The Phil Silvers Show - Sgt.Bilko DVD Release

It is with great pleasure that we are able to announce that the complete series of The Phil Silvers Show (Seasons 1 - 4) is to be released in the UK as a Region 2 box-set on July 7th, 2014.

Medium Rare Entertainment have been granted full rights to release this landmark series to DVD for the UK market. Previously only a 50th Anniversary 18-episode box-set and a CBS Season One release have been available. But thanks to the efforts of Medium Rare Entertainment all 142 episodes are now being made available in a glorious 20-disc box-set complete with some exciting extra features.

Please note that this is a Region 2 only release.

The box-set is now available for pre-order at Amazon. To place your order simply click on the DVD cover image below and you will be directed to the Amazon sales page.

The Phil Silvers Show - The Complete Collection (Medium Rare Entertainment): 

"Woefully under-appreciated in it's home country, the series has always been feted in the UK and has regularly made the top ten of 'Best Sitcom' lists and is even recognised as the greatest ever sitcom from either side of the Atlantic in the prestigious Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy."

Now for the first time anywhere the Complete Series is available on DVD in this 20 disc set with a host of all new bonus extras.

Following a succesful launch event at the British Film Institute, South Bank, London on August 28th of 2014 The Phil Silvers Show - The Complete Collection was released to the UK market on September 22nd, 2014.

The 20 disc set is comprised of:

142 cleaned/restored episodes of The Phil Silvers Show

Lost Audition Show

Subtitles

Keep in Step (the lost footage)

Phil Silvers last interview with Sonny Fox (Extended Version)

Phil Silvers on the Paul Ryan Show

Bilko On Parade (BBC Documentary)

Bilko in Colour!

32 Page Collector's Booklet

Audio Commentaries

Original Network Opening

Original Network Commercials

Lucy and the Efficiency Expert

Phil Silvers on the Dick Cavett Show

Two Photo Galleries

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In June 2015 as a companion-piece to The Phil Silvers Show: The Complete Collection, Medium Rare Entertainment also released a taster DVD entitled The Very Best Of Sgt.Bilko.

Containing a selection of 10 episodes taken from all four seasons of The Phil Silvers Show which were selected to represent some of Bilko's finest moments the DVD was released as an introductory companion-piece to the complete series boxset. The DVD was then released to various outlets including eBay, Amazon, HMV, Primark etc retailing at the RRP of approximately £10.99.

Comprising a 2-Disc set the compilation features the following episodes:

Empty Store/The Rest Cure/The Court Martial/Doberman's Sister/Bilko's TV Idea/Bilko Talks In His Sleep/Doberman The Crooner/Sgt.Bilko Presents Kay Kendall/Bilko's Vampire and Guinea Pig Bilko

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Following the release of MediumRare's The Phil Silvers Show: The Complete Collection in the UK, Shout! Factory released their own version titled Sgt.Bilko: The Phil Silvers Show - The Complete Series to US and Canadian markets on November 4th, 2014. There were some differences between the UK and US releases. Whereas the UK version had undergone extensive clean-up of the video masters supplied by CBS no such clean-up was carried out on the US version. There were also some minor differences in the some of the episode running orders. Whilst the UK version adhered to the original US television airdates the US version followed the broadcast dates provided by the CBS press office.

The follwing is the official Shout! Factory press release for the series:

SGT. BILKO REPORTING FOR DUTY!

All 142 hilarious episodes!

One of the all-time classics from the golden age of television, Sgt. Bilko/The Phil Silvers Show – The Complete Series has finally arrived on DVD. This multiple Emmy® Award winner, which originally aired from 1955-1959, was one of early television’s biggest smashes and still commands attention today as both a hilarious sitcom and a star-making showcase for legendary comedian Phil Silvers (It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World) in his signature role as Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko.

Running the motor pool at Fort Baxter, the cagey Sgt. Bilko has always got an ace up his sleeve and a scheme in his head. From get-rich-quick scams to plots designed to keep himself free from the drudgery of work, he’s always running an angle that will be sure to leave his commanding officer Colonel Hall tearing out his hair — and viewers in stitches!

Featuring a memorable supporting cast, including Harvey Lembeck, Allan Melvin, Joe E. Ross, and Paul Ford, the 142 episodes in this set represent a true masterpiece of American comedy. With some of the snappiest jokes and kookiest characters of all time, Sgt. Bilko/The Phil Silvers Show – The Complete Series is an essential piece of any classic television fan’s collection.

Bonus Features

• Lost Audition Show
• "Lucy And The Efficiency Expert" (From The Lucy Show Season 5)
• Original Network Opening
• Original Cast Commercials
• Audio Commentaries By Allan Melvin, George Kennedy, Larry Storch, Mickey Freeman, And Dick Van Dyke
• Episode Intros By Allan Melvin (Cpl. Henshaw)
• The Cast Of Phil Silvers On Broadway
• Phil Silvers And Jack Benny On The Dick Cavett Show
• Interviews With Cathy, Nancey, And Tracey Silvers
• The Paul Ryan Show Interview With Phil Silvers
• Footage From The 1959 TV Special Keep In Step
• The New Phil Silvers Show Promo
• The New Phil Silvers Show Episode "Harry, The Good Neighbor"
• Phil's Final TV Interview With Sonny Fox

Bonus features on both versions had slight differences: The UK version included a 32-page illustrated booklet detailing the history of the show whilst the disc bonuses included a colourised clip of The Phil Silvers Show. The US version did not include a booklet whilst the disc bonuses included interviews with three of Phil Silvers' children: Tracey, Cathy and Nancey. The US version also included a bonus episode of The New Phil Silvers Show - the print was donated by The British PHIL SILVERS Appreciation Society.