Hogan's Heroes - General Discussion

[Maherjunkie]

He got on my nerves, but I am sorry for his passing.

[tehach]

Ivan Dixon was often a director for the Rockford Files.

[Maherjunkie]

And the Waltons.

[my tiffany]

Just rewatched the movie musical '1776' and only now recognized Howard Caine as the delegate from New York (Morris)  who, when it came to any vote,  'abstained, courteously'.

[Ottis]

Maybe more than episodes, there were a lot of lines or routines I always enjoyed:

Maj. Hochstetter: 'Who IS this man?" No matter how many times he had run into Hogan in the past.

Any time Hogan played to Klink's vanity to get Klink to do what Hogan needed him to do. Which was a lot.

Schultz when he would respond to Hogan as a commanding officer, and when Schultz would see any of the prisoners around town or out where they shouldn't be. "There is mon-key business going on here!"

And as I posted earlier, Carter playing Hitler. He was scary good.

[Maherjunkie]

Or any German soldier.  I would love to see him in a dramatic role.

 

I too loved all those moments.

[joemactuba]

I'm looking for an episode. Which episode does Schultz come into the barracks where everyone is wearing hitler mustaches and he starts saluting everyone? 

Edited June 18, 2017 by joemactuba

[Commando Cody]

Season 6. The best episode I ever watched was "Klink for the Defense".

Major Hochstetter: "Kommandant Klink: a man who could have been great, except he wasn't very good"

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

A friend of mine is from Germany and in his mid-to-late 30s. A few weeks ago, I mentioned "Hogan's Heroes" in passing; he had literally no idea what I was talking about and couldn't conceive of the idea of a sitcom based on a Nazi POW camp. I finally had him fire up Wikipedia on his phone and look it up, and his response was something like "Oh my GOD."

[Maherjunkie]

But it was POW, not concentration camp, which would bypass most politically correct heads.

No offense to your friend, just a thought as to why it wouldn't work today.

[Holden308]

Major Hochstetter was probably my favorite character.

KLINK.....WHO IS THIS MAN??? or WHAT IS THIS MAN DOING HERE????? whenever Hogan was around.

I also loved when Carter played Hitler. Damn Larry Hovis played that well.

[Raja]

On 3/18/2017 at 8:46 PM, tehach said:

Ivan Dixon was often a director for the Rockford Files.

He also co-produced and directed The Spook Who Sat By The Door about the first Black CIA officer who later leads a revolution in Chicago. It was quickly withdrawn due to FBI influence but is now on many historical film registries.

[Ria]

Now that I’m older it really annoys me how mean and disrespectful all the men on the show were about Frau Linkmeyer. She wasn’t a bad person. She wasn’t desperate for a husband, her brother was desperate for her to marry. She seemed content as a widow. She was smart and capable. The show’s obvious opinion was a woman that was plain and middle aged had no value and was even disgusting. And it’s not just because the show was done in the 60s because characters in other shows like Aunt Bea, Hazel or Ethyl Mertz weren’t treated similarly in their shows. 

Edited February 4, 2018 by Ria

[henrysmom]

Maybe it was because of the sort of woman Frau Linkmeyer was?  A little take charge, demanding?  In her first episode she said she was happy sitting at home with mama, and I think Burkhalter would have been fine with that too, but I sort of imagine her and mama and Burkhalter's wife getting together and making his home life hell.  If you picture that you can imagine why he'd want at least one of the ladies to have somebody else to dictate to.  Another husband in the family might take the pressure off him.  All conjecture of course, but if this were true I can see why he'd want her married off.

[CanuckGamer33]

Hey all, I'm new here but I wanted to chime in here.  As Hogan's Heroes has to be my all time favorite TV show for too many reasons to explain here, I have a long list of favorite episodes.  But interestingly, I can only recall one off the top of my head that I didn't like and it's one that was already mentioned.  It was the one with Crittendon as a 'double' for Lord Chitterly.  I really didn't mind the episode but it was the woman who just turned me off.  Now that I'm thinking about it, I really didn't care for any of the "double" episodes which there are 3 that I can think of.  But as far as favorites, wow...just too many to list!  I remember the miniature tank episode "Tanks for the Memories" as a favorite.  The scene where they are demonstrating the tank (with Lebeau inside) and Hogan is repeating the command by shouting it out and Schultz is standing right next to him.  After about the 3rd time, Schultz shouts back at Hogan "I HEARD YOU!!!!" lol...I remember laughing really hard at that.  I'm not sure of the episode but Hogan is in Klink's office, explaining a scenario where a young lieutenant gets out of a tank and takes Klink prisoner...the way Hogan tells that story is quite funny.  And I also agree with the posters who recalled how well Howard Caine does that line "WHO IS THIS MAN!!??!!".  Always loved that too!

[CanuckGamer33]

Wow, very cool stuff!  Thanks for sharing that everyone.  The only thing I could add, though I don't have any details would be the many connections between MASH and Hogan's Heroes. There are a number of actors, especially secondary/background actors who appeared on both shows.  I think we all know about William Christopher but there is one Caucasian actor and one black who are often seen in the background of Hogan's barracks who I recognized on MASH as well. 

[Commando Cody]

John Orchard was Ugly John on MASH. I was just thinking about one of the Hogan's Heroes episodes he was in the other day. He showed up at the baroness's house and he was trying to get Shultz to remember the code words. 

[henrysmom]

Those who are interested in the background actors may want to find a book called Bob Crane: the Definitive Biography by Carol Ford and others..  It is on Amazon and is a Kindle Unlimited book so if you subscribe to that you can read it for free (I don't--bought a hard copy because I'm old).

At any rate, the book includes a picture of the most often used background actors on the show, with their names given.  I was actually thrilled to finally get to know who these guys were because if you watch the show you see them <all> the time.  I especially love a tall skinny white guy who usually wears glasses.  They move him from being one of the other prisoners in the background, to being a guard at the camp and occasionally being a random Nazi/Gestapo man.  I'd amuse myself calling out warnings to the actors that he couldn't be trusted :)  But hey, when you've seen every episode a hundred times you do these sorts of things.

I'm fairly sure these guys mentioned above are both pictured:

 

Quote

I think we all know about William Christopher but there is one Caucasian actor and one black who are often seen in the background of Hogan's barracks who I recognized on MASH as well. 

The tall thin guy I mention is named Dennis Gray.  The black actor is Walter Smith.  He was in a ton of episodes right from the first season through the last.  And I'm pretty sure the Caucasian actor is Roy Goldman.  He was also on MASH and was actually referred to as "Roy" if for some reason the action on the show required a name.  I think he was usually a corpsman on MASH but on Hogan's Heroes he was usually just lined up for roll call or wandering around the camp or barracks.

FYI, if you are looking for a book on the Crane murder case, this one isn't for you.  The murder is really only briefly mentioned as the authors wanted to concentrate on Bob Crane's life, not his death.  I really enjoyed the book and it gives a lot of information on Hogan's Heroes, how the show came about, casting, etc.  It also gives some interesting information on the end of the show, including a sequel/continuation that Bob Crane wanted to do with the cast, but never got off the ground.

[Jamoche]

When my science class covered heavy water I already knew what it was from having seen it on the show, though when I saw the episode again recently I realized I'd mixed it up with the spa episode - my memory was of Hogan convincing Klink to swap it out for normal water because why should the big brass have the "health benefits" of the special water?

[magicdog]

I didn’t know Crane was trying to get a sequel series going!  I am hard pressed as to how they could have pulled it off if Crane had succeeded.  At best I can imagine a farewell TV movie to end the series properly.  I imagine the war in Europe ending and Hogan and his men save Klink from the gallows at Nuremberg by arranging his escape to South America.

Shultz would have gone back to his toy factory and perhaps opened a factory in the US.

Naturally the rest of the high ranking members like Hotstettler would hang after their trials.

Hogan and his group would have perhaps set up a new intelligence network in Europe and join the OSS (soon to transition into the CIA.

[Ria]

On 12/17/2018 at 2:50 PM, magicdog said:

I didn’t know Crane was trying to get a sequel series going!  I am hard pressed as to how they could have pulled it off if Crane had succeeded.  At best I can imagine a farewell TV movie to end the series properly.  I imagine the war in Europe ending and Hogan and his men save Klink from the gallows at Nuremberg by arranging his escape to South America.

Shultz would have gone back to his toy factory and perhaps opened a factory in the US.

Naturally the rest of the high ranking members like Hotstettler would hang after their trials.

Hogan and his group would have perhaps set up a new intelligence network in Europe and join the OSS (soon to transition into the CIA.

I don’t think Klink would have been charged with anything after an investigation. The POW camps run by the Luftwaffe were not concentration camps and the German Air Force did adher to the Geneva Convention for the most part. I recently read the POW camps had a death rate of less than 4%. Klink was weak and easily manipulated and none too smart but not cruel. Agree Hochstettler would likely have faced a trial. I wish there had been a movie wrapping it all up.   

Edited December 29, 2018 by Ria

[Sparkyzone]

If you havent read the Hogan's Heroes comic books, you can download them at A Cage full of Heroes

You can also watch the episodes for the time being Here.

[Marya]

My favorite episode is, Is General Hammershlag Burning?  Kinch and Hogan go to Paris.  I love the seance scene where Hogan as a deaf mute goes into a trance and becomes what he was before reincarnation.  He talks with Otto Bismark.  My favorite one liner is when Hogan pretends to be Captin Grubner (think that was the name) from Stlag 13 and he meets the General.  The general says 'tell me, is that jackass Klink still running the place?'.

[my tiffany]

I think that is the episode where we learn Kinch's first name (what else, Ivan).

[Smallpiper1]

I get a kick watching for Dennis Gray, and I'm seldom disappointed.  

[Commando Cody]

In “The Prince From The Phone Company”, Kinch said his name was James.  

[my tiffany]

METV if running LeBeau-centric (RIP Robert Clary) episodes Nov 21-23.  My thoughts for which 6 episodes

Art for Hogan's Sake - Gowns by Yvette - LeBeau and the Little Old Lady - Cuisine a la Stalag 13 - The Gypsy - and my weakest choice, on the list for the scene of him coming out of the tunnel into the girl's barracks, I Look Better in Black