Silvers began his career in vaudeville in the early 1920s as a comedy partner of Phil Baker.
He also appeared in the revue A Night in Spain in 1927 and contributed lyrics to the musicals The Song Writer (1928) and Pleasure Bound (1929).
He returned to the Broadway stage in 1932 to portray Louie Webb in the musical Take a Chance.
He often contributed special comedy material to some of the larger MGM productions, including The Wizard of Oz in 1939.
He made his final film appearance in 1946, playing a featured comic role in Mr.