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Phil Silvers (May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) 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. Army post in which he played Master Sergeant Ernest (Ernie) Bilko. ==Early life and career== Born Philip Silver on Thursday, May 11, 1911, in Brooklyn, New York, in the working-class Brownsville section,〔Erickson, Hal.("AMG Allmovie Guide. Phil Silvers Biography" ) answers.com, accessed November 26, 2011〕 he was the eighth and youngest child of Russian Jewish immigrants, Saul and Sarah (née Handler) Silver. His siblings were Lillian, Harry, Jack, Saul, Pearl, Michael, and Reuben Silver. His father, a sheet metal worker, helped build the early New York skyscrapers. Silvers started entertaining at age 11, when he would sing in theaters when the projector broke down (a common occurrence in those days), to the point where he was allowed to keep attending the same movie theater free of charge, to sing through any future breakdowns.〔("Phil Silvers" ) masterworksbroadway.com, accessed November 25, 2011〕 By age 13, he was working as a singer in the Gus Edwards Revue, and then worked in vaudeville and as a burlesque comic. Silvers next worked in short films for the Vitaphone studio, such as ''Ups and Downs'' (1937), and on Broadway, where he made his debut in the short-lived show ''Yokel Boy'' in 1939. Critics raved about Silvers, who was hailed as the bright spot in the mediocre play. The Broadway revue ''High Kickers'' (1941) was based on his concept. He made his feature film debut in ''Hit Parade of 1941'' in 1940〔Crowther, Bosley.("Movie Review: 'Hit Parade of 1941' at Loew's Criterion" ) ''The New York Times'', December 5, 1940〕 (his previous appearance as a 'pitch man' in ''Strike Up the Band'' was cut). Over the next two decades, he worked as a character actor for MGM, Columbia, and 20th Century Fox, in such films as 1941's ''All Through the Night'' with Humphrey Bogart, ''Lady Be Good'' (1941), ''Coney Island'' (1943), ''Cover Girl'' (1944), and ''Summer Stock'' (1950).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Phil Silvers Filmography )〕 When the studio system began to decline, he returned to the stage. ''Cover Girl'' demonstrates that Silvers was an accomplished dancer, performing flawlessly in quick-tempo trios with famed dancers Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth. Silvers wrote the lyrics for Frank Sinatra's "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)". Although he was not a songwriter, he wrote the lyrics while visiting composer Jimmy Van Heusen. The two composed the song for Van Heusen's writing partner Johnny Burke, for his wife Bessie's birthday. Substituting Sinatra's little daughter's name Nancy at her birthday party, the trio pressed the singer to record it himself. The song became a popular hit in 1944 and was a staple in Sinatra's live performances. Towards the end of the Second World War, Silvers entertained the troops during several successful overseas USO tours with Sinatra. Silvers scored a major triumph in ''Top Banana'', a Broadway show of 1952. Silvers played Jerry Biffle, the egocentric, always-busy star of a major television show. (The character is said to have been based on Milton Berle.) Silvers dominated the show and won a Tony Award for his performance. He repeated the role in the 1954 film version that was originally released in 3-D.〔 According to the documentary on the DVD of ''It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'', Silvers was not a traditional comedian: he was a comic actor. Silvers never did stand-up, and, out of character, he was not known for cracking jokes. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Phil Silvers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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