Was It A Bad Idea To Make Nazis Likeable On 'Hogan's Heroes?'

[Zebra 3]

Originally Posted by Sitcom Collector

In HH all the Germans were killed offscreen.

All except one Stalag 13 guard in The Experts (#6.2).

[Sitcom Collector]

Originally Posted by Zebra 3

All except one Stalag 13 guard in The Experts (#6.2).

You're right. And I forgot about "Diamonds in the Rough" where the German blackmailing Hogan is gunned down by Klink's guards.

[brgmgb]

"Stalag 17" also had a Sgt Schultz.

As was said, in Hogan's Heroes, Klink is not a Nazi. In an early episode he explains that he is Prussian. I think we are supposed to see him as also being a prisoner of war because he's not a Nazi.

Growing up in Chicago in the 70's, I watched Hogan's Heroes almost every day at 5:00 or 5:30 on WGN. I really enjoyed the show as a kid. I'll watch it on TV Land when they show it, but its lost something in my older life.

When I was in junior high and high school, I had friends whose family had moved from Germany to Illinois. At first, they were surprised by Hogan's Heroes. Martin told me that he had any ever seen a few WWII movies or shows on German TV. I think between WGN and WFLD, you could watch at least one WWII movie every Saturday in Chicago.

[Zebra 3]

Originally Posted by Sitcom Collector

You're right. And I forgot about "Diamonds in the Rough" where the German blackmailing Hogan is gunned down by Klink's guards.

You see Klink's guards open fire on Major Hegel, but you don't actually see him getting shot on camera.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by cocytus

When the show was on the air, WWII was only a few years in the past and it was still a very "sore" point for many people. Given that fact, unless the show was mostly a comedy and didn't touch on the Holocaust at all...it wouldn't have even been made.

As others have pointed out, given what we know about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, it makes me extremely uncomfortable to watch the reruns of Hogan's Heroes and accept the show as a campy comedy.