...Bob Crane got gypped on
DVD!
by Indiana
Sev
Bob
Crane:
“What do they want from me? I don’t drink. I don’t smoke.
Two out of three ain’t bad.”
--
Auto-Focus
Heil
Hogan!
Working
for a major movie fansite has its share of perks; and I’m not
just talking about the foxy secretaries, kick-ass food fights in
the JoBlo.com commissary and the wild weekends in
Vermont
. I’m talking about the free DVDs the reviewers here get
showered with on a regular basis. More specifically, the DVD set
of Season 1 of HOGAN’S
HEROES I found lying on my desk about a week ago (this will
hit your local DVD retailer March 15th). Finally, God had smiled
upon me…
Thanks
to Canadian TV, I got shafted as a youngster and never got to
experience a single episode of this remarkable television sitcom
until I got this set last week. My desire to finally see this show
finally peaked when the Paul Schrader bio-pic AUTO-FOCUS came out
in 2002. The movie explored Bob Crane’s rise to the heights of
television stardom on HOGAN’S HEROES during its 6-year run on
CBS. On the show, Bob played
the handsome, charming and crafty Col. Robert Hogan, selflessly
helping the resistance in a German POW camp for officers during
WWII. The movie went on to reveal his eventual descent into the
darkest of sexual corners (a job requirement here at the site),
which ultimately led to his still unsolved murder in an
Arizona
hotel room in June of ’78. I zoomed through all 32 episodes
faster than Hogan’s crew of wacky POWs dug their tunnels under
Stalag 13 and laughed more than I had in months, but regrettably,
something was missing…
They
skimped on the extra features --
big time!! Besides the original black & white pilot episode,
there isn’t one to be found on all 5 discs of this set.
Ironically the AUTO-FOCUS DVD is chock full of wonderful extra
features (read
JoBlo’s DVD review here) some of which should have, at the
very least, been considered to be added onto this set. Here we
have one of Hollywood’s most scandalous and fascinating murders,
as well as the reigning king of cool on television from ’65 to
’71 and the most devoted fans of Crane don’t get squat!
Should
this stop you from buying season 1? Hell, no! (click
here to do so) With or without features, the show remains one
the funniest and most creative sitcoms to come out of the sixties
and features an amazing assortment of supporting players, from a
young and very British Richard Dawson (of FAMILY FEUD fame)
to the hilarious talents of Werner Klemperer, who played Colonel
Klink. Maybe it’s just me, but every time he spurts out a
frustrated ‘dis-missed’ to either Hogan or a random
German guard, I feel all fuzzy inside. Oh, and if anyone knows why
they got rid of the breathtakingly gorgeous (or farbenprächtig
if you prefer) secretary of Klink’s, Cynthia Lynn, after season
1, please drop me a line. Every episode of season 1 is a keeper!!
So,
I suppose this article is meant to coax those at CBS who are in
charge of the HOGAN’S HEROES DVDs to get some commentary tracks
from the surviving cast members and documentaries going on the
future seasons that have yet to be released. This is the least
they can do for all the Hoganites and Crane devotees out there,
like me. If not, I’ll have to make that call to
Berlin
and have you all sent to the Russian front (ah, come on, you
must’ve seen that one coming).
Until
then, I’d suggest for all those of you who want your Bob Crane
fix now, to check out the impressive extras on the AUTO-FOCUS DVD
(click
here to purchase that puppy), in particular, the Murder in
Scottsdale documentary. I’ve run out of space and time for
this article, but rest assured, an article on the incredible
acting talents of Greg Kinnear is in the works. Until then, I bid
you all a fond…
Auf
Wiedersehen!
PREVIOUSLY:
...don't
nix the dix in flix!
(March 2, 2005)
...enough
with Travolta dancing already!
(February 23, 2005)
...enough
with movies about coaches! (February 18, 2005)
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(February 10, 2005)
...give
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...I
wanna see 'The Brown Bunny' already! (January 19,
2005)
...the
Golden Globes are overrated! (January 14, 2005)
...where
the f*ck is Bridget Fonda?!
(January 7, 2005)
...my
year-end roundup (2/2)
(January 1, 2005)
C'mon
Hollywood... archives here
PREVIOUSLY:
Stop with the shitty spoof movies!
WTF Moments
Is 3D a gimmick?
Know a good script!
Don't screw up Green Lantern!
More R-rated horror!
No more comic reboots!
We're done with Megan Fox!
Bring back martial arts!
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C'mon Hollywood... archives here
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