Vitals

Bob Crane as Robert E. Hogan, resourceful U.S. Army Air Forces Colonel

“Stalag Luft 13” near Hammelburg, Germany, Winter 1945

Series: Hogan’s Heroes
Created by: Bernard Fein & Albert S. Ruddy
Costume Design: Reeder P. Boss, Ray Harp, and Marjorie Wahl

Background

Hogan’s Heroes debuted sixty years ago today on September 17, 1965 with a black-and-white pilot episode, followed by 167 episodes in full color. Debuting twenty years after the end of World War II, the series twisted the typical POW formula as 1) a comedy in which 2) the Allied characters showed no actual desire to escape from their imprisonment. As the titular Colonel Robert E. Hogan (Bob Crane) explains to one of his “heroes” in the first-season finale, “we’re not just ordinary POWs, we’re here on a mission. Our orders are very plain: assist Allied prisoners to escape, and sabotage the enemy wherever possible.” Continue reading →