The Phil Silvers Show

- Season 2

(1956)

When the Motor Pool at Fort Baxter is chosen as the location to shoot an army training film about the care and maintenance of the humble spark plug, Sgt.Bilko cooks up a scheme to shoot his own film.

Bilko discovers one of his platoon is an expert on birds. He signs Pvt. Honnegan up for 'The $64,000 Question' TV show. Honnegan is a smash hit on his specialized subject of birds, until he is struck by an unexpected case of amnesia.

Bilko tries to get even with a crooked bookie by placing a 1000-1 bet on Schmill College football team to beat the championship team from rival college Notre Dame. Using reverse psychology Bilko brings his devious scheme into play.

Bilko, Henshaw, and Barbella visit New York to see My Fair Lady on Broadway. Ernie acts out the play in real life as he schemes to make a recent immigrant more desirable so Rocco's brother will want to marry her.

Mike McCluskey is assigned to Bilko's platoon. Bilko tries to get McCluskey's face on the new Army recruiting poster, but Doberman unwittingly winds up being picked as the best-looking soldier on the camp.

When Colonel Hall introduces a new cultural program at Fort Baxter, Bilko's men are lured away from his gambling ventures. It's not long before Bilko finds a way to incorporate gambling into the cultural classes.

Bilko hears Paparelli singing a song and is convinced he's found a new song for the motor pool. He enters the platoon into an army song contest. But it soon becomes clear that Paparelli's song might not be a new find after all.

Sgt.Bilko and Pvt.Kadowski send gifts to their girlfriends and Ernie asks Duane Doberman to deliver the packages. Duane mixes the packages up and chaos ensues.

Bilko tries to lose money to Ritzik in a series of gambles that backfire.

It's Fort Baxter Day at the camp. It's tradition for the platoon to date each other's sisters. Doberman's sister is without a date. Bilko can't find anyone to date Duane's sister, that is until he invents the mythical Musselman's Law.

When Bilko's pal Greg Chickering is cheated out of his inheritance by his devious relatives, Bilko cooks up a scheme involving a parrot, a treasure map and a whole host of nefarious characters, to help Pvt.Chickering regain his fortune.

Bilko mistakenly receives a letter of investigation from the Bureau of Internal Revenue and has to prove his "innocence".

Bilko sets up a mink farm at Fort Baxter. All he has to do is get the mink to breed. When all attempts fail he enlists Doberman's help. Duane imitates the symptoms displayed by the mink to a doctor and Bilko soon realizes he's been conned.

Ed Sullivan puts an Army talent spot on his TV show. Chaos ensues when Bilko is convinced he's been chosen to star in a big production number on the show. It's not long before Bilko has all of the production team ganging up on Ed Sullivan.

Bilko is having trouble sleeping. A psychiatrist advises Bilko to reform his ways and stop gambling. However, it's not long before the whole camp becomes unsettled as they believe Bilko is simply cooking up a new set of schemes.

When Bilko hears that his friend Sgt.Bensonhurst has not been invited to his own son's wedding, Ernie sets out to convince the Wingate family that Sgt.Bensonhurst is much more than just a humble sergeant in the US Army.

Ritzik wins $1,700, and Mrs. Ritzik asks Col. Hall to lock him in the guardhouse to keep him away from Bilko. Keen to get his hands on the money, Bilko tries everything to get himself locked up.

Bilko hoodwinks Bing Crosby's manager into having Bing drop by at Fort Baxter. Ernie stages a concert but gets word that Bing won't be able to visit after all so he tries to pass off a lookalike as the real thing.

Bilko invents a new gambling system. When word spreads about the system, aided by the air force Bilko heads for Monte Carlo armed with a bankroll and a weekend pass.

Mayor Burke refuses to build a service center for the men at Fort Baxter. Bilko has Doberman run against him for Mayor, in the hopes that if elected, Mayor Doberman will use his influence to approve the service center.

Comedian Buddy Bickford visits Fort Baxter, looking to make a comedy about the army and he's come to the camp for research. Bilko tries to convince Bickford that the army comedy is old hat and he's found the perfect vehicle for him.

Pvt.Perkins is assigned to Bilko's platoon and Bilko becomes a father-figure to him. Perkins is a practical joker his antics upset the whole platoon. Bilko turns the tables on Perkins and puts his own elaborate practical joke into action.

Elvin Pelvin is drafted into the army & the brass decide to send him to a quiet, backwater army base. They choose Fort Baxter and Bilko spots the chance to make some serious money when he is offered $10,000 for a new Elvin Pelvin recording.

Pvt. Lester Mendelsohn is rescued from a Pacific island & assigned to Bilko's platoon. Lester learns that he's due over $7,000 in back-pay. When he loses the money to Grover and Ritzik, Bilko sets out to win back Lester's cash.

Roseville is freezing and Bilko enters the platoon into a singing contest. First prize is a trip Florida. The platoon arrives in Miami and is treated like royalty. Could it be that the singing contest is what they have really signed up for?

Movie mogul Mike Todd runs a competition to promote 'Around The World In 80 Days'. The prize is $20,000 to anyone who makes it in 80 hours. Bilko is a cert to win the money until a kid at the airport is mistakenly taken in Bilko's place.

There's a contest for the best original American recipe & a $50,000 prize. Bilko uses a French chef's secret casserole recipe and enters it in the contest. But the so-called secret recipe was actually in the Army cookbook all along.

A journalist comes to Roseville hoping to expose security leaks in the army. Bilko sees money to be made and scams him by showing him hundreds of supposed 'top-secret' documents.

The local radio station closes & Bilko hijacks the station frequency and sets up his own radio show. When a microphone is left switched on in Colonel Hall's house all of Roseville are hooked on the antics in 'John's Original Wife'.

Lt.Wallace takes command of Company B & makes the lives of Bilko and his men a nightmare. Bilko thinks things might ease up if the Lt. has a woman in his life. It's not long before the real reason behind the Lt.'s behavior is revealed.

Bilko thinks the army plan to expand Fort Baxter & buys the adjacent swampland with the Platoon Welfare Fund. The army really plans to downsize the camp and Bilko tries to sell the newly-named Bilko Acres, until he finds oil on the land.

Bilko accidentally hypnotizes Doberman into thinking he is in love with the Colonel's wife.

The fates have aligned and it's the one day in his life when nothing can go wrong for Sgt.Bilko - but will the Old Sarge realize in time and get the chance to place that one big bet?

To get the Colonel off the base Ernie talks him into entering an army golfing tournament. The only problem is that the Colonel is a terrible golfer. Bilko enlists the help of champion golfer Sam Snead - with some surprising results.

The cast meet in Lindy's restaurant to watch scenes edited out of previous shows. Nat Hiken felt these outtakes were too good to end up on the cutting room floor and compiled them into what is possibly television's first 'clip show'.

Doberman is in love but the young lady's parents disapprove & Duane is thrown out of their house. Bilko decides it's time the parents see the real Duane Doberman and cooks up a scheme that sees him being passed off as a member of royalty.