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Phil Silvers as Sgt. Bilko

"The Phil Silvers Show"

Steve Bilko

From Madelyn T – Mr. Pop – One of my favorite early TV sitcoms was “Sgt. Bilko” with Phil Silvers. I once read a trivia answer that said “Bilko” was the name of a real baseball player. Is that right?

Mr. Pop History – That’s right. The original name of the show was “You’ll Never Get Rich” and featured Phil Silvers as the ever-conniving Sgt. Bilko – the Army’s biggest huckster. Silvers was one of those great comedy actors with impeccable timing. Produced by Nat Hiken, it was one of the best from that decade. When the show went off the air in 1959 (after 4 years) – it found a bigger audience in syndicated reruns.

The “Bilko” character was named after first baseman Steve Bilko of the (then) St. Louis Cardinals.