I missed this when it came out, and just caught it after one of those free weekends for premium channels. As a long-time fan of Phil Silvers' fabulous series of the 1950s, I was skeptical about this movie, although I usually like Steve Martin's films--especially Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
I thought it was quite true to the spirit of the TV show. I was pleased that it was PG and not full of foul language and other things not fit for children. They didn't try to duplicate everything in the original, merely to present a similar group of characters, with the same names. The plot was not unlike one in the series, but was not a remake of any episode from the series.
They had some lines that sounded like they could have come from the series. They had a way to signal "brass coming" so Bilko's men could quickly put away all their gambling devices and make the motor pool look like one--just as the series did, only more elaborate. Col. Hall in the film, just like on TV, acknowledged that Bilko knew more about what was going on, and, in effect, ran the post.
Other reviewers have detailed the plot. One highlight for me was the clever way Bilko arranged for his adversary to give himself away after ruining the test of the hover tank, not knowing the machine was not going to work in the first place. That was thinking like the Phil Silvers' version would have done.
I agree that Silvers, and Nat Hiken, would be proud that their series was re-created as a feature film 40 years later. It wasn't the funniest movie ever, but it was surely no worse than a "very funny" film.
I thought it was quite true to the spirit of the TV show. I was pleased that it was PG and not full of foul language and other things not fit for children. They didn't try to duplicate everything in the original, merely to present a similar group of characters, with the same names. The plot was not unlike one in the series, but was not a remake of any episode from the series.
They had some lines that sounded like they could have come from the series. They had a way to signal "brass coming" so Bilko's men could quickly put away all their gambling devices and make the motor pool look like one--just as the series did, only more elaborate. Col. Hall in the film, just like on TV, acknowledged that Bilko knew more about what was going on, and, in effect, ran the post.
Other reviewers have detailed the plot. One highlight for me was the clever way Bilko arranged for his adversary to give himself away after ruining the test of the hover tank, not knowing the machine was not going to work in the first place. That was thinking like the Phil Silvers' version would have done.
I agree that Silvers, and Nat Hiken, would be proud that their series was re-created as a feature film 40 years later. It wasn't the funniest movie ever, but it was surely no worse than a "very funny" film.