The Promising Delights of Hessian Girls and Imagined History in Bilko’s ‘Revolutionary War’

We’ve been rewatching a little of ‘The Phil Silvers Show’ before bed lately, and I remembered how I loved this scene in “The Revolutionary War,” when Ernie reads the diary of his noble ancestor Major Joshua Bilko, only to slowly realise the Bilko apple doesn’t fall far from the Bilko tree: the Major stands on the river banks as George Washington anxiously asks ‘In one minute we cross the Delaware, now where do I sit?’ (This after Bilko has hawked tickets for every seat on every Continental Army boat, with the encouraging promise of ‘wine, women, Hessian girls!’) ‘Um, where... General, I’m afraid you’re just going to have to stand!’

And then the gem of a punchline from the diary, ‘General Washington was completely unreasonable... he stood the whole way complaining - not once did he mention I didn't charge him a cent’ haha :’) Xo