Editing Phil Silvers

{{short description|American actor (1911–1985)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox comedian
| image         = Phil silvers as bilko.JPG
| caption       = Silvers as Sgt. Bilko 
|alt = Silvers in a military uniform
| birth_name    = Phillip Silver
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1911|05|11}}
| birth_place   = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1985|11|01|1911|05|11}}
| death_place   = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
|years_active = 1922–1985
| genre         = [[Character comedy]]
| notable_works = ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]''
| spouse        = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Jo-Carroll Dennison]]|1945|1950|end=div}}
* {{marriage|Evelyn Patrick|1956|1966|end=div}}
}}
| children      = 5
}}
'''Phil Silvers''' (born '''Phillip Silver'''; May 11, 1911<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Phil Silvers {{!}} Biography, TV Show, & Facts |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Phil-Silvers |access-date=2024-05-07 |date=2024-05-01 |language=en-US |department=Entertainment & Pop Culture > Actors}}</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 Awards]] 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)]]".

==Early life==
Born Philip Silver, he was the eighth and youngest child of Russian Jewish immigrants, Saul and Sarah (née Handler) Silver.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Silvers |first=Phil |url=https://archive.org/details/thislaughisonmep0000silv/page/14/mode/2up?q=philip |title=This Laugh Is on Me: The Phil Silvers Story |last2=Saffron |first2=Robert |publisher=[[Prentice-Hall]] |year=1973 |isbn=978-0-1391-9100-8 |location=Englewood Cliffs, N.J. |page=15 |url-access=registration}}</ref> His father, a sheet metal worker, helped build the early New York [[skyscraper]]s.<ref name="Cavett">{{Cite web |date=22 January 1982 |title=Dick Cavett interviews Phil Silvers in Hollywood in 1981 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg5_zgHtXVc |access-date=19 March 2023 |website=[[YouTube]] |language=en}}</ref>

==Career==
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 |title=Phil Silvers |url=http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/artist/phil-silvers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108153633/http://www.masterworksbroadway.com/artist/phil-silvers |archive-date=November 8, 2011 |access-date=November 25, 2011 |website=[[Masterworks Broadway]]}}</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 |year=2003 |title=Phil Silvers |encyclopedia=Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |last=Monush |first=Barry |volume=1 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=toTIb1Ek2WwC&dq=%22Phil+Silvers%22+%22This+Laugh+Is+On+Me%22&pg=PA681 681] |isbn=978-1-5578-3551-2}}</ref>

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 |last=Bordman |first=Gerald |title=American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle |last2=Norton |first2=Richard |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-19-972970-8 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=OVdShkzkX74C&dq=%22Yokel+Boy%22+%22Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA575 575] |chapter=Yokel Boy}}</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 |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-19-979084-5 |page=https://books.google.com/books?id=yy_9UJLhAUMC&pg=PT407 123]}}</ref>

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 [[Warner Bros.]], [[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 |title=Phil Silvers Filmography |url=http://www.fandango.com/philsilvers/filmography/p65703 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013041937/http://www.fandango.com/philsilvers/filmography/p65703 |archive-date=October 13, 2011 |access-date=November 25, 2011 |website=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]}}</ref> 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 (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 |last=Andrews |first=Maxene |title=Over Here, Over There: The Andrews Sisters and the USO Stars in World War II |last2=Gilbert |first2=Bill |publisher=Thorndike Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-7862-0094-8 |page=200}}</ref>

===''The Phil Silvers Show''===
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 |title=Phil Silvers |url=http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=silversphil |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204232815/http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=silversphil |archive-date=December 4, 2010 |access-date=November 25, 2011 |website=[[Museum of Broadcast Communications]]}}</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 |year=2004 |title=Phil Silvers Show |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Television |publisher=CRC Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CFXgj7a55agC&q=Grafton+%22The+New+Phil+Silvers+Show%22&pg=PA1758 |access-date=2020-10-28 |last=Newcomb |first=Horace |edition=2nd |volume=1 |page=1758 |isbn=978-1-5795-8394-1 |url-status=live |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 |archive-date=2022-01-02}}</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]].

=== Film roles ===
[[File:Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Trailer16.jpg|thumb|Silvers in ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963)]]
Throughout the 1960s, he appeared in films such as ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963)<ref>{{Cite web |title=It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79559/its-a-mad-mad-mad-mad-world |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125063911/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79559/It-s-a-Mad-Mad-Mad-Mad-World/ |archive-date=January 25, 2012 |access-date=November 25, 2011 |website=[[Turner Classic Movies]]}}</ref> and ''[[40 Pounds of Trouble]]'' (1963).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |author-link=Bosley Crowther |date=January 24, 1963 |title=Movie Review: '40 Pounds of Trouble' |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B03E1DA173CEF3BBC4C51DFB7668388679EDE |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012011635/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B03E1DA173CEF3BBC4C51DFB7668388679EDE |archive-date=October 12, 2013 |access-date=February 12, 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</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 book |last=Munden |first=Kenneth White |title=The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures |publisher=University of California Press |year=1971 |isbn=978-0-5202-0970-1 |page=360 |chapter=Follow That Camel |access-date=2020-10-28 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s1k1RsGvFwwC&q=%22Follow+That+Camel%22+%22+Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA360 |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 |archive-date=2022-01-02 |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 |title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary British Culture |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-4151-4726-2 |editor-last=Childs |editor-first=Peter |page=83 |chapter=Carry On films |access-date=2020-10-28 |editor-last2=Storry |editor-first2=Mike |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iS4hsxKiMNgC&q=%22Follow+That+Camel%22+%22+Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA83 |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 |archive-date=2022-01-02 |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]]''.

=== Broadway ===
[[File:Phil Silvers Top Banana.JPG|thumb|Publicity photo of Silvers from the musical ''Top Banana'']]

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 (historian)|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 |last=Green |first=Stanley |title=Broadway Musicals, Show By Show |last2=Green |first2=Kay |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-7935-7750-7 |edition=5th |page=194 |chapter=Do Re Mi |access-date=2023-09-11 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/broadwaymusicals0000gree_f1q2/page/194/mode/2up?q=%22do+re+mi%22 |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 |archive-date=2022-01-02 |url-status=live}}</ref> 
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 |last=Green |first=Stanley |title=Broadway Musicals, Show by Show |last2=Green |first2=Kay |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-7935-7750-7 |page=198 |chapter=A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum |access-date=2020-10-28 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KDKFHniTy1YC&q=%22A+Funny+Thing+Happened%22+%22Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA198 |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 |archive-date=2022-01-02 |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.

===Later career===
[[File:Silvers hillbillies 1970.JPG|left|thumb|170px|Silvers in ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' (circa 1969–1970)]]
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. |title=Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7425-0779-1 |page=19 |chapter=The Courage of the Fearless Crew |access-date=2020-10-28 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A6Qr6BFJUjoC&q=%22Gilligan%27s+Island%22+%22Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PA19 |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 |archive-date=2022-01-02 |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 |title=Milton Berle Roast |url=https://www.classicfriarsroasts.com/product/friarsroastsmiltonberle |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926094822/https://www.classicfriarsroasts.com/product/friarsroastsmiltonberle |archive-date=September 26, 2020 |access-date=May 26, 2020 |website=classicfriarroasts.com}}</ref>

==Personal life==
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, including [[Cathy Silvers|Cathy]], <ref name="tvgbio" /> all by his second wife, Evelyn Patrick, who later married British musician [[Terry Dene]].<ref name=master/>

Like his alter-ego Ernie Bilko, Silvers was a compulsive gambler, and also suffered from [[Depression (mood)|chronic depression]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Maslon |first=Lawrence |title=Make 'em Laugh: The Funny Business of America |last2=Kantor |first2=Michael |date=December 2, 2008 |publisher=Hachette Digital |isbn=978-0-4465-5575-3 |chapter=Phil Silvers |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uV2gZKvQwR0C&dq=compulsive+gambler+%22+Phil+Silvers%22&pg=PT229 |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}}</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 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yHP6Usz3vJ0C&q=phil+silvers |title=Nevada's Golden Age of Gambling |publisher=Puget Sound Books |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-9715-0190-4 |page=30 |access-date=2023-09-11}}</ref>

His memoir is titled ''This Laugh Is On Me''.

==Illness and death==
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 |date=August 8, 1972 |title=Phil Silver's Illness Threatens 'Forum' Run |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/08/archives/phil-silverss-illness-threatens-forum-run.html |work=The New York Times |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-life daughter, [[Cathy Silvers|Cathy]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brant |first=Marley |title=Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms 1974-1984 |publisher=Billboard Books |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8230-8933-8 |page=59 |chapter=Jennie Piccolo |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3XnpqmYAxcC&dq=%22Happy+Days%22+%22+Phil+Silvers%22+Piccolo&pg=PA59 |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}}</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.

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>

==Legacy==
In 1996, ''[[TV Guide]]'' ranked him number 31 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/596 |title=TV Guide Guide to TV |publisher=Barnes and Noble |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7607-5634-8 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780760756348/page/596 596]}}</ref>

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."

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 |title=Hokey Wolf |url=http://www.cartoonscrapbook.com/H/hokeywolf1960.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208180953/http://www.cartoonscrapbook.com/H/hokeywolf1960.htm |archive-date=2010-12-08 |access-date=November 25, 2011 |website=Cartoon Scrapbook}}</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 |date=December 22, 2009 |title=Arnold Stang, Milquetoast Actor, Dies at 91 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/arts/television/22stang.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207110849/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/arts/television/22stang.html |archive-date=December 7, 2016 |access-date=February 12, 2017 |work=The New York Times}}</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.

''[[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 |title=Sgt Bilko's Vintage Emporium & the Phil Silvers Archival Museum |url=https://www.fargovillage.co.uk/tenants/sgt-bilko/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115113945/http://www.fargovillage.co.uk/tenants/sgt-bilko/ |archive-date=2019-01-15 |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=Fargo Village}}</ref>

== Work ==

=== Radio<ref>{{Cite web |title=RadioGold Index |url=https://radiogoldin.library.umkc.edu/Home/RadioGoldin_Records?searchString=Silvers,%20Phil&type=Artists&count=39 |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=radiogoldin.library.umkc.edu}}</ref> (abridged) ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Title
!Date
|-
|''[[Rudy Vallée|The Rudy Vallee Sealtest Show]]''
|June 19, July 17, 1941
|-
|[[Command Performance (radio series)|Command Performance]]
|June 23, 1942; September 29, 1947
|-
|[[Mail Call (radio program)|Mail Call]]
|January 09, 1943
|-
|[[Kraft Music Hall|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 (NBC Radio)|The Big Show]] 
|December 1, 1950
|-
|[[Suspense (radio drama)|Suspense]] "The Swift Rise Of Eddie Albright"
|April 03, 1947
|}

=== Theatre ===
{| class=wikitable
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Venue !! Ref
|-
|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> 
|-
|1947 || ''[[High Button Shoes]]'' || Harrison Floy || [[Broadway Theatre (53rd Street)|Broadway Theatre]], Broadway || 
|-
|1951 || ''[[Top Banana (musical)|Top Banana]]'' || Jerry Biffle || [[Winter Garden Theatre]], Broadway ||
|-
|1960 || ''[[Do Re Mi (musical)|Do Re Mi]]'' || Hubert Cram || [[54th Street Theatre]], Broadway <br/> 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===
Source: Turner Classic Movies<ref>[https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/177675%7C124703/Phil-Silvers/ "Phil Silvers Biography"]. [https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/177675%7C124703/Phil-Silvers/]. ''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved November 25, 2011.</ref>
{| class=wikitable
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1937 || ''[[Ups and Downs (1937 film)|Ups and Downs]]'' || Charlie || Short film
|-
|1940 || ''[[Strike Up the Band (film)|Strike Up the Band]]'' || Pitch Man || Scenes deleted
|-
|1940 || ''[[Hit Parade of 1941]]'' || Charlie Moore ||
|-
|1941 || ''[[The Wild Man of Borneo (film)|The Wild Man of Borneo]]'' || Murdock ||
|-
|1941 || ''[[The Penalty (1941 film)|The Penalty]]'' || Hobo ||
|-
|1941 || ''[[Tom, Dick and Harry (1941 film)|Tom, Dick and Harry]]'' || Ice Cream Vendor ||
|-
|1941 || ''[[Ice-Capades]]'' || Larry Herman ||
|-
|1941 || ''[[Lady Be Good (1941 film)|Lady Be Good]]'' || Master of Ceremonies ||
|-
|1941 || ''[[You're in the Army Now]]'' || Breezy Jones ||
|-
|1942 || ''[[Roxie Hart (film)|Roxie Hart]]'' || Babe ||
|-
|1942 || ''[[My Gal Sal]]'' || Wiley ||
|-
|1942 || ''[[All Through the Night (film)|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 (1943 film)|Coney Island]]'' || Frankie ||
|-
|1943 || ''[[A Lady Takes a Chance]]'' || Smiley Lambert ||
|-
|1944 || ''[[Four Jills in a Jeep]]'' || Eddie ||
|-
|1944 || ''[[Cover Girl (1944 film)|Cover Girl]]'' || Genius ||
|-
|1944 || ''[[Take It or Leave It (1944 film)|Take It or Leave It]]'' || Phil Silvers ||
|-
|1944 || ''[[Something for the Boys (film)|Something for the Boys]]'' || Harry Hart ||
|-
|1945 || ''[[Diamond Horseshoe]]'' || Blinkie Miller ||
|-
|1945 || ''[[Don Juan Quilligan]]'' || 'Mac' MacDenny ||
|-
|1945 || ''[[A Thousand and One Nights (1945 film)|A Thousand and One Nights]]'' || Abdullah ||
|-
|1946 || ''[[If I'm Lucky (film)|If I'm Lucky]]'' || Wallingham M. 'Wally' Jones ||
|-
|1950 || ''[[Summer Stock]]'' || Herb Blake ||
|-
|1954 || ''[[Top Banana (film)|Top Banana]]'' || Jerry Biffle ||
|-
|1954 || ''[[Lucky Me (film)|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 (film)|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 (film)|Racquet]]'' || Arthur Sargent ||
|-
|1980 || ''[[The Happy Hooker Goes Hollywood]]'' || William B. Warkoff ||
|-
|1980 || ''[[There Goes the Bride (1980 film)|There Goes the Bride]]'' || Psychiatrist ||
|-
|}

===Television===
{| class=wikitable
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1948 || ''[[The Arrow Show|The Phil Silvers Arrow Show]]''|| Host-Performer || 3 episodes<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 4, 1948 |title=The Phil Silvers Arrow Show |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9xYEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Harry+Salter%22&pg=PA1895 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102234826/https://books.google.com/books?id=9xYEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Harry+Salter%22&pg=PA1895 |archive-date=2 January 2022 |access-date=17 August 2016 |work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=10}}</ref>
|-
|{{nowrap|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 <br/> 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
|-
|{{nowrap|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 
|-
|{{nowrap|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 (1968 TV series)|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. (1975 TV series)|S.W.A.T.]]'' || Russ Baker || 2 episodes
|-
|1975 || ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]'' || Self || Episode: #8.23 
|-
|1976 ||''[[Bob Hope television specials#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 ==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominated work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| 2014
| Online Film & Television Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Television Hall of Fame
| {{Won|Inducted}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |title=Television Hall of Fame: Actors |url=https://www.oftaawards.com/tv-hall-of-fame/television-hall-of-fame-actors/ |access-date=August 18, 2024 |publisher=Online Film & Television Association}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[8th Primetime Emmy Awards|1956]]
| rowspan="5"| [[Primetime Emmy Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Best Comedian
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="5"| <ref>{{Cite web |title=Phil Silvers |url=https://www.emmys.com/bios/phil-silvers |access-date=August 18, 2024 |publisher=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]]}}</ref>
|-
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series|Best Actor in a Continuing Performance]]
| rowspan="4"| ''[[The Phil Silvers Show]]''
| {{won}}
|-
| [[9th Primetime Emmy Awards|1957]]
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series|Best Continuing Actor in a Comedy Series]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[10th Primetime Emmy Awards|1958]]
| [[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]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[11th Primetime Emmy Awards|1959]]
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series|Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[6th Tony Awards|1952]]
| rowspan="3"| [[Tony Awards]]
| [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Best Actor in a Musical]]
| ''[[Top Banana (musical)|Top Banana]]''
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |title=The 1952 Tony Awards |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1952/category/any/show/any/ |access-date=August 18, 2024 |publisher=[[Tony Awards]]}}</ref>
|-
| [[15th Tony Awards|1961]]
| rowspan="3"| [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical|Best Leading Actor in a Musical]]
| ''[[Do Re Mi (musical)|Do Re Mi]]''
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |title=The 1961 Tony Awards |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1961/category/any/show/any/ |access-date=August 18, 2024 |publisher=[[Tony Awards]]}}</ref>
|- 
| [[26th Tony Awards|1972]]
| ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]''
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |title=The 1972 Tony Awards |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1972/category/any/show/any/ |access-date=August 18, 2024 |publisher=[[Tony Awards]]}}</ref>
|}

*In 2000, Silvers received a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].

==Notes==
{{Cnote2 Begin|liststyle=upper-alpha|colwidth=40em}}
{{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 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fYbYyQjHwdsC&pg=516 |title=The Routledge Guide to Broadway |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-4159-7380-9 |page=516 |access-date=July 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102234809/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Broadway/fYbYyQjHwdsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=516 |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Filichia |first=Peter |date=23 April 2019 |title=Say Hi to High Button Shoes |url=https://masterworksbroadway.com/blog/say-hi-to-high-button-shoes-by-peter-filichia/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718034833/https://masterworksbroadway.com/blog/say-hi-to-high-button-shoes-by-peter-filichia/ |archive-date=July 18, 2021 |access-date=July 18, 2021 |website=Masterworks Broadway}}</ref>}}
{{Cnote2 End}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{tcmdb name}}
* [http://www.bpsas.co.uk/ The British Phil Silvers Appreciation Society]
* {{Find a Grave}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Phil Silvers
|list =
{{EmmyAward ComedyLeadActor 1950-1975}}
{{TonyAward MusicalLeadActor 1947-1975}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silvers, Phil}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:American burlesque performers]]
[[Category:American male musical theatre actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
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[[Category:American male radio actors]]
[[Category:Donaldson Award winners]]
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[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Tony Award winners]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery]]
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