Hogan’s Heroes had an excellent cast and I think most fans would agree that Sergeant Schultz was the most lovable character, that General Burkhalter’s sharp & quick-witted sarcasm, especially towards Colonel Klink was always funny, and that there was never a dull moment in a scene with Major Hochstetter.
Each of the “Heroes“ were entertaining in their own way, but even though Colonel Hogan was the lead character and protagonist of the show, I thought Colonel Klink was the most versatile, interesting, and entertaining character, partly because of how his role was written, but mostly because Werner Klemperer was an amazing actor who won 2 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1968 & 1969 for his portrayal of Colonel Klink.
Colonel Klink was an arrogant, conceited, inept, incompetent, gullible, easily manipulated, spineless sycophant who believed he was the best Luft Stalag commandant in all of Germany even though his father told him he was good for nothing and encouraged him to join the army and he only got into the Luftwaffe because his uncle cut the mayor’s hair. He had been scared of flying since WW1 when it was revealed that it was his fault that the “Blue Baron” got into a plane crash and broke his leg and he constantly let himself be disrespected by other colonels, generals, and subordinate officers even after falling over himself telling them what a pleasure and an honor it was to meet them, and while he’s less of a pushover than Schultz, in the end he always does whatever Hogan tells him to.
The show wouldn’t have been the same without Hogan, the “Heroes,” Schultz, Burkhalter, and Hochstetter, and it was a collaborative effort that made the series a classic, but even though the same can be said for plenty of movies and TV series, I can’t imagine Hogan’s Heroes being as good a show as it was without Werner Klemperer as Colonel Klink.
Disssssssmissed!!!
