Hogan's Heroes (1965)

This show is one of my favorites. It's hilarious. You almost can't believe the Nazis are so stupid on this show, rofl!!! I love the part in the opening credits where the exit for the escape tunnel comes out underneath a German Shepherd's doghouse and the dogs are just looking at them with that adorable, friendly look on their face, rofl!!

Summary
-Inmates from various military forces at a German prisoner of war camp concoct spy and sabotage missions right under the noses of their Nazi minders

Cast
-Bob Crane: Col. Hogan
-Werner Klemperer: Col. Klink
-John Banner: Sgt. Schultz
-Richard Dawson: Newkirk
-Robert Clary: LeBeau
-Larry Hovis: Carter
-Ivan Dixon: Kinchloe
-Leon Askin: Gen. Burkhalter
-Sigrid Valdis: Hilda
-Howard Caine: Maj. Hochstetter
-Dave Morick: Corporal Sontag
-John Cedar: Cpl. Langenscheidt
-Leonid Kinskey: Vladamir Minsk

Did You Know?
-Werner Klemperer, Howard Caine, Leon Askin, John Banner, who played German High Command officers Klink, Hochstetter, Burkhalter and Schultz, were in real life Jewish. They all served in the US Armed Forces during WWII. Klemperer was born in Cologne, Germany. Banner and Askin were born in Vienna, Austria. The three of them had emigrated to the US, fleeing the Nazi regime. Werner Klemperer is half Jewish.


Werner Klemperer as Col. Klink

Howard Caine as Major Hochstetter

Leon Askin as General Burkhalter

John Banner as Sgt. Schultz.
I don't know why, but the look on his face is hilarious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Robert Clary, who played French military officer LeBeau, was a survivor of The Holocaust

-Larry Hovis, who played Sgt. Andrew Carter, refused to remove his wedding ring for the show. Because of this, he is almost always seen wearing gloves
-Despite the fact that the show was incredibly popular on air, the show was canceled because it was suggested that the show appealed to older or rural audiences like The Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres did.
-Richard Dawson, who plays RAF officer Newkirk, was told by then CBS president Mike Dann, to use a Cockney accent rather than his actual Liverpool accent. Dann thought that the Cockney accent would sound more familiar to those in America who watched the show. Then not too long after, The Beatles would become famous and successful in America, with their strong Liverpool accents, thus having Americans more accustomed to hearing it. Dawson then claimed to bring this to the attention of Dann and joked with him about the decision

-In the opening credits, the car seen leaving the camp is a Mercedes model G4 Parade Car. This car had six wheels, three axels and four wheel drive on the rear wheels. This and other Mercedes models were popular with the elite of the German High Command

-Despite the fact that Klink acts like a coward, he has various military decorations on his uniform, for his combat service in WWI and WWII

-The pilot episode of the show, shot in black and white, featured a Russian character played by actor Leonid Kinskey. He did not continue with the show because he did not feel comfortable being on a show with Nazi characters in a comedic setting

Leonid Kinskey

-As of April 1, 2018, the only cast members from the show that are still alive are Robert Clary (Corporal LeBeau) and Kenneth Washington (Sgt. Baker), who replaced Ivan Dixon
-Corporal LeBeau was nicknamed "Cockroach" because of his short height by Col. Klink and Sgt. Schultz
-John Banner, who plays Sgt. Schultz, died on his 65th birthday in his hometown of Vienna, Austria
-Whenever Hogan wanted to kiss up to Col. Klink, he would often call Col. Klink "The Iron Colonel" or "The Iron Eagle"
-Harold Gould, who played General Von Schlomm, was Jewish in real life. He served with the US Armed Forces during WWII
-Richard Dawson, who plays RAF officer Newkirk, was originally cast to play Hogan. But he felt that with his Liverpool accent it would be unbelievable for audiences in America

 

-While in the US Armed Forces, Leon Askin was a supply sergeant, Werner Klemperer was a technical sergeant and John Banner was a master sergeant. Howard Caine was in the US Navy and his rank is unknown

-When John Banner created the character Sgt. Schultz, he suggested that actors of Jewish descent play the German High Command officers. When asked why, he said "Well, who better to play Nazis than us Jews." He also joked that no matter what he did, he could never get past the rank of Sergeant

-The scar on General Burkhalter's face is from an old duel. But it's not a fake. He actually got the scar from being beaten brutally by the real Nazi SS simply for being Jewish. His birth name is Leo Aschkenasy

-It was the idea of Werner Klemperer to have Col. Klink carry a riding crop and wear a monocle.