“Bilko's Bombers”

As the Army platoon shuffled into their barracks to change out of their baseball uniforms and back into fatigues, Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko (Phil Silvers) poured out his disapproval. “There they are, ‘Bilko’s Bombers.’ Oh, this is a proud day,” he declares sarcastically, “Twenty-four to nothin’! Say, we’re lucky at that. The score could have been much worse. Fortunately, they called the game at the end of the fifth inning! Bilko’s Bombers?” the master sergeant questions incredulously. “Bilko’s Misguided Missiles! This is a day that will live in infamy,” Bilko pronounces, echoing the famous words President Franklin D. Roosevelt uttered after the December 7, 1941, Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. While the soldiers offer excuses for their poor performance, Bilko cannot help but focus on his own reputation: “Well, it’s probably all over the post by now. Motor Platoon nothing, WAC [Women’s Army Corps] typists twenty-four!” The men lost to the women soldiers at baseball! How could Bilko survive the humiliation? And more importantly, how could he get his men to improve enough to make good on the $50 bet he placed on the next game against fellow male soldiers? ¹