Richard Dawson Movies

As an experiment to find out if spouses are truly capable of murder if given the chance, psychology professor James Parkerson (Barry Nelson) places a newspaper ad offering the "ultimate solution" for domestic discord. When the authorities protest, Parkerson assures them that his experiment is strictly theoretical, and that he intends to do no harm. But circumstances change considerably when a prospective client named Johnson (Richard Dawson) asks Parkerson's help in devising a method to kill the husband of Johnson's girlfriend -- whereupon the professor realizes that he is being asked to plan his own murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Luis Spain (Don Gordon), Genaro Planetta (Tony Mordente), and Henry Castle (Chris Warfield) are three seeming social misfits who are recruited into the ranks of the Invisibles, a subversive underground organization run by an alien race. The Invisibles, small creatures with hard shell-covered bodies and sharp claws, have the ability to invade and merge with any human being, taking over control of their minds and bodies; they have already done this with several high-ranking politicians and other prominent personalities, and are planning on doing it with more, with help from Spain, Planetta, and recruits like them. Spain turns out to be an agent of the GIA (Government Intelligence Agency), sent to infiltrate the ranks of the Invisibles' followers. Cut off from his agency by the murder of his partner (William O. Douglas, Jr.), he is sent on his first mission, the takeover of a top defense department advisor (Neil Hamilton), only to learn that the Invisibles have suspected him from the beginning, and that he is the target, their goal to get one of their own into the ranks of the GIA. Seriously injured and desperately seeking help, Spain turns to his fellow recruit Planetta, with whom he developed a tenuous bond during their indoctrination. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Not wanting to be assigned a tougher and smarter commandant than Col. Klink, Hogan convinces German Inspector General Von Platzen (John Dehner) that Klink is a stern disciplinarian. The plan works too well, and the General insists that Klink be promoted and transferred. All this may well foul up Hogan's plans to blow up a munitions train. Written by Richard M. Powell, "The Late Inspector General" originally aired on October 8, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Caught in the act of completing a British commando's sabotage mission, Hogan and Carter are forced to capture the witness to their mission, German General Schmidt (Roger C. Carmel). The two heroes manage to smuggle Schmidt into the general POW population in camp, keeping him at bay by fabricating a phony illness. The problem: Once Hogan has pumped Schmidt for valuable information, how can he get him back out of the camp without arousing Klink's suspicions? Written by R.S. Allen and Harvey Bullock, "The Prisoner's Prisoner" originally aired on October 22, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hogan wants to get photos of the highly important documents in the briefcase carried by visiting German General Von Kaplow (Henry Corden). Unfortunately, the general is taking no chances: He has chained the briefcase to his wrist, and will not let it out of his sight. Finally, Hogan hits upon the idea of diverting Von Kaplow's attention at a dinner party held in Col. Klink's honor. Future MASH regular William Christopher makes the first of several Hogan's Heroes supporting appearance, this time in the role of Lt. Donner. Written by Laurence Marks, "Movies Are Your Best Escape" first aired on November 5, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Klink bugs the POWs' quarters, making it impossible for Hogan to relay vital information to London. As a means of getting the info to the Allies, Hogan convinces Klink that he has been won over to the German side. In exchange for what he knows about the Underground, Hogan requests a rest-and-relaxation visit to a local village -- while Klink is kept preoccupied with the phony information dispensed by the rest of Hogan's heroes. Sigrid Valdis, who later took over the role of Klink's secretary Hilda, is here seen as Gretchen. Written by Laurence Marks, "Top Hat, White Tie and Bomb Sight" first aired on November 19, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Maurice Marsac plays the title character, captured French scientist Henry Dubois, who is forced to work with the Germans out of fear for the life of his daughter Marie (Jayne Massey). Hogan and his men set out to rescue the scientist and his daughter and to feed the Germans false scientific results. To that end, Hogan works out an intricate scheme whereby LeBeau will impersonate Dubois and hopefully hoodwink top German scientist Professor Altman (Parley Baer). Written by Laurence Marks, "The Scientist" was originally telecast on December 3, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

To avoid bombardment from the Allies, the Germans intend to construct a synthetic fuel plant at Stalag 13. Realizing that this will uproot the prisoners -- and foul up his espionage operations -- Hogan schemes to sabotage the construction project by convincing Klink that there is oil on the camp's land. This scheme requires the rest of Hogan's operatives to stage an elaborate phony air raid. Written by Laurence Marks, "Oil for the Lamps of Hogan" originally aired on December 17, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hogan is assigned to smuggle British POW Captain Michaels (Michael St. Clair) -- and the prototype for a new German gunsight -- out of Stalag 13. Unfortunately, this requires Michaels to sail across 80 miles of ocean, and the underground's submarine is out of commission. The solution: Hogan convinces Klink that the camp is in dire need of a new officer's club -- built in the shape of a yacht. Written by David Chandler and Jack H. Robinson, "Anchors Aweigh, Men of Stalag 13" was first telecast on December 31, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hogan's Heroes began its six-season run on September 17, 1965, with its black-and-white pilot episode, "The Informer." Colonel Hogan and the gang welcome a new prisoner named Wagner (Noam Pitlik) to Stalag 13 (here referred to as "Camp 13"). After giving the newcomer a guided tour of the barracks -- and of the inmates' covert espionage operation and prisoner-escape service -- Hogan discovers that Wagner is a spy for the Gestapo. Quickly, the other prisoners cook up a scheme to discredit Wagner in the eyes of Colonel Klink and the rest of the Germans. Worth noting in this inaugural episode is the more sharply adversarial relationship between Hogan and Klink (who is not as much of a buffoon as he'd be in subsequent episode) and the fact that Carter (Larry Hovis) is a lieutenant rather than a sergeant. "The Informer" was written by Richard M. Powell and series creators Bernard Fein and Albert S. Ruddy, from a story by Fein and Ruddy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed in black-and-white, the opening episode of Hogan's Heroes swiftly establishes the series' premise, wherein American POW Col. Robert Hogan (Bob Crane) and his fellow prisoners are shown running a terrifyingly efficient Allied espionage operation right under the noses of their stupid German captors, Col. Wilhelm Klink (Werner Klemperer) and Sgt. Hans Schultz (John Banner). A couple of details in the pilot episode would be altered in the subsequent color installments: prisoner Andrew Carter (Larry Hovis), identified as a lieutenant in the opener, was later "demoted" to sergeant; and (Leonid Kinskey), cast as Russian POW Vladimr Minsky, would be removed as a regular character once the series proper got under way. Fans of the series will notice that Klink is more nasty and Schultz less stupid in season one than in subsequent seasons; also, Klink's curvaceous blonde secretary is not Sigrid Valdis as Hilda, but instead Cynthia Lynn as Helga. Introduced during the series' first season are such recurring characters as Klink's fatuous superior officer General Burkhalter (Leon Askin), Kathleen Freeman as Burkhalter's Wagnerian sister Gertrude, and Bernard Fox as British POW Colonel Crittenden, whose slavish dedication to rules and regulations -- not to mention his stunning ineptitude -- bids fair to mess up every one of Hogan's missions to which he is assigned. Howard Caine, later cast as irascible SS officer Major Hochstetter, shows up during season one as a different character on the episode titled "Happy Birthday, Adolf." And in another episode of note, "The Prince from the Phone Company," Ivan Dixon, the series' only African-American regular, is allowed to stretch his acting muscles in the dual role of Sgt. Kinchloe and an African potentate. ~ All Movie Guide

Hogan discovers that a huge shipment of confiscated French gold has been stored in a bank near Stalag 17. In order to appropriate the bullion for the Allies, Hogan convinces Klink that the gold would be "safer" within the walls of the camp. The rest of Hogan's scheme is contingent upon those conveniently loose bricks around Klink's quarters. Written by Laurence Marks and directed by comic actor Howard Morris, "The Gold Rush" originally aired on January 14, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide