Hogan's Heroes FAQ

Hogan's Heroes "Frequently Asked Questions" File

The following FAQ was put together by Kathleen Miritello, moderator of the Hogan's Heroes discussion list at SmartGroups.com and has been included here with her permission. To join the list, send an email to hogansheroes-subscribe@smartgroups.com or visit the group web page at http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/hogansheroes.

To jump to the answer, click on the text underlined in blue.

Questions:

Answers:

1. When did Hogan's Heroes first appear on television?

The first episode of "Hogan's Heroes" aired on CBS television on a Friday evening at 8:30 pm on September 17, 1965. It ran for six seasons and the last episode aired on Sunday, April 4, 1971 (then in the 7:30 pm time slot).
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2. How many episodes are there total?

There were a total of 168 episodes, including the pilot episode, which was the only one filmed in black-and-white.
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3. Why was the show canceled?

The show unfortunately was canceled with little notice while on hiatus from filming between seasons. CBS executives felt the network lineup had become too ruralized and wanted to revamp their offerings to appeal to a more urban crowd. It is reported that "any show with a tree in it" was given the axe. Shows such as "Beverly Hillbillies" and "Green Acres" were more of the mold this philosophy was aimed at, but "Hogan's Heroes" somehow ended up in the same net, despite consistently high ratings.
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4. How do you find out the episode titles?

The televised episodes never indicated a title each week, but the scripts written for each episode all had titles assigned by the original writers. For many fans, Brenda Scott Royce's book on the series (see Question 10) was the first clue to the many clever titles given to the episodes. Those fans who have purchased copies of episode scripts also find the script contains the episode title on the front cover page.
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5. Where can I find copies of videotapes of the show's episodes?

Columbia House Video Club put out all 168 episodes on a set of 42 tapes (each tape has four episodes). You can find out more at their web site at (www.columbiahouse.com). You can also often find them for sale, either singly or in bundles, on eBay. For those who tape their "Hogan's Heroes episodes off the television, take note that TVLand and other stations frequently cut scenes in order to make room for the longer commercial breaks now in vogue. A good example of such cutting is to compare the Columbia House version of episode #107, "The Missing Klink," with the currently-aired version on television. Near the end is a scene with the men in the barracks, just before the note from Nimrod is found. A discussion is usually cut in which Hogan volunteers to wash the dishes. There were also three videos put out by CBS that contain two episodes each.
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6. Did this fabulous show ever win any awards?

Werner Klemperer was nominated five times for an Emmy for best supporting actor in a comedy series and won the Emmy twice in a row in 1968 and 1969. Bob Crane was nominated twice for an Emmy award for best actor in a comedy series, but lost out to Dick Van Dyke each time.
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7. Are there really lyrics to the "Hogan's Heroes" theme song? What are they?

There were indeed lyrics written for the theme song music, although they were not used for the televised show. The lyrics were written by Jerry Fielding, who produced the "Hogan's Heroes" album created by Richard Dawson, Larry Hovis, Ivan Dixon, and Robert Clary, where they recorded the following:

     Verse 1:
     Heroes, heroes, husky men of war,
     sons of all the heroes of the war before.
     We're all heroes up to our ear-o's
     you ask the question, we make suggestions,
     that's what we're heroes for.

     Chorus:
     What's a hero do?
     Well we're not gonna tell ya
     we wish we knew.
     That's why we heroes are so few.
     We've got a slogan from Colonel Hogan
     and Colonel Hogan's a hero too.
     Never flinch boys, never be afraid
     heroes are not born, boys
     heroes all are made.
     Ask not why boys,
     never say die boys,
     answer the call,
     remember we'll all be heroes for evermore.

     Verse 2:
     All good heroes, love a good fight
     open up the bomb bays and brighten up the night
     We applaud the people who laud us,
     you pull the roses, we punch the noses,
     that's what we're heroes for.
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8. What memorabilia or promotional items were produced for the show and are they still available?

There were a number of items sold to promote the show and include the Dell comic books (see Question 9), a set of 64 Fleer trading cards, an Aladdin metal dome lunchbox with thermos, a plastic "Peeper" periscope and signal sender, a plastic replica of the German staff car and a "Hogan's Heroes" Jeep (even though a Jeep never appeared on the show), a "Hogan's Heroes" board game, plastic figurines resembling Colonel Klink and Sergeant Schultz, a record album titled "Hogan's Heroes Sing the Best of World War II," and a record album of Bob Crane performing various television theme songs titled, "Bob Crane, His Drums and Orchestra Play the Funny Side of TV." All of the items can still be found in memorabilia shops or on the Internet--you'll often find them offered for sale at the eBay on-line auction site. In addition, photographic stills sent to network stations for publicity purposes can also occasionally be found on eBay.
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9. How many comic books were issued on the series?

There were nine comics put out by Dell, published between 1969 and 1973. They are often available on eBay and are sold for between $15-20 each, depending on condition.
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10. Are there any books written about "Hogan's Heroes"?

Brenda Scott Royce has written the only book on the show and it has fortunately been re-released in an updated paperback version (with foreword by the late Werner Klemperer). The book is titled, "Hogan's Heroes: Behind the Scenes at Stalag 13" and may be purchased at on-line sites such as Amazon.com or is often found for sale on the on-line auction site eBay (www.ebay.com). There was also a book written by Robert Graysmith about the unsolved murder of Bob Crane. It is titled, "The Murder of Bob Crane" and is available in hardcopy or paperback at Amazon.com or eBay. Cynthia Lynn, who played the role of "Helga," Colonel Klink's first secretary, also has written a book about her life and career. You can find more information on Cindy's book at her web site (see answer to Question 18 for the URL). At latest report, Robert Clary is about to release a book based on his life experiences as a Holocaust survivor and as a cast member of "Hogan's Heroes." The book is titled, "From the Holocaust to Hogan's Heroes" and will be released in November 2001. There are also many web sites created by fans who have painstakingly documented many facts and trivia tidbits on the show. Check our Links page at the SmartGroups web site to find them.
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11. How did they film the evening scenes in the show? Did they actually film them at night?

Most evening scenes were actually filmed at night, with shooting sometimes lasting until the wee hours of the morning. However, some scenes were filmed during daylight hours and a special lens filter was used to make it appear nighttime. You can often tell these scenes from the genuine nighttime shoots because you'll occasionally see an actor squinting, as though they were looking into bright sunlight.
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12. Where was "Hogan's Heroes" filmed? Does the set still exist somewhere?

The "Hogan's Heroes" set was built on a section of the Desilu production lot called "40 Acres" in Culver City, California. Aerial photographs of the set, which was located near the mansion from "Gone With the Wind" and the "Mayberry" set from the "Andy Griffith Show," may be viewed at our list web site under "Pictures" in the "Hogan's Heroes" folder. The production lot is now called Cinema General, and the set itself no longer exists. It was used in the making of a forgettable movie titled, "Ilsa: She-Wolf of the S.S.," and the set was destroyed when it was blown up for the final scene.
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13. Was there ever an episode in which the Heroes celebrated Christmas?

There was never an episode solely devoted to the Christmas holiday period, although there were two references to the holiday. One was in Episode #6, "The Prisoner's Prisoner," in which the "Mighty Hogan Art Players" sing carols to celebrate an early Christmas for "prisoner" Roger C. Carmel, who has been led to believe he suffers from "shacklitis." The other was in Episode #126, "The Big Picture," in which incriminating negatives of Colonel Klink are returned to him by an anonymous friend (Hogan) as an early Christmas present. Although not officially an episode, there was also the appearance of the entire cast on the Hollywood Palace hosted by Bing Crosby on Christmas day, 1965, in which they sing several Christmas carols.
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14. Why did it always seem to be winter at Stalag 13?

Northwestern Germany actually has very moderate weather, similar to that experienced by the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The show's writers portrayed the majority of episodes during the winter in order to reflect the sort of hardship conditions under which the prisoners had to live.
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15. Was Colonel Hogan's jacket black or brown?

Colonel Hogan was issued a standard A-2 flying jacket, which is traditionally made of brown cowhide. Typical of leather products, the brown leather used for the jackets vary in color and his was of the darker variety, so it sometimes appears to be black on television. FYI, the A-2 jacket is still worn by today's Air Force, although you have to be a pilot to qualify to wear one!
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16. Why did LeBeau's sweater change from blue to red?

There was no explanation for the change, but it was not unusual in prison camps for POWs to wear a hodge-podge of whatever clothing was made available to them. It was more the exception than the rule for a POW to be able to maintain a complete uniform set while interned.
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17. What do we know about the background of the characters in the show?

Well, if you believe everything the prisoners were heard telling their guards, you'd think most of them served as a plumber's helper prior to the war! However, some details are revealed during instances where the POWs were talking with each other (and therefore not likely engaged in perpetuating some ruse) or came from "official file" information.

For instance, Hogan previously served as a Captain at Mitchell Field (an actual Army Air Corps training base in X and graduated 3rd in his class from the Aviation Cadets. As commander of the 504th Bomb Group, he supposedly was shot down during a bombing mission over Hamburg by General Biedenbender (Ep. #33). In school, he was voted most likely to be a trouble-maker and claims his only weakness was loud ties (probably another cultural anachronism). Hogan's home town was continually changing as well--in various episodes he refers to having been from Cleveland (mentioned most often), Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Bridgeport and in another episode claims he was born in Ohio. In real life, Bob Crane was born in Waterbury, Connecticut and grew up in the Bridgeport area.

Colonel Klink supposedly has a 500-year old aristocratic family name and took his military training at Pottsdam.

LeBeau claimed to have been a chemist, a dance instructor (with a string of dancing schools), a dress designer ("Yvette of Paris"), an art student, and a chef. Only the latter occupation is considered to be true--the rest were intended to mislead the Germans. He did also state that his father worked in a railroad yard.

Kinch claimed to have worked as a plumber's helper one summer. He'd also previously worked for the telephone company in Detroit and was a former Golden Gloves boxer.

Carter used to run a pharmacy in Muncie, Indiana and once blew up several rooms at Rutherford B. Hayes Polytechnic high school, his alma mater. He also claims (in "The Purchasing Plan") that he has a younger brother and had attended business school. He used to date a girl named Mary Jane and would carry her home from school when it snowed.

Newkirk used to travel with a circus groups called "The Amazing Bloomingtons" and had an act titled "George and Freddy" (the latter played by a chimp). He also had a sister named Mavis who lived in Stepney.
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18. Were all the other prisoners pilots like Colonel Hogan?

In an early episode, Hogan states that he and his team are all airmen. However, a typical bomber crew consisted of about a dozen different men, and the others on his team were likely support personnel, such as bombers, gunners, and navigators. In episode #118, "Happy Birthday, Dear Hogan," when the men kidnap General Biedenbender, Hogan pilots the plane while Kinch serves as navigator and Carter as bombardier. In a couple of episodes, Newkirk mentions that he was an "engineer," which most likely meant he served as a waist turret gunner. In episode #70, "Nights in Shining Armor," LeBeau tells Lt. Maurice Dubois that he had served with the Free French Air Forces. Also, at the time the war began, the U.S. military air forces were actually part of the Army (initially the US Army Air Corps, in 1942 the US Army Air Force, then in 1947, it broke away from the Army and became today's US Air Force), hence the Army uniform worn by Hogan and the other U.S. prisoners.
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19. Why did Colonel Klink's secretary change after the first season?

Cynthia Lynn, who played "Helga" during the first season, left the show for personal reasons and was replaced by Sigrid Valdis as "Hilda." There was never any official explanation given in the series for the replacement of Commandant Klink's secretary.
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20. Why was Staff Sergeant Kinchloe suddenly replaced by Sergeant Baker as radio operator?

Ivan Dixon, who played "Kinch," left the show voluntarily to pursue other professional interests. He subsequently went on to direct and produce movies and other television shows and currently resides in Hawaii, where he also owns a radio station.
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21. How many prisoners were housed at Stalag 13, and how many barracks were on the compound?

It was never conclusively revealed on the show, but in those occasional glimpses where a map of the compound was shown (e.g., on the wall of Klink's office), guestimates are that the camp contained approximately 100 buildings. If you go on the assumption that each barrack housed roughly 15 POWs (using Hogan's barracks as the exemplar), and that not all the buildings shown were barracks (some included the rec hall, quarters for guards, etc.) then that would place about 1000 POWs in Stalag 13. In "The Kommandant Dies at Dawn," Schultz mentions that the camp had 80 guards.
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22. Why is the show only in English? Wouldn't the guards be speaking German to each other?

This is another of those unexplained paradoxes to the show. Although the prisoners occasionally had to speak German (e.g., when masquerading as German officers), there are other episodes where they appear not to understand German. Occasionally German phrases or words are used by the German personnel, but for the most part we have to assume the majority of their lines were in English for the ease of understanding by the viewer. World War II movies often dealt with this issue by using subtitles, but that was not practical for a television situation comedy. You have to remember, too, that the show was produced by Americans for a predominately American audience, so it is unlikely they would have wanted to have more foreign language spoken on the show than what was used.
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23. The layout to Commandant Klink's office seemed to change from season to season. Also, what adjoined his office?

The furniture and placement of items in Klink's office changed periodically, without explanation. There were also several doors that appeared to connect to his office, but it was never clear whether they opened to a closet, his quarters, storage space, or other facilities.
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24. In episode #27, "The Safecracker Suite," Hogan says the following line to Klink when they retrieve the envelope containing the list of conspirators from the hotel safe: "Tinker to Evers to Chance is the play. You're only Evers. I'm Chance." What is this referring to, or what does this mean?

This is a wonderful example of the clever and creative work done by the talented writing staff of "Hogan's Heroes." This particular reference is to a famous Chicago Cubs double play combination of infielders, immortalized in a poem by New York columnist Franklin P. Adams entitled, "Baseball's Sad Lexicon":

    "These are the saddest of possible words:
    "Tinker to Evers to Chance."
    Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,
    Tinker and Evers and Chance.
    Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
    Making a Giant hit into a double--
    Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
    "Tinker to Evers to Chance."
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25. Was there a real Stalag 13 during World War II?

Stalag 13 was a fictional camp which most fans consider to have been located in northwestern Germany due to occasional references to localities such as Dusseldorf that were reportedly near the camp. In World War II, the "Luft Stalags," which were the POW camps maintained by the German Luftwaffe, the camps were numbered, but the series never went higher than 12, so a Stalag 13 never really existed. One of the most famous stalags was Stalag Luft IIIB, located in Sagan, Germany, which was the site for the famous "Great Escape" which was the topic of several books and movies.
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26. What was the "chronology" of the show in terms of its setting during World War II?

Several list members have attempted to determine the time frame for the show, given some of the references in certain episodes to actual historical events (e.g., references to D-Day, the failed assassination attempt on Hitler, and the Battle of Stalingrad) and comments made by characters. In one episode, Schultz says that Hogan had been in Stalag 13 for three years. That, along with another reference to Hogan having been assigned to the RAF, leads some to believe that Hogan first became a POW in November 1941. Other episodes that refer to Klink and Hogan having been at the camp for two years have been dated (because of historical references) as occurring during 1943, so that would also place them both in the camp in 1941. However, the analysis of other fans leads them to believe that Hogan didn't join the camp until the summer or fall of 1942. Newkirk and LeBeau were presumably captured in 1940; Carter, Kinch, and Baker joined them in 1942. For such an extensive tunnel system to have been built by 1942 (several episodes are clearly dated 1942), the project must have taken several months, so Hogan's team must have been in place before then to accomplish what they did in 1942. That said, the episodes themselves did not run in any logical chronology, as they jumped all over the period from 1942 to 1944, plus the show itself had a longer running (seven years) than did the war!
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27. What are some of the historical anachronisms or inaccuracies that appeared on the show?

The use of teabags was shown in several episodes, although they weren't invented for use until the 1950's. There was also at least one joking reference to Eva Braun, even though she wasn't well-known as a cultural icon until after the war. Hogan also made a joke in one episode referring to "cheap Japanese radios" even though Japanese-produced consumer electronic products weren't in common distribution until the 1960's. In another episode, Hogan jokes that with two bridges out the traffic in the area would be like rush hour on the freeway. However, the interstate highway system wasn't constructed until the 1950's. Most highways were two-lane state roads, like the famous Route 66. The Interstates were begun by Eisenhower when he became president, after he saw how useful the Autobahn was to the Germans in WWII for speedily moving war materiel and troops around the country. With the Cold War starting and everyone fearing a war with Russia the need was seen to have the same capability in the U.S. Other readers have noted that while it is true the INTERSTATE highways were built in the 1950's, many larger urban areas (like Los Angeles, New York City, etc.) did have highways of sorts as early as the 1930's. They were called parkways in the east and freeways in California. In NYC, there was the East side parkway, west side, Hutchinson river, and the Merrit Parkway in Connecticut. New York developed theirs after seeing how successful they were in California. However, it probably would have been more accurate for Hogan to have made reference to rush hour at Grand Central Station. Other viewers have noted that the hair styles worn by several of the female guest stars were more appropriate for the 60's than the 40's.
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28. Did "Hogan's Heroes" really become popular in syndication on German television?

It did indeed! Kabel 1, a German cable station, aired the show for many years. The German title for the show is called, "Ein Käfig voller Helden," which means, "A Cage Full of Heroes." The show is dubbed in German and the actors used to play the HH characters are the same ones used to dub the show "M*A*S*H" in German. In fact, the voice used for Hawkeye Pierce is the same actor who dubs Hogan's voice. There are some minor differences. Newkirk stutters in the German version--the explanation given is that his British humor didn't carry over into German very well, so they decided to make his character stutter in order to make him seem more comical. Also, some of the German characters (e.g., Sgt. Schultz) are given exaggerated regional dialects that make their characters sound like the German version of a redneck. The German version also created a new character named "Frau Kalinke" who was supposed to be Klink's cleaning woman. She never appears in the show, but conversation refers to her as a character who is out of the room at the moment.
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29. What ever became of the cast members and how can I contact them now?

Unfortunately, there aren't many of them left any longer.

John Banner was the first principal character to die; he passed away in 1973 of an abdominal aneurysm shortly after moving to Vienna, Austria, the home of his birth. He is buried in Vienna, Austria in the Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery), 11 Simmeringer Hauptstrasse 234, Vienna A-1110, which is also the final resting place for several famous musicians such as Ludwig von Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Lotte Lehmann, Wolfgang Mozart, Franz Schubert, and Johann Strauss.

Bob Crane was murdered in an apartment in Scottsdale, Arizona in June 1978, just weeks before his 50th birthday. He was appearing in a play titled, "Beginner's Luck" and touring the country in the production. The death was caused by several blows to the head with a blunt object; the murder was never solved, although Bob's former acquaintance, John Carpenter, was the prime suspect. John Carpenter died of a heart attack in late 1998; if he was the guilty party, he took the answer to his grave with him. Bob was originally interred in Oakwood Memorial Cemetery in Chatsworth, California but was re-interred in 1999 in an unmarked grave in Westwood Memorial Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Werner Klemperer continued to perform, although mostly on stage and doing narration in accompaniment to symphony orchestras. He passed away of cancer at his home in New York City on December 6, 2000. His final resting place is publicly unknown.

Howard Caine (Major Hochstetter) died of a heart attack in 1993. His grave is located in Eden Memorial Park, San Fernando, California where Groucho Marx also happens to be interred.

Robert Clary lives on the west coast and has his own web page (www.robertclary.com). He went on to appear as a regular character on several daytime soap operas and has also worked to document the atrocities of the Holocaust, of which he had first-hand knowledge, having been incarcerated as a youth in several concentration camps as a French Jew. Robert has also issued several musical CDs of his jazz singing; they are available for order through his web site. A mailing address for him is: 10001 Sun Dial Lane, Beverly Hills CA 90210.

Richard Dawson has reportedly become a veritable recluse; he still lives in the Los Angeles area and re-married several years ago. He and his wife have a young daughter. A mailing address for him is: 1117 Angelo Dr, Beverly Hills CA 90210.

Ivan Dixon relocated to Hawaii, where he still resides. He went on to a successful career in television and movie directing and producing and owns a radio station in Hawaii.

Larry Hovis also went on to stage performing and directing and currently teaches drama at Southwest Texas State University. His address is Larry Hovis, Southwest Texas State University, Dept. of Theatre, 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666.

Cynthia Lynn resides in California; her daughter recently created a web site for her at:
http://www.venturacountyweddingchannel.com/hogan%20heroes%20main%20page.htm

Leon Askin, like John Banner, also returned to his native Vienna where he continued to perform on stage. At last report he was still alive, although in poor health.
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