Freedom Is Not Free - Honoring Our U.S. Military Heroes / Memorial Day 2012

On this Memorial Day, we pause to remember and honor those who have fallen in the line of duty, and we thank all who are serving and who have served in our United States Armed Forces.

Benjamin Reim, Washington, D.C.
Photo by Jeff Reim

World War II Memorial for Alfred John Crane, older brother of Bob Crane.
National World War II Memorial Registry

The Bob Crane Show / Introduction
U.S. Armed Forces Radio and Television Network
July 1968

(Bob Crane gave many hours of his time to the U.S. Armed Forces Radio and Television Network during the late 1960s and also served in the U.S. National Guard in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut, from June 1948 to May 1950.)

Bob Crane, Radio's Man of 1000 Voices, Appears on 'The Twilight Zone' / March 1961

When Bob Crane was hired at KNX-CBS Radio in September 1956, CBS expected great things from their new morning man. And Bob did not disappoint. Having honed his broadcasting craft and successfully created his own brand of comedy on the East Coast, he had quickly earned a formidable reputation and a dynamic following on the West Coast.  

CBS also realized that Bob Crane was not going to be someone who would just settle in and be content doing the same thing over and over again for the rest of his life. Bob had already expressed an interest in acting, and the last thing they wanted was to lose their star right out of the gate. Included in Bob's contract with CBS Radio was a five-year no-acting clause prohibiting him from acting professionally during the first five years of his employment at KNX. While Bob did perform in community theatre in Southern California and make a brief appearance in the pilot episode for the unaired series Picture Window, Bob refrained from acting professionally between the years 1956 and 1961.

The Twilight Zone - "Static" 

Air Date March 10, 1961

Bob Crane / Uncredited Role as Radio Announcer

Starring Dean Jagger as Ed Lindsay (shown in this clip)

The moment the clause expired, however, Bob began seeking out acting roles. By 1961, after five years of working at KNX, he had already met, interviewed, and subsequently networked with most of the Hollywood circuit - actors, directors, producers, musicians, and writers - most of whom had been guests on his radio show. Bob had strategically placed himself in the best position possible to enter the acting field.

Bob's official migration from radio to television began with The Twilight Zone in the episode "Static," which aired on March 10, 1961. Although not a credited role, it was a role in which Bob was most comfortable - a radio announcer. It was the perfect vehicle for Bob to get his feet wet in television. Plus, this role was so much more than just one radio announcer; Bob plays the announcer plus a variety of different voices emanating from the sound box. Radio's "Man of a Thousand Voices" had just landed on television.

The Twilight Zone - "Static" 

Air Date March 10, 1961

Bob Crane / Uncredited Role as Radio Announcer
Starring Dean Jagger as Ed Lindsay (shown in this clip)

After his work on The Twilight Zone, Bob accepted bit parts in other productions, including Return to Peyton Place (released in May 1961), Man Trap (released September 20, 1961), and General Electric Theater in the episode "The $200 Parlay" (aired October 15, 1961), which also guest-starred Maureen Arthur. Bob would work with Maureen Arthur again in The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (released October 14, 1968). Eventually, Bob was cast as Harry Rogers in the episode "Somebody Has to Play Cleopatra" on The Dick Van Dyke Show (aired December 26, 1962), paving the way for more substantial roles. Bob was hired shortly thereafter by Donna Reed to portray neighbor Dr. Dave Kelsey on The Donna Reed Show, with his first episode being "The Two Doctors Stone" (aired March 14, 1963).

Bob's versatile talents are clearly heard in these two clips from The Twilight Zone episode "Static." Listen closely. The voices you hear coming from the radio are mostly - if not all - Bob's own.

Bob Crane Introduces Dean Martin's 'On an Evening in Roma' - KNX / March 9, 1962

This one's for all our Dean Martin fans out there! One of our favorite recordings of Bob Crane's KNX radio show comes from the morning of March 9, 1962. Here, in this clip from that morning's show, Bob chats away after a Delta Airlines commercial; pokes some fun at his engineer, Jack Chapman; and then introduces Dean Martin's "On an Evening in Roma." Following the creative chaos, Bob plays the record, but not without adding a playful jab at the lyrics.

Take a listen - We bet you'll be humming this one for the rest of the day, not to mention wishing you were strolling down the avenues and streets of Rome!

'On an Evening in Roma' - Dean Martin

The Bob Crane Show / KNX-CBS Radio

March 9, 1962

Bob Crane Appears on 'The Red Skelton Hour' - 1967

On January 10, 1967, Bob Crane appeared on The Red Skelton Hour, during which he played drums in a lively rendition of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walking" and performed a magic trick spoof with Red Skelton and John Banner. The studio audience ate it up, as Bob showcased his drumming talents and then hammed it up with Skelton and Banner. "Colonel Hogan" and "Sergeant Schultz" had many talents it seemed, and seeing them outside their normal setting was a treat.

Bob Crane on The Red Skelton Hour

"These Boots Are Made for Walking"

January 10, 1967

Bob made countless television appearances since his debut on the pilot for the unaired series Picture Window in 1959, and he was driven to keep bettering himself in his art and career. After his success on Hogan's Heroes, he wanted to make the jump into motion pictures and follow in the footsteps of one of his screen idols, Jack Lemmon. However, for many television actors - and even moreso for those who become television stars - it is a difficult move, even today. A television star can easily become typecast as his or her onscreen persona, and what the audience sees from that point forward is not the actor portraying a new role in a different show, but the iconic character playing that new role.

Bob Crane and John Banner appear 

with Red Skelton on The Red Skelton Hour

January 10, 1967

During his work on Hogan's Heroes, Bob received countless television and movie offers - many of which he turned down. As he said in a 1968 interview: "You want to be the best in your field. It's the opportunity to be choosy. I've been given more scripts lately by people who know I'll be on hiatus from Hogan's Heroes for five months. But none of the scripts are the kind of movie I'd go to. And I've read things similar to The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz, which is about an eastern European female athlete who defects to the West. I said, 'What am I, a Cold War comedian?' I turned down more offers to be Jack Paar or Johnny Carson or Steve Allen before the people on The Donna Reed Show gave me a chance to earn while I learned."

Bob Crane with Francine York and Red Skelton 

(as "Freddie the Freeloader") on

The Red Skelton Hour - January 10, 1967

Bob thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated his work on Hogan's Heroes, and he brought the character of Colonel Hogan to life. However, after the series was cancelled in 1971, he felt pigeon-holed by the character, and he was unable to get the parts he desired. When people saw him, they didn't see Bob Crane. They saw Colonel Hogan. Even some directors could not escape the Hogan facade, with one director stating it was like watching Colonel Hogan in the role.

It has often been said that Colonel Hogan is the role Bob Crane was "born to play." In fact, he played the part to such perfection that it appeared he did so effortlessly on screen. Nominated for two Emmy Awards, Bob lost out both times, with the main reason being that the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences did not think he was acting. In their eyes, Bob Crane was just being himself when he played the role of Hogan, which was not the case. By his own admission, he had worked very hard at the part, toning down his normally animated and jovial personality and allowing Hogan to become a more serious hero in the style of John Wayne, another of his screen idols. 

In the final years of his life, Bob was searching for a new niche, and had he lived, given his ambition and commitment to achieving his goals, he most likely would have found it. Just months before his murder, in the spring of 1978, Bob wrapped production on the pilot of a potential new television series, The Hawaii Experience. During the show, Bob served as host and tour guide, taking viewers around the island of Oahu and all of the Hawaiian Islands, giving the audience an inside look at Hawaii's tourism industry. Could this have been an unsung predecessor of The Travel Channel? We will never know. The project was abandoned shortly after Bob's death. However, The Hawaii Experience was an infantile step in the direction of reality TV as we know it today. Again, and as he always had been, Bob was lightyears ahead of his time.

Ultimately, Bob Crane will always be "best known as Colonel Hogan from Hogan's Heroes." But his comedic talent, acting capabilities, and audience rapport stretched far beyond this one particular character. Watching Bob perform different roles and characters in various settings, while removing the Colonel Hogan persona, one can appreciate his work in the entertainment industry on a much deeper, more critically acclaimed level.

Bob Crane Interviews Meredith Wilson and Rini Wilson - KNX / 1964

If you are a fan of Broadway musicals, then there is no doubt you know the name Meredith Wilson, whose plays include The Music Man (for which he won a Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Album), The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and Here's Love, a Broadway adaptation of the film Miracle on 34th Street. He also composed the score to Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film, The Great Dictator, and he worked with the United States Armed Forces Radio Network during World War II. In addition, he wrote many popular songs, including "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."

In the spring of 1964, Meredith Wilson and his second wife, Ralini "Rini" Zavora, an accomplished singer, were guests on Bob Crane's KNX morning radio show. Of all the recordings we have of Bob's radio work, this is perhaps the most heartwarming. During their interview, Bob encourages Rini to sing "My Wish," a song from the play Here's Love, which was still in theatres at that time. With Meredith cuing the lyrics softly, Rini sings the tune perfectly. Bob then glides effortlessly into the cast recording, performed by Craig Stevens. None of it had been rehearsed or planned.

The lyrics are very touching, and they could have easily been written for Bob Crane. Bob's hopes were always high. During his short life, he achieved all his goals, and his star shone brightly. His smile was always radiant. His heart was warm, he was joyful, and he sought peace. Bob loved his family and his friends dearly, and his children most of all.

Both versions of the song as aired over Bob Crane's KNX show are featured here. We hope you find all that the song's lyrics wish for you.



Bob Crane Interviews Meredith and Rini Wilson
"My Wish" - Performed by Rini Wilson and Craig Stevens
The Bob Crane Show / KNX-CBS Radio - 1964

My Wish

May your hopes be as high

As high as the sky's highest star.

May your star be as bright

As bright as your smile.

May your smile be as warm

As warm as your place in the sun.

May your place in the sun

Give you peace.

May the peace in your heart

Give you joy in your heart

May your heart know the meaning of love.

May the love you will know

When you know you're in love

Be forever, and ever as true

As the love I have given to you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Note: On December 6, 1966, just a couple of years after this interview, Rini Wilson passed away. Meredith Wilson passed away in 1984 at the age of 82. He is buried in Mason City, Iowa.

Bob Crane For... Dodger Bat Boy? November 1957

Bob Crane presents then-President of the
LA Dodgers Walter O'Malley with a
"Hogan's Heroes" jeep mounted on a plaque.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, we know not everyone is a Dodgers fan, and that's ok! But when an iconic sports landmark celebrates a golden anniversary, you've got to pay homage.

Of course, Bob Crane was also a loyal Dodgers fan - first when the team was located in Brooklyn, and then in 1957, when the team moved to Los Angeles. Later that same year, Bob began a serious campaign over his KNX radio program - he wanted to be the next Dodger Bat Boy. His campaign manager? His 6-year-old son Bobby. 

In this clip from November 13, 1957, little Bobby Crane talks with some important reporters and KNX staff in the effort to have his father elected as the next Dodger Bat Boy. There was only one slight problem...when asked what his favorite team was, Bobby answered, "The Giants!"

Bob Crane Campaign for Dodger Bat Boy
(Featuring Bobby Crane, age 6)
The Bob Crane Show / KNX-CBS Radio
November 13, 1957

CBS Columbia Square - Home of 'The Bob Crane Show' / KNX-CBS Radio: A Tribute to a Hollywood Landmark

by Carol Ford

CBS Columbia Square, 6121 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles. 

Sometimes no words can adequately do justice to a moment. No matter what I write here, it cannot nor will not compare to the actual experience. As I explored the exterior surroundings of the building once globally and still affectionately known as CBS Columbia Square, it never dawned on me that I might have the opportunity to venture inside. Yet, within a half hour, I had not only made my way into the lobby, but I eventually found myself gazing over all of Los Angeles from atop the roof.

The day was crystal clear, with not a cloud in the sky, as I looked over Hollywood in its entirety, the Hollywood sign making its crisp statement to the north, and the skyscrapers of Downtown Los Angeles poking up from the horizon in the far distance to the west. It was a magical and profound moment, one I will not soon forget.

Impressive and bold, CBS Columbia Square stands proudly on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and North El Centro Avenue. It is scarred by time but still majestic, grasping its historic legacy and refusing to let go. Passers by see what they think is an abandoned structure, even though inside businesses and studios have occupied several of the floors and hum through the work week. Tourists walking up and down the famed Sunset Boulevard may not even realize how important this building used to be, and to some, still is. 

To many, it is the stuff of Hollywood legend.

CBS Columbia Square Then...

CBS Columbia Square was the home of CBS radio and television from 1938 to 2007.
While working for KNX-CBS Radio, Bob Crane broadcasted from
CBS Columbia Square during the years 1956 to 1965.

CBS Columbia Square Now...

Looking virtually abandoned, CBS Columbia Square as it appears today.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

Having done so much research about Bob Crane, I had, of course, seen various photographs and vintage postcards of CBS Columbia Square, once home to KNX-CBS Radio, and from 1956 to 1965, "The Bob Crane Show." In my files are countless photographs of Bob working at KNX - behind the mic, spinning records, playing drums, chatting with celebrity guests, and taking calls from listeners, all the while laughing and smiling and giddy - having the time of his life. From his humble beginnings in Stamford, Connecticut, Bob Crane had landed smack-dab in the middle of Celebrity Central when he moved from WICC in Bridgeport, Connecticut, to KNX in Los Angeles. And from the look on his face in all those photographs and the delightful exuberance heard on his airchecks, not to mention testimonies from those who knew him well, Bob most certainly loved his work in radio. And for nine years, Bob called CBS Columbia Square home.

On April 30, 1938, CBS Columbia Square opened its doors for the first time to an adoring public. The biggest stars of the era were on hand, with broadcasts celebrating the momentous event lasting all day and a "Salute to Columbia Square" special broadcast that evening. Over the next sixty-nine years, some of the most talented and famous individuals the world has ever known would grace the halls of CBS Columbia Square. Bob Crane alone interviewed approximately 3,000 guests on his radio show, many of whom were Hollywood royalty.

Walking around the outside of the building, it is difficult not to feel a sense of pride mixed with sorrow for the iconic structure and its league of dedicated employees. CBS Columbia Square is in and of itself a monument to the Golden Age of Radio and Television. But as I stepped inside, I felt as though I had stepped through a Glass Mirror and stumbled back in time. The first and second floors have remained virtually untouched since April 27, 2007, when the last of the broadcasting teams vacated the premises. 

The photos below now take you on a virtual tour, allowing you to walk where I walked, nearly 60 years after Bob Crane first stepped foot inside CBS Columbia Square and launched his radio show over the KNX airwaves. While fascinating and interesting when compared to photos of the past, they are also bitter-sweet. CBS Columbia Square, not unlike Bob Crane, deserves better.

Side exterior wall of CBS Columbia Square, near former main entrance.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.

Walking up Sunset Boulevard to the front of CBS Columbia Square.
Sadly, the Courtyard is hidden from the public behind a thick fence.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

Rear entrance.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

Inside the front Courtyard.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

Bob Crane entering CBS Columbia Square,
as promoted on this KNX postcard (circa 1960).
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.

Inside the front Courtyard.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

Main first-floor hallway of CBS Columbia Square.
Doors to the Courtyard are on left.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

Stairs leading to second floor of CBS Columbia Square.
The KNX studios were housed on the second floor.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

Bob Crane leaving his KNX studio.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.

The rooftop of CBS Columbia Square.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

View from the roof of CBS Columbia Square overlooking
the corner of Sunset Boulevard and North El Centro Avenue.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

View from the roof of CBS Columbia Square overlooking
the corner of Sunset Boulevard and North El Centro Avenue.
Downtown Los Angeles can be seen in the far distance.
Bob Crane's office was located on this side of the building.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

Bob Crane in his KNX office.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.

On top of the roof of CBS Columbia Square overlooking
the corner of Sunset Boulevard and North El Centro Avenue.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

Studio 5 and also Bob Crane's KNX studio.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

Studio 5 and also Bob Crane's KNX studio.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.
Photo taken March 3, 2012, by Carol Ford.

Bob Crane in his KNX Studio.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.

Update April 30, 2016: Countless historical landmarks exist throughout the world. From the dawn of civilization to the present day, mankind has embraced such structures—natural or manmade—and christened them with immortality. Today, Columbia Square has been fully renovated and is now the home of Neuehouse, an upscale condo and office complex.  

Many who worked in CBS Columbia Square hold this building near and dear to their hearts. Could there be a CBS Columbia Square Museum one day? Those who worked within and remember CBS Columbia Square in its heyday would love for this to become a reality. 

What do you think about a CBS Columbia Square Museum? 

Send us your comments!

Opening Night, April 30, 1938.
CBS Columbia Square, Los Angeles, CA.

This post is dedicated to all those who once called CBS Columbia Square home.

Many thanks to Corrine Ochipinti.

Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography contains first-hand accounts of Bob's work at KNX-CBS Radio at Columbia Square, where he worked from 1956-1965. Order from Amazon by clicking here.