| Sgt. Bilko | |
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 Movie poster for Sgt. Bilko |
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| Directed by | Jonathan Lynn |
| Produced by | Brian Grazer |
| Written by | Nat Hiken Andy Breckman |
| Starring | Steve Martin Dan Aykroyd Phil Hartman |
| Music by | Alan Silvestri |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | March 29, 1996 |
| Running time | 93 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $29 million (estimated) |
Sgt. Bilko is a 1996 comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn and written by Andy Breckman. It is an adaptation of the 1950s television series The Phil Silvers Show (which itself is often informally called Sgt. Bilko or simply Bilko).
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Plot
Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko, played by Steve Martin, is in charge of the motor pool at Fort Baxter, a small US Army base. Exploiting this position, he directs a number of scams ranging from gambling to renting out military vehicles. His commanding officer, Colonel Hall, overlooks Bilko's money making schemes, as he is more concerned with his own affairs. Bad news begins when inspector Major Thorn (played by Phil Hartman), Bilko's rival, arrives at the camp and begins to cast scrutiny on Bilko's record. The motivation for Thorn's actions is due to the intense rivalry between the two due to several mishaps in the past, particularly because Thorn's career was ruined due to one of Bilko's scams (a fixed boxing match at Fort Dix).
Thorn's revenge ensues and ultimately it becomes a battle of wits between the two men. Thorn's reliance on sabotage ultimately leads to his downfall and he is sent to Greenland. Also within the movie's plot is Bilko's fiancee, Rita, whom Bilko has stood up several times at the altar. Bilko is given an ultimatum to win her back within 30 days or to lose her forever.
Though a Fort Baxter exists in Kansas, leading many to erroneously place the movie in Kansas[1], even a casual viewing of the film shows the movie as taking place in California, presumably near (and in) the actual city of Roseville in Placer County (adjacent to Sacramento). This can be shown by the frequent mentions of the City of Roseville, at the wedding ceremony ("by the power vested in me, by the state of California") and mention of a trip to Lake Tahoe (which would be difficult to do driving in a short weekend from Kansas, though technically not impossible).
The IMDB movie site states filmming took plac ein Sierra Madre, California, near Los Angeles.
Major cast
- Steve Martin .... Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko
- Dan Aykroyd .... Colonel John T. Hall
- Phil Hartman .... Major Colin Thorn
- Glenne Headly .... Rita Robbins
- John Marshall Jones .... Sergeant Henshaw
- Pamela Adlon .... Sergeant Raquel Barbella (as Pamela Segall)
- Austin Pendleton .... Major Ebersole
- Chris Rock .... First Lieutenant Oster
- Cathy Silvers .... First Lieutenant Monday (as Catherine Silvers)
- Steve Park .... Captain Moon
- Debra Jo Rupp .... Mrs. Hall
- Richard Herd .... General Tennyson
- Dan Ferro .... Specialist Tony Morales
- John Ortiz .... Specialist Luis Clemente
- Max Casella .... Specialist Dino Paparelli
- Daryl Mitchell .... Private First Class Wally Holbrook
- Mitchell Whitfield .... Private First Class Mickey Zimmerman
- Brian Leckner .... Private First Class Sam Fender
- Eric Edwards .... Private Duane Doberman
Reception
The film holds a 5.1/10 rating at the Internet Movie Database. Its Tomatometer rating at Rotten Tomatoes is 32%.[2]
References
- ^ Sgt. Bilko at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Sgt. Bilko at Rotten Tomatoes
External links
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