Twenty Things You Didn’t Know about 'Hogan's Heroes' Star Bob Crane

Everybody has a history to his or her life.

Let’s not paint Bob’s life by—what shall we say?—the moments in his life.

I say these things that are the flaws are like specks on the Parthenon.

Let’s look at the Parthenon and let’s not look at the specks.

Let’s lift our eyes up to the man’s eyes and soul and life, and not look

down on the gutter.

—Joe Cosgrove, former staff announcer, KPOL, Los Angeles, and owner, KTHL, Lake Tahoe, CA; the first person to greet Bob when he arrived in Hollywood in August 1956.

As published in Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography

©2015 Carol M. Ford, Dee Young, & Linda J. Groundwater

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When you spend decades researching something or somebody, you are going to learn a lot.

Such is the case with Bob Crane. After decades of research, my colleagues and I uncovered so much new and noteworthy information about Bob, we were, in a word, amazed. Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography is more than 600 pages in length because there was just so much to tell. And there was also so much to fix. Over the years, the facts about Bob's life have been twisted around and exaggerated, or worse, fabricated. These inaccuracies had to be corrected and then retold properly or debunked completely.

I've compiled a list of important facts about Bob here, with details contained in Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography. Some people are afraid of what they might find in the book because Bob's reputation precedes him. But rest assured, the general public has not been given the whole story or even the true story. After reading through this chiseled-down list of facts, please check out Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography. It will change the way you think about Bob Crane, and I think you will be happily surprised.

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1. Bob Crane was born in Waterbury, CT, on July 13, 1928. He grew up in Stamford, CT, and graduated from Stamford High School in 1946. He was one of the most popular kids in school.

2. Bob was inspired to play drums by watching Gene Krupa at the 1939 World’s Fair. From that time on, he was never without his drumsticks. He played drums throughout his life.

3. Bob’s older brother Alfred served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Al was badly injured during the war but survived. Al’s wartime experiences had a dramatic and lasting impact on Bob.

4. Following high school graduation, Bob served in the U.S. National Guard in Stamford, CT, and worked in a jewelry store.

5. Bob played with many name bands on the East Coast while working in radio. He was eventually able to sit in and play with his idols, including The Stan Kenton Orchestra, the New Tommy Dorsey Band, and the Harry James Orchestra. He performed a drum battle with Gene Krupa over KNX-CBS Radio. He was a good friend of Buddy Rich, and he would occasionally perform with Rich in various venues, such as at Disneyland.

6. Bob spent fifteen consecutive years in radio, transforming the industry, and was considered a radio genius by his broadcasting colleagues. His radio show was so successful that by the time he was working at KNX in Hollywood, there was a premium for advertisers to buy time during his program, and they had to buy other time slots in addition to Bob's. In addition to doing things in radio that had rarely, if ever, been done before, Bob was also a gifted voice impersonator. KNX dubbed him radio’s Man of a Thousand Voices.

7. Bob interviewed thousands of celebrities on his KNX radio show, including Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, Ronald Reagan, Jonathan Winters, Dick Clark, Jayne Mansfield, Ron Howard, Jerry Lewis, Richard Dawson, Carl Reiner, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, and more. Because he wanted to act, he turned down countless offers to transition his radio show to television, including to take over as host for The Tonight Show. It then went to Johnny Carson.

8. In 1964, Bob took an acting course taught by Stella Adler. He also took acting advice from Donna Reed during at least the first season of Hogan’s Heroes.

9. Bob left The Donna Reed Show because he was bored with the premise. He remained friends with Donna Reed and her producer/husband Tony Owen following his departure from her series.

10. Bob was a great supporter of U.S. veterans and active duty service personnel. Before accepting the role of Colonel Hogan on Hogan’s Heroes, Bob insisted that a trailer of the series be shown to veterans and former POWs. He wanted to be sure they approved of the premise before signing because he didn’t want to offend them. They loved Hogan’s Heroes, claiming without humor, they never would have made it through the war. Bob was sold, and the rest was history.

11. Before agreeing to star on Hogan’s Heroes, Bob was inundated with offers for the lead in many other series, including Please Don’t Eat the Daisies and My Mother the Car.

12. Bob got his acting start in 1959 in a community theatre production of Tunnel of Love. He performed in theatre throughout much of his life, even during the height of his career on Hogan’s Heroes. He received rave critical reviews for nearly every one of his theatre productions. 

13. After being cast as the lead in The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz, Bob urged director George Marshall to hire as many cast members from Hogan’s Heroes as he could so they would have work during their hiatus. Those who accepted roles in the film included Werner Klemperer, John Banner, and Leon Askin.

14. Bob wrote an ending to Hogan’s Heroes, entitled Hogan’s Heroes Revue, which was a variety act to have been performed in Las Vegas. Robert Clary and Werner Klemperer were signed on to star with him in the live show, as well as John Thompson, Bob’s close friend and a magician who today is the magic consultant to Penn & Teller and Criss Angel, among others. Hogan’s Heroes Revue was never produced because Bob did not agree with what he considered a dishonest business contract with the casino.

15. During the 1970s, Bob turned down many offers to star in television shows and emcee game shows and talk shows. Instead, he accepted the leading role in Second Start, which was retitled The Bob Crane Show. He also co-wrote Mobile Two, the pilot movie for the series Mobile One, starring Jackie Cooper. 

16. When Bob breaks down in tears on his episode of The Love Boat, he is acting. It was not an indication of his state of mind at the time. In between takes, he was friendly, affable, and got along well with the cast. This performance shows how Bob was evolving as an actor, not as someone who couldn't hold it together at work. He was planning on taking on more serious roles such as his character on The Love Boat, but he didn't have the chance because he was murdered.

17. Bob Crane did not exhibit any inappropriate behavior on Celebrity Cooks. That he did is completely false, a story fabricated for ratings and profit. Celebrity Cooks has officially gone on record to dispute any claims that Bob behaved inappropriately in the episode. They state Bob was one of their best guests, and the way his episode is depicted in Auto Focus is totally incorrect and never happened.

18. Bob was a selfless philanthropist who gave generously of his time and money to many different charities, and he receives very little recognition for it. These included: U.S. Armed Forces Radio Network, United Cerebral Palsy, the Arthritis Foundation, and Operation Entertainment, to name a few. He also met regularly with U.S. veterans groups and entertained at military bases across the country.

19. At the time of his murder on June 29, 1978, Bob had a new television series in the works and was focused on bettering his life and overcoming his addiction. NOTE: Bob Crane is only "guilty" of consensual sex with adult women, whom he occasionally photographed or video recorded. Keep in mind the key words here are consensual and adult. And yes, the women knew they were being photographed and/or filmed. This was investigated by authorities following Bob's murder and proven as fact.

20. Bob loved and adored his family and friends, and especially his children. His legacy lives on through all of them. In 2013, his grandson, Max William Crane, made his acting debut in Fast & Furious 6 as little baby Jack.

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'Celebrity Cooks'—The Real Story Behind Bob Crane's Appearance

"I'm happy to set right a wrong... [Bob Crane was] a true professional. A well-together, fun gentleman. Full of laughs. The most well-adjusted person you'd ever want to meet. 
I wish you nothing but success [for your book]."

—Derek Smith, owner and producer, 'Celebrity Cooks'

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The original, unofficial story goes something like this:

In the late spring of 1978, Bob Crane guest-starred on the Canadian television series Celebrity Cooks. A few days later, on June 29, he was murdered. His episode was supposed to air on July 10, but on July 1, it was pulled from the lineup out of respect. One source—a CBS network spokesman, Jeff Erdel—provided more details to a curious public about his decision not to air the episode. Upon reviewing the tape shortly following Bob's murder, Erdel claimed to have watched a wretched, sleazy, and broken Bob Crane stumble through the show. According to Erdel, Bob made inappropriate jokes about sex, and he talked extensively about death—making "death jokes," which Erdel found to be eerie in the wake of Bob's murder. Erdel also said he saw Bob crying, choking back tears as he discussed his separation and impending divorce from his second wife, Patricia Olson (Sigrid Valdis). This all happened in front of a live studio audience and as the cameras rolled. Erdel made his feelings about the episode known to the press immediately following Bob's murder. A few months later, he gave an exclusive interview with a gossip magazine journalist, who published a lengthy article, claiming that Bob's alleged questionable state of mind—evident to at least Erdel in the Celebrity Cooks episode—may have led to his murder. According to Erdel, Bob's episode never aired. Robert Graysmith later wrote about the event in his book, The Murder of Bob Crane, and it was also depicted in the Bob Crane biopic, Auto Focus.

It certainly makes for an interesting story, and my colleagues Linda Groundwater, Dee Young, and I had no reason to doubt what the media, a journalist, a seasoned author, and a movie producer told the world. Our bigger question was—why? What really happened on that day of the Celebrity Cooks taping? Why had Bob not been able to hold it together? What was going through his mind to cause him such angst, to the point where he could not control his emotions before the cameras and an audience? Others had talked to us at length about Bob's professionalism. His work was extremely important to him, and he was driven toward success. Bob did have a broad sense of humor, but behaving in such a manner was way out of character for him. And for this to have happened so close to his murder must have meant he was in deep despair and on the edge. What a terrible, heartbreaking thought. So we set out to find out.

Linda and I interviewed three people directly affiliated with Celebrity Cooks, and more importantly, who were present on the day of Bob's episode taping: owner and producer Derek Smith, talent agent Anne Kear, and stage manager Roger Packer. We spoke to them separately, with none of them able to influence the others' responses. And what we discovered was both enlightening—and disturbing.

According to Smith, Kear, and Packer, everything that has been told about Bob Crane's appearance on Celebrity Cooks before now is wrong, completely inaccurate, and nothing more than salacious hype. They were furious about how Bob and his Celebrity Cooks episode have been portrayed over the years, and they were more than happy to set things right.

Bob Crane with Celebrity Cooks host Bruno Gerussi share a laugh with
their live studio audience. (January 25, 1978)

In fact, according to all three, Bob was not only a terrific guest, he was one of their best guests. They recalled he was very personable and funny, and received an enthusiastic and warm response from his audience. He and host Bruno Gerussi had a lot of fun making his signature dish, "Chicken a la Hogan's Heroes." The only joke about death that producer Derek Smith recalled was one about cannibals having the mother-in-law for dinner, and the fact that he could not remember anything out of the ordinary meant that the episode had gone well.

At no point did anyone find Bob's temperament or disposition to be off-color, inappropriate, or in the least bit depressed. According to all three, there was no crying or talk of sex or his marital troubles. In fact, if Bob had exhibited any of those traits as reported by Erdel, they would have stopped tape and allowed him to collect himself, or they would have cancelled the episode entirely. Celebrity Cooks aired in the mid-afternoon, a time when young children would be watching. There was no way the producers or anyone connected with the show would have allowed an out-of-control guest ruin their reputation for providing wholesome, light, family entertainment.

Bob's episode was taped on January 25, 1978, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His was the second of three episodes taped that day. The other two episodes were with renowned French chef Julia Child, who taped the first and third episodes. It aired at least five times in Canada, beginning in February 1978 and repeated several times throughout the winter and spring of that year. Bob's episode was so well received, in fact, that it was going to be the first episode to be aired in syndication in the United States, and it was set for July 10, 1978. That is, until one man's uncorroborated opinion following Bob's untimely death changed all that.

This new information certainly made for a less-sensational story than the version that has been circulating and told ad nauseam since his death. In this case, the lack of story is the real story. There simply was no story, and so, one was exaggerated or, at worst, invented—for what? Fifteen minutes of fame? Ratings? Who knows. But it forced yet another unnecessary—and incorrect—footnote to Bob's legacy. And that is most disturbing.

When people ask us, "Why did you write Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography?", I give them examples. There are so many reasons why. And Bob Crane's Celebrity Cooks appearance is just one of many instances where others trying to tell his life story got it very, very wrong, and it must be made right.

Listen to our expanded podcast episode about Bob's appearance on Celebrity Cooks:

Listen to "09. Bob Crane’s 1978 Appearance on 'Celebrity Cooks'" on Spreaker. 

Note: Bob Crane's Celebrity Cooks appearance is covered in great detail in Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography. For more information, click here.