On July 27-28, 2019, I was once again the invited guest of the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton, Ohio, for an author event. While there, I signed copies of Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography and gave two hour-long presentations about Bob Crane and his life and career.
The Liberty Aviation Museum is the official home of the only authentic Hogan's Heroes props and costumes/uniforms display. They began the Hogan's Heroes collection in 2015, and ever since, they have been adding to the display. As you can see, it's quite crowded in the display case! Eventually, they are planning to build a larger display, with a barracks theme.
Visiting the Liberty Aviation Museum is always a highlight for me, and it invigorates me. Not only do I adore the owner and his family, and management and staff of the museum, but I also love connecting with fans of Hogan's Heroes and Bob Crane, and I enjoy observing them study the display and quote lines from the show. Even more, I love listening to them reminisce about watching the series with a family member, usually their father or grandfather, and how Hogan's Heroes brings back such happy memories for them. Not only do I love meeting new fans, but I love reconnecting with friends, some of whom travel great distances to the museum just to stop in and say hi (and give hugs!).
There are a few naysayers. I say, bring 'em on! One gentleman insisted that he had "read everything there is about Bob Crane," and thus, he knew all about him. I simply asked, "Have you read my book?" And he said, "No, no. But believe me, I've read everything about Bob Crane, and I already know all about him."
Newsflash: If you haven't read Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography, then you haven't read everything there is about Bob Crane, and as a result, I can guarantee you don't know everything about him.
I don't blame people for thinking this way, and I'm not angry. Although I confess that I do become a little frustrated. Auto Focus force-fed an incorrect, fictionalized version of Bob to the public, and between that and all of the true crime shows and podcasts, it's really all people know about Bob Crane. It's even more frustrating knowing that Auto Focus director Paul Schrader did it all on purpose. Schrader told the New York Times, "You know, [John] Carpenter was not as important in Crane's life as he is in the film. It is a distortion... My intent with Auto Focus is not to be true or definitive. People's actual lives are not really that interesting. And with Crane I wanted to get at something meaty. Otherwise, who cares?" You can read more about that here.
But I digress.
Simply put, if you only know Bob Crane through Auto Focus and the like, then you don't know Bob Crane at all.
And I, along with my coauthors and friends Dee Young and Linda Groundwater, work hard at keeping his memory alive. We have a new podcast in the works (Flipside: The True Story of Bob Crane), we are interviewed about Bob and our work on his behalf, and we continue to spearhead the campaign for his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame. No, we aren't done yet. Not even close. And with the complete support of Bob Crane's family and friends, we will keep going—for as long as it takes.
If you haven't visited the Liberty Aviation Museum, and especially if you're a Hogan's Heroes fan, you should. In addition, all copies of Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography are sold in the museum's gift shop year-round, and all author proceeds on Bob's biography sold through the museum are donated to the museum.
In closing, I'll share with you what I call my Jurassic Park moment. I'm just a kid from New Jersey. I work hard, and I just figure that's what matters. So when I first visited the Liberty Aviation Museum in June 2016, I was thrilled to see Bob's custom-made Hogan A-2 jacket and his whole uniform, along with the rest of the costumes/uniforms worn by Werner Klemperer and John Banner. But the Jurassic Park moment came when the CEO drove me past the museum's marquis sign out by the highway. I wasn't paying attention and probably doing something on my phone, when the CEO literally turned my head to the left so I could see the museum's marquis sign. And I was floored. There was the book's cover, lit up against the sky! Of course, I didn't stand up through a safari Jeep, but my jaw did hit the ground and my eyes were wide with amazement!
I love everyone at the Liberty Aviation Museum. They are all very dear to me, and the museum is a home away from home for me (and now also members of my family!). I consider them all family. Liberty Aviation Museum is open year-round, and I usually visit for my author events in the summer. Hogan's Heroes fans, put the Liberty Aviation Museum on your Bucket List! And in addition to the ever-growing Hogan's Heroes display, the museum boasts two hangars full of military vehicles and airplanes and provides a living history. It is also home to one of the coolest 1950s diners in the country—the Tin Goose Diner. And at the very least, check out their website and support them by purchasing an item or making a donation. They are doing amazing work, and it's such an honor for me to know them and be part of their extended, surrogate family.
Thank you to everyone at the Liberty Aviation Museum for another spectacular event! See you next year!
