Werner Klemperer

Flamboyant Broadway renaissance man Peter Sellars was the director of The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez. This freewheeling musical horror spoof isn't meant to be taken seriously, so don't be fooled by those Karloffian trappings. Ron Vawter plays the title character for all it's worth. He has to, with such formidable competition as Joan Cusack, Mikhail Baryshnikov and Werner Klemperer, the latter cast as "Fat Man Searching for a Tax Break." There's also a "Beaver Gourmet" in the cast of characters, which should clue you in as to the level of subtlety here. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ten years after the cancellation of the cornpone comedy series The Beverly Hillbillies, the property was revived -- mercifully briefly -- in the form of a two-hour movie. Originally titled Solving the Energy Crisis, The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies found Buddy Ebsen, Donna Douglas and Nancy Kulp recreating their sitcom roles as millionaire hillbilly Jed Clampett (who'd moved back to the hills after dividing up his fortune amongst his loved ones), his daughter Elly May (now the owner of a small petting zoo), and bank secretary-turned-government functionary Jane Hathaway. Max Baer Jr. took a pass on the project, thus the role of Jed's nephew Jethro Bodine-now a "sophisticated Hollywood producer"-was played by Ray Young. And with Irene Ryan (Granny) and Raymond Bailey (Milburn Drysdale) having passed on, their replacements were Imogene Coca, and former Hogan's Heroes regular Werner Klemperer as government bureaucrat C. D. Medford, Jane Hathaway's new boss. Also on hand was bluegrass musician Earl Scruggs, who with his late partner Lester Flatt has composed and performed the original Beverly Hillbillies theme song "The Ballad of Jed Clampett"; Shug Fisher and Shad Heller, who'd appeared in several 1969 episodes of the original series; and two veterans from The Beverly Hillbillies' sister series Petticoat Junction, Linda Kaye Henning and Charles Lane. The plot, if anyone cares, finds the Clampetts joining forces with Miss Jane to solve the energy shortage, using Granny's "white lightning" as a fuel substitute. As the film draws to a close, it looks as if Miss Jane and her boss Mr. Medford are about to be hitched in a good ol' Ozark wedding. Originally telecast on October 6, 1981, Return of the Beverly Hillbillies was intended as the pilot for a full-scale revival of the earlier series, but this was not to be. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Scenes of the real Munich are interspersed with shots of studio mockups in Assignment: Munich. Roy Scheider stars as an American expatriate running a saloon in Munich (shades of Casablanca). He agrees to help the US government locate a cache of gold, appropriated by the Nazis during the war. This TV pilot was a long time in getting a network commitment--so long, in fact, that star Roy Scheider took another job in the interim. By the time the series premiered in the fall of 1972, the role played by Scheider had been rewritten several times for several actors; Robert Conrad, who was then "between jobs", ended up playing the part. The city of Munich was also "replaced", and the series was retitled Assignment: Vienna. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by Arthur Julian, this episode finds Hogan and his crew trying to harness the forces of nature in order to create an avalanche. It is all part of a scheme to redirect a full-scale Panzer assault, which has been routed through the slippery slopes of Mount Hoffenstein. Harold J. Stone heads the guest cast as General Stromberger. Originally telecast on March 21, 1971, "Look at the Pretty Snowflakes" was the last episode of Hogan's Heroes to be filmed, though not the last one to be shown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hogan's Heroes utility player Dave Morick is spotlighted in this episode as a Nazi spy posing as an American officer named Lt. Miller. To dupe "Miller" into revealing the identity of his German contact, Hogan and his men stage an elaborate masquerade, transforming Klink's office into Nazi headquarters in Berlin and having Sgt. Carter give out with his legendary impersonation of Adolf Hitler. Oscar Beregi) appears as Herr Schneer. Written by R.S. Allen and Harvey Bullock, "The Meister Spy" first aired on January 17, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Klink's fellow officer Captain Hugo Hauptmann (Sandy Kenyon) is exposed as a traitor. Put on trial, Hauptmann finds that his life is in the hands of Klink, who has been chosen as counsel for the defense on the theory that he will bungle the job. It is up to Hogan to save both Hauptmann and Klink in order to steal a map of German submarine installations. First telecast on February 7, 1971, "Klink for the Defense" was written by Bill Davenport. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hogan intends to use a fundraising tea party, orchestrated by the wives of several German officers, as a cover to relay penicillin to an injured Underground agent. The scheme relies heavily upon Newkirk's ability to convincingly adopt female drag as a General's wife! Alice Ghostley, who previously made a one-shot appearance as General Burkhalter's sister Gertrude, is here cast as Mrs. Mannheim. Written by Arthur Julian, "That's No Lady, That's My Spy" was originally scheduled to air on January 3, 1971, but was moved back to January 24 due to a late-breaking news special. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Can it be that Hogan has gone to the other side? It sure seems that way when he agrees to accompany Klink on an underground mission to England to steal a revolutionary new American plane. In truth, however, Hogan merely pretends to go along with the scheme, the better to expose a Nazi spy ring operating in London. Cynthia Lynn, who played Klink's secretary Hilda in several first-season episodes, is here cast as Eva; also in the cast is a pre-Police Academy George Gaynes as the General. Written by Laurence Marks, "Easy Come, Easy Go" originally aired on January 10, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hogan again finds himself working with (and frequently against) redoubtable Russian spy Marya (Nita Talbot). This time, Hogan's mission is to ship stolen art back to London before the masterpieces can be added to Hermann Goering's private collection. The plan hinges on Marya's ability to convince Sgt. Schultz that he is Goering's exact double. Written by Richard M. Powell, "Fat Hermann, Go Home" made its first network appearance on January 16, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Disguised as a German soldier for an underground mission, Sgt. Carter is caught by an enemy Panzer division. At the behest of Hogan, Carter continues his masquerade in order to recover a cache of confiscated dynamite before the real Germans can find the explosives. Dave Willock appears as an American captain, while Hogan's Heroes general-purpose actor Dave Morick is cast as a sergeant. Written by Laurence Marks, "One Army at a Time" originally aired on February 13, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Marlyn Mason guest stars as Lily Frankel, a sexy German nightclub chanteuse who doubles as an Allied agent. Lily informs Hogan that one of the Underground members is actually a double agent who intends to turn over a list of Allied operatives to the Germans. To prevent this, Hogan cooks up a scheme that requires Col. Klink and Gestapo officer Hochstetter to take dancing lessons from LeBeau (it makes sense in context!). Written by Arthur Julian, "Six Lessons From Madame LaGrange" first aired on February 27, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide