rcj5365 "Hogan's Heroes" followed a group of prisoners of war inside fictional "Stalag 13". Using the camp as a base to coordinate resistance groups,Colonel Robert Hogan(Bob Crane of "The Donna Reed Show"),and his group of American,British,and French soldiers(Played by Ivan Dixon, Richard Dawson, Robert Clary,and Larry Hovis) were unintentionally assisted by incompetent camp leaders Colonel Klink(Werner Klemperer),and Sergeant Schultz(John Banner)who regularly said "I See Nothing," to avoid trouble. The duo's ineptitude often caused Hogan to defend their roles,lest skilled soldiers to replaced them most of the time causing chaos and hilarious mischief throughout. This was basically "Mission:Impossible" with a laugh track set in World War II. Created by Albert S. Ruddy and Bernard Fein and loosely based on the 1953 theatrical feature "Stalag 17" starring William Holden,the series "Hogan's Heroes",ushered in a new way of thinking about the conflict(that took place during World War II) and the absurd comic situations that could arise."Hogan's Heroes" also made milestones as well. It was the second series produced under Bing Crosby Productions for CBS(after the success of "Shattery's People")and it was the first series under Bing Crosby's production company that was produced and filmed in color at Desilu Studios where the series was produced. Only the first episode of the series was in black and white. Episodes 2 through 167 were in color. A total of 168 episodes were produced. Premiered on CBS' Prime-Time schedule on September 17,1965, the series remained for the next six seasons ending on April 4,1971.Only actors Bob Crane, Richard Dawson, Larry Hovis,and John Banner along with Werner Klemperer and Robert Clary were the only regular cast members that stayed with the series throughout it's entire six year run. Actor Ivan Dixon appeared in Seasons 1 thru 5 for 141 episodes. He left the series at the end of the fifth season to pursue other interests. He was replaced by actor Kenneth Washington at the start of the sixth and final season for 26 episodes. Interesting note about this show. Out of the impressive 12 Emmy nominations it received the series won 2 Prime- Time Emmys for Werner Klemperer as Outstanding Supportive Actor in 1968 and 1969. Other nominations went to Actor Bob Crane in 1966, 1967, and 1970,and Actress Nina Talbot(Outstanding Supportive Actress in a Comedy Series) in 1968,along with cinematopgrapher Gordon Avil in 1968 and 1970.Throughout the series run,it's first two seasons(1965-1967) were telecast on Friday nights where it was opposite ABC's "The Addams Family",and NBC's "The Man From UNCLE". Seasons 3 and 4(1967-1968 and 1968-1969) saw "Hogan's Heroes" moved from Friday to Saturday nights opposite NBC's "Get Smart",and ABC's long-running variety series "The Lawrence Welk Show". The fifth season(1969-1970)of "Hogan's Heroes" saw the series move again back to Friday nights opposite NBC's "The Name of the Game",and ABC's "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir". But what killed it in it's sixth and final season saw the show move to Sunday nights in an earlier time slot for the 1970-1971 season opposite NBC's "The Wonderful of Disney",and ABC's "The Young Rebels".The sudden cancellation of "Hogan's Heroes" in the spring of 1971 saw a dramatic change of CBS' programming to bring in a more urban audience with the debut of "All In The Family" that premiered on January 12,1971. The result brought down the axe on several shows that were abruptly canceled by the network which were "Lassie"(17 seasons),"Green Acres"(6 seasons),"Family Affair"(5 seasons),"The Ed Sullivan Show"(23 seasons),"The Beverly Hillbillies"(9 seasons),"Hee Haw"(2 seasons), "Mayberry RFD"(3 seasons), "The Jackie Gleason Show"(19 seasons),and "The Red Skelton Show"(18 seasons). The series that replaced "Hogan's Heroes" after 6 seasons was the crime drama "Cade's County" starring two-time Oscar nominee Glenn Ford(that also replaced the long-running "The Ed Sullivan Show" on that same Sunday night timeslot for the 1971- 1972 season)."Hogan's Heroes" was criticized for it's farcial interpretation of significant events,but the actors playing the German soldiers were actually Jewish(Werner Klemperer and John Banner) and fled Germany in World War II during the rise of Hitler. Actor Robert Clary spent three years in a concentration camp during World War II. The other actors like Bob Crane, Larry Hovis, Ivan Dixon, Richard Dawson, and Kenneth Washington did not serve in any branch of the United States military.

swanmj Hogan's Heroes is the least likely of comedies - being set in a German POW camp at the height of the Second World War, with a clever mix of slapstick humor, witty one-liners, and serious action and suspense. I have to admit, I like this actually better than M*A*S*H*. Contrary to what some people may think, this does NOT trivialize the Holocaust; in fact, the Holocaust is not specifically discussed or parodied (in any manner) in any of the episodes - ever. Any such accusations are thus moot. In fact, there is nothing truly dark, to any extent, about the show. I enjoy seeing the stumbling, bumbling Nazis getting their butts kicked by the least likely of saboteurs - the humble prisoners of Stalag 13! I also like the way that Hogan and the others are playing Klink, Schultz, Hochstetter, and Burkhalter against each other. If you are looking for an old show that still packs a lot of laughs as well as suspense (even though most of the actors and actresses have long since passed away) this is the show for you. This strikes a balance among comedy, sarcasm, action, and drama.

screenman This series was screened a long time ago on British television and was an absolute scream.A captured middle-ranking commissioned US officer, Colonel Hogan does for his German captors what Seargent Bilko did for his own superiors. Except that whereas Bilko usually came unstuck, Hogan always wins through. The scenario really couldn't have worked otherwise. Every programme entails some scheme of varying weirdness in an attempt to hoodwink those devilish Nazis. The script is slickly funny and fast-spoken in a way that American humour does so well.Werner Klemperer plays the long-suffering and always-thwarted commandant with panache. With xx as Seargent Schultz who only wants a quiet life, and - when confronted with some compromising revelation - insists that 'I see noth-ing'. Asolutely Noth-ing'.The series had a long and deserved run. But unlike its equally hilarious predecessor 'Seareant Bilko', has never been repeated on terrestrial television. Not to my knowledge, at least.See it if you get the chance.

didi-5 Hogan's Heroes was a great series which still stands up today, as funny as it ever was. Mainly due to the great interplay between Bob Crane as Colonel Hogan, head of the US prisoners of war, and Werner Klemperer as Colonel Klink, commandant of Stalag 13 (where there have never been any escapes, ever), this series really does succeed.Zany, improbable, inventive, silly, and hugely influential on many comedies which followed, this showed the Germans constantly outsmarted while not presenting them as mindless psychotic thugs - although it was clear who was on the 'right side', as Hogan and his troops prove with their underground operation, beautifully showcased in a couple of the early episodes.