The Cultural Context of ‘Hogan’s Heroes’
Cast members of Hogan’s Heroes in 1965 (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
By Phoebe Doscher, Staff Writer
Former Board of Trustees Member Bob Garthwait resigned after a photo of him wearing a Nazi uniform at a college fraternity party in the 1980 Gettysburg College yearbook resurfaced. In an email to the college community, Garthwait clarified that he wore the costume to a Hogan’s Heroes Stalag 13-themed party, an American sitcom. Here is a background on the TV show that the fraternity party Garthwait attended was modeled after, with insight from Cinema and Media Studies Professor James Udden.
Time Period:
Hogan’s Heroes premiered in 1965 and ran its primetime stint until 1971. Following its initial success, the show was syndicated during the ‘70s and ‘80s. Udden recalls seeing the show on the television every afternoon during his childhood, around 3:00 p.m. At times, Hogan’s Heroes would be in succession to Gilligan’s Island, another ‘60s sitcom.
Synopsis:
The six-season sitcom was a satirical military history show, following a fictional prisoner of war camp, Luft Stalag 13, during World War II. Hogan’s Heroes follows the POW officer, Colonel Hogan, as he leads the prisoners in outsmarting the Nazi commanders at the camp. In every episode, the prisoners ultimately lampoon the Nazis, Colonel Klink and Sergeant Schultz, via underground tunnels and clever sabotage.
Udden recalled a couple of episodes that particularly stand out in his memory; one of which consists of prisoners of war redirecting bombers by lining up in the shape of an arrow. He also remembers one episode where the Nazis are fooled and misdirected by a prisoner dressed up as Adolf Hitler.
The Nazis on the show are led to believe that their prisoner camp has a perfect escapee track record; yet, without fail, they are always comically defeated.
Cast:
The actors who portrayed the leading roles of German Nazis, John Banner (Sergeant Schultz) and Werner Klemperer (Colonel Klink) were both Jewish, as well as two of their other principal counterparts, Leon Askin and Howard Caine. Banner was also a former US Army Sergeant in World War II. Klemperer agreed to take on the role under the condition that the Nazis were never portrayed as heroes.
Nazis in Visual Media:
Udden cited two similar films, from the ‘60s and the ‘40s, that similarly portray Nazis in a satirical fashion. The Producers, a 1976 film written and directed by Mel Brooks, who is Jewish, is about producers who oversell shares to earn money on a flop Broadway show about Adolf Hitler. The film became a Broadway show and won twelve Tony Awards.
In 1943, Ernst Lubitsch, another Jewish director, directed and produced To Be or Not To Be, a comedy film about an acting troupe that disguises and outsmarts Nazis at a camp. One of the characters, Udden mentioned, passes as Hitler and uses his deception to his advantage in outsmarting the Nazis, similar to Hogan’s Heroes.
American Culture and Nazi-Related Media
Hogan’s Heroes, The Producers, and To Be or Not To Be all have the genre of satirical film or television in common. The films and TV show also have Jewish cast, creatives, or both. They were all not intended to be Anti-Semitic and vowed to cast Nazis in a negative light.
Media, in the past and today, contains subjects that can be received negatively or positively from a mass audience. Udden contends that media can be a double edge sword with mixed messages and oftentimes receives multiple interpretations from audiences.
March 28, 2019
Good job explaining this. It’s a great show. As a 1980 college grad myself, I find it highly plausible that the trustee could have been at a Hogan’s Heroes-inspired party.
March 28, 2019
Thank you for this insightful article. I noticed you did not mention the Jewish actor, Robert Clary, who lost most of his family in the Holocaust. He survived the camps. Clary played Cpl. LeBeau.
This French-American entertainer (now in his 90’s) wrote an autobiography titled “From the Holocaust to Hogan’s Heroes.” You can find multiple youtube interviews in which he discusses his experiences and how he began lecturing about the Holocaust back in the 1980’s as deniers began to get more publicity.
There are several other articles discussing this connection. One of the best I’ve found is “Hogan’s Heroes and the Holocaust: The Association That Just Won’t Go Away.” A paper that explores the connection between the popular TV sitcom and the historical event. It is by Leslie Campbell Rampey, Ph.D. http://www.worldhistoryblog.com/2005/01/hogans-heroes-and-holocaust.html
January 19, 2023
Just came across this article. Given how “presentism” has now led to people being ostracized for things that were perfectly normal in the past, I’ve found watching people’s interactions with this show very interesting.
It seems that many people who first learn of the show are aghast at the very idea of a Nazi based comedy, and they’re going to show it. But once they find out more about the background of the actors, their attitude mellows. I fail to see how I have a responsibility or even a right to be offended on behalf of those who were in the show. They actually lived that nightmare. If they want to be in a show that portrays part of it, so be it. Myself, I love the show. Once you watch a few episodes, it’s clear why they did it.
December 13, 2023
Agreed. Hogan’s Heroes is brilliant escapist comedy with great social commentary along with pushing the envelope on numerous issues that needed to be scrutinized back then. Kinchlow is a supreme example, being an integral character who can’t be removed from any of the stories without completely ruining the plot, thus keeping racist station managers from editing episodes to exclude him.
I sometimes wonder if some of the regular Germans are allied sympathizers, such as Scultz, Burkhalter, Hochstetter and Langenscheidt. Hochstetter seems almost willing to pick up the idiot ball on numerous occasions, but is also too light with Hogan to make him a villain. Burkhalter gives the heroes loads of opportunities to engage in their activities while also interfering when they go too far. Schultz is just too lovable and cooperative most of the time to not be thought of as a sympathizer and Langenscheidt is so often eager to look the other way that he also seems impossible to not be anything but a sympathizer.
I love the series and will defend it for the brilliant piece of cultural commentary and humor it is. Hogan’s Heroes is the best kind of criticism, something that helps keep people smiling . while at the same time teaching through humor.
August 8, 2022
There are other outstanding films concerning prisoner escapes alluded to in “Hogan’s Heroes.” For instance, Jean Renoir’s ‘The Grand Illusion” (1937) deals with the decline of honor as French officers escape from a German POW camp in WWI. Readers here would do well to also consider Wilder’s “Stalag 17’ (1953) or Sturges’ “The Great Escape” (1963) which examine Allied POW escapes in WWII.
December 13, 2023
Well put. Stalag 17 is a masterpiece, in my opinion. The contemptible commandant who is significantly more smug and far less likeable than Wilhelm Klink is just one of the many highlights of the film. It’s Sgt. Shultz is also an interesting counterpoint to Stalag 13’s adorable Sgt. Schultz, being more contemptible, but at the same time making every effort to be as friendly appearing, despite being more their enemy than Hans Schultz could ever be. The escape attempt at the end keeps tensions high and is very rewarding in its execution.