Info:
DVD Release Date: March 15, 2005 (Paramount Home Video)
Color
MSRP: $39.95
Number of Discs: 5
Number of Episodes: 32
Running Time: 882 minutes
Languages, Subtitles, Closed Captioning: English, No
Subtitles, Closed Captioned.
Special Features: None
Introduction:
HOGAN HEROES fans fall in line for this hit CBS
classic. HOGAN'S HEROES stars actor Bob Crane as
Colonel Robert Hogan, an American officer confined to
Stalag 13, a German POW camp. With the help of a very
diverse group of other POW's, Hogan has access to
hidden tunnels, confiscated supplies, secret radios
and various other weapons. But his goal isn't to
escape as much as it is to cause havoc and disruption.
Making it easy on Hogan is the inept camp commandant,
Colonel Wilhelm Klink, played by the late Werner
Klemperer and the bumbling Sergeant Hans Schultz,
played by John Banner. The gang of "Hogan's Heroes"
consists of Robert Clary (as LeBeau), Richard Dawson
(Newkirk), Ivan Dixon (Kinchloe), Larry Hovis (Carter)
and Cynthia Lynn (Helga), here's the complete first
season of the top rated hit TV sitcom, finally on DVD!
Memorable Episodes / Notable Guest Stars:
Season One of HOGAN'S HEROES includes many hilarious
episodes. "The Informer" in which Hogan and his crew
must discredit a German spy, "Hold That Tiger" in
which Hogan gets his hands on the Nazi's new Tiger
Tank, have it disassembled, send its blueprints to the
Allies,a nd reassemble it - right under Klink's nose.
"Kommandant of The Year," in which Hogan and his crew
try to sabotage a secret rocket bomb by creating a
distraction known as - "Kommandant of The Year," to
throw Klink off their trail. "The Flight of the
Valkyire" in which Hogan's scheme to help a German
baroness escape to London is thwarted by the arrival
of a new prisoner of war - Colonel Crittendon - whose
repeated bungled attempts at escape are wreaking havoc
on Hogan's mission to spirit away the baroness.
"Happiness Is A Warm Sergeant" in which Sergeant
Schultz, while escorting Newkirk to the dentist, gets
drunk and is replaced by a hard-lined, no-nonsense
guard. Hogan and his crew must act fast to get the
docile Schultz restored to his post. Several other
memorable episodes include "Anchors Aweigh, Men of
Stalag 13," "It Takes A Thief... Sometimes," The Great
Impersonation," "The Prince From The Phone Company," I
Look Better In Basic Black," "Cupid Comes to Stalag
13," and finally, "Request Permission to Escape." And
Season One also sees the debut of the priceless
Bernard Fox (better known as Doctor Bombay on
BEWITCHED) as recurring guest star, the bumbling
Colonel Crittendon.
Packaging:
The cover art is a colorful design that features an
orange/red backdrop with barbed wire. The top of the
box features pictures of Schultz, Hogan and Klink
while the bottom portion features the rest of the
regular cast in what looks like press photos from
certain episodes. It's a very nice cover. The back
features more or less the same design. The case is
like many Paramount releases; slip covers (think thin
pack discs inside of a box). Each individual box
features pictures of each cast member (two on a cover)
with the same design used for the main box. Case/Disc
One features Hogan and Klink (the disc covers are the
same as the disc case cover, it is like that on all
five discs) and episodes 1-7. Case/Disc Two features
Hogan and Schultz and episodes 8-14. Case/Disc Three
features Carter and LeBeau and episodes 15-20.
Case/Disc Four features Newkirk and Kinchloe and
episodes 21-26. Case/Disc Five features Hogan and
Klink and episodes 27-32.
Menu Design and Navigation:
The main menu screen is the exact same design that the
set is. It has a photo of a cast member (varies on
each disc, such as disc one has Hogan, disc two has
Schultz, etc.) and it has no theme music. It's an
interesting design because there are no other menu
selections! It just lists the episodes and gives you a
"play all" option. No options for subtitles or
languages--very bare! I was surprised. It's simple and
effective but a bit jarring.
Video and Audio Quality:
For a show that's nearly 40 years old from the
premiere date, the video is very good. The audio, like
on most older show sets, was low, but not nearly as
low as some older sets, so it may require you to
increase the volume on your TV a bit. But there were
no major issues to be concerned with on this set. And
on this set, closed captioning is available but there
were no Subtitles made available, or any type of
language selection, for that matter. The pilot episode
runs almost 26 to 27 minutes in length, but regular
episodes run between approx. 24 and 25 minutes. You'll
get nearly three or four extra minutes you can't see
in syndication! There are also chapter stops, so you
can find your way through the episode faster if you
are looking for a particular scene using your DVD
remote.
Special Features:
The major downside to this great set is that there
aren't any special features at all. Not a single
blooper, behind the scenes featurette, nothing. It was
a disappointment. I would think they could at least
include something, especially after that Bob Crane
controversy a while back.
Final Comments:
In conclusion, I believe any fan of Hogan's Heroes
will enjoy this set very much. For the extremely
decent price of forty dollars, this is a wonderful set
to own. But as a fan of this show, finding out there
aren't any special features would be a let down. I do
encourage fans to buy this set though, because it does
boast crystal clear video as well as unedited episodes
that you can't see in syndication, so this set IS a
must have. For future releases, I would hope to see
Paramount include something that can be called a bonus
feature. There must be a blooper reel, or even old
episode promos that can be included. Overall, a good
set that has potential to be even better.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Video Quality: 4.8/5
Audio Quality: 4/5
Special Features: N/A
Menu Design/Navigation: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
- Reviewed by TVJunkie101 on 02/26/05
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