By Gary Bennett
Imagine this: you’re a network executive and two Hollywood hangers-on come to you with an idea for a television comedy. It will be set in a POW camp in Nazi Germany at the height of World War II. You’d think they were crazy, right? Well, that’s exactly what Bernard Fine and Albert Ruddy did in 1964 when they pitched the idea for “Hogan’s Heroes” to CBS.
The two veteran but largely unknown actor/producer-types reportedly came up with the idea over lunch one day. And despite understandable misgivings from network executives about the humor in such a setting, they green-lit the project anyway. Actors, writers, directors and producers were hired, the pilot was shot, and “Hogan’s Heroes” was off and running. And to everyone’s surprise, it was a hit!
For folks of my generation, you’re probably smiling at the thought of this absurd, unique, but long-forgotten comedy that aired on Friday nights in the tumultuous ‘60s. For you younger folks, I urge you to give it a try. Two back-to-back episodes air every week night at 10 p.m. on Me TV. The entire series is available on DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment, Columbia House and CBS Home Entertainment.
I find it to be a perfectly mindless way to end to a busy day. Just be ready for preposterous story lines, a smug, carefree and debonair leading man and over-the-top comedic acting that make the Germans look like fools. But that’s precisely the point. And somehow, it all works.
In 2025, “Hogan’s Heroes” celebrates its 60th anniversary. Its first airing was Sept. 17, 1965, just 20 years after the end of World War II and at the very height of the Vietnam War. Against all odds, it was a commercial and critical success, running for six seasons (168 episodes) through April 1971 on CBS. It has been in reruns ever since. As a young boy during this time, I can tell you the show was hilarious. Now, as an adult, it seems like an amusing, back-slapping old friend. It is widely regarded as the most unique situation comedy ever produced. The premise was pure genius.
The show centers around a group of cheeky, smart-alecky Allied prisoners of war who use the POW camp as a base of operations for sabotage and espionage directed against Nazi Germany. They make sure the clueless, befuddled commandant of the camp maintains his spotless record of never allowing a successful escape from fictitious Stalag 13 to keep their operation afloat. A savvier leader would surely catch on to all the shenanigans. All the while, the POWs are plotting and carrying out all manner of mayhem in the surrounding countryside via their elaborate labyrinth of tunnels and passages.
Aside from an improbable and unmatched premise, I believe the biggest reason “Hogan’s Heroes” worked so well was pitch-perfect casting.
Bob Crane starred as U.S. Colonel Robert E. Hogan, the handsome mastermind of all manner of espionage and sabotage performed in the ‘underground” surrounding Stalag 13. He used wit, charm and ingenuity to subvert the Germans at every turn. He led an international crew of specialists in explosives, radio operations, gourmet cooking (very handy to butter up the Germans) and safe cracking. Crane was offered the role after appearing in Disney movies and other sitcoms as the clean cut, guy-next-door type. His story book career ended tragically in 1978 at age 50 when he was bludgeoned to death in a hotel room. His murderer was never captured.
Character actor Werner Klemperer co-starred as the vain, obtuse, bald but distinguished-looking Colonel Klink, the commandant of the camp, to comical perfection. So much so that he was nominated for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series five times in the six years the show aired. He won twice in ’68 and ’69. Klink is completely unaware of Hogan’s operation and is unfailingly proud of his no escape record as he unceasingly reminds his befuddled superiors. In real life Klemperer was Jewish and only agreed to take the role after receiving assurances Klink would always play the fool. Klemperer remarked one time, “I had one qualification when I took the job: if they ever wrote a segment where Klink came out the hero, I would leave the show.” He never left the show.
John Banner co-starred as the gullible but affable Seargent-of-the-Guard Schultz (or “Schultzie,” as the prisoners called him), Klink’s right-hand man. He is rotund, clumsy and inept but has a heart of gold as we see in many episodes. He is quoted in one show as saying “I don’t like to take sides in war.” He is easily bribed with chocolates and gourmet cooking and has a penchant for talking too much. He exited many scenes by uttering his catch phrase, “I know (hear, see) nothing!” That phrase was on the lips of many people (not just kids) in the ‘60s who didn’t want to get involved in something nefarious. Like Klemperer, Banner was born to Jewish parents who fled Nazi Germany. He later served in the U.S. Army as a sergeant in World War II.
Despite a camp full of POWs, only four ever had speaking roles and comprised Colonel Hogan’s inner circle and saboteurs-in-arms.
Robert Clary played diminutive French Corporal Louis LeBeau, know as “cockroach” to Klink and Schultz. He was a gourmet chef, always able to delight the Germans with his cooking prowess, much to their detriment. Amazingly, Clary in real life was also Jewish and escaped three years in a German concentration camp in his teens by using his singing and dancing skills to survive. His parents and other family members were killed. He delighted in the show and the way it made the Germans look so foolish.
Richard Dawson played British Royal Air Force Corporal Peter Newkirk. His penchant for conning other people along with his ability to crack a safe, pick a lock or pocket, cheat at cards and forge documents made him a valuable compatriot. His best skill, however, was his fearsome German accent that he used to great effect to threaten Klink and other Germans on the phone or radio with a “transfer to the Russian front.” Dawson went on to be a game show Hall of Famer, first as the go-to panelist on Match Game and then as the first host of Family Feud.
Larry Hovis played explosives expert U.S. Technical Sergeant Andrew J. Carter. Smart, clumsy and affable, he played the absent-minded professor role to perfection. He delighted in blowing up any manner of German trains, planes, bridges, and munitions. His menacing, rapid-fire German accent and uncanny resemblance to Hitler proved invaluable in many episodes.
Ivan Dixon played U.S. Staff Sergeant James “Kinch” Kinchloe, the man responsible for radio communication. One running gag featured a radio antenna rising matter-of-factly from a German flagpole, but no one ever noticing. Dixon was African-American and casting him in this role was a major step forward for a television show in the mid-1960s. In fact, “Hogan’s Heroes” was honored with the NAACP Award in 1967 as a “TV program that improved the presentation of Negroes.” In real life Dixon was a Korean War flying ace and record setting test pilot. Dixon went on to become a hugely sought-after director in Hollywood.
The two actors who played the recurring roles of Klink’s superior officer and the perpetually irritated and suspicious Gestapo officer were also Jewish and extraordinary in their roles.
Character actor Leon Askin played fat, battle-scarred General Burkhalter to exasperating perfection. He knew Klink was a fool but knew to leave well enough alone. Even though he was played with savvy and intelligence, Burkhalter never caught on to Hogan’s escapades either.
Howard Caine as Gestapo Major Hochstetter was comedy gold. When Hogan would show up unexpectedly at a place he shouldn’t, Hochstetter would snarl “What is this man doing here?” He was constantly suspicious of all the sabotage swirling around Stalag 13 and knew that Klink was a fool but was never able to catch Hogan in the act.
Besides the five nominations and two Emmy wins for Klemperer as Colonel Klink, “Hogan’s Heroes” received seven other Emmy nominations including a total of five in the two most prestigious categories: best comedy series and best lead actor in a comedy series for Bob Crane. Most critics agree that the third star of the show, John Banner as Sgt. Schultz, should have been nominated, too, but was overshadowed by Klemperer. “Hogan’s Heroes” finished its six-year run as the number nine rated TV show in the land. Not bad for a hare-brained comedy premise.
Gary Bennett is a longtime Frederick resident who spends his time hiking, biking, volunteering and providing childcare for grandchildren. He is married and retired from his career as a nonprofit marketing executive.