Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great set, however......., October 6, 2009
It's so nice to see a complete box set for this TV show. However, was it really necessary to put great bonus features in this set that were not in the individual sets? Thank you Paramount for thinking so little of those who shelled out their hard-earned money for the previous sets, only to offer new bonus features that those customers didn't get.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic show...Classic DVD Treatment!!, November 16, 2009
I received an advance copy of this set and it's spectacular and is reason for any Hogan's fan to be excited, unless of course you already shelled out money for the earlier releases.
Packaged together for the first time, the 28-disc set includes all six seasons of the smash-hit series, as well as an arsenal full of extras including home movies, bloopers and audio commentaries. The set will also contain an entire disc of new to DVD special features, including an extended version of the pilot with rare introduction, a new cast interview with Richard Dawson and a photo montage including unseen images set to a performance of the show's theme song by Bob Crane and his band. Brand new "Kommandant Rank" graphics and packaging have been designed for this special set.
Garnering two Emmy nominations for his role, Bob Crane stars as Colonel Hogan, who together with his fellow Prisoners of War at Stalag 13 cleverly outwit their German captors. Firing off a non-stop string of one-liners from behind enemy lines, the ragtag team - including
Richard Dawson, Robert Clary and Larry Hovis - lead a relentless comic assault on their Nazi captors, conducting espionage and sabotage campaigns right under the noses of their warders. While the enemy is often gullible, easily fooled or downright incompetent, the real strength of Hogan's men are the elaborate ruses and sometimes dangerous lengths they will go to complete their mission. Werner Klemperer earned back-to-back Emmy awards for his role as the German Colonel Wilhelm Klink. Airing from 1965 through 1971, HOGAN'S HEROES garnered three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series.
HOGAN'S HEROES THE KOMPLETE SERIES, KOMMANDANT'S KOLLECTION arrives armed with a disc of new to DVD material, including:
A new interview with Richard Dawson, who played Corporal Peter Newkirk
An extended version of the pilot episode "The Informer," with a very rare network introduction
A segment from Hollywood Palace, featuring the cast of Hogan's Heroes
Audio of the HOGAN'S HEROES theme song performed by Bob Crane and his band accompanied by a special photo montage of images from the show and numerous rare behind-the-scenes photographs
Clip from CBS' 1965 Fall Preview Show, "Seven Wonderful Nights"
Two series promos
A new interview with Albert S. Ruddy, Co-Creator
Digital version of "Hokum's Heroes" parody from Mad Magazine
1968 and 1969 Emmy Awards: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Werner Klemperer clips
German dubbed episode with alternate dialogue track, created for German broadcast television which ultimately turned HOGAN'S HEROES from a flop into a hit show in Germany, with Albert S. Ruddy introduction. English subtitles also provided.
The 28-disc set is presented in full screen format with English Restored Mono.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
an extended series retrospective . . . celebrating the gang at Stalag 13, November 19, 2009
For fans of Hogan's Heroes (1965-71), it is indeed fortunate that the program weathered the initial criticism and controversy, and went on to become a successful series for CBS for six seasons. Created by Bernard Fein and Albert Ruddy, Hogan's Heroes featured Allied prisoners conducting clandestine operations from Stalag 13, a German POW (prisoner of war) camp. The program had a wonderful ensemble cast, headed by Bob Crane as Colonel Robert Hogan, Werner Klemperer as Luftwaffe Colonel Wilhelm Klink, and John Banner as Sergeant Hans Schultz. In the initial season, various approaches were explored, which helped to establish story parameters. Much was learned, and changes were made that resulted in a better and funnier program. Once the writers had direction and focus, and toned down some of the over the top wackiness, the stories became more credible, and Hogan's Heroes began to rise to new comedic heights.
It was often difficult for everyone to get screen time, but the core group of POW's, French corporal Louis LeBeau (Robert Clary), RAF corporal Peter Newkirk (Richard Dawson), and US sergeants Ben Kinchloe (Ivan Dixon), and Andrew Carter (Larry Hovis), soon developed into memorable characters. Leon Askin as General Burkhalter, evolved into a semi-regular, followed later by Howard Caine as Gestapo Major Hochstetter. With a large cast and guest stars frequently in the mix, Hogan's Heroes featured a rich variety of acting talent, guided by a creative team that included principal writers Richard M. Powell and Laurence Marks (MASH), and directors Gene Reynolds (MASH), Bruce Bilson, and Edward Feldman, who was also executive producer.
The 1960's was an amazing decade, full of turbulence and change. When Hogan's Heroes debuted in 1965, World War II was only twenty years in the past, and many still had deep feelings of hurt and loss. It was understandable that some found the idea of a comedy set in a POW camp, to be offensive, or in questionable taste. Others mistakenly confused POW camps, which housed military prisoners, with the extermination camps of the Holocaust. Interestingly, actors Askin, Banner, Clary, and Klemperer, were Jews who had fled Europe to escape the Nazis.
The primetime comedy lineup in 1965, was an eclectic mix from many genres that included Gilligan's Island, My Favorite Martian, McHale's Navy, Bewitched, The Munsters, The Addams Family, Mr. Ed, Andy Griffith, and The Beverly Hillbillies. Also debuted in 1965 were That Girl, Get Smart, My Mother the Car, and I Dream of Jeannie. With TV comedy exploring so many wacky frontiers, why not a sitcom set in a stalag?
Allied prisoners digging tunnels were featured in The Great Escape (1963), a hugely popular film, based on real life events detailed in a book by Paul Brickhill. The film took certain liberties with the truth for dramatic purposes, and Hogan's Heroes similarly mixed elements of fact with fiction, and then took matters to a radically ridiculous extreme, featuring an elaborate secret underground installation and tunnel system. Early on, reality was stretched a bit too far, and things got a little too loose, such as when a plane was launched from the camp, artillery guns fired happy birthday flags, a tank vanished inside the camp, and pizza was used to bribe an Italian officer. Even a parody can be taken to extremes. When an appropriate balance between reality and fantasy was established, and suitable writers found, Hogan and his men were capable of almost anything within that framework. The relationship between the prisoners and the Germans, evolved from being a childish game of superiority, to one with a higher level of respect.
Some aspects of life in Stalag 13 that had some basis in reality, included the scarcity of food, the importance of the Geneva Convention and Red Cross packages, and POW's typically had only their uniform to wear. Prisoners had roll calls, faced punishment for subversive activities, and had elaborate security and warning systems in place for their escape activities, which were typically coordinated by an escape committee. German soldiers did fear of the Russian front, and there was an `underground' system that aided Allied soldiers.
A big part of the series was the Hogan/Kink relationship, where the American colonel continuously manipulated the Kommandant, often playing on his insecurities, fears, or vanity. Klink was usually putty in Hogan's hands, but those rare occasions when things did not go Hogan's way, were usually a very interesting times. Klink's incompetence so greatly aided the Allied cause, that it was hard to regard him as the enemy.
John Banner was simply magnificent as the portly Sgt. Schultz, a man with a resolve as firm as jell-o, who could be pressured or persuaded with food, into doing almost anything. Klemperer won several Emmys, but Banner was perhaps the most naturally funny of anyone, and often got some of the best lines. The classic 'I know nothing . . . nothing', being just one. Banner could take over a scene by outrageous overacting, or just by reacting in the background. It is hard to conceive how different things would have been, without this gentle man's singular talents.
For many in the cast, Hogan's Heroes is what they are most remembered for. Larry Hovis had a special talent as the goofball, demolition expert Carter, who did a hilarious impersonation of Hitler, and other Germans. Robert Clary as LeBeau, was often found putting his culinary skills to use. Handsome Ivan Dixon, was one of the first African Americans to be featured as a regular in a television series, and the episodes where Sergeant Kinchloe was spotlighted were excellent. Later known for hosting Family Feud, Richard Dawson was Peter Newkirk, a wisecracking hustler type, who fancied himself a ladies' man. When Dixon left the series, Kenneth Washington replaced him in the final season, as Sergeant Baker.
Leon Askin, much like John Banner, was a comedic jewel as General Burkhalter. With an acidic voice and a commanding presence, he had great delivery for one liners, and got in some real zingers, usually involving some massive putdown of Klink. With Stalag 13 and the nearby town of Hammelburg, the hub for underground operations and sabotage activities, it was natural that the Gestapo (geheim stazpolizei) took an interest in the camp. Howard Caine became a semi-regular as the sneering Gestapo Major Hochstetter. Hochstetter was a more serious threat, and dealing with him was a real challenge. The Gestapo often clashed with the Luftwaffe, adding a few more sparks to the fun. Cynthia Lynn was Klink's secretary Helga for the first season. Sigrid Valdis took over as Hilda, for the run of the series. Valdis married Bob Crane in 1970.
Bernard Fox as Colonel Crittenden, Kathleen Freeman as Gertrude Linkmeyer, Arlene Martel as Tiger, Nita Talbot as Marya, Dick Wilson as Fritz Gruber, and Jon Cedar as Corporal Langenscheidt (and others) were among the best of the reoccurring guest characters, with Noam Pitlik, Victoria Carroll, and Dave Morick among the many who made multiple appearances in various roles. The program featured a list of distinguished guest stars that included John Hoyt, Gavin MacLeod, Harold J. Stone, John Dehner, Whit Bissell, Harold Gould, Alan Oppenheimer, Frank Marth, Paul Lambert, John Stephenson, Ben Wright, and Theo Marcuse. Some of the fine actresses who appeared include Antoinette Bower, Ruta Lee, Marj Dusay, Marilyn Mason, Barbara Babcock, Joyce Jameson, Lynn Peters, Jean Hale, Fay Spain, Claudine Longet, Sabrina Scharf, Mariana Hill, Leslie Parrish, Karen Steele, and Brenda Benet.
A Bing Crosby production, Hogan's Heroes is one of the unique classic comedies from the 1960's. For some, it may instill memories of a past where sacrifice and working together for a common cause, was not such a strange concept as it may seem today. Composer Jerry Fielding provided the wonderful music that livened things up.
This new compilation is obviously perfect for anyone looking to collect the complete series. It appears that aside from a single disc with new bonus material, and perhaps some improvements in sound quality, the material is essentially the same as has been previously released. Among the new material, the remembrances of Richard Dawson, and co-creator Albert J. Ruddy would be of particular interest, as sadly Bob Crane, Larry Hovis, Werner Klemperer, Leon Askin, Ivan Dixon, Howard Caine, Sigrid Valdis, John Banner, and many others are no longer with us. In the previously issued sets, Sigrid Valdis (Patricia Crane) graciously shared her memories and thoughts.
Dedicated fans that have already purchased all of the individual season sets may wonder if the extras and 'improvements' are enough to justify a rebuy. Are the bonus materials items that can't be missed? When the set is released, this review will be revised to try and address these matters, but for most, the answer is probably no. Unfortunately for many series, that is how things often work out. Of small consolation is that Amazon's presale price is very low.
Robert Clary has released a memoir entitled `From the Holocaust to Hogan's Heroes', and Cynthia Lynn has also written a memoir 'Escape to Freedom'. Brenda Scott Royce's out of print book, `Behind the Scenes at Stalag 13' has some good information, although the episode summaries could have been much more comprehensive.
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