had a pomposity and condescension off-screen and "thought of himself as Cary Grant playing a short, plump man", Silvers continued: "He began to have delusions. He did not realize that the situations in which he worked, plus the sharp lines provided by Nat and the other writers, made him funny." For his part, Gosfield crowed, "Without me, the Bilko show would be nothing." Later years In 1961, Gosfield appeared in the film The Teenage Millionaire (1961). He also provided the voice for Benny the Ball on the cartoon series Top Cat which was partly based on the Sergeant Bilko series. His last role was in the 1963 film The Thrill of It All, playing a truck driver. In 1964, he unsuccessfully tested for the role of Uncle Fester in the TV series The Addams Family. Illness and death On October 14, 1964, while he was performing in a play at a New York theatre, Gosfield kept losing his balance and repeatedly falling asleep. He was diagnosed as having critical hypertension and was given seven different medications, which he was told to take for the rest of his life. On October 19 1964, Gosfield died at age 51 at Will Rogers Memorial Hospital in Saranac Lake, New York after suffering "a series of ailments including diabetes and heart trouble and other complications." Gosfield was buried at Long Island National Cemetery, Suffolk County, New York. Filmography Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950) as New York Tour Ticket Seller (uncredited) Guilty Bystander (1950) as Guard on Bridge (uncredited) Teenage Millionaire (1961) as Ernie The Thrill of It All (1963) as Truck Driver (final film role) Television Studio One (1949, Episode: "The Glass Key") The Clock (1949, Episode #1.25) We the People (1952, Episode - Episode dated 15 February 1952) as Himself The New Recruits (1955, TV Movie) as Pvt. Mulrooney The Phil Silvers Show (1955-1959) as Pvt. Duane Doberman The Ed Sullivan Show (1956-1958) as Pvt. Duane Doberman / Himself The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1958, Episode #3.34) as Himself - Guest The Phil Silvers Pontiac Special: Keep in Step (1959, TV Special) as Pvt. Duane Doberman Summer in New York (1960, TV Movie) The Jack Benny Program (1960, Episode: "Maurice Gosfield/Amateur Show") as Himself / Pvt. Duane Doberman One Happy Family (1961, Episode: "Big Night") as Fred The Detectives (1961, Episode: "Secret Assignment") as Angie The Red Skelton Hour (1961,