Hogan's Heroes Vol. 3: "Hogan Go Home" "Will The Real Adolf Please Stand Up" [VHS]

Monday, July 18, 2011

Hogan's Heroes Vol. 3: "Hogan Go Home" "Will The Real Adolf Please Stand Up" [VHS]

Hogan's Heroes was a hit from the beginning of its televised run, from the fall of 1965 through the spring of 1971. This videocassette, volume 3 of a three-volume collection, comprises two uncut color episodes: "Hogan Go Home" from the third season and "Will the Real Adolf Please Stand Up?" from the second. With good transfers and no commercial interruptions, these shows make for some charming, nostalgic, laugh-track-filled family viewing.

In "Hogan Go Home," a message from the Allied high command orders Colonel Hogan (Bob Crane) to return to the U.S. for a hero's welcome and a bond-selling tour. Needless to say, the Heroes--Kinch (Ivan Dixon), Carter (Larry Hovis), LeBeau (Robert Clary), and Newkirk (Richard Dawson)--are loathe to let the delighted Hogan go, but they plan a going-away party that is quickly exposed by Sergeant Schultz (John Banner). Just as Hogan changes his mind and decides to stay, his seniority is usurped by Colonel Crittendon (Bernard Fox, Dr. Bombay on Bewitched), a prisoner of war who had once visited Stalag 13. Crittendon embodies the caricature of the bullying, stoical British officer, strutting about with his riding crop, and nearly bungles several operations before being transferred to Stalag 15, Hogan's interim destination.

"Will the Real Adolf Stand Up?" gives Carter a chance to strut his own stuff, as the cantankerous Hitler--thumb in belt buckle, shifty eyes, bothersome bangs, backward salute, and all. The usual contact for smuggled reconnaissance has been captured, so Carter must arrive at Stalag 13 at night in the guise of the dyspeptic Führer and transfer the secret photos himself to the underground. Carter's over-the-top performance ("Love your Stalag.... Wiedersehen, folks!") nearly blows his cover, and provides one of the most hilarious moments of the series. And for you trivia fans, here are a couple tidbits: You'll catch a glimpse or two of William Christopher (who played Father Francis Mulcahy on M*A*S*H) as "Hitler's" aide Foster; and you'll notice an anachronism spoken by Newkirk, who repeats Bette Davis's line "What a dump!" years before the release of the film (Beyond the Forest) that made it famous. --Robert Burns Neveldine ...Read more

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