It's never ceased to amaze me that this show made it to the air. Especially in the 60s! A show about a funny POW camp run by funny Nazis?! At a time when World War II was fresh in the minds of anyone over the age of 30 and actually experienced by many over the age of 40! Crazier still that all the "Nazis" were Jews. Werner Klemperer (Klink),was the son of symphony conductor Otto Klemperer, who was rich and prescient enough to flee Germany in time. Werner ended up in the US Army. In the Pacific. John Banner (Schultz) and Leon Askin (Burkhalter) were Austrian Jews who barely escaped. "Schultz" served as a supply sergeant in the US Army Air Corps. "Burkhalter" also served as a sergeant in the USAAC with the unique job of teaching European culture and manners to American officers! Probably one of the cushiest jobs in the armed forces. Howard Caine (Hochstedter) was an American Jew, also well known as a bluegrass banjo player. French POW Le Beau (Robert Clary) was a French Jew who survived a concentration camp.
The show was well written, acted and directed and most episodes were hilarious, especially to the historically literate. Although the scripts were often a little too cute and avoided direct mention of genocide and death camps, there was never any doubt that the Nazis were truly evil. The worst inaccuracy from my point of view was the portrayal of "average" Germans as terrified, unwilling pawns of the Nazis, many of whom belonged to an "underground" which was, in reality, almost nonexistent in Germany proper. And, of course, in reality POW camps always strictly segregated officers and enlisted men, often in different camps entirely. The Germans (but not the Japanese) also kept soldiers from different allied armies separate; at least in different barracks.
The show really did have a moral---that totalitarian systems are inherently very weak. People often say that such societies may lack freedom, but that they're "efficient" and "well ordered". This show was great at illustrating how untrue this is. Fear based societies that are intolerant of criticism and enforce accountability in an arbitrary, unjust manner cause people to do and say what they think those above them want to hear, regardless of how this affects real issues or long term goals. And they will withhold critical information that may have a great bearing on events, if that information could cause them to be blamed for something. The consequences of even the most minor infractions are too serious to risk, so people will readily let the whole ship sink to save their own posteriors.
Whenever Klink found a radio transmitter or discovered one of Hogan's other capers the star would often say something like: "OK ya got me Klink. Call the Gestapo. I guess they'll transfer me to a punishment camp. But what will they do to you? They'll want to know how this happened in YOUR camp. What will YOU tell THEM?" This was usually enough to resign Klink to no more than an angry expression and air-punching fist as Hogan scooped up a handful of his cigars, pawed Fraulein Hilda, and swaggered out of the commandant's office. Schultz's solution was simple---to see and hear NOTHING---no matter what he heard or saw. Burkhalter would just blame Klink for everything and Hogan's main job was making Klink look good enough to remain commandant. That's why Hogan always made sure there was never a single escape---despite tunnels that seemingly went everywhere and transported the "Heroes" to nearby Hammelburg for hofbrau, hot frauleins and cloak and dagger operations. With this, Le Beau's gourmet cooking, and a fine wine cellar, who would want to leave and go back to the war?
One interesting tidbit is that Bob Crane married Klink's secretary, actress Sigrid Valdis. And, more significantly, that there really was a Stalag 13 at Hammelburg. Late in the war, General Patton sent "Force Baum" commanded by Major Abraham Baum (a Jew) in a rapid strike behind enemy lines to rescue American and Yugoslav prisoners from the Stalag. Patton claimed that he ordered the attack as a diversion, but his son in law was a prisoner at Stalag 13 and this may have been part of the reason. Force Baum consisted of a few Sherman tanks and some other light tanks and halftracks with about 300 men. It was too large to conceal itself and preserve the element of surprise, and too small to defend itself once German reinforcements arrived. Despite inflicting significant damage to the German rear support area, the mission was a failure. Few prisoners escaped and Patton's son in law was severely wounded and remained a prisoner. Most of the attacking force was killed or captured as was Baum, who was also wounded.
I highly recommend the film "Auto Focus" to fans of this show. A depressing but interesting movie about actor Bob Crane's ultimately fatal obsessions and an unexpected yet interesting look at the early history of home video recorders.
Hogan's Heroes is a successful mix of high comedy and deep meaning. Perhaps the best television comedy of all time.
The show was well written, acted and directed and most episodes were hilarious, especially to the historically literate. Although the scripts were often a little too cute and avoided direct mention of genocide and death camps, there was never any doubt that the Nazis were truly evil. The worst inaccuracy from my point of view was the portrayal of "average" Germans as terrified, unwilling pawns of the Nazis, many of whom belonged to an "underground" which was, in reality, almost nonexistent in Germany proper. And, of course, in reality POW camps always strictly segregated officers and enlisted men, often in different camps entirely. The Germans (but not the Japanese) also kept soldiers from different allied armies separate; at least in different barracks.
The show really did have a moral---that totalitarian systems are inherently very weak. People often say that such societies may lack freedom, but that they're "efficient" and "well ordered". This show was great at illustrating how untrue this is. Fear based societies that are intolerant of criticism and enforce accountability in an arbitrary, unjust manner cause people to do and say what they think those above them want to hear, regardless of how this affects real issues or long term goals. And they will withhold critical information that may have a great bearing on events, if that information could cause them to be blamed for something. The consequences of even the most minor infractions are too serious to risk, so people will readily let the whole ship sink to save their own posteriors.
Whenever Klink found a radio transmitter or discovered one of Hogan's other capers the star would often say something like: "OK ya got me Klink. Call the Gestapo. I guess they'll transfer me to a punishment camp. But what will they do to you? They'll want to know how this happened in YOUR camp. What will YOU tell THEM?" This was usually enough to resign Klink to no more than an angry expression and air-punching fist as Hogan scooped up a handful of his cigars, pawed Fraulein Hilda, and swaggered out of the commandant's office. Schultz's solution was simple---to see and hear NOTHING---no matter what he heard or saw. Burkhalter would just blame Klink for everything and Hogan's main job was making Klink look good enough to remain commandant. That's why Hogan always made sure there was never a single escape---despite tunnels that seemingly went everywhere and transported the "Heroes" to nearby Hammelburg for hofbrau, hot frauleins and cloak and dagger operations. With this, Le Beau's gourmet cooking, and a fine wine cellar, who would want to leave and go back to the war?
One interesting tidbit is that Bob Crane married Klink's secretary, actress Sigrid Valdis. And, more significantly, that there really was a Stalag 13 at Hammelburg. Late in the war, General Patton sent "Force Baum" commanded by Major Abraham Baum (a Jew) in a rapid strike behind enemy lines to rescue American and Yugoslav prisoners from the Stalag. Patton claimed that he ordered the attack as a diversion, but his son in law was a prisoner at Stalag 13 and this may have been part of the reason. Force Baum consisted of a few Sherman tanks and some other light tanks and halftracks with about 300 men. It was too large to conceal itself and preserve the element of surprise, and too small to defend itself once German reinforcements arrived. Despite inflicting significant damage to the German rear support area, the mission was a failure. Few prisoners escaped and Patton's son in law was severely wounded and remained a prisoner. Most of the attacking force was killed or captured as was Baum, who was also wounded.
I highly recommend the film "Auto Focus" to fans of this show. A depressing but interesting movie about actor Bob Crane's ultimately fatal obsessions and an unexpected yet interesting look at the early history of home video recorders.
Hogan's Heroes is a successful mix of high comedy and deep meaning. Perhaps the best television comedy of all time.