Gen. Burkhalter
Flint
1) Do they ever mention how Burkhalter got that scar on his face?
2) What did Burkhalter do in WWI?? Any sort of history on him at all?
Thank you!
Mark R. Gardner
scar. Those were a symbol of honor once in German military men. I
think he mentioned once that he was young officer in the Kaiser's
Imperial Army in World War I.
Wally
Romme...@hotmail.com says...
>
>Hello gang... I don't know the answers to these so please help me out.
>
>1) Do they ever mention how Burkhalter got that scar on his face?
Leon Askin got the scar in "real life," I believe while he was incarcerated in a
French POW camp (as an Austrian, he was their "enemy" in the early days of
WWII).
>2) What did Burkhalter do in WWI?? Any sort of history on him at all?
Burkhalter would have been too young to have served in WWI -- he was
about 13 when the war ended, but does have clear memories of it. In WWII
he eventually got out of the French POW camp and came to the USA, where
he instructed American forces on Germanic psychology and rose to the rank of
S/Sgt.
I recommend his book QUIETUDE AND QUEST, if you can find it. It
doesn't say much about HH, and is more of a discertation on stage acting, but
it very much worth reading nonetheless.
>Thank you!
>
>
>
Joe Mourgos
Wally,
I think you misunderstood the question (#2) The question is regarding General
Burkhalter, not Leon Askin. It has always been my understanding that Klink,
Burkhalter and Shultz all served in WWI but I can't recall when it was mentioned for
any of them...
Well, I'm between semesters in school, I guess I'll watch them all again...
I have a life...it's called Hogan's Heroes.
---Joe...
Wally
HH never addresses how Burkhalter got the scar. However, Leon Askin
(IIRC) mentions it in his book. HH just makes no reference to it.
I *did* misunderstand question 2 (I got too carried away with 1, I guess).
Sorry about that.
Schultz served in WWI (with General (then Lt.) Kammler, whose life he
saved).
Klink also served during WWI (if not actually in combat), because he almost
killed The Blue Baron during a training exercise on "August 4, 1917."
Burkhalter, being a career officer and of high rank, is obviously a WWI
veteran. However, I recall no HH references to his WWI service like there is
with Klink and Schultz.
infinite man
You're quite right about the subject being Leon Askin's character in
"Hogan's Heroes," but I find it fascinating nonetheless to read about
Leon Askin himself. As to Klink, Burkhalter and Schultz having served
in World War I, I think maybe the Burkhalter character but not Klink
and definitely not Schultz.
As to the characters, I have some observations I'd like to share.
Rather lengthy reading from here on:
Burkhalter, being an old military Prussian, how would he have ever
served under Hitler in the first place? He would've regarded Hitler
with considerable disdain. As a career officer, he would've known the
dangers of following someone like Hitler - perhaps he might have argued
the point to himself one night when he was alone. "I am just one man,
what can I really do? Nothing!" he might have rationalized.
Klink, having come from a military family, couldn't have served in
World War I as he would have been too young (there was an episode where
his age was mentioned, which I believe was 49 - but Carter made Klink
feel old by saying he thought Klink was in his 60s), but having come
from a military family, he felt the need to prove his mettle and could
rightly be regarded as an inept opportunist. Nothing he did succeeded
in getting himself promoted to general.
Schultz was owner and president of the Schotze Toy Company, which he
was forced to surrender to the Nazis for a military munitions factory.
In return, he was conscripted into the German army and ranked as a
sergeant. Pretty remarkable and pretty shabby and shoddy treatment for
the owwner of the largest toy factory in Germany. And to have to serve
under Klink, the most inept officer in not only Germany but anywhere
else around the world.
I'm pretty certain Klink may have suspected Hogan was part of the
underground, but he was too ambitious and so afraid to bring others in
that in the end, he ended up doing nothing. By then, he could have been
charged with complicity by the Nazis, especially by Major Hochstetter,
who recognized Klink as an idiot and a threat to Hitler's plan for the
1000 Year Reiche.
Schultz didn't know everything at the beginning but he certainly
learned very quickly. Schultz wasn't as stupid as Klink and others
suggested - being a businessman, he couldn't have made his toy factory
into the biggest in Germany without some kind of savvy. Hitler's war
wasn't his war; all he wanted was for the war to be over so he could
get back to making toys for children. If worse came to worse, he
perhaps saw Hogan and his crew as his best chance to survive the war
and begin anew in the USA. Hogan and the others would have vouched for
him, of all the Germans stationed in or near Stalag 13.
As for Burkhalter, he may likewise have known something or suspected
something was going on at Stalag 13. He may have Klink was part and
parcel of whatever was going on - then again, he regarded Klink as an
idiot. Yet surely he must've stopped to pause and wonder how such an
idiot like Klink managed to rise to the rank of colonel without having
some powerful connections. But it also seems likely that all of Klink's
high, powerful connections didn't want to associate with him after
being burned by him in some unintentional way. They may have arranged
the promotion as their way of being rid of him.
Klink thus became Burkhalter's albatross and it's quite clear
Burkhalter would have loved nothing more than to be rid of him, even
going so far as to possibly considering linking Klink with his none too
attractive sister, Frau Linkmeyer.
But Burkhalter may have likewise felt Hogan might be his out if
things got worse. He certainly overlooked several occasions when Hogan
mouthed off to Klink. True, he might have shared Hogan's contempt for
Klink, but since he and Klink were on the same side, he wouldn't have
wanted one of his lesser officers going over his head in protest,
especially one who was as promotion happy as Klink.
It might have made an interesting episode to see Burkhalter plead
with Hogan to get him out of Germany or get rid of Klink. Since there
never was a final episode, one can play out many scenarios as to how
the show would've played out had it not ended. (Being a long time fan,
I'd rather have had Helga than Hilda - thought Cynthia Lynn was cuter;
still think that.)
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Joe Mourgos
Gee, and all I wanted was the right answer to the right question :)
But seriously, thanks for such an in depth response. I am also a long-time fan
and I agree with MOST of what you said. Especially the part of Cynthia Lynn
being the cuter of Klink's 2 secretaries...
When asked how he ever became a Colonel, Klink responds; "Oh, my brother's wife
knows..." then is cut off by Hogan. The episode where Hogan is offered 1 million
dollars for stealing a P-51 for the Germans. I think that's the only clue...I'm
not sure.
I don't think Klink has any real "power" through friends or otherwise and
Burkhalter isn't afraid of any. If Burkhalter really wanted to get rid of Klink
he would've let him go to the Russian Front when he asked to be sent there. The
episode with Colonel Becker and his offer to give Hogan a look at some plans if
Hogan gets him transferred to Stalag 13. (Did you notice the dinner scene during
which Shultz calls him "Major" Becker?)
Shultz is also old enough to have served in WW I . Wally mentions this as well.
He served with General Kammler. I don't remember the episode---I guess we'll
just have to watch them all over again.
---Joe
Thanks again.
Flint
I enjoyed your informative words very much. Thank you for spending the
time to share them with us.
On Klink. Does it mention he is from a military family? I thought he
became a soldier because, "he was not a good student, good athelete, etc. so
his father told him to become a soldier." as he states in the "Kommadant of
the Year" episode.
Also my impression is that Klink was promoted rather slowly. He states in
many episodes that everyone else in his class has made the rank of General
already. I am not sure what he means by "in his class" because he does not
indicate that he went to any military school.
Yes, I agree with you that Schultz does know about the underground
operations. I think that the underlying reason he does not say anything is
because he is a pacifist. He states in "dont forget to write" something to
the effect that he believes that everyone should get along and no one should
be mean to each other.
Anyway, those are some of my thoughts off the top of my head.
Flint
infinite man wrote in message
<0a288596...@usw-ex0107-043.remarq.com>...
Mark R. Gardner
squadron mates stops by for a visit and has a limp left over from
a flying accident he blames Klink for way back when. Apparently,
Klink was not much of a pilot and has been "flying a desk" for many
years. In one episode, they won't let him return to flying status.
If Klink was 49 in 1943 or so, then he would have been 24 in 1918,
which fits well. He would have been an army officer who'd gone
through a military academy and then volunteered to train in planes
in the First World War, like many did, including Manfred von
Richthofen, the Red Baron.
Also, regarding Schultz' ownership of a toy company: Are you sure
it is the Schotze Toy Company? I thought it was the Schatzi Toy
Company. "Schatzi" in German means something like "sweetheart" or
"darling" (from the word "Schatz" meaning "treasure") and makes
perfect sense as the "cute" name for a toy company.
Happy Holidays! Frohe Weihnachten!
Mark
infinite man
Regarding Colonel Klink, there were some shows where he mentioned his
family, such as the men in the Klink family all being military and that
it was something of a tradition. One wonders how successful in the
military his family was - he apparently had a brother who was a washout
in not only the military but in most of life as well.
True, he complained about only being a colonel while the rest of his
classmates were generals but on this aspect of "Hogan's Heroes" that
part of the Klink character was inconsistent. If he was an idiot as was
so often claimed by Hogan, Burkhalter and Hochstetter, then he never
would've went any further than the German equivalent of private. Maybe
he was a bit smarter than claimed or maybe he had made some friends who
assisted in his promotions to the rank of colonel, but this presents
Klink as an opportunist - someone willing to use friends to get what he
wants. But as soon as he got what he wanted, he didn't care if he saw
them again if they couldn't do anything that would result in a personal
gain for him.
That aspect of his character was a weakness for Hogan and company to
exploit time and time again, but it was also an underlying danger, for
if Klink ever found the evidence he needed to expose Hogan (and he
constantly suspected Hogan of underground activity) and would not
hesitate to turn Hogan and company over to the Gestapo, so long as it
resulted in his promotion to general.
But this was another inconsistency for Klink would've been removed
from command and probably shot by the Gestapo for allowing a prisoner
of war to knowingly engage in acts of espionage against Nazi Germany.
There were a lot of things in the TV show that if and when the movie
is ever made, they could expand on and use to keep the audience glued
to their seats. The problem is how many people would stay away from the
film based on the objection about it being fun and games at Stalag 13
while the war rages on versus how many would stay away from the film
based on the objection on the number of terrible movies Hollywood has
churned out with past TV shows. "The Brady Bunch" movies were more a
parody of the original TV show with a lot of inside jokes and digs at
other shows...but both films were still annoying and I don't know which
cast was more annoying: the original or the movie cast, although I did
love one particular story line in the movie: that Greg and Marcia
weren't really brother and sister - it's a wonder Mom and Dad ever left
the house. (Greg, to Marcia: "See you in the closet or attic in five
minutes, Marcia.")
I think if they ever get the movie made, it needs to be done right or
not made at all. I'd favor restoring Newkirk to his rank of lieutenant
(from the pilot)and maybe Carter as well (I think he was made a
sergeant so CBS could get some free promotion for "Gomer Pyle, USMC"
which was also on the network at the same time). Also, don't favor
treating the subcharacters under Hogan (Newkirk, Carter, Lebeau or
Kinchloe) like they're idiots and can't do anything without Colonel
Hogan's assistance. Would a real Colonel Hogan want four imbeciles who
couldn't follow directions or think for themselves in any given
situation which had the potential to become most uncomfortable for
them? Colonel Hogan might have been the brilliant mastermind but
without his assistants, they would've just been POWs thinking about
what they could be doing against Nazi Germany if they were only free.
infinite man
I've seen every "Hogan's Heroes" episode ever made and there are
quite a few inconsistencies throughout the entire run of the
show...will have to look at the episode which involves Colonel or Major
Brecker again. That's one I never caught.
When trying to reconcile the discrepencies that turn up in a show,
usually one can offer a simple solution to tie up the loose ends. For
instance, the late Howard Caine played two characters on "Hogan's
Heroes": Colonel Feldkemp and Major Hochstetter. A simple solution
would be they are half-brothers, each somehow resembling the other
(this isn't as far fetched as it would seem: ever seen Bob Hope's
brothers? some of his brothers could pass for him with no trouble at
all, if they were still alive, that is). And Major Hochstetter's
obsession with Hogan could be explained as a man trying to solve the
death of his brother (Colonel Feldkemp was blown up by Hogan).
There was another Feldkemp in the show later on, his rank was Major
(I don't remember the name of the actor) but he was an older man. He
could've been the father of the one killed by Hogan (explained as two
factions of the Nazis blowing each other up but was actually Hogan and
company). He was bringing some scientist to Stalag 13 and Colonel Klink
decided to engage in a little name dropping, only to be stared down by
the older man.
In another episode, Schultz was described as young man in his 40s(!)
by Colonel Klink, supposedly younger than Klink himself (one of the
"Star Trek" producers subscribed to the same kind of belief that
Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy were the same age, despite the fact that the
story bible for "Star Trek" postulated that Dr. McCoy was divorced and
had a grown daughter, who was also a doctor). That was the episode
where Hogan and company were trying to wrangle a pass into town for
their carrier pigeon - Schultz - who happened to cross Klink, who made
him do guard duty with a doubled backpack.
Klink was always fun to watch, regardless of how he managed to get
his rank. Remember the helmet with the pointed tip? It was suggested
(off camera) that Klink had sat on the helmet...that would've required
some kind of medical attention and would've required some kind of
explanation to the doctors as to how he managed to get speared on his
behind. The censors at the networks being what they were in the 60s,
that would've been left off camera as well, but I wonder if that
particular suggested scene could be the source for a very well known
urban legend floating around today?
With Colonel Klink, it was suggested he was cowardly, didn't want to
fly (despite being a pilot), that may have contributed to his lack of
promotion but as you mentioned, when asked by Hogan how he managed to
ever become a colonel, he starts to tell him but is cut off by Hogan.
The one thing I was surprised to find about "Hogan's Heroes" was that
many of the actors had fled Nazi Germany or were prisoners or had lived
under the Nazis when the Nazis occupied their country. It's fascinating
that many insisted the German characters on the show must never be
allowed to win, which they never did.
Frank
infinite man
That was my post you responded to but you're quite right about Klink
having been old enough to have been in World War I and not being much
of a pilot. And maybe Schultz would have old enough as well but it was
suggested in another episode he was younger than Klink! So, if Klink
was 49 in 1943, how old was Schultz? It was never stipulated how much
younger he was than Klink, just that he was.
As for the spelling of the Schotzi, Schotze or Schnatzi Toy Company,
I've never been quite sure how to spell that, so it may be the way
you're spelling it, but your spelling would be more consistent with
Schultz's character. I've never seen the script for the episode which
mentions the toy company, so I don't know how they were spelling it
there either.
Frank
Joe Mourgos
> Hi Joe,
> I've seen every "Hogan's Heroes" episode ever made and there are
> quite a few inconsistencies throughout the entire run of the
> show...will have to look at the episode which involves Colonel or Major
> Brecker again. That's one I never caught.
> When trying to reconcile the discrepencies that turn up in a show,
> usually one can offer a simple solution to tie up the loose ends. For
> instance, the late Howard Caine played two characters on "Hogan's
> Heroes": Colonel Feldkemp and Major Hochstetter.
Howard Caine played 3 characters, you forgot to mention Major Keitel in the
episode;
"Happy Birthday Adolf". Howard Caine's first appearance was in "The Battle of
Stalag 13" as Col. Feldcamp as you mentioned but I think you're reading too much
into the storyline with your half-brother theory. I believe the producers liked
Caine and decided to give him a recurring role. They couldn't use Feldcamp of
course so they crated Hochstetter.
He played Keitel between the two Gestapo characters.
---JM
PS: I watch HH all the time as well, love it. BTW, I agree with everything else
you said.
infinite man
Wow, quite right about Howard Caine playing a third character; I have
most of the show on tape but haven't been able to watch in a while due
to the VCR being broken. As to the suggestion that Colonel Feldcamp and
Major Hochstetter being half-brothers, that was to suggest something
for the continuity of the show to explain how one of the regulars could
play two (now three) different characters in the show and how these two
minor characters could resemble the major character and still keep
credibility. It's a minor point at best but it's a very simple answer
to give when discussing the show with anyone who hasn't seen the show
(and how there could be someone who hasn't seen the show after all this
time, well...I suppose there could be).
There are quite a few websites on "Hogan's Heroes" where someone has
picked at the flaws on the show, such as the wrong uniform or vehicles
for the time. Even the tunnel has come in for some nitpicking as to it
would've taken X amount of time and X amount of manhours to construct,
but why not just postulate the tunnel already existed (say it was a
cave) and that the Allies had geological information as to the location
of the tunnel under Stalag 13 (which Nazi Germany had not discovered
and the Allies took advantage of that situation) and that Hogan and his
crew, and some of the actual prisoners constructed entrances to the
tunnel. It could further postulated the rest of the prisoners in Stalag
13, knowing what was taking place, went along with Hogan to keep Klink
and the others from discovering what was really going on.
Helga certainly knew what was going on since she was down in the
tunnel (in the pilot episode) working for Hogan on the side. Perhaps it
could be postulated she was an agent herself and had been the one to
supply the Allies with information about the tunnel.
(Just a bit of my imagination, but I've been writing my own Hogan
stories occasionally which explained the cave/tunnel without having to
resort to a more complicated storyline explaining how the cave/tunnel
came into existence.)
Joe Mourgos
Hi Joe,
I always thought that Hilda/Helga whichever was in fact Nimrod. I'm sure you recall the episode in which Klink was swapped for an underground leader because Hogan and his men made Hochstetter think Klink was that notorious British agent. Nimrod was never said to have been a man, correct? Also, the plans for the new Jet Meshershmidt were planted in the outer office where she was fully able to put them without arousing suspicion. Watch her closely....(I always do <wink>)
Sounds like a good idea for a movie....ahem, does anyone in Hollywood read this newsgroup by chance?
---LOL
--Joe
PS: General Shmidt: Christmas? Christmas is
three months away!
Hogan:
We wanted to be sure you had it.
Merry Christmas!
wils...@gmail.com
> Hello gang... I don't know the answers to these so please help me out.
>
> 1) Do they ever mention how Burkhalter got that scar on his face?
>
>
He was beaten by the SS! http://hh.wikia.com/wiki/Leon_Askin
slytherinpri...@gmail.com
That and some of the zingers were great!
Burkhalter: “Klink and my sister were practically engaged.”
Hochstetter: “Oh. That would be reasonable motivation for suicide.”
Klink: “Nobody commits suicide at Stalag 13...without permission.”
Hogan: “Think of all the things you’ve been through together.”
Burkhalter: “If I do, I’m liable to shoot him myself.”
Schultz: “You can depend on me, Herr Kommandant. I shall be alert and intelligent.”
Klink: “Schultz, when I want a miracle I’ll ask for it.”
Klink: “That’s not funny.”
Schultz: “You are right, Herr Kommandant, it is not. That is why I stopped laughing.”
slytherinpri...@gmail.com
slytherinpri...@gmail.com
slytherinpri...@gmail.com
I’ve always liked a man in uniform anyway, but let me put it this way: if I could be one of the girls Klink flirts with and kisses, I’d work on that show with no money required. I’m sure between Werner Klemperer, Richard Dawson and Bob Crane there’s plenty of kisses to make a nice paycheck lol.
As for John Banner, I’d just like to give him a hug. He looks like a big ol’ teddy bear. What amazed me is he had some long eyelashes for a guy; you could tell when they did close-ups. Pretty eyes too. It must be a trait of people from Austria or Germany, because my dad’s from Stuttgart, Germany (I probably spelled it wrong) and he had light grey eyes with coal black hair.