Richard Dawson Movies

Several of Hogan's men are caught in the act of espionage by some Gestapo agents. Even though the Germans inexplicably allow the men to slip through their fingers, Hogan prepares an all-out escape for himself and his crew. And then two of the "Gestapo" officers reveal themselves to be German scientists, hoping to defect to London. John Stephenson and Ben Wright are cast respectively as Professor Bauer and Dr. Reimann (Ben Wright), while ubiquitous Canadian character actor Gordon Pinsent is seen as SS Captain Steinr. Written by Laurence Marks, "The Dropouts" first aired on December 27, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Goofing off as usual, Sgt. Schultz is caught by General Burkhalter, who prepares to send the hapless sergeant to the Russian front. In order to keep from losing their favorite patsy -- who has been unwittingly smuggling Allied messages stuffed in loaves of pumpernickel -- Hogan and his crew concoct a plan to save Schultz from certain doom. The episode's highlight finds Newkirk donning female drag as a lady psychiatrist. Written by Bill Davenport, "The Sergeant's Analyst" originally aired on March 6, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hogan is once again saddled with Colonel Crittendon (Bernard Fox), the Allies' biggest bungler. This time, Crittendon enlists Hogan's aid in a scheme to kidnap Field Marshal Rommel from a nearby German hospital. Crittendon's espionage skills and keen powers of observation result in Hogan and his crew being captured themselves. Written by Bill Davenport, "Crittendon's Commandos" first aired on March 20, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hogan's Heroes entered its sixth season (meaning that the inmates of Stalag 13 were incarcerated approximately twice as long as any real American POW during WWII) with the episode titled "Cuisine a la Stalag 13." LeBeau's decision to escape may wreak havoc on the palates of both the prisoners and their captors: Even fat Sgt. Schultz, who has become accustomed to LeBeau's gourmet cooking, refuses to eat the gastronomic disasters served up by Sgt. Carter. But there is a more urgent need for LeBeau's services: Hogan needs to butter up a German general whose aid is an Allied agent. Kenneth Washington joins the cast as Sgt. Richard Baker, while the guest cast includes Brenda Benet as Marie Bizet. Written by Laurence Marks, "Cuisine a la Stalag 13" first aired on September 20, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Preying upon Klink's ego, Hogan convinces the Kommandant that he is a brilliant painter. Thus persuaded, Klink prepares a few "masterpieces" for a local art show. Actually, it is all part of Hogan's plans to relay top-secret German maps to three different underground units. Frequent Hogan's Heroes leading lady Victoria Carroll appears as Rhona. Written by Phil Sharp, "Klink's Masterpiece" first aired on October 4, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Intending to use the hubcaps in Klink's car to transmit information to the Underground, Hogan and his crew must figure out a way to convince Klink that he has to go to town immediately. The solution: Arrange things so that Klink must get back in top physical condition or be shipped off to the dreaded Russian front. The supporting cast includes Corinne Conley as Gerta and Michael Fox as Major Kimmel. Written by Bill Davenport, "Get Fit or Go Fight" was originally telecast on January 9, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In a comic re-enactment of the Joe Louis/Max Schmeling heavyweight bout, Kinchloe is pitted against Luftwaffe champ Bruno (Chuck Hicks) in a boxing match. Since Hogan needs to prolong the fight as a diversion for his latest espionage height, it is imperative that Kinch "goes the distance." Real-life boxing referee Frankie Van also appears in this episode, playing (what else?) a referee. First shown on January 23, 1970, "The Softer They Fall" was written by Laurence Marks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Major Strauss (Noam Pitlik) comes a-snooping at Stalag 13, suspicious about Klink's "perfect" no-escape record. Discovering that Klink has been -- er -- "borrowing" from the camp's treasury, Strauss orders that the Kommandant be turned over to the Gestapo. Hogan must save Klink so that he can carry out a mass escape plan. Written by Laurence Marks, "Standing Room Only" made its first network appearance on February 20, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The sixth and final season of Hogan's Heroes features all the familiar characters, save one. Ivan Dixon, the series' only African-American regular, has vacated the role of electronics expert Sgt. Kinchloe; although Kinchloe's absence is never explained, he is for all intents and purposes replaced by another black character, Sgt. Richard Baker, played by Kenneth Washington. Otherwise, it is the mixture as before, with American POW Col. Robert Hogan (Bob Crane) efficiently running a vast Allied counterespionage and sabotage operation from within the walls of his prison barracks, with his dimwitted German captors Col. Klink (Werner Klemperer) and Sgt. Schultz (John Banner) never suspecting a thing -- or in the cast of Schultz, pretending never to suspect a thing lest he be shipped to the Russian Front for gross incompetence. Season six offers one of the series' most off-putting episodes, "Operation Tiger," which has Hogan and his fellow heroes committing cold-blooded murder (albeit with no bodies, blood, or onscreen violence) in order to rescue a sexy underground operative. On a lighter note, Bernard Fox plays a dual role as the irksome Allied spy Col. Crittenden and an aristocratic British traitor in the two-part story "Lady Chitterly's Lover;" and Alice Ghostley, who during season four briefly replaced Kathleen Freeman in the role of Col. Klink's would-be bride, Gertrude Linkmeier, shows up as the wife of a German general in "That's No Lady, That's My Spy." The series finale features Marlyn Mason in the role of beautiful singer-spy Lily Frankel (a part she'd played in earlier seasons), who helps Hogan and company destroy a German-guided missile base. ~ Rovi

In a variation on the third-season episode "Axis Annie," guest star Antoinette Bower is cast as Nazi radio propagandist Berlin Betty. At first, Hogan's men balk at Betty's invitation to appear on her radio program and deliver speeches imploring the Allies to surrender. But Hogan surprisingly accepts the offer -- intending to transmit coded messages to the Underground. Written by Arthur Julian, "Is There a Traitor in the House?" first aired on December 19, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hoping to smuggle a vital document out of Stalag 13, Hogan plants the papers on Colonel Klink. Unfortunately, the Gestapo finds the papers, arrests Klink for treason, and sentences him to a firing squad. Now Hogan must retrieve both the papers and Klink -- after all, the Kommandant might be replaced by someone who is competent! Written by Arthur Julian, "The Kommandant Dies at Dawn" originally aired on October 31, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Certain mercenary members of the Gestapo use a compromising photograph to blackmail Col. Klink. It is up to Hogan to steal the picture -- not out of any regard for Klink's reputation, but because the Kommandant has been dipping into the Stalag 13 till, thereby depleting the funds needed for Hogan's underground activities. Frequent series guest star Sandy Kenyon appears as Captain Bohrmann. Written by Laurence Marks, "The Big Picture" originally aired on November 14, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi