 | A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Won | [41] | ||
- In 2000, Silvers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Or "Glad to see you". A 1944 musical titled Glad To See You was written with Silvers intended for the starring role, but he was contracted for the film Diamond Horseshoe and not available (and the musical closed during out-of-town tryouts and did not reach Broadway).[42][43]
References
[edit]- ^ "Phil Silvers | Biography, TV Show, & Facts". Encyclopædia Britannica. Entertainment & Pop Culture > Actors. May 1, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Silvers, Phil; Saffron, Robert (1973). This Laugh Is on Me: The Phil Silvers Story. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-1391-9100-8.
- ^ "Dick Cavett interviews Phil Silvers in Hollywood in 1981". YouTube. January 22, 1982. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Phil Silvers". Masterworks Broadway. Archived from the original on November 8, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ Monush, Barry (2003). "Phil Silvers". Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. Vol. 1. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 681. ISBN 978-1-5578-3551-2.
- ^ Bordman, Gerald; Norton, Richard (2010). "Yokel Boy". American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle. Oxford University Press. p. 575. ISBN 978-0-19-972970-8.
- ^ Suskin, Steven (2011). The Sound of Broadway Music. Oxford University Press. p. https://books.google.com/books?id=yy_9UJLhAUMC&pg=PT407 123]. ISBN 978-0-19-979084-5.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (December 5, 1940). "Movie Review: 'Hit Parade of 1941' at Loew's Criterion". Archived 2012-03-10 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times.
- ^ "Phil Silvers Filmography". Fandango. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ Frank Sinatra: The Complete Guide. Google eBook. Retrieved November 25, 2011.[dead link]
- ^ Andrews, Maxene; Gilbert, Bill (1993). Over Here, Over There: The Andrews Sisters and the USO Stars in World War II. Thorndike Press. p. 200. ISBN 978-0-7862-0094-8.
- ^ a b Gomery, Douglas. "Phil Silvers". Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ Newcomb, Horace (2004). "Phil Silvers Show". Encyclopedia of Television. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). CRC Press. p. 1758. ISBN 978-1-5795-8394-1. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (January 24, 1963). "Movie Review: '40 Pounds of Trouble'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ Munden, Kenneth White (1971). "Follow That Camel". The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures. University of California Press. p. 360. ISBN 978-0-5202-0970-1. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ Childs, Peter; Storry, Mike, eds. (1999). "Carry On films". Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture. Taylor & Francis. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-4151-4726-2. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ Green, Stanley; Green, Kay (1996). "Do Re Mi". Broadway Musicals, Show By Show (5th ed.). Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-7935-7750-7. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
- ^ Green, Stanley; Green, Kay (1996). "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". Broadway Musicals, Show by Show. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-7935-7750-7. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ Cantor, Paul A. (2003). "The Courage of the Fearless Crew". Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-7425-0779-1. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ "Milton Berle Roast". classicfriarroasts.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- ^ a b "Phil Silvers: Biography". Archived 2012-03-09 at the Wayback Machine. TV Guide.
- ^ Maslon, Lawrence; Kantor, Michael (December 2, 2008). "Phil Silvers". Make 'em Laugh: The Funny Business of America. Hachette Digital. ISBN 978-0-4465-5575-3. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016.
- ^ Moe, Albert Woods (2001). Nevada's Golden Age of Gambling. Puget Sound Books. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-9715-0190-4. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
- ^ "Phil Silver's Illness Threatens 'Forum' Run". The New York Times. August 8, 1972. p. 21.
- ^ "Phil Silvers Rough Road Back". Archived 2016-04-03 at the Wayback Machine. The Prescott Courier. August 25, 1977.
- ^ Brant, Marley (2006). "Jennie Piccolo". Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms 1974-1984. Billboard Books. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-8230-8933-8. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
- ^ Farah, Judy. "Kings of Comedy Mourn Funnyman Phil Silvers". The Associated Press. November 4, 1985.
- ^ TV Guide Guide to TV. New York: Barnes and Noble. 2004. p. 596. ISBN 978-0-7607-5634-8.
- ^ "Best Sitcom". Archived 2007-02-21 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. September 29, 2003.
- ^ "Hokey Wolf". Cartoon Scrapbook. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ Weber, Bruce (December 22, 2009). "Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
- ^ "Sgt Bilko's Vintage Emporium & the Phil Silvers Archival Museum". Fargo Village. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
- ^ "Phil Silvers". Archived 2011-11-04 at the Wayback Machine. Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ "Phil Silvers Biography". Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ^ "The Phil Silvers Arrow Show". Billboard. December 4, 1948. p. 10. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
- ^ "Television Hall of Fame: Actors". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ "Phil Silvers". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ "The 1952 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ "The 1961 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ "The 1972 Tony Awards". Tony Awards. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ Bloom, Ken (2006). The Routledge Guide to Broadway. Routledge. p. 516. ISBN 978-0-4159-7380-9. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ Filichia, Peter (April 23, 2019). "Say Hi to High Button Shoes". Masterworks Broadway. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Phil Silvers.
- Phil Silvers at IMDb
- Phil Silvers at the Internet Broadway Database
- Phil Silvers at the TCM Movie Database
- Phil Silvers at AllMovie
- The British Phil Silvers Appreciation Society
- Phil Silvers at Find a Grave
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