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Hogan's Heroes was a television sitcom that ran on CBS from 1965 to 1971. Starring Bob Crane as Colonel Robert Hogan, the show was set at Stalag 13, a German prisoner of war camp for Western Allied prisoners during World War II.

Plot

Stalag 13 was identified as located near the village of Hammelburg, and run by the Luftwaffe for captured Air Force personnel.

The show's premise was that the POWs were using the camp as a base of operations for sabotaging the German war effort and assisting the Allies. The prisoners operated a secret network of tunnels that led outside the camp, and had constant radio contact with Allied command. They were aided by the fact that the camp was overseen by the bumbling Colonel Klink and his aide Sergeant Schultz.

Hogan would routinely manipulate the simple-minded Klink and Sgt. Schultz into creating ideal situations for the secret operations conducted by the men at Stalag 13.

Possible inspiration for series

Many have also seen the interaction between the prisoners as being at least somewhat inspired by the black comedy feature film about a World War II German POW camp, Stalag 17 (which in all irony was released by Paramount Pictures, whose home entertainment division currently owns the DVD rights to Hogan's Heroes). This movie even had a Sgt. Johann Sebastian Schultz, who appeared genial but was actually in league with the traitor among the prisoners. The producers of Stalag 17 later sued the producers of Hogan's Heroes for infringement.

Also, there was a real life Stalag 13, and an Offlag 13 (which contained officers), located near a real German village of Hammelburg. The senior American prisoner here was Lt. Colonel Waters, the son-in-law of General George S. Patton. In April 1945, General Patton sent a task force on a raid to rescue the prisoners of Stalag 13. The task force got in, but all of the vehicles were destroyed getting out. Few of the soldiers managed to make it back to American lines. The Stalag was liberated about a month later. Books written about this effort include The Raid and 48 Hours to Hammelburg.

Western Allied Main Characters

The central focus of the series was the cooperative effort at spying and sabotage conducted clandestinely by the 5 main Western Allied POW's (who were dubbed "Hogan's Heroes" for their heroic work against the German war effort). Each character had a unique talent or skill that contributed to the effort.

Colonel Robert E. Hogan

American Colonel Hogan (portrayed by Bob Crane) was the "senior ranking POW officer." Hogan was the leader of the group, and often their best strategist. In typical episodes, he would receive information and assignments from the German Underground or from Allied Headquarters in London; typical tasks included: setting bombs on German bridges, using microfilm to photograph militarily strategic files, gathering information about German tank or troop movements (and wiring that information to London), receiving and processing important scientists to help them escape Germany, etc. As the lead character, Hogan also (occasionally) "got the girl."

Sgt. James Kinchloe and Sgt. Richard Baker

Sgt. James Kinchloe (portrayed by Ivan Dixon), was an African-American Army non-commissioned officer; his primary task was radio, telegraph, and other forms of electronic communications. In one episode, he imitated the voice of Adolf Hitler over the phone to give Colonel Klink a specific order; in another episode, he portrayed the look-alike leader of an African nation whose cooperation was critical to the German war effort.

During the final season of the series (1970–1971), Ivan Dixon did not appear as the character Sgt. Kinchloe; the producers replaced his character without any explanation with Sgt. Richard Baker (also portrayed by an African-American actor, Kenneth Washington). The tasks assigned to Sgt. Baker were identical to those of Sgt. Kinchloe.

Sgt. Andrew J. Carter

Sgt. Carter (portrayed by Larry Hovis) was an American Army non-commissioned officer; his primary task was ordnance and bomb-making. Typically, Col. Hogan would assign Sgt. Carter the task of making a bomb with a specialized timer (or a bomb disguised in a pack of cigarettes, or a bomb in a desk flag stand).

Corporal Louis LeBeau

Cpl. LeBeau (portrayed by French actor Robert Clary) was a French Army non-commissioned officer; his primary function was to be a French chef. In a typical episode, while LeBeau would be cooking a gourmet meal of the finest French or German cuisine for Col. Klink and other German officers (to assist in distracting them), Col. Hogan and the others would be hard at work photographing their meeting papers (or otherwise taking advantage of their state of distraction). However, LeBeau also assisted with the general work of spying and sabotaging the Germans.

Corporal Peter Newkirk

Cpl. Newkirk (portrayed by British actor Richard Dawson) was a British army non-commissioned officer; his primary function was that of a general conman, pick-pocket, forger, and also (occasionally) a German officer impersonator. In a typical episode, Newkirk would be called upon to steal a vital map and hide it on his person, even while he was being actively searched. He also assisted in distracting the Germans and performing other sabotage work.

German (Axis) Main Characters

Colonel Wilhelm Klink

Oberst (Col.) Klink (played by Werner Klemperer) was a patriotic German of aristocratic (Junker) Prussian origin, an old-line Luftwaffe officer as well as a social climber. He also has a pretentious coat of arms with the letter "K" in his living quarters. Klink was never mentioned as a formal member of the Nazi Party, and was portrayed as a bumbling self-serving bureaucrat, rather than evil. Although self-centered, he was largely considered a likeable character.

Because he was so easily manipulated by Hogan and his fellow prisoners, the worst thing that could have happened for the prisoners was for Klink to be transferred away; this concern formed the basis of an occasional plot line.

Klink's record speaks for itself—he gained entry to a military academy only because of his uncle's influence; the uncle was barber to a mayor. Not only did he graduate dead last in his class, he was the only one who had not made it to the rank of general.

Colonel Klink wears both a Pour le Mérite and Iron Cross, though the series' only direct reference to his WWI service was that while piloting a plane, he panicked and crashed, causing his passenger, the "Blue Baron," to walk with a limp for the rest of his life.

For 20 years after the Great War, Klink was a captain with an efficiency rating a few points above miserable. In the only direct reference to World War II service—prior to becoming a POW camp commandant—he claims to want to pilot a Heinkel again.

His worst nightmare is the prospect of being married to the porcine General Burkhalter's sister. He even threatens to have Hogan shot for proposing such a horrible fate and claims no court-martial in the world would convict him of murder for doing so.

The character of Colonel Klink is based on the real German Colonel Klenk, CO of the German Luftwaffe Base at the village of Herzogenaurach (later US Army Herzo Arty Base) near Nuremberg.

Sergeant Hans Schultz

Hogan is indirectly aided by Klink's bumbling, highly incompetent guard Sgt. (Feldwebel) Hans Schultz (played by John Banner). Schultz is a basically good-hearted man who, when confronted with possible shenanigans by the prisoners that he would rather not believe or avoid the complications of having to report, would simply wegschauen (look away), repeating, "I hear nothing, I see nothing, I know nothing!". This eventually became a well-known signature phrase for the television series.

In one episode, Schultz confided in Hogan that he was a Social Democrat; perhaps this would explain his turning a blind eye to the obvious Allied activities. During World War II he was awarded a fictitious Iron Cross 4th Class.

Over the years that the series was produced, the character of Sergeant Schultz was expanded by his actor and the show's writers. In "War Takes a Holiday", it is learned that the sergeant was, before the war, the owner of a famous German toy factory, and longed for nothing more than to return to his previous profession. This episode presents a scene in which Klink and Schultz are discussing what they would do after the war. Schultz said he would go back to the Schotzy Toy Company. Klink was impressed, since it was the largest toy company in Germany, so he asked, "Do you think your boss will give you your old job back?" and was flabbergasted when Schultz said, "Why not? I am the boss!". For once, Klink offered Schultz a cigar, though slamming the box on the nasty Gestapo Major Hochstetter's fingers. In another, Colonel Klink is relieved of his command, and Schultz is installed as his successor. Improbably, the sergeant proves himself to be a capable wartime tactician and extremely competent in the military arts. His efforts completely disrupt Hogan's espionage operation, and the rest of the episode involves Hogan and his crew operating to convince Schultz that he is nothing more than the incompetent his superiors have always claimed. Their ruse is successful, although everyone—including the audience and Schultz himself—know that it is a ruse.

Other Germans

Other members of the German military portrayed in Hogan's Heroes were usually much more threatening than Klink or Schultz. General Albert Burkhalter (portrayed by Leon Askin) frequently tired of Klink's incompetence and often threatened to send Klink to the Russian Front as punishment.

Complicating Burkhalter's life—Klink and Burkhalter apparently had known each other for years—was that his sister Gertrude thought Klink would make a good husband. Klink, however, did not like her. Gertrude was not only obese but had a strong personality and in one episode was acting as if she were commandant, much to Hogan's discomfort.

Perhaps even more menacing is the evil, mustachioed Major Hochstetter (Howard Caine) of the Gestapo. Hochstetter is an ardent Nazi who never understands why Hogan simply barges into Klink's office and hangs out there as if he has a privileged role rather than simply being a prisoner of war. "Who is this man?" or "What is this man doing here?!" Hochstetter would demand, often repeatedly with increasing stridency. Klink is justifiably afraid of him, but Burkhalter, who is not easily intimidated, is not. Once Klink told Burkhalter, "I despise that man!" about Hochstetter. Burkhalter replied, "So do I." In "War Takes a Holiday", Hochstetter lent his car to several underground leaders (presented by Hogan as potential captains of industry), who used it to escape just as Hochstetter's superiors arrived.

Jewish actors

Some of the actors, including Werner Klemperer (Klink), John Banner (Schultz), Robert Clary (the Frenchman LeBeau), and Leon Askin (General Burkhalter) were Jews who had fled the Nazis during World War II. Clary and Banner actually spent time in a Nazi concentration camp. Clary wore long sleeves throughout the series to hide the identification number tattooed on his arm. Leon Askin, real name Leo Aschkenasy, was in a French internment camp. Howard Caine (Hochstetter) was also Jewish. Jewish actors Harold Gould and Harold J. Stone also played German generals.

Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink) was a Jewish refugee from Hitler's Germany. During the show's production, he insisted that Hogan would always win over his Nazi captors.

Askin had a particularly illustrious career. Before emigrating to the United States in 1940, he had already spent nearly two decades starring on the Viennese stage, where he became known as "the man of a thousand faces." When he and Banner left Austria, they spoke little or no English, and until they mastered it, they had their scripts spelled out for them phonetically.

Coincidentally, Askin and Banner both had memorable guest appearances in the popular syndicated 1950s TV series, The Adventures of Superman, playing characters that somewhat anticipated their roles in Hogan's Heroes.

Banner also had to wear long sleeves with his German uniform throughout the series to hide the identification number tattooed on his arm. Perhaps not surprisingly, Banner summed up the paradox of his role by saying, "Who can play Nazis better than us Jews?". Familiar with the Nazis firsthand, the victims get to make fun of their offenders in the only way they felt they knew how.

Later popularity

Years after its debut, the show became popular in Germany, where it was originally titled Stacheldraht und Fersengeld ("Barbed Wire and Turning Tail") which was later changed to Ein Käfig voller Helden ("A Cage Full of Heroes").

In response to sensitivities over Nazism and German laws which prohibit Nazi symbolism, when German characters raised their arms and said "Heil Hitler!" in the original version, the dubbed German version would often bowdlerize that line into something ridiculous, such as "The wheat grows this high".

It also introduced a new character, Kalinke the cleaning lady, who is referred to, but never seen, as she was not in the English language original.

Frequent pop culture references to the show are a testament to its popularity. In the 1993 episode of The Simpsons, "The Last Temptation of Homer", Klink appears to Homer Simpson as a guardian angel and is voiced by Klemperer.

In 1968, Robert Clary, Richard Dawson, Ivan Dixon, and Larry Hovis cut an LP record entitled Hogan's Heroes Sing the Best of World War II, which included lyrics for the theme song. The record did not sell well, and is today considered a collector's item.

The word "gonkulator", first used on a 4th-season (1968-69) episode, has come into common use to mean: "A pretentious piece of equipment that actually serves no useful purpose. Usually used to describe one's least favorite piece of computer hardware". Most accounts of that episode spell the word "gonculator".

Lately, he has hit fame with MSW. He is currently the one and only MSW Champion and has been since MSW started.

In the Family Guy episode, "Fore, Father", when Chris's boss opens up the entrance to the secret tunnel he says, "yeah its a secret tunnel like in Hogan's Heroes..."

Series Criticisms and "plot holes"

"Plot holes"

The plots of most episodes of Hogan's Heroes were wildly implausible in nearly every respect (critics have pointed out), but this is arguably par for the course for a sitcom. However, some unrealistic aspects in particular have struck some viewers as at least bearing comment.

The show made no attempt to resolve the language problem of the Germans and the Allies. All the German characters in the show simply spoke English with a German accent, although they used certain stock German phrases like "Heil Hitler" and "Jawohl, Herr Kommandant". Because many of the plots involved prisoners impersonating German military, it appears that all of the prisoners spoke perfect unaccented German, and that none of the guards found this to be remarkable. It is possible that only the core group of prisoners involved in sabotage and other activities were the only ones who had this talent, and that they did not share it with the guards in their prisoner guises. If it provided grist for humor, the linguistic difference was exploited: in one episode, a guard was asked if he would say which cell a person was in, the response was "nine", and Carter thought the guard said "nein".

Corporals LeBeau (Robert Clary) and Newkirk (Richard Dawson) were often disrespectful of the bumbling Sergeant Carter (Larry Hovis), addressing him by his surname and generally abusing him, while real-world army discipline would be unlikely to tolerate this level of disrespect for a superior non-commissioned officer. It could also be suggested Major Hochstetter's abuse of the higher-ranking Colonel Klink was likewise impermissible; however Gestapo personnel often had a nerve-wracking effect on personnel of the regular German Armed Forces, due in large measure to their generally-stronger links to power centers of the Nazi Party.

The incompetent RAF officer Crittenden would have held the rank of Group Captain, since he wasn't serving in the British Army.

There is also a remarkable episode about the capture of a German Tiger tank. But instead of the German heavy tank, the show presents the audience an American M7 Priest Howitzer which is claimed to be 'the Tiger tank'.

In addition, German soldiers are noted to be armed with the American made Thompson submachine gun rather than the MP-40, a German weapon.

A most implausible feature is that both enlisted men and commissioned officers are housed in not only the same camp, but the same barracks as well. It was standard practice to house officer and enlisted ranks at different camps.

Other criticisms

While Hogan's Heroes was (and remains) a popular show, there are those who continue to criticize the series. Beyond the usual criticism of the show's quality, there were many who were disturbed by the portrayals of the Germans as funny and incompetent. Many felt this trivialized the evil of the Nazis and the war. But Klink was a career soldier, and many real-life members of the Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht, even among the officer corps, were historically not Nazis, and Klemperer certainly believed that the show portrayed Nazis as bad enough; otherwise he would have pulled out. Leon Askin's parents died in a Nazi concentration camp, and Robert Clary and John Banner had been in concentration camps as well, and evidently these actors did not believe the series trivialized the Holocaust or the Nazi regime in general. Besides, historically the Luftwaffe stalags provided the best treatment of Allied prisoners of war, which put them at the other end of the spectrum from the death camps.

Sgt. James "Kinch" Kinchloe (played by Ivan Dixon) was a black American who served as an apparent, if not actual second in command to Col. Hogan. At a time in America where civil rights issues were still being resolved, Kinch was a groundbreaking character as Hogan's Heroes was in the AC Nielsen Top 10 for the first two seasons. This contrasted with other popular TV sitcoms such as The Andy Griffith Show, where black characters rarely appeared in the town of Mayberry.

The series is also interesting in that the characters regularly killed people. Even if they were enemies and even for a worthy cause of battling the genocidal Nazis, not a lot of series—even dramas—manage to pull off this feat and still leave the characters as sympathetic.

Cast and characters

Crane, Klemperer, Banner, and Askin all co-starred in the 1968 comedy The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz.

Series pilot

The series pilot was produced in black-and-white, and while it was run as the series pilot, it never ran in reruns due to its lack of color and continuity with the rest of the series. Klink was initially portrayed as more of a stern character, rather than a buffoon; and General Burkhalter was described as being a colonel.

Larry Hovis was credited as a guest star. While the character was named Carter in both the pilot and series, he was a lieutenant in the pilot rather than a sergeant as in the series. "Lt. Carter" was a POW who had recently escaped from another camp. At the end of the episode, Lt. Carter is en route to England with the help of Hogan and his men.

Leonid Kinskey appeared in the pilot episode as Vladimir Minsk, a Soviet POW who specialized in tailoring. Kinskey ultimately turned down his contract, contending that the subject matter was being treated too lightly.

In the pilot, Klink's secretary was actually part of Hogan's team and had access to the tunnels. In the series, she was merely willing to look the other way in exchange for some nylons or a kiss from Hogan.

The year is also noted as 1942; in the regular series, the year is never mentioned.

The only dateable episodes contain clues. One episode is set at D-Day, the operation actually known as Operation Overlord, with Hogan undertaking a crucial task to retard the German response. Hogan tricks the German General Staff and Klink into thinking Klink has made general's rank and that "General Klink" will be the officer to decide what the German response to D-Day will be. Another episode involves Hogan providing a German with an explosive intended to kill Hitler, referencing the July 20 Plot.

We can assume that the six seasons covered events over a two-and-a-half year period from spring 1942 until early 1945, at which point the Germans were clearly losing. In one case, Hogan makes reference to a kamikaze, setting the date not earlier than October 21, 1944. In another episode, the Gestapo kills a German officer who had worked at the High Command headquarters in Zossen, and searches for his colleague Noam Pitlik; clearly this date was set near the end of the war.

In another of Pitlik's guest roles, he plays a German spy pretending to be a new American POW. He learns the truth about Hogan's operations, but Hogan feeds him false information and tricks him into making a fool of himself. The spy is thus discredited and dismissed. Pitlik makes several appearances on the series over the years, each time as a different character.

Hogan's Heroes in the European Parliament?

Hogan's Heroes was peripherally but bizarrely involved in a political row in July 2003, involving the Italian prime minister, media magnate Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi was speaking to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, when he was questioned by German Euro-MP Martin Schulz, about ongoing conflicts of interest. The outspoken billionaire lashed out: "Mr. Schulz, I know there is a producer in Italy who is making a film on Nazi concentration camps. I will suggest you for the role of commandant. You'd be perfect."

Uproar understandably followed, and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder demanded an apology (which was never given, although the two leaders exchanged a frosty phone conversation). Berlusconi later claimed he was referring to the Sergeant Schulz character from Hogan's Heroes, a series that was broadcast by one of his television channels. "There was a Sergeant Schultz who shouted a lot but in the end was a good sort, people were taking the mickey out of him all the time," Berlusconi said.

See also

External links

Sitcoms | 1960s TV shows in the United States | 1970s TV shows in the United States | Military television series | CBS network shows | World War II television programmes | CBS Paramount Television shows

Ein Käfig voller Helden | Stalag 13

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Hogan's Heroes".

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