History Headscratchers / HogansHeroes

-->'''Hogan''': Try not to get shot.
-->'''Newkirk''': ''(indicates his pajamas)'' In this getup, would you blame them?

** there were, and are, various dialects of German, and the different pronunciations fit in with those. Consider pronunciation of words in different parts of the US.

* Was Bob Crane getting tired of the show in the end? Admittedly, I added the {{Flanderization}} entry on the main page based on observation, though I was recently rewatching some early episodes (which I tend to skip), and the stark contrast in Hogan's demeanor is a lot more noticable than I remembered: watch an episode from the first season, and even Hogan is not above cranking up the [[LargeHam ham factor]], especially whenever he poses as a Kraut, then he cranks it UpToEleven (and uses the cheesiest-sounding phony German accent you ever heard). Then watch an episode from the last season, and Hogan seems to deliver every single line of dialogue with the exact same deadpan monotone - whether it's a straight line or a wisecrack - and as also mentioned on the main page, he [[NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent doesn't even bother faking a German accent whenever he poses as a Kraut]]. I think I remember hearing that he was having financial problems in RealLife, causing him to invest in the show itself (notice during the final season, the credits say, "A Bing Crosby Production in association with Bob Crane Enterprises)... think maybe that was eating away at him?

** Realistically, it probably makes sense that only a small core of the men directly participated in the missions; the rest of the prisoners are necessary to keep up the illusion that everything is functioning like a normal prison camp.

* I’m sort of intrigued by the extras you see in almost every episode - the “other” prisoners in Hogan’s barracks. Usually, they are seen lounging on their bunks or standing in the background, passively watching and listening as Hogan and the other principals discuss their latest scheme. Once in a great while, we see a few of them assisting on the periphery of an operation, like lookouts or signalers. But they never do any “away” missions with the main characters. It’s apparent, though, that they are all in on the sabotage shenanigans going on (it would be hard to keep them in the dark in such a confined space anyway), but still 99% of the missions involve just the principal five actively taking part. Sure, Hogan may feel that the main crew are the only guys he trusts with going outside the camp, but one would think the others would at least be drafted to do some of the “grunt work.” It doesn’t make sense that valuable “first teamers” like [=LeBeau=], Newkirk, Carter and Kinchloe are, say, digging a new tunnel extension while the no-names are reading magazines in their bunks. Maybe some of the background guys are “on deck,” ready to step in if one of the principals are captured or otherwise rendered unavailable (which would explain Baker’s sudden and unexplained replacement of Kinch), but it doesn’t seem like they are getting any real training that would prepare them to fill the shoes of the Big Five on short notice if need be.

** Post-show cast interviews indicate that most of the main cast generally got along well, with the exception of Bob Crane. His personal political views were the opposite of everyone else and he was more distant with them. But considering what came out about Crane's personal life after his murder, he may have been more... interested in that aspect of his life than in his public acting career, choosing to not make friends or show much passion for his work compared to everyone else on the show. Not that he couldn't have also become burned out with doing the show for so long, too- this is pretty noticable with The Andy Griffith Show's later seasons as well, as Andy Griffith went from playing a lovable, cheerful sheriff to having a rather visible disdain for the town & people he served as well as more of a bad attitude with Opie. Tom Baker also began to express dislike for his work on Doctor Who after 7 seasons, to the point he wouldn't associate with the series for several decades after. Some actors get bored with long-running TV shows they're stuck working on.

** [[RuleOfFunny Because it's a comedy, really]]. Though as any study of British military history (or British individual having served in the military, for that matter), if there is one organisation that has not been entirely spared the scourge of incompetents finding their ways into positions of power, authority and influence, it is the British Army.

* I’m sort of intrigued by the extras you see in almost every episode - the “other” prisoners in Hogan’s barracks. Usually, they are seen lounging on their bunks or standing in the background, passively watching and listening as Hogan and the other principals discuss their latest scheme. Once in a great while, we see a few of them assisting on the periphery of an operation, like lookouts or signalers. But they never do any “away” missions with the main characters. It’s apparent, though, that they are all in on the sabotage shenanigans going on (it would be hard to keep them in the dark in such a confined space anyway), but still 99% of the missions involve just the principal five actively taking part. Sure, Hogan may feel that the main crew are the only guys he trusts with going outside the camp, but one would think the others would at least be drafted to do some of the “grunt work.” It doesn’t make sense that valuable “first teamers” like LeBeau, Newkirk, Carter and Kinchloe are, say, digging a new tunnel extension while the no-names are reading magazines in their bunks. Maybe some of the background guys are “on deck,” ready to step in if one of the principals are captured or otherwise rendered unavailable (which would explain Baker’s sudden and unexplained replacement of Kinch), but it doesn’t seem like they are getting any real training that would prepare them to fill the shoes of the Big Five on short notice if need be.
** This can be mostly explained by TheMainCharactersDoEverything. It's possible that the extras do help with a lot of the grunt work like tunnel digging while the first teamers supervise or do the finishing touches. In "The Great Impersonation", LeBeau, Newkirk, and Carter are captured red-handed in an act of sabotage; Hogan mentions that they are irreplaceable and that their heists are finished if the three can't be rescued.

* Why the ''fuck'' is Colonel Crittendon still in the British Army. Comedy purposes aside, I know that peerage and stuff like that is important in the British Army, but considering he's probably one of the most incompetent men in the entire war (even with Klink and Schultz being taken into consideration) and has, multiple times, been the sole survivor of his units due to his own incompetence, how is he still being sent on very important missions like being a resistance leader and things like that? You would think that High Command or ''whoever'' is in charge of him would realize he's a dumbass and is better either behind a desk or outright discharged, honorably or otherwise.

* In S3 E18, Hogan and his crew cure Klink of a mild bout of the flu which threatens to derail their plans by surreptitiously injecting him with Penicillin. Since when did antibiotics like Penicillin cure Viral infections like the flu? And how did they know that Klink wasn't allergic to Penicillin like 10% of the population is?

* Why the ''fuck'' is Colonel Crittendon still in the British Army. I know that peerage and stuff like that is important in the British Army, but considering he's probably one of the most incompetent men in the entire war (even with Klink and Schultz being taken into consideration) and has, multiple times, been the sole survivor of his units due to his own incompetence, how is he still being sent on very important missions like being a resistance leader and things like that? You would think that High Command or ''whoever'' is in charge of him would realize he's a dumbass and is better either behind a desk or outright discharged, honorably or otherwise.

* In "The Gold Rush," the crew uses the cover of building brick steps up to Klink's office to heist some gold bricks. At the end of the episode, one of the red-painted gold bricks gets scuffed. Why put the gold bricks in the steps at all? They already had them down in the tunnel.

** A cockroach is a small, annoying pest and it fits well for [=LeBeau=] as he is short, scrappy, and apparently from one episode where he reveals that, pre-Stalag 13 but post-POW, he [=(LeBeau)=] had been strung up by his thumbs and interrogated to no avail. In the alternative, it is clear that [=LeBeau=] is a regular army man whereas all the other [=POWs=] are connected to the Army Air Corps (Hogan is a pilot, Carter an AAC Technical Sgt, Kinchloe is also a Tech. Sgt and radioman, and Newkirk is in the RAF). Klink is in the Luftwaffe, as are all the guards --- [=LeBeau=] is seen by the Germans as a pest and by his captors as a mere soldier in the army (a tiny cockroach) unlike flyers and airmen, he is viewed as diminutive both physically and militarily.

** A cockroach is a small, annoying pest and it fits well for [=LeBeau=] as he is short, scrappy, and apparently from one episode where he reveals that, pre-Stalag 13 but post-POW, he [=(LeBeau)=] had been strung up by his thumbs and interrogated to no avail. In the alternative, it is clear that [=LeBeau=] is a regular army man whereas all the other POWs are connected to the Army Air Corps (Hogan is a pilot, Carter an AAC Technical Sgt, Kinchloe is also a Tech. Sgt and radioman, and Newkirk is in the RAF). Klink is in the Luftwaffe, as are all the guards --- [=LeBeau=] is seen by the Germans as a pest and by his captors as a mere soldier in the army (a tiny cockroach) unlike flyers and airmen, he is viewed as diminutive both physically and militarily.

* Schultz and Klink both frequently refer to LeBeau as "Cockroach." Was there ever a backstory or explanation as to why they hung this less than affectionate nickname on him? They don't seem to have come up with derogatory monikers for any of the other of Hogan's men.
** A cockroach is a small, annoying pest and it fits well for LeBeau as he is short, scrappy, and apparently from one episode where he reveals pre-Stalag 13 but post-POW that he (LeBeau) had been strung up by his thumbs and interrogated to no avail. In the alternative, it is clear that LeBeau is a regular army man whereas all the other POWs are connected to the Army Air Corp (Hogan is a pilot, Carter an AAC Technical Sgt, Kinchloe is also a Tech. Sgt and radioman, and Newkirk is in the RAF. Klink is in the Luftwaffe as are all the guards --- LeBeau is seen by the Germans as a pest and by his captors as a mere soldier in the army (a tiny cockroach) unlike flyers and airmen, he is viewed as diminutive both physically and militarily.

** Klink's pronunciation is probably the most accurate since Werner Klemperer is the only German in the cast (John Banner and Leon Askin are Austrian which while still German speaking has a different dialect so pronunciations may be a bit different from High German). Personally, I think its HOCH-SHTETTER (With emphasis on the "CH" like a strong harsh "H" sound).

* Was Bob Crane getting tired of the show in the end? Admittedly, I added the {{Flanderization}} entry on the main page based on observation, though I was recently rewatching some early episodes (which I tend to skip), and the stark contrast in Hogan's demeanor is a lot more noticable than I remembered: watch an episode from the first season, and even Hogan is not above cranking up the [[LargeHam ham factor]], especially whenever he poses as a Kraut, then he cranks it UpToEleven (and uses the cheesist-sounding phony German accent you ever heard). Then watch an episode from the last season, and Hogan seems to deliver every single line of dialogue with the exact same deadpan monotone - whether it's a straight line or a wisecrack - and as also mentioned on the main page, he [[NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent doesn't even bother faking a German accent whenever he poses as a Kraut]]. I think I remember hearing that he was having financial problems in RealLife, causing him to invest in the show itself (notice during the final season, the credits say, "A Bing Crosby Production in association with Bob Crane Enterprises)... think maybe that was eating away at him?

* Shultz and Klink both frequently refer to LeBeau as "Cockroach." Was there ever a backstory or explanation as to why they hung this less than affectionate nickname on him? They don't seem to have come up with derogatory monikers for any of the other of Hogan's men.

* Shultz and Klink both frequently refer to LeBeau as "Cockroach." Was there ever a backstory or explnation as to why they hung this less than affectionate nickname on him? They don't seem to have come up with derogatory monikers for any of the other of Hogan's men.