You'll Probably Hate Me for Saying This

[scut farkas]

HH portrays those prison camps as wonderful, funny places where comical German guards and their lovable commandant had endless fun with Hogan and the guys.........but did you know that many Allied fliers were systematically starved, exposed to incredibly inhumane conditions, and, not uncommonly, shot to death in the prison camps (stalags)?

I just cannot imagine a greater insult to the brave airmen of WW2 who endured such brutality. Maybe someone will come up with a comedy show about Auschwitz or Treblinka. Those places were run by the same funny guys, you know.

[TJL]

You are right, "Hogans Heroes" was in a way a great insult to the heroes of WW2.
That show will go down in TV history as the textbook example of "touchy subjects made into sitcoms."
Comedian Gilbert Gottfried had a great bit about "Hogans Heroes." To paraphrase...
"Wouldn't you have loved to be at that network meeting? I have a great idea for a show...It's set in a prison camp, it's got Nazis. It's a comedy!!! How can it miss?"

I have to admit, I have watched the reruns over the years, but I always felt that this show really shouldn't have been made.

[dawsongirl]

I see your points, really I do, but this show was a farce, a spoof, a satire, whatever you want to call it. It took a lighthearted look at something real. It wasn't meant to be taken seriously at all- just as a comedy. It was not meant to insult anyone or anything.

Seriously, if it had been that horendous, it would not have lasted 6 years.

[Mysty Eyes]

Originally posted by dawsongirl
I see your points, really I do, but this show was a farce, a spoof, a satire, whatever you want to call it.

In addition to that, the show made fun of the Nazi regime. It depicted a Nazi ego that overshadowed intelligence. The Allied forces always got the best of the Nazis. The Allies were the ultimate victors... every time.

It also showed that not all German soldiers were in the war by choice. Do you really think that Schulz wanted to be there? Or Klink for that matter? It also showed that many civilians worked against the Nazis.

[Mysty Eyes]

More information...

This got me to thinking, and I thought that I had recalled hearing something pertinent about this topic.

I just checked Robert Clary's website. You know... Lebeau.

http://robertclary.com/book.html

On this site is a section on is book, FROM THE HOLOCAUST TO HOGAN'S HEROES.

Yes, he was a prisoner during WWII.


In the review by Army Archerd:

It is his story -- he was the 16-year-old who wrote the first letter when on his way to the first of the Nazi death camps that he miraculously survived.

Clary had meanwhile made a career for himself in the U.S. and in Hollywood as a co-star of the hit comedy series "Hogan's Heroes." Clary says he was able to be a part of this setting because its Nazis were buffoons. "Every week we made fools of our captors."


I think that I may have to read this book.

[Janice]

Originally posted by scut farkas
HH portrays those prison camps as wonderful, funny places where comical German guards and their lovable commandant had endless fun with Hogan and the guys.........but did you know that many Allied fliers were systematically starved, exposed to incredibly inhumane conditions, and, not uncommonly, shot to death in the prison camps (stalags)?

I just cannot imagine a greater insult to the brave airmen of WW2 who endured such brutality. Maybe someone will come up with a comedy show about Auschwitz or Treblinka. Those places were run by the same funny guys, you know.
I agree with you. Both my father and father-in-law were WWII Veterans, and both men found the concept to be in poor taste and refused to watch the show.
It doesn't matter to me if an actor wrote a book, even if he was a war prisoner himself. It doesn't change my feelings that the show's premise was a slap in the face to all of the men and women who served in our nation's wars.

[dawsongirl]

Originally posted by Mysty Eyes
In addition to that, the show made fun of the Nazi regime. It depicted a Nazi ego that overshadowed intelligence. The Allied forces always got the best of the Nazis. The Allies were the ultimate victors... every time.


I'm with you. I mean, Werner Klemperer wouldn't even do the show unless the Nazi's looked like fools in every episode, and as we all know, they did.

[Tiger32]

I agree that being a WWII POW was no picnic, and the Germans were not idiots either. But I think the creator of the show intended to pay tribute to WWII POWs, while at the same time adding entertainment for the viewers. This light hearted approach proved to be very successful.

I think if the show were to provide an accurate depiction of war, then there probably would not be very many viewers, because people do not want to be depressed each day with the actual accounts of the War.


MASH made it appear that the Korean War was fun and games, when it obviously wasn't, but it also made us remember those who risked their lives for Demacracy.

[dawsongirl]

Originally posted by Tiger32
MASH made it appear that the Korean War was fun and games, when it obviously wasn't, but it also made us remember those who risked their lives for Demacracy.

Good point. Granted MASH wasn't about POWs, but it was still more light-hearted than it could have been.

[TJL]

M*A*S*H was more comedic in the first few seasons, but the silliness and carousing almost disappeared, and the show became very anit-war as they went into the later years.

[Janice]

Coming in at Number 5 is....


TV Guide names "Jerry Springer" worst show of all

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - There must be something about the name Jerry.

Nearly three months after naming Jerry Seinfeld's smash hit sitcom "Seinfeld" as the greatest television show of all time, the editors of TV Guide have come out with a new list ranking "The Jerry Springer Show" as the worst.

The syndicated "trash TV" show that capitalizes on the cheating, sleazy, sordid behavior of its guests topped TV Guide's roster of the 50 least redeeming programs ever to make it on the airwaves.

The list ranges from such successful guilty pleasures as "Baywatch" (No. 21) and the notorious Fox special "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?" (No. 25) to short-lived forgotten flops like NBC's 1985 blip "Hell Town" (No. 38), featuring former "Baretta" star and future murder suspect Robert Blake.

Some choices, such as the World War Two POW comedy "Hogan's Heroes" (No. 5) and Sally Field's popular sitcom "The Flying Nun" (No. 42) may offend the nostalgic sensibilities of older viewers who fondly remember those shows.

Others would find it difficult to find a defender among anyone in the older-than-4 crowd -- case in point, the numbingly inane kid's show "Barney & Friends" (No. 50).

Unlike the best-of list released in April, the roster of worst stinkers was nearly devoid of shows from TV's golden age. One made the list as a result of infamy -- NBC's "Twenty-One" (No. 13), which sparked the 1950s quiz show scandal.

But the worst of the worst, according to TV Guide, was "Springer," which premiered in 1991 and became the top-rated talk show in syndication at the height of its run while instigating regular fistfights between guests.

"Awful television shows are a storied part of our society," said TV Guide editor-in-chief Steven Reddicliffe. "And no one has turned guilty-pleasure TV into more of an art form than Jerry Springer."

The executive producer of "Springer," Richard Dominick, took the dubious honor in the spirit with which it was intended. "After 12 years of broadcasting, and having never been recognized by the academy, we are thrilled to accept this prestigious award from TV Guide. And I'd like to thank my mother," he said in a statement.

Coming in at No. 2 was "My Mother the Car," a 1960s sitcom starring Jerry Van Dyke as a man whose mom is reincarnated as an old-time automobile, voiced by Ann Sothern, followed at No. 3 by the "XFL," the failed attempt by pro-wrestling mogul Vince McMahon to reinvent football in his own image.

Rounding out the worst five were "The Brady Bunch Hour," ABC's 1977 misguided bid to bring back the sitcom family as a variety show, and "Hogan's Heroes," starring Bob Crane as an American POW outsmarting his Nazi captors (TV Guide apparently found the hit show to be politically incorrect in retrospect).

"Jerry Springer" was one of just five among the 50 worst that are still on the air. The other four are Fox's "Celebrity Boxing" (No. 6), the CBS talking-infant sitcom "Baby Bob" (No. 14), E! network's ribald "Howard Stern" (No. 29) and "Barney."

The following is the complete list:

1. The Jerry Springer Show (syndicated, 1991-present)

2. My Mother The Car (NBC, 1965-66)

3. XFL (NBC, UPN and TNN, 2001)

4. The Brady Bunch Hour (ABC, 1977)

5. Hogan's Heroes (CBS, 1965-71)

6. Celebrity Boxing (Fox, 2002-present)

7. AfterMASH (CBS, 1983-84)

8. Cop Rock (ABC, 1990)

9. You're in the Picture (CBS, 1961)

10. Hee Haw Honeys (syndicated, 1978-79)

11. The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer (UPN, 1998)

12. Hello Larry (NBC, 1979-80)

13. Twenty-One (NBC, 1956-58)

14. Baby Bob (CBS, 2002-present)

15. Manimal (NBC, 1983)

16. The Chevy Chase Show (Fox, 1993)

17. Casablanca (NBC, 1983)

18. The Ugliest Girl in Town (ABC, 1968-69)

19. The P.T.L. Club (syndicated, 1976-87)

20. The Pruitts of Southampton (ABC, 1966-67)

21. Baywatch (NBC and syndicated, 1989-2001)

22. The Powers of Matthew Star (NBC, 1982-83)

23. Sammy and Company (syndicated, 1975-77)

24. One of the Boys (NBC, 1982)

25. Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? (Fox, 2000)

26. Life with Lucy (ABC, 1986)

27. Turn-On (ABC, 1969)

28. Supertrain (NBC, 1979)

29. Howard Stern (E!, 1994-present)

30. Unhappily Ever After (WB, 1995-99)

31. Homeboys in Outer Space (UPN, 1996-97)

32. Co-Ed Fever (CBS, 1979)

33. Holmes & Yoyo (ABC, 1976)

34. Alexander the Great (ABC, 1968)

35. Pink Lady...and Jeff (NBC, 1980)

36. The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo (NBC, 1979-81)

37. Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell (ABC, 1975-76)

38. Hell Town (NBC, 1985)

39. Still the Beaver (Disney Channel, 1985-86)

40. Makin' It (ABC, 1979)

41. The Tom Green Show (MTV, 1999-2000)

42. The Flying Nun (ABC, 1967-70)

43. Woops! (Fox, 1992)

44. She's the Sheriff (syndicated, 1987-89)

45. A.K.A. Pablo (ABC, 1984)

46. Me and the Chimp (CBS, 1972)

47. Rango (ABC, 1967)

48. Bless this House (CBS, 1995-96)

49. The Ropers (ABC, 1979-80)

50. Barney & Friends (PBS, 1992-present)

Reuters/Variety



07/12/02 21:51 ET
Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

[GoldenFamilyTies]

Originally posted by JanLady617
Coming in at Number 5 is....


Let me guess... Hogan's Heroes? :)

[Marvo301]

Several cast members of Hogans Heroes were europeans who fled their homelands to escape the nazis and/or were prisoners of the nazis.(Werner Klemperer-Germany, John Banner-Austria, Robert Clary-France) If they didn't find this very funny farce offensive why should we?:wave:

[dawsongirl]

Originally posted by Marvo301
Several cast members of Hogans Heroes were europeans who fled their homelands to escape the nazis and/or were prisoners of the nazis.(Werner Klemperer-Germany, John Banner-Austria, Robert Clary-France) If they didn't find this very funny farce offensive why should we?:wave:

Game...Set...and Match! :D

Good point.

As a side note, just 'cause I know this, Richard Dawson, who was living on the southern coast of England (very close to occupied France) at the time, got sent up north to live with friends (or relatives, I can't remember), thus being forced to live away from his family at a very young age.

I'm sure the war effected most people involved in this show in a negative way.

[ABlairican Pie]

Hogan's Heroes was based upon "Stalag 17", a movie directed by Otto Preminger, which had funny moments as well as drama. I don't think it was meant to degrade the victims of the POW camps or the Holocaust--Werner Klemperer and John Banner were
actually Jewish--John Banner lost his family in concentration camps. Maybe this was his way to make peace with his past by playing a bumbling Nazi sargeant. I think the reason for the show was to capitalize on the spy trend going on in t.v.--which was one of the good things about the show. I enjoyed that part very much.

[dawsongirl]

Originally posted by Captain ABlairica
I think the reason for the show was to capitalize on the spy trend going on in t.v.--which was one of the good things about the show. I enjoyed that part very much.

Hmm...interesting point. I never even thought about that. :)

[ScannerWA]

I think you can find anything offensive to someone. The entire point of the show was obviously to make light of a situation that desparately needed it. It gave people a chance to laugh at the Nazi's and cheer for the heroes.

Though it is completely understandable that someone who had been in that situation might take offense to the trajedies he/she endured... as if the show ignored the pain they were forced to suffer; I saw it as a way in which to laugh at a situation too horrible for words. Sometimes laughter IS the best medicine. Yet some may prefer tears... and that is good medicine too.

Hogan's Heroes never deminished my perception or understanding of what happened in that terrible time. Yet my amusement in the show was only enhanced by my knowledge of the period.

I never personally suffered in WWII, I wasn't even born yet. I'm glad that shows like Hogan's Heroes were around to watch when I was growing up however...

I liked Hogan's Heroes. Now you want to watch something horrifying, we'll be tuning in to "Leave It To Beaver" next... lol (jk)

[LucyFan]

Originally posted by TJL
I always felt that this show really shouldn't have been made.
Exactly my thoughts. No wonder why TV Guide ranked it at #5 of the worst shows of all-time.

[Stuck In The '70's]

Hogan's Heroes was a great show. Tv guide doesn't know what its talking about.

[ABlairican Pie]

Hogan's Heroes was based on the Otto Preminger movie "Stalag 17", which contained much humor as well as a lot of drama. I'm sure Werner Klemperer and John Banner caught a lot of flack for doing the show since both of them were Jewish (John Banner's family were killed in a concentration camp, and Robert Clary even was in one), but maybe by performing in the show, it gave them a chance to have a peace about their past.

Even though in the 60's the idea of making a "funny" Nazi POW camp was unthinkable to many, it still made sense: make the POWs into HEROES during the worst conflict in history--I believe the show was more about covert operations and spy stuff than it was about "laughing" at perpetrators of the worst human atrocities. Apparently they avoided those topics on the show like the Holocaust. They could have done things like set it during World War I or the Civil War or whatever, but it wouldn't have had the same impact as World War II. Anything about war is not always going to come off as funny.

[ScannerWA]

Well, nobody likes everything, and like I said... it's a topic that some will find offensive no matter what reasoning behind it.

Guess those of us who DO/DID like it can still enjoy it. ;) Those who don't... there's a lot of other shows to enjoy. lol

[ABlairican Pie]

Originally posted by ScannerWA
Well, nobody likes everything, and like I said... it's a topic that some will find offensive no matter what reasoning behind it.

Guess those of us who DO/DID like it can still enjoy it. ;) Those who don't... there's a lot of other shows to enjoy. lol

I didn't find what you said offensive, I directed what I said above to people who found the show the "worst" show on television.:rolleyes:

If HH is one of the "worst" shows, I'd like to see the competition!!:eek: :lol:

[ScannerWA]

Oops, sorry! I was making a general comment regarding those who didn't like it. ;) Which is ok... like I said, nobody likes everything. We all have our individual tastes. lol

I thoroughly enjoyed Hogans Heroes, Bewitched, Get Smart, and even the Brady Bunch and Partridge Family when they were on... yet I wasn't much of a watcher of Leave It To Beaver unless it just happened to be on... ;)

[dawsongirl]

Originally posted by mr roper
Hogan's Heroes was a great show. Tv guide doesn't know what its talking about.

Exactly.

[tom shaw]

Well my dad was a WWII vet, and loved the show..It was not a slap in the face to our service men, just a TV show....

[vedastone]

How about judging the show on the acting, writing and production rather than our feelings about WWII and prison camps? TV Guide certainly must not have considered these important elements to rate HH so poorly. There is no arguing that although the premise may be offensive to many people, the show itself was a quality production. And if you can suspend the moral objections, you will likely admit it was quite humorous. Werner Klemperer, John Banner and Bob Crane were responsible for three of the most memorable characters in TV as far as I'm concerned. The plots were well written and complex for a sitcom, and the supporting cast was excellent. Lists like this one of TV Guide are less than worthless in my opinion.

[dawsongirl]

Originally posted by vedastone
How about judging the show on the acting, writing and production rather than our feelings about WWII and prison camps?

I'm not sure anyone knows how to do that. :rolleyes: Anyone who works for TV Guide anyway.

[ScannerWA]

Different people have different idea's of quality... that's why I never listen to a company's opinion on something, or a critic's review on a movie... after all, they have no clue what I might like or dislike in a TV show or movie. :)

[Tweety]

I've also heard and read comments attributed to Werner Klemperer and John Banner, saying that they always said that they would have quit the show on the spot if the writers EVER allowed the Germans to get the best of the Americans, even in ONE episode...

So, they apparently loved playing Germans who always, always lost...

HH was a great show...my Dad is also a US Army WWII Vet, and he loves the show...so does my Mom, who is German...

TV Guide just doesn't get it...this show had great acting and great writing (the plots were indeed very complex for a sitcom).

Long live Hogan's Heroes!!

[Gilligan Jillian]

Long live Hogan's Heroes!
Amen!
TV Guide"knows nothing"!:p

[tyler1973]

well, I don't intend to convince anyone of anything, but just something to think about:
In my opinion an important point of HH is to show how stupid the whole idea of rascism and fascism really was. I think that is why the German guards are shown stupid in comparison to those they find less "worthy".

For those, who think the show makes everyone believe WWII was fun: In a lot of shows Hogan and his men try to keep Klink and Schultz at Stalag 13, and I think it becomes pretty clear to everybody actually watching, that the reason is the stupidity of Klink and Schultz.

Another thought: Making a comedy show of WWII is bad taste? How did you like "Life Is Beautiful" (the Italian movie winning a couple of academy awards the other year)? Oh my god! A movie on Holocaust where people are laughing? BAD TASTE!!!
Really, it's all about the way you make it, and I think noone is really made fun of. Not Germans (I have to say I'm one of them), not the French (who are great cooks when they're not after girls, right), not the British and certainly not Americans (those are the smart guys, that always get the girls, isn't it?).

Of course, there is always something unreal about a TV show or a movie, because if you want to give a message, you need people listening. If you are actually complaining about Klink being unrealistic in that position, I suggest to take a closer look at
Cournel Henry Blake (M*A*S*H), who was not the brightest guy on earth, either. Or a couple of soldiers walking through France inmidst WWII on search for one particular soldier, and actually finding him, come on, that's realistic, isn't it? (I really find Private Ryan great, by the way.)

A comment to the founder of this part: I wouldn't hate anybody for their opinion on a TV show, whoever hates someone for such a reason definitely should take a closer look into HH. And thank God, they never turned out to be a German between 1933 and 1945, which I really am (I'm 30 years old), because I doubt I would have had the courage to fight the Nazis back then.

And one for everybody around (I seem to have my wise ass day): The hardest thing in life is to respect different opinions. Telling everybody they are stupid (or less worthy) is easy, try and convince them, and sometimes you might even find out, you were wrong in the first place!

[Solar]

Hogan's Heroes was on CBS in 1965. They were probably filming during '64. 'The Great Escape' came out in '63. Stalag 17 wasn't too far behind that. At that particular time, there was a great fascination with the German POW experience. 'The Great Escape' turned out to be one of the classic movies of all time. As did 'Stalag 17'. Hogan's Heroes was a natural evolvement.
If anyone remembers, 'Stalag 17' was showing on TV just before Hogan came on the air.
I was 12 when Hogan went on the air. My friends and I loved it from the start. We even made an 8mm short with myself as Klink, Rod as Schultz and Stuart as Hogan.

[jamesanthony]

I was never a huge fan of this, and I can see both points of view: It's offensive/or it's disarming satire. Maybe both at once. I don't know for sure. Since I am neither Jewish, a war vet or old enough to relate to WWII I'm kind of indifferent.

However the thing that I find odd is that this had very high ratings in its original run and for years in syndication and won tv's top prize, the emmy twice, for Werner Klemperer playing Col Klink. It was nominated as best comedy series 3 times. Yet today it is loathed as being one of the worst tv shows ever. I read that bad TV book and saw that TV guide list and there is no other show on either countdown that was so well received in its heydey and is so fondly remembered by so many. It's like this great tide of political correctness came in and forced the verdict on this show to change.

I was watching Curb Your Enthusiasm the other week and there was an episode where Larry David was going to have a tryst in a hotel suite with an Orthodox woman and he had on a sheet with a hole in it because he thought that the Orthodox custom forbade sex partners from touching except for the genitalia. There was another episode (or maybe the same one- I forget) where he or someone invites a contestant from the Survivor TV show to a party with a very old Holocaust survivor and they misunderstand each other. I thought these plots might be considered very offensive to Jews and Holocaust survivors but that show is lauded as being brilliant and ingenious, yet Hogan's is villified. What's the difference?

By the way Life is Beautiful is one of my favorite non-US produced films. Sweet movie.

[Mikado]

Well, many of the lead actors were either actual victims of the Nazis such as Robert Clary who was put into a concentration camp because he was a homosexual or fled Nazi oppression, such as Werner Klemperer who was a German Jew, if these people thought it was appropriate to do this show, then so do I!

[Solar]

I now think that many of us were so blown away with the acting of such great movies as "Stalag 17" and " The Great Escape" that our 12 year old minds didn't have a clue as to the realities of the times. Stuart and I are both of German descent so why did we find it so funny? Hmmm...one of the mysteries of life.
Apologies to all for any and all transgressions.

[Breather]

However the thing that I find odd is that this had very high ratings in its original run and for years in syndication and won tv's top prize, the emmy twice, for Werner Klemperer playing Col Klink. It was nominated as best comedy series 3 times. Yet today it is loathed as being one of the worst tv shows ever.

It received those accolades because it was a good show with good actors, writers, and directors. To tell you the truth, the show isn't loathed now. Far from it. Look at its staying power in syndication for 35 years and the popularity and fairly quick release schedule of the DVDs. Don't fall into the trap of believing that since a couple of writers in media publications say it, then it must be true. It was really only TV Guide that put that out. I take little of what that publication prints as factual or gospel.

Many things were still pretty normal in the 60's. We didn't have the professional victims crew or the eternally offended or the politically correct crowd.

The show wisely avoided the Jewish angle and concentrated on allied prisoners making German soldiers and Nazis look like buffoons. Both of my grandfathers and their WWII buddies raved about this show. I've never met a veteran who didn't like it.


I was watching Curb Your Enthusiasm the other week and there was an episode where Larry David was going to have a tryst in a hotel suite with an Orthodox woman and he had on a sheet with a hole in it because he thought that the Orthodox custom forbade sex partners from touching except for the genitalia. There was another episode (or maybe the same one- I forget) where he or someone invites a contestant from the Survivor TV show to a party with a very old Holocaust survivor and they misunderstand each other. I thought these plots might be considered very offensive to Jews and Holocaust survivors but that show is lauded as being brilliant and ingenious, yet Hogan's is villified. What's the difference?

Basically, it's just hypocrisy, selective outrage, and widely varying definitions of what is 'offensive'. Typically, you'll find that the same people who are overly sensitive and eternally offended are the same people who will jump on someone that says there is too much sex or foul language on TV. Interesting dichotomy.

[dawsongirl]

It received those accolades because it was a good show with good actors, writers, and directors. To tell you the truth, the show isn't loathed now. Far from it. Look at its staying power in syndication for 35 years and the popularity and fairly quick release schedule of the DVDs. Don't fall into the trap of believing that since a couple of writers in media publications say it, then it must be true. It was really only TV Guide that put that out. I take little of what that publication prints as factual or gospel.

Many things were still pretty normal in the 60's. We didn't have the professional victims crew or the eternally offended or the politically correct crowd.

The show wisely avoided the Jewish angle and concentrated on allied prisoners making German soldiers and Nazis look like buffoons. Both of my grandfathers and their WWII buddies raved about this show. I've never met a veteran who didn't like it.

The people that write for TV Guide are all morons with journalism degrees they got off cereal boxes.

And it is completely ignorant of people to think WWII = Jewish struggle and nothing but. That was not the only aspect of it! And POW Camp DOES NOT EQUAL Concentration Camp. Some people are in desperate need of a history lesson, asap.

[Breather]

I agree with you. TV Guide is pretty foolish and people don't seem to understand that WWII wasn't about the concentration camps or what went on there. That's not why the war started and that's not why we got in it.

[sarastiles]

HH portrays those prison camps as wonderful, funny places where comical German guards and their lovable commandant had endless fun with Hogan and the guys.........but did you know that many Allied fliers were systematically starved, exposed to incredibly inhumane conditions, and, not uncommonly, shot to death in the prison camps (stalags)?

I just cannot imagine a greater insult to the brave airmen of WW2 who endured such brutality. Maybe someone will come up with a comedy show about Auschwitz or Treblinka. Those places were run by the same funny guys, you know.


True but it was still great. Werner Klemperer said he wouldn't work for them if he was ever allowed to win. Idk if someone has already said that I didn't read through every post.

[Wiseguy2]

HH portrays those prison camps as wonderful, funny places where comical German guards and their lovable commandant had endless fun with Hogan and the guys.........but did you know that many Allied fliers were systematically starved, exposed to incredibly inhumane conditions, and, not uncommonly, shot to death in the prison camps (stalags)?

I just cannot imagine a greater insult to the brave airmen of WW2 who endured such brutality. Maybe someone will come up with a comedy show about Auschwitz or Treblinka. Those places were run by the same funny guys, you know.

Learn the difference between concentration camps (which Hogan's Heroes never mentioned) and POW camps. Also Hogan's Heroes was not based on Stalag 17. The makers of the movie later sued the producers...and lost.

[Dusty's Fan]

The current TV Guide editors should be reminded that their own magazine thought enough of the show to place HH on their cover at least twice in the '60s...! They really do "know nothing" now, as other astute posters have pointed out, at least when it comes to quality scripting and production values.

[ftroopfan]

My father served in WWII and absolutely loved this show, knowing not to take it seriously. The show was designed as an escape from reality, not to be REALITY. That's the reason I like to view sitcoms and not these so-called "reality" shows. In our politically correct world we live in these days, it's nice to escape from reality because you see enough of it looking out your window and walking down the street every day. So I guess all I can reply to this is if you don't like it, don't watch it, but don't spoil it for those of us that do like it.

[treky]

Learn the difference between concentration camps (which Hogan's Heroes never mentioned) and POW camps. Also Hogan's Heroes was not based on Stalag 17. The makers of the movie later sued the producers...and lost.
I always thought concentration camps and POW camps were the same.Well, "you learn something new every day"!:)

And, I read somewhere once that in 1973 the makers of "Stalag 17" attempted to sue CBS and Bing Crosby productions, because the "Stalag" people offered CBS a script for a pilot based on the movie, in 1964. CBS turned them down, then a year later came out with "HOGANS HEROES".

[Maynard]

but did you know that many Allied fliers were systematically starved, exposed to incredibly inhumane conditions, and, not uncommonly, shot to death in the prison camps (stalags)?

Very few. The Nazis were surprisingly humane towards Western POWs during World War II. The Geneva Conventions were almost universally respected and the Red Cross got access to them.

On the other front, Russian POWs were summarily executed by the hundreds, but not so for the Western front.

[dawsongirl]

Very few. The Nazis were surprisingly humane towards Western POWs during World War II. The Geneva Conventions were almost universally respected and the Red Cross got access to them.

On the other front, Russian POWs were summarily executed by the hundreds, but not so for the Western front.
One reason everyone was always afraid to get sent to the Eastern Front.

[Adamantium]

The idea of this show used to offend me... until I actually watched the show. Now I'm a fan. And I have that old issue of TV Guide. I never agree with their lists on anything. This list was no different.