Howard Caine was a fine actor who did splendid work in a few other endeavors. He played two, or maybe three characters on Hogan's, but once he became Major Hochstetter, he was in his element.
As I recall, the first several appearances as Hochstetter, his question on Hogan interrupting things was, "Who iss this man?" said in the same three-time pattern as his later, "What iss this man doink here?" questions. He couldn't keep asking who it was, since he had to know Hogan by then.
He was a serious threat to Hogan and Co., adding greatly to the sense of danger for the Heroes, but the reactions he gave when they outwitted him made him also one of the funniest characters on the show.
Why don't we just shoot 'em down and be through with it?
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mcfaddensflats
8 years ago
In one episode Hogan has a joke at Major Hochstetter's expense telling him he can't understand how a nice guy like him is in something like the Gestapo. It might be that episode when others - Col. Klink, Hogan and co start by asking him if he's making a "social visit" to Stalag 13. The exasperated Major eventually responds "Vy dos everyone assume I'm a social butterfly?" The idea of Major Hochstetter as a social butterfly is extremely amusing.
HH is currently being re-shown on the UK's Armed Forces channel (they're also showing Bilko) which is where I'm watching it. They're now into season 4,usually we only get repeats of the first 3 seasons at most when HH is shown here.
I must admit I'm fond of Col. Crittendon - his character adds another wonderful comic element to the show's array of great characters - and he doesn't appear enough to wear out his welcome with me. I agree with another poster about Carter. His German impersonations are fantastic - I treasure his brilliant delivery of a great line he says to the other Nazis when he's impersonating Hitler -"My ideas are alvays a surprise - even to me!" ("Will the real Adolf please stand up").
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brunhilda2013
8 years ago
The way I saw it, he wasn't asking who Hogan was. He already knew that. I think the context was, "Who does this man think he is, hanging around making jokes like one of us?"
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