Throwback Thursday: Hogan’s Heroes (1965-1971)

In Beautiful Stalag 13

A POW camp in Nazi Germany during World War II hardly seems like the place to set a sitcom, but Hogan’s Heroes did just that…..and it worked. Starring Bob Crane as Colonel Robert Hogan, the series focuses on the actions of a group of POW’s led by Hogan that use their imprisonment as a means to spy on Nazi forces, assist prisoners from other camps in escaping to freedom, and to thwart the plans of the Nazis in general. They do this using a series of underground tunnels, a network of allies (including some Germans) scattered throughout the local area, and the skills of a core group of prisoners.

Crane’s Hogan is an extremely likeable and persuasive man. He often convinces Colonel Klink (Werner Klemperer) to believe some of the most absurd ideas. He also tells Klink, Sergeant Schultz (John Banner), and other Nazis exactly what his plans are to help others escape and then smirks as his words are blown off as jokes.

Klink and Schultz are portrayed as buffoons (as are most of the Nazis in the series), but despite being part of Hitler’s regime, they manage to win over the audience. Schultz in particular became quite popular and his famous lines, “I see nothing. I know nothing.” have become embedded in pop culture.

While Hogan is the leader, each member of his team has specific jobs and specialties that keep the group active and successful in Stalag 13. Newkirk (Richard Dawson) takes care of disguises, tailoring, and imitates a number of different people on the phone and radio. LeBeau (Robert Clary) is a chef and uses his cooking skills to bribe Schultz for information. He also appears in disguise and is extremely good at hiding in small spaces to listen in on Nazi talks. He has also trained the camp’s German Shepherds to be friendly with the prisoners.

Carter (Larry Hovis) is the group’s explosives expert and occasionally dons a disguise as well. He does a wonderful job as Hitler, and fools a number of high ranking Nazis portraying him. The team’s communications expert for the first five seasons was Kinchloe (Ivan Dixon). He was the point of contact for Hogan to the outside world, in particular an Allied Forces submarine hiding off of the German coast. Dixon was Hogan’s second in command and much like Star Trek (1966) with Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), was one of the earliest shows to ever have an African American in a prominent role. Dixon left the series after the fifth season and was replaced by Kenneth Washington as Sgt. Baker in the final season.

Recurring characters in the series included General Burkhalter (Leon Askin), Fraulein Helga (Cynthia Lynn), Fraulein Hilda (Sigrid Valdis), and Major Hochstetter (Howard Caine). Notable guest stars included Gavin MacLeod, James Sikking, Victor French, and William Christopher.

I only recently rediscovered this series. I remember watching the series as a child and recognizing Richard Dawson from Family Feud. Schultz was my favorite character and pretty much still is to this day. I started watching it again on MeTV ever since Hurricane Laura forced my family to move into a temporary home. Hogan’s Heroes has become one of the familiar memories of my past that I’ve become attached to since the hurricane.

One thing that I recently found out about the series is that all of the major cast members that portrayed Nazis and many of the recurring Nazi characters all have some sort of connection with the war. Klemperer, Caine, Banner, and Askin were all Jewish and portrayed Nazi characters. Klemperer, Askin, Banner, and Robert Clary (LeBeau) all fled the Nazis during the war. Clary and Banner were both held in concentration camps with many of their family members being murdered as a result. Banner went on to join the U.S. Army as did the three other primary Nazi characters.

I love this series. It’s become a tradition for me to watch it every night since the hurricane and I do so with my son and daughter. My son, who loves history, listens to everything said by the characters and then looks up the things that interest him to see if they are real or fabricated for the series. My daughter is drawn to LeBeau and all four of the primary German characters due to the fact that they were directly touched by the evil of the Nazi forces.

I hope that you enjoyed this trip down memory lane and thank you for reading my post. See you again soon!