I was introduced to Hogan's Heroes pretty late in the game, when it aired on Nick at Nite, long after it was on network tv for its original run. But from the first episode, I was hooked! Hogan's Heroes has become my go-to fluff tv for when I need something silly, either to forget or escape from the world, or just to have some noise on in the background. It's silly, and in the way of most 60's sitcoms, good, clean fun. It's just what the doctor ordered when I need a dose of mindless escapism. Though recent information shows, it might not be as unbelievable or as ridiculous as the producers may have wanted viewers to think. New information indicates that there were real "Hogans" in POW camps in Europe in World War II. That is too cool for words. Truly.
Anyway, I have the complete series on DVD and as I watch it through again, I'm going to review the episodes.
Season 1, Episode 1 (The Informer)
This is the only Black & White episode of Hogan's Heroes and served as the pilot. Most of the regular cast is in attendance, and the basic groundwork for the series is laid. Olsen, the "outside" man is never seen again, nor is the Russian prisoner, but the basic cast is all present and accounted for.
As a pilot, it works very well, especially for a series that never really changes. It lays the general idea for the forthcoming episodes and gives some of the "behind the scenes" information on the workings of Stalag 13's "traveler's aide" that are missing from following episodes. But for the fact that this episode is in Black & White, it could have been played in any order through out the six years of the series. As with all the other episodes, save the couple that are two-parts, it can be played in any order and there is no difference. Many series have an overarching story arc that carries from one episode to the next. Hogan's Heroes is not one of those series. The characters do not significantly age, there are no real cast changes, and as much as I would have loved to see the Stalag 13 Prisoners escape or the War end, there is nothing that really differentiates a Season 1 episode from a Season 6 episode. Each season is just a collection of self-contained half-hour episodes. Heck, it almost never changes seasons!
The Pilot is one of my favorite episodes, but only because it shows the underground operation a bit better than the others. Truly, as far as Hogan's Heroes goes, if you have seen one episode, you have seen them all. There is no need to start with the Pilot and work your way through. It is possible to pick it up at any point in the series.
Season 1, Episode 2 (Hold That Tiger)
This episode, and the all the following ones are in color and the regular cast is present and set. This episode introduces a recurring French underground agent, Tiger, whose name I am not entirely sure is not a play on the plot to steal a German Tiger Tank. In truth, I am not sure that Tiger was not intended to be a one-time character, used only for this episode.
The episode does lay out how well Hogan and his men have the German guards under their control. The most interesting part of this episode is that Colonel Klink suspects Hogan of something, while in others he is sure there is no way Hogan can have any part in the sabotage. Klink often waffles back and forth on believing Hogan and his men capable of the sabotage and suspecting they had a hand in it. Perhaps it's much like Sergeant Schultz, if he admits he knows, he must do something about that knowledge, and doing something with that knowledge will only serve to ensure he is sent for a nice long trip to the Russian Front.
Going into each episode, it is known from the beginning that Hogan's men will triumph over the Germans, so there is no real worry about Hogan's men., but it's still fun to watch how the sabotage is carried out and which of the Germans looks the most foolish. Klink is sometimes the fool, but Shultz almost never is. I think Hogan and his men need Schultz on their side too much to make too big a fool of him. This is one of the episodes where Klink ends up looking foolish and knows it, but he is also sure Hogan had a hand in it.
More to come as I work my way through the series. If you haven't checked out Hogan's Heroes yet, do so when you can. It's well worth the 22 minutes for an episode on DVD, or the half hour on a syndicated episode on live tv. And as a bonus, you'll get a lot of references in other shows. I have lost count how many references there are to Hogan's Heroes in more contemporary productions. It's definitely one of those "Ohh, so that's where that came from!" shows.
Happy Watching Everyone,
Oliver
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