I'm really impressed by the thought and care others have put into reviewing this movie. So, here's my input. I'm a huge Steve Martin fan & he's a comedy giant, but. He ain't Bilko and never will be. Steve Martin is essentially a well-educated, sophisticated, upper middle-class Californian whereas Phil Silvers (RIP) was a hustling, streetwise, New York jew who came from the the streets and learned his craft from the ground up. The experience Silvers brought to the character made Ernie Bilko such an icon. I guess he'd have played a wealthy LA lawyer just as badly as Martin plays Bilko(?) As others have said (and better than me) Phil Silvers WAS Bilko. You can't improve on perfection. I can't understand why the makers of this film even tried? What I do like about this remake (accidentally) is that it's made me realise exactly what was SO good about the original. Firstly, Martin's character is nothing more than a slippery, greasy, self-obsessed con-man. Silvers played the role very differently. The original Bilko was a hustler because he came from an environment where you either hustled or starved, and don't forget Silvers' Bilko always cared about his troops. In episode after episode, when it came down to it Ernie Bilko would put his men before his "instincts". My personal favorite was the episode where Bilko uses his dubious talents to out con the con-men who've cheated Doberman out of an inheritence. I don't see any human qualities in the shallow Bilko as played by Martin. Then there are the minor players in the original series. Have you ever noticed, all the privates & corporals are guys 15 or 20 years older than real soldiers would be in those ranks. Even the wonderful Dan Ackroyd lacks the priceless confusion of the original. "Bilko-world" is surreal & I'm sad anyone thought such a comedy classic could ever be remade.
Review of Sgt. Bilko
