The New Phil Silvers Show
Encyclopedia
The New Phil Silvers Show is an American situation comedy
starring comedian Phil Silvers
which aired thirty episodes on CBS
from September 28, 1963, to April 25, 1964, under the sponsorship of General Foods
.
(CBS, 1955–1959). In the 1963–1964 version, Silvers played Harry Grafton, a plant foreman at the Osborne Corporation, who like the previous Bilko character is always eager to embrace a get-rich-quick scheme.
The large supporting cast included Stafford Repp
as Grafton's supervisor, Mr. Brink; Jim Shane as Lester; Herbie Faye
as Waluska; Douglas Dumbrille as Mr. Osborne, the factory owner; Eric Morris as Stanley; Steve Mitchell as Fred Starkey; Bob Williams as Bob, Buddy Lester
as Nick; Pat Renella as Roxy, and Norm Grabowski as Grabowski.
At mid-season, the "new" program was altered again, as the Spanish
actress Elena Verdugo
joined the cast as Grafton's widowed sister and housemate, Audrey. Sandy Descher
played Audrey's teenaged daughter and Grafton's niece, Susan. Child actor
Ronnie Dapo
played Audrey's son and Grafton's 11-year-old nephew
, Andy.
The New Phil Silvers Show aired at 8:30 Eastern on Saturday, following The Jackie Gleason Show
and preceding the acclaimed legal drama
, The Defenders. Opposite Phil Silvers, NBC offered The Joey Bishop Show
a sitcom with Joey Bishop
and Abby Dalton
, and ABC aired the first half of The Lawrence Welk Show
. In November The Defenders returned to its former (1961–63) 8:30 slot and Silvers' show moved to 9:30, according to Brooks and Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present, 7th edition, 1998.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
starring comedian Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedy actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah." He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S...
which aired thirty episodes on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
from September 28, 1963, to April 25, 1964, under the sponsorship of General Foods
General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
.
Synopsis
Silvers tried to revive with considerable changes the theme of his earlier much more successful The Phil Silvers ShowThe Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show is a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G...
(CBS, 1955–1959). In the 1963–1964 version, Silvers played Harry Grafton, a plant foreman at the Osborne Corporation, who like the previous Bilko character is always eager to embrace a get-rich-quick scheme.
The large supporting cast included Stafford Repp
Stafford Repp
Stafford Alois Repp was an American actor best known for his role as Chief O'Hara on the Batman television series.-Early life:...
as Grafton's supervisor, Mr. Brink; Jim Shane as Lester; Herbie Faye
Herbie Faye
Herbie Faye was an American actor who appeared in both of Phil Silvers's CBS television series, The Phil Silvers Show and The New Phil Silvers Show ....
as Waluska; Douglas Dumbrille as Mr. Osborne, the factory owner; Eric Morris as Stanley; Steve Mitchell as Fred Starkey; Bob Williams as Bob, Buddy Lester
Buddy Lester
Buddy Lester was a veteran actor of dozens of character roles of film and television, who regularly appeared in Jerry Lewis features, including The Patsy, The Ladies Man, The Nutty Professor, Three on a Couch, Smorgasbord, Hardly Working" and The Big Mouth.Lester also portrayed Vince Massler, one...
as Nick; Pat Renella as Roxy, and Norm Grabowski as Grabowski.
At mid-season, the "new" program was altered again, as the Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
actress Elena Verdugo
Elena Verdugo
Elena Verdugo is an American actress who began in films at the age of six in Cavalier of the West . Her career in radio, television, and film spanned six decades....
joined the cast as Grafton's widowed sister and housemate, Audrey. Sandy Descher
Sandy Descher
Sandra "Sandy" Descher is an American former child actress of the 1950s.-Biography:Although born in Burbank, California, she was discovered by accident while on vacation. When Descher was about five years old, her family had travelled across country to New York City where the girl fell in love...
played Audrey's teenaged daughter and Grafton's niece, Susan. Child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
Ronnie Dapo
Ronnie Dapo
Ronnie Dapo is an American former child actor who appeared in supporting roles in such television series as ABC's Room for One More and CBS's The New Phil Silvers Show .-Acting career:...
played Audrey's son and Grafton's 11-year-old nephew
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
, Andy.
The New Phil Silvers Show aired at 8:30 Eastern on Saturday, following The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show is the name of a series of popular American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970.-Cavalcade of Stars:...
and preceding the acclaimed legal drama
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
, The Defenders. Opposite Phil Silvers, NBC offered The Joey Bishop Show
The Joey Bishop Show (TV series)
The Joey Bishop Show is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for its first three seasons, premiering on September 20, 1961. The series then moved to CBS for its last season...
a sitcom with Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop
Joey Bishop was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin...
and Abby Dalton
Abby Dalton
Abby Dalton is an American actress.Born as Marlene Wasden in Las Vegas, Nevada, she has made numerous appearances on television, including the recurring role of "Julia Cumson" on Falcon Crest...
, and ABC aired the first half of The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
. In November The Defenders returned to its former (1961–63) 8:30 slot and Silvers' show moved to 9:30, according to Brooks and Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present, 7th edition, 1998.
Notable guest stars
- Bert ConvyBert ConvyBernard Whalen "Bert" Convy was an Emmy Award winning American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for his tenure as the host for Tattletales, Super Password, and Win, Lose or Draw.-Early life:...
- Florida FriebusFlorida FriebusFlorida Friebus was an American writer and actress of stage, film, and television. Friebus's best-known roles were Winifred "Winnie" Gillis and Mrs...
- Allen FuntAllen FuntAllen Funt was an American television producer, director and writer, television personality, best known as the creator and host of Candid Camera from the 1940s to 1980s, as either a regular television show or a television series of specials...
as himself - Bernie KopellBernie KopellBernard Morton "Bernie" Kopell is an American television character actor who is probably best known for his roles as Dr. Adam Bricker in The Love Boat and KAOS agent Siegfried in Get Smart...
- Patrick McVeyPatrick McVeyPatrick McVey was an American actor who starred in three television series between 1950 and 1961, Big Town, Boots and Saddles, and Manhunt.-Early life and career:...
- Burt MustinBurt MustinBurton Hill "Burt" Mustin was an American character actor.-Early life:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to W. I. and Sadie Mustin, Mustin was a 1903 graduate of the Pennsylvania Military College , earning his degree in civil engineering...
- Joan StaleyJoan StaleyJoan Staley is an American actress and model. She is perhaps best known for being Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its November 1958 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Lawrence Schiller and Ron Vogel...
- Ludwig StösselLudwig StösselLudwig Stössel was an actor born in Lockenhaus, Austria. He was one of many Jewish actors and actresses that were forced to flee Europe when the Nazis came to power in 1933....
, who parodied his Gallo wineE & J Gallo WineryE & J Gallo Winery was founded in 1933 by Ernest Gallo and Julio Gallo in Modesto, California. E & J Gallo Winery is the largest exporter of California wines and is a large promoter of wines from Sonoma County.-History:...
commercial
Episodes
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "Man It's Like Progress" | September 28, 1963 |
| 1-2 | "The Great Forklift Contest" | October 5, 1963 |
| 1-3 | "Birthday Boy" | October 12, 1963 |
| 1-4 | "The Tortoise and the Harry" | October 19, 1963 |
| 1-5 | "Harry Today, Gone Tomorrow" | October 26, 1963 |
| 1-6 | "The Little Old Gluemaker, Me!" | November 2, 1963 |
| 1-7 | "Triple Indemnity" | November 9, 1963 |
| 1-8 | "A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to the Coffee Break" | November 16, 1963 |
| 1-9 | "Harry Who" | November 30, 1963 |
| 1-10 | "Las Vegas Was My Mother's Maiden Name" | December 7, 1963 |
| 1-11 | "Son of Pygmalion" | December 14, 1963 |
| 1-12 | "Have I Got a Boy for You" | December 21, 1963 |
| 1-13 | "Who Do Voodoo? Harry Do!" | December 28, 1963 |
| 1-14 | "Stop the Factory, I Want to Get Off" | January 4, 1964 |
| 1-15 | "Beauty and the Least" | January 11, 1964 |
| 1-16 | "75 Trombones" | January 18, 1964 |
| 1-17 | "My Son, the Governor" | January 25, 1964 |
| 1-18 | "Leave It to Harry" | February 1, 1964 |
| 1-19 | "Smile, Harry, You're on 'Candid Camera'" | February 8, 1964 |
| 1-20 | "Pay the Two Dollars" | February 15, 1964 |
| 1-21 | "Harry, the Good Neighbor" | February 22, 1964 |
| 1-22 | "Cyrano DeGrafton" | February 29, 1964 |
| 1-23 | "Take Her, She's Tall" | March 7, 1964 |
| 1-24 | "Will the Real Harry Grafton Please Stand Up?" | March 14, 1964 |
| 1-25 | "Auntie Up" | March 21, 1964 |
| 1-26 | "Grafton's the Name, Football's My Game" | March 28, 1964 |
| 1-27 | "Keep Cool" | April 4, 1964 |
| 1-28 | "Vanity, Thy Name Is Harry" | April 11, 1964 |
| 1-29 | "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" | April 18, 1964 |
| 1-30 | "Moonlight and Dozes" | April 25, 1964 |