Phil Silvers Top Banana

Born of immigrant parents in 1912, Phil Silvers grew up on the mean streets of Brownsville in Brooklyn. His talent and wit launched a show business career that culminated with the smash Broadway show, Top Banana, and the heights of TV stardom in the 1950s as the star of his own Army sitcom. Eyewitness accounts of the comedian's life connect the show-business persona with the real-life husband and father. Among those interviewed are former wife Jo-Carroll Dennison, comedians Milton Berle, Red Buttons, Rose Marie, Jonathon Winters and Phil Hartman. It's a fascinating story of a career in which Silvers enjoyed the heights of success while suffering through the depths of gambling addiction and depression.

• documentary