Hogan's Heroes : Behind the Scenes at Stalag 13! [Paperback]

Brenda Scott Royce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1998 | ISBN-10: 1580630316 | ISBN-13: 978-1580630313 | Edition: 1st

If your fondest TV memories involve the POWs of Stalag 13 cleverly outwitting their captors, Schultz stammering "I know nothing!" and Hochstetter threatening to send everyone to the Russian front, then this is the book for you. This fun and informative book takes you behind the scenes of the classic 1960s sitcom to reveal:

· the story behind the creation, production, and eventual cancellation of the series
· the controversy surrounding the show's unlikely premise
· interviews with many of the show's stars and crew
· biographies of the stars and supporting actors
· a detailed guide to each of the 168 episodes
· a guide to collecting Hogan's memorabilia
· and more...

Hogan's Heroes is more popular now than ever before, especially in Germany, where it has become a surprising cult hit. In this book, most of the show's stars and behind-the-scenes personnel share their memories and reflect on the series' enduring popularity.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brenda Scott Royce is a freelance entertainment writer and motion picture reviewer. She is the author of Party of Five: The Unofficial Companion, and has written for Classic TV, Television Chronicles, Television Today, Movie Marketplace, and other periodicals. She resides in Los Angeles, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Renaissance Books; 1st edition (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580630316
• ISBN-13: 978-1580630313
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #482,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When I sat down to write my first novel, I had no idea there would be a monkey in the book. But I remembered the age-old advice, "Write what you know." At the time, I was studying primatology at Cal State Fullerton, working part-time observing orangutans at the Los Angeles Zoo, and volunteering on weekends as a chimpanzee caregiver at a wildlife sanctuary. So what I knew was apes and monkeys. Before long, Holly, the protagonist of Monkey Love, became the babysitter of a mischievous monkey.

My childhood ambition to study chimpanzees in Africa with Jane Goodall eventually gave way to "more realistic" goals of becoming either an actress or a writer. At thirteen, I moved with my family to Venice, Florida, and was accepted into the Sarasota Visual and Performing Arts Center at Booker High School. After graduation, I moved to New York City, where I studied acting and worked a series of odd jobs while awaiting my "big break"--which never came.

Eventually I moved to Los Angeles and turned my attention to writing and editing. I've worked in the publishing industry for nearly 15 years, including stints as an editor of pop-culture books, and assistant managing editor for a medical publisher. I've written everything from books and magazine articles to DVD liner notes, movie reviews, and encyclopedia entries. And I've abridged over 100 books for audio, by a diverse range of authors including Al Gore, Stephen J. Cannell, Edith Wharton, Mary Kay Andrews, Fern Michaels, and Janet Evanovich.

My career came full circle in 2004, when I became director of publications for the Los Angeles Zoo. Being able to combine my love of writing with my passion for animals has been a dream come true. And you can bet that animals will figure prominently into the plot of my next novel!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining read., May 25, 2005

By 

Chris Sellick (South Australia,Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hogan's Heroes : Behind the Scenes at Stalag 13! (Paperback)

Love this book! As a big fan of "Hogan's Heroes" I bought this book.Takes a look at cast members and their work before and after the show.Covers all the episodes and much more.

I gave this book 5 stars due to the amount of information and its thoroughly enjoyable.The only disappointment was it lacks a lot of photos.Good value though and worth every cent.This book will please most fans of the show.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding book on the classic TV show!, June 29, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hogan's Heroes : Behind the Scenes at Stalag 13! (Paperback)

Hogan's Heroes is my all-time favorite TV comedy show, not just because of the humor, but because of the interaction of the characters and the World War II setting. I can't think of one single episode throughout the entire course of the series that I don't like for one reason or another. It was well-written, well-acted and well-produced/directed, and deserved more than the few Emmys it received at the time. It's hard to say enough good things about this book, which to date has been the ONLY book on the series! Brenda Scott Royce, herself a long-time fan of the show, did a fantastic job. Just about everything most real fans of this classic and underappreciated TV series could want to find out is here. There are plot synopses of all the episodes of the series and original air dates, sections about each of the main characters/actors, and interesting related information. Only one area is lacking, a slight deficiency of photos. But the end result is still a treasure trove of information, thanks to the author's extensive research and interviews.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, would go well with DVD sets if they ever get put out, July 13, 2005

By 

A. Burchfield (Conway, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hogan's Heroes : Behind the Scenes at Stalag 13! (Paperback)

A wealth of information on all 6 seasons of Hogan's Heroes. You get a short description of each episode, broadcast dates (even the original times and competing TV shows),guest appearances, even some trivial bits- all worth reading.
Around half the book (first half) covers the stars themselves giving details about their lives and careers, even listing TV, Movie and other credits for them. This part also has stuff on the writers/producers and the development of the series. I found this to have a lot of fascinating stuff in it. Robert Hogan, Bob Crane's character,was created by Bernard Fein who took the name of a friend- actor Robert Hogan ( you may notice his name listed in a season one episode, the actor played a POW deciding to escape on his own, messing up Hogan's planned group escape). I was surprised to read how many of the cast were actually Jewish (they took some flak for it when the show came on too). I'd heard that the show is now popular in Germany, it's explained here that the translators have basically written their own scripts to go with the pictures- so to me it isn't really even the same program anymore. One of the few complaints I have about this book is age related, written in 1998 a few more of the cast members have died since it was written.
You won't get many nuts & bolts details of each episode but you will get a very nice guide to the series. It's well worth owning, especially if someone ever gets around to producing more DVD sets than just the present 1st season.