Questions we may never be able to answer about HH..... - Hogan's Heroes (1965) Discussion

[–] Zebra 3 10 years ago

1. Mostly dogs eg. Release the dogs!. Klink referred the breed as German Shepherds.

2. Helga and Hilda are never seen in their own living quarters in camp. I'll guess they lived outside of camp based on one Hilda episode, but I'm not certain exactly what she said at the end of her work day.

'Huuutch!' - Starsky

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[–] acwoodcraft-1 10 years ago

They probably lived in Hammelburg and went home at night. In reality they never would have brought in a civilian secretary, it would've been a male corporal or private. Women in POW camps tended to make for too many disciplinary problems. But Hogan would've looked strange necking with a guy outside Klink's office door.

A heart can be broken, but it still keeps a-beatin' just the same.

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[–] Zebra 3 10 years ago

The Hilda episode is Hogan's Trucking Service... We Deliver the Factory to You (#4.4). She's outside after her work day, Schultz offers her a ride to the gate.

'Huuutch!' - Starsky

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[–] viaggio1 10 years ago

My apologies --- apparently, I wasn't clear enough --- my intention was to start a humorous list of things that aren't apparent / aren't explained on the show.

So, let's try that again --

Please feel free to add to the list !

Questions we may never be able to answer about HH.....

1.) What did the Germans in the camp call the breed of dogs we in America know as German Shepherds ?

2.) Where did Helga and Hilda live when they finished work for the day ?

J'ai l'œil AMÉRICAIN !

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[–] Fletcherj119 10 years ago

3.) When Hogan and his "heroes" are outside for roll call, why are the camp's remaining prisoners still in their barracks?

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[–] alanr4447a 10 years ago

4. VHAT IZ ZIS MAN DOINGK HEEEERE?!?

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[–] sabretooth29483 9 years ago

WHO IZ ZIS MAAAAANNN?!?!

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[–] Fletcherj119 10 years ago

Why didn't the other (non-speaking) prisoners in Hogan's barracks ever participate in their activities?

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[–] FlushingCaps 10 years ago

From the Hollywood perspective, we can say that the costs of having a more extensive cast would make production prohibitive. TV execs, particularly before the 1980s, closely watched budgets of TV series and they sometimes ordered the reduction of the regular cast by a single member just to save money from one season to the next.

From a different perspective, we can reason that the regular "Heroes" had volunteered for their spying missions knowing full well that going about Germany during the war in disguise could lead to a quick death if caught. The other prisoners at the camp were just POWs, who fully expected to be held until the war was over, but did not expect to face death while stuck in the POW camp.

Overall, I thought they did a decent job of including shots of other prisoners so as to not give the impression the camp only had half a dozen prisoners, without clogging up all the scenes in the compound with hundreds of extras.

The biggest similar series I can think of are Gomer Pyle and the Phil Silvers Show, which also had to include shots of a much larger group of platoon members than were engaged in speaking roles.

All shows set in workplaces have to try to handle this situation. I always laughed at how "Coach" Hayden Fox was supposed to be in charge of a major college football team in the 1990s, yet he seemed to only speak with two of his assistants and had team meetings in rooms large enough to hold about 1/6 the number of players that are normally on such a team. We'd see the end of a meeting where a dozen men would exit the room and that seemed to be his entire team.

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[–] Fletcherj119 10 years ago

And how many shows have we seen weddings and parties held on their regular sets?

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[–] eisphoenix-655-672150 9 years ago

Because they weren't there long enough. Whenever a pilot was shot down he had to take the place for an inmate already in the camp and that inmate could go home. Schulz never wanted to see a thing and Klink never bothered to do the inspections himself, so they never noticed (well, in season 2 Schulz did once, because the team exchanged a guy taller than him with one that was shorter than LeBeau, claiming that the guy had shrunk under the shower).

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[–] Fletcherj119 9 years ago

I guess so.

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[–] FrankRandle 10 years ago

In Germany, German Shepherds are called (unsurprisingly) Deutscher Schäferhund. (The British call them Alsations).

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[–] tseybert 10 years ago

How did the Germans not notice that Kinchloe was black when Hogan and the whole gang were dressed as German soldiers?

Janet! Donkeys!

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[–] trist962 9 years ago

Didn't Kinch usually hang back "in the shadows", on those "uniformed missions"; guarding the vehicle or setting explosive charges, while the others confronted the Germans? Or, in one episode I recall, he sneaked up behind a *beep* guard without being seen, pinning his arms, while Newkirk decked him! haha!

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[–] eddysl12 10 years ago

How exactly did that trap door work?

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[–] Fletcherj119 10 years ago

The release was located on the side of the top bunk; when activated, the floor under the beds folded down, as did the bottom bunk. Simple as that. Obviously there was a similar release down in the tunnel.

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[–] eddysl12 10 years ago

Yes, they tapped on the side of the bunk and then the floor folded down and then the bottom bunk went up to the top bunk to make room. What exactly is the force though that pulls the floor down and the bunk up?

The best I can figure is a set of weighted springs of some sort set down in the tunnel.

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[–] Fletcherj119 10 years ago

When they "tap" the top bunk, if you look closely, there's actually a small square piece that pushes in. I imagine there's a series of pulleys which lowers everything.

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[–] verbusen 10 years ago

I figured the questions would be more humorous. Like how many black SS soldiers served in the war? Why was a Colonel in an enlisted POW camp? Stuff like that.

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[–] midnitelamp 9 years ago

why didn't hochstetter have klink shot in the series finale?

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[–] srubin5190 9 years ago

Well, unfortunately, there was no series finale. It was unexpectedly canceled by CBS in the "rural purge" in 1971. But given the tone of the program, if there was, I'm sure no one would have died.

There are a lot of what-if scenarios examining liberation and finales on the HH fanfiction.net board.

my fanfiction page: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1695456/

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[–] Stevicus-2 10 years ago

Questions we may never be able to answer about HH.....

- Was Schultz ever given a hearing or vision test?
- Are Belgian Shepherds really better than German Shepherds?
- Was the Norden Vacuum Cleaner better than a Hoover?
- Did Frau Linkmeyer and Col. Klink ever finally tie the knot?

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[–] chuckbuckner 9 years ago

- Was Schultz ever given a hearing or vision test?
No. He only claimed he could not see, hear or know anything to the POW's. Naturally they would not request medical test to verify his claims.

- Are Belgian Shepherds really better than German Shepherds?
They are not. German Propaganda dictates that clearly.

- Was the Norden Vacuum Cleaner better than a Hoover?
Yes it was.

- Did Frau Linkmeyer and Col. Klink ever finally tie the knot?
Frau Linkmeyer became a Nun, and never married. She can be seen in the movie "Blues Brother" starring John Belushi and Dan Akroyd. She was the head nun at their Catholic School.

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[–] dgctex 9 years ago

where did all the dirt go to that was removed from their tunnel system. All that dirt would have left a massive pile. A system like that would have taken months if not years to construct.

How did they install some of their hidden equipment without the guards seeing them. Such as the periscope in the water barrel ,the telescoping antenna in the flagpole, the tunnel and moving stove in Klink's quarters.

What happened to the sauna that was seen in S1 E1.

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[–] Tjanssen411 9 years ago

Episode 1 was out of continuity.. note the Russian Tailor and Carter being shipped out... the idea of the 'outside man' was quickly dropped about 3 episodes in.

as to the ground... it's possible some of the tunnels could have been pre-exiting left over from mining or natural caves... and the scale of the Tunnel system was greatly reduced after the pilot

better question about the periscope.. how did the seal the barrel so it never drains but the pipes are movable?

as to the antenna... Damage the original... the switch out a telescoping flag pole for the stock replacement...

Klink's stove... more than a few times they've pulled 'Bavaraian Fire Drills" to get extended access to Klink's office/safe/residence for one ploy or another
-- again the better question is how the devices remains functional in it's original use while being mobile to use as their gimmicked device... the Sink in the Cooler is another example... no way it has running water (as implied by the faucets) and can still flip at a 90 degree angle when they open the floor under it

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