Bob Crane and John Banner Appear on 'The John Gary Show'—June 29, 1966

On Wednesday, June 29, 1966, Bob Crane made a guest appearance on The John Gary Show. Joining him were his Hogan's Heroes co-star John Banner, Vicki Carr, and Roger Williams. Similar to other programs of the era, The John Gary Show was a variety show and featured a lot of singing, dancing, skits, and of course, in this episode, Bob's drumming.

As a radio personality at KNX from 1956 to 1965, Bob interviewed thousands of celebrities, and in the early 1960s, John Gary was a guest on his show. Bob actually had two celebrity guests on the air that day—John Gary and Richard Chamberlain. Those who were present claimed that both were wonderful guests and that John Gary was "very sweet and so nice." Bob and his two guests had a great time on the air, and even encountered an awkward moment when he and Richard Chamberlain called the winner of a hi-fi stereo system, and took the winner completely by surprise! There is little doubt that John's experiences on Bob's KNX radio show led to him asking Bob to appear on his own program a few years later while Bob was on hiatus from Hogan's Heroes.

Bob loved music in general, and in addition to his drums, he loved to sing. During his early school days, he would walk to school with his friends, singing away and teaching his pals the lyrics of the day. But we never got to hear much of his singing on Hogan's Heroes or other works (with the exception of him singing along with songs on his radio shows, or on programs such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Hollywood Palace). But here, on The John Gary Show, Bob sings along with John Banner, "What Would You Do Without Me?"—and the two of them performing the number dressed in their Hogan's outfits is adorable and priceless! This episode is no longer available on YouTube, but scroll down to the bottom of this post for ordering information directly from John Gary's estate.

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I'm happy to say that this episode is available for sale through John Gary's estate/website. If you're a Hogan's Heroes and Bob Crane fan, you won't be disappointed! Click the image below to be redirected to their website and order your own copy!

Be sure to check out their other items as well.