I spent way too much time on the living room floor in front of our Magnavox console TV set when I was a child, much like how kids today spend too much time on their phones. For me, it was an after-school ritual where I connected with “The Floppy Show,” “Speed Racer” and “The Electric Company.” Sometimes, my older brother would join. Other times, I would watch with friends. But, typically, I simply viewed the shows by myself for a couple of hours in peace and quiet before supper was served. This didn’t happen every day, mind you. I did have lawns to mow, football games to play and homework to do, but I was clearly fascinated with TV.
During that time, I was also introduced to a number of TV shows that were no longer airing in prime time but could be seen in syndication on weekday afternoons. I learned from Bobby what happens when you put too much soap in the washing machine on “The Brady Bunch.” I discovered how dangerous quicksand could be on “Gilligan’s Island.” And I came to know what a “cement pond” and the “fancy eating table” were from “The Beverly Hillbillies.”
But the one show I truly looked forward to was “Hogan’s Heroes.” Yes, this sitcom that was set in a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in Nazi Germany during World War II doesn’t hardly seem like something that would catch the attention of a kid in the 1970s, but it sure did.
The show, which originally ran for six seasons, was about a group of Allied prisoners who use the POW camp as an operations base for sabotage and espionage activities directed against Nazi Germany. But, it was more than that. Somehow, the show’s creators took one of the world’s most serious subjects and made it funny. The cast of heroes showed a dedication to their cause while we laughed at the incompetence of the German leaders. Hogan. LeBeau. Newkirk. Kinch. Carter. The show was clearly never made to entertain kids, but it did, at least this one.
One by one, the actors who portrayed the stars of the show met their own demise, including the aforementioned as well as the ones who played Klink, Schultz, Burkhalter and Hochstetter. (An interesting side note — these four actors who portrayed the German officers were all Jewish.)
The only remaining cast member who was still alive passed away recently. His name was Kenneth Washington, and he played U.S. Sergeant Richard Baker in season six, assuming the duties of Sergeant Kinchloe (Kinch) after Ivan Dixon left the series. Washington was 89.
I can’t help but wonder if any TV shows in the recent era would have the same impact on kids today as “Hogan’s Heroes” did on me and, likely, many of you. I can’t name one, certainly not from broadcast TV. How about you? Have a TV show that continues to connect with you, from past or present? Send me a note and let me know.
Have a great week, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
