HOGAN’S HEROES THE COMPLETE SERIES: FOND MEMORIES

It seems odd to post the title FOND MEMORIES when discussing a show that takes place in a concentration camp. It also shows how times have changed. When HOGAN’S HEROES first aired on CBS in 1965 I was just 8 years old. I don’t remember any outrage over a series that took place in that location not to mention that it was a comedy as well. And this was at a time when those who were viewing it were more likely than not to have either served during WWII or had family who did so. I don’t think there was any outrage concerning this show until years later when it came out on DVD and people claimed it was disrespectful. It seems out skin has thinned over the years rather than toughen.

But for those of us who watched the show each week it was a hilarious series that brought forth not just memorable characters but some great catch phrases that are still used to this day, even if those using them have no clue where they came from. “I know nuh-think!” was heard each week from Sgt. Schultz. I can hear him saying it in my head while typing these words. That’s the lasting impression of this series.

HOGAN’S HEROES, for those who don’t know, took place in a concentration camp during WWII and followed the exploits of a group of prisoners who used the camp as a location for their covert missions in Germany. Under the nose of camp Commandant Klink (the great Werner Klemperer), Col. Hogan (Bob Crane) and his men had an entire business beneath the camp in a series of tunnels that had to be seen to be believed. Everything from tailors to mapmaking took place there. Each week Hogan and his men would sneak out of camp via their tunnels, wreak havoc on the Germans and return in time for roll call.

Klink, monocle firmly planted, would chastise Hogan and his men for thinking they could get away with some minor infraction in the camp while all the while they were doing things like blowing up bridges at night. Sgt. Schultz (John Banner), the main guard in the prison, would try to tell the men not to do anything to get him in trouble but at the same time was more friend than foe to them all.

There were standouts among the men who were in the prison as well. Richard Dawson played Cpl. Newkirk before the show ended and he took over as the host of FAMILY FEUD for years. Cpl. LeBeau (Robert Clary) was the Frenchman on the team and later had parts on various soap operas. Sgt. James “Kinch” Kinchloe (Ivan Dixon) went on to become a notable director of numerous TV series. And Sgt. Andrew Carter (Larry Hovis) stayed with comedy starring on TV’s LAUGH-IN. Each of these actors nailed their parts perfectly and when combined in this series made it what it was. As a youngster this was my first exposure to a show that featured a team as opposed to a single star.

The series has been available in DVD for several years now with each season getting its own box. Now CBS/Paramount has released the entire series in one mega-set for a low price. I’ve seen some say they could do better with each season but in checking I’ve found those priced around $18 so for all six seasons you’re talking $108. Right now amazon list this mega-set at just $53. Not only that you’ll have the entire series in one box rather than 6, something that somehow always results in my being unable to find one or another when I go looking.

I’m glad to see CBS/Paramount doing this with a number of their series. I wrote about MISSION IMPOSSIBLE earlier and loved the fact that I could now have all of the series in one place at an affordable price for my collection. As for fitting on my shelf it makes it so much easier this way than several boxes. Is there a lack of extras? I don’t doubt it but not enough to make it a problem. As for myself I’ve gotten tired of movies/series that offer more time on extras than the original product itself. With so much to watch who has time?

Not only will you save money in buying this set you’ll also find yourself laughing at many of the antics that made you howl years ago. Some might not be near as funny as when you were 10 but others will make more sense now and give you a different reason to laugh. And at the end try not to find a reason to be insulted by this. There is no doubt that concentration camps were nothing to laugh at. But with shows like this it was the absurdity of the situation that played part and parcel with the laughs that took place. It was showing a former enemy as incompetent rather than a threat. It was about making people laugh. And this show was good at doing just that.

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