r/HogansHeroes

I'm fairly certain I've seen every episode of Season 6 at least once, but I for the life of me cannot remember a single point in that season when it was revealed that Baker's first name is Richard, yet it's common knowledge with this show. If that's really Baker's first name, when was that ever said?

Come to think of it, I've watched the pilot several times, and similarly, it's common knowledge that Vladimir's full name is Vladimir Minsk, yet that was never mentioned or stated in the episode, just Vladimir.

Where does any of this information come from?

(On a related note, Richard Dawson once said that Peter was originally intended to be Carter's first name, but Larry Hovis hated that name, so it became Newkirk's instead).

Hogan's Heroes is moving to weekdays at 6:30AM/5:30C starting September 7th on MeTV, right before Toon In with Me.
M*A*S*H will be returning to weeknights at 6PM/5C.

Wouldn't it be awesome if this were an actual commercially-available Lego set? This is amazing! Certainly more tasteful than that other Lego HH video on YouTube.

It looks like Hogan and his heroes return to the 10 PM time slot on the 24th.

The Honeymooners move to the 9:30 timeslot.

Although HOGAN'S HEROES was one of those shows that didn't have a proper finale (mainly because it was canceled before another season could filmed), it seems to me that the last two episodes of the series (chronologically that is; "Look at the Pretty Snowflakes" was the last one to be filmed) actually work as reasonable facsimilies of a finale, because they both break away from the traditional formula of the show. Both "Hogan's Double Life" and "Rockets and Romance" split up our main heroes; in the former, Hogan is finally in the crosshairs of the Gestapo after an agent identifies him as an Underground member who blew up a bridge, putting him in hot water and having to figure how to save his own neck; in the latter, while Hogan has to leave camp to carry out one part of a mission with Lily Frankel, the rest of the boys are left behind in camp to figure out how to accomplish another part of the mission on their own, without his guidance. As I say, with both episodes breaking away from the traditional HH formula of all of the Heroes being in it together, either one of these episodes feel like they do work for an improper finale for the series - even if they weren't the last ones to be filmed, it feels fitting that the network saved them to be aired last.

Now available for purchase at my Ebay listing; personalized to the fans by author Brian Young. Published by Bear Manor Media, I detail all 168 episodes in chronological order along with interview comments by my special guest stars who all worked on the program. Forward by producer/director, Jerry London. Free shipping on Ebay.

I've been partaking in my annual tradition of binging M*A*S*H and HOGAN'S HEROES from beginning to end all summer long - something I've been doing for years.

One thing I will say about both shows is they definitely got better with age in terms of how the seasons progressed, but whereas I was instantly hooked on M*A*S*H when I first started watching it, I had a harder time getting into HOGAN'S HEROES, and for a time really couldn't - but, I stuck with it, and it did eventually grow on me. Again, like M*A*S*H, HOGAN'S HEROES definitely got better with age.

After binging this year, I think I've finally hit on why I had trouble getting into HH at first - and not just because it was such a silly show in the beginning. Looking at the first couple of seasons, especially the very first, I find that with the exception of Hogan, Klink, and Schultz, none of the Heroes are really defined. Sure, they have their specialities that we see from the beginning (LeBeau being the chef, Newkirk being the conman, Kinch being the radioman, Carter making bombs and such), but that seems to be all there was to their respective characters - they were just there to do their part in helping Hogan with his plans, but that's about it . . . if anything, Season 1 feels more like Abbott and Costello routines between Hogan and Klink and/or Schultz, with the Heroes being more of an afterthought most of the time.

And it seems to me, looking at it now, the two who suffered from this the most were Newkirk and Carter. Aside from their default positions as Hogan's conman and bombmaker, they both were almost completely devoid of any personality; Newkirk certainly wasn't the quickwitted snarker we come to know and love in later seasons, nor was Carter the goofball he became (or even arugably Flanderized as). They in particular were so flat and generic that they feel like totally different characters in the beginning - and not exactly in a good way. (Not to mention, Richard Dawson really went overboard with Newkirk's cockney accent in the beginning, that it's almost cringey to listen to).

Granted, as with most shows, it clearly took a while for HH to jell and settle into what it became, and like I say, I feel like the show definitely improved with each season as the writers got a better handle on the not only the characters, but also finding a better balance between Hogan pulling the wool over Klink and Schultz's eyes, and Hogan scheming with his men, while the Heroes themselves became far more refined. A lot of casual viewers seem to point out that if you were to watch a random episode of HH from any season, you wouldn't discern a difference, but I feel like that really isn't the case: watching a Season 1 (or even a Season 2) episode is actually quite a contrast from, say, a Season 5 or 6 episode.

That's just my opinion anyway, but I'm glad that I continued to give the show a chance and let it grow on me, because it is a good one. Admittedly, if you were ask me to choose between the two, I would go with M*A*S*H, as it did have more to offer and it did truly grow and evolve overtime in terms of character development and storytelling style (something that wasn't common in the 60s when HOGAN'S HEROES was part of the television landscape), but HOGAN'S HEROES does still rank up there (pun intended).

Pluto tv has just added it to their lineup. If you can stand the incessant and annoying ads, enjoy!