40 Years Later: Rest in Peace, Bob Crane

Forty years ago today. 
June 29, 1978 — Scottsdale, Arizona.

Rest in Peace, Bob Crane. You are missed by many.

Rare Photographs of Bob Crane at KNX-CBS Radio

Not too long ago, I came across a series of photographs of Bob Crane at work behind the mic at KNX-CBS Radio. While these photos aren't dated, I estimate they were taken in the early 1960s, circa 1963/64. 

I'll always love Bob's portrayal of Colonel Hogan on Hogan's Heroes, the role some people say he was born to play. However, I'll always love his radio work more. Bob Crane has been referred to as a radio genius by his colleagues in the broadcasting industry, and very few can compare to his style and technique. From sound effects to celebrity interviews to playing drums to improvising on the spot to preparing skits—without question, he was a force to be reckoned with in radio.

You can hear clips of Bob's radio shows on our YouTube channel, and I encourage you to listen, if you haven't already. And we're always looking for more! So if you have any of his airchecks from WLEA (Hornell, NY); WBIS (Bristol, CT); WLIZ/WICC (Bridgeport, CT); KNX (Hollywood, CA); KMPC (Los Angeles, CA); or any station where he was a guest, please let us know. We want to preserve these recordings and make them available for people to listen. You can reach us through any of our social media sites or via the Contact Us form.

Moving forward, we're going to be ramping up the volume on raising public awareness about his work in radio. So stay tuned!

PS: It's good to be back!

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There's No Place Like...Stalag 13

Last year, we stepped away from advocating for Bob Crane. It was, by far, one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make. I have been working on Bob's behalf for most of my life. Yet as difficult as it was, moving away was necessary at the time. There was a lot going on in my own personal life and in the lives of all affiliated with Bob Crane's biography and our campaign for his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Plus, the ceaseless negativity that surrounds Bob had reached a boiling point. It had taken a toll on all of us.

Breaks are necessary to refuel, recharge, and reset. But where Bob Crane is concerned, I can't stay away for long. Little by little, I started wanting to dive back in, to let the world know Bob's true story and to start bugging the heck out of the National Radio Hall of Fame Steering Committee. It's about time Bob is recognized for all of his unprecedented work in radio.

I've got some exciting things happening in 2018. First, I'll be at the Liberty Aviation Museum for the third year in a row on July 28-29, 2018. As you may know, the Liberty Aviation Museum is the home of the official Hogan's Heroes prop and uniform display, and I'm always happy (okay, thrilled!) to go to Port Clinton, Ohio, each year to sign copies of Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography and give presentations. Then in September, I'll be back at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Hunt Valley, Maryland. This will be my fourth year attending the convention, and I'll be honest—I love the people who plan the con and those who attend. I've made some wonderful friends there, and the thought of not seeing these folks every year makes me sad—so, of course, I have to go!

Finally, we have a big, collaborative project in the early planning stages. I won't divulge any more than that now, but it's a pretty big deal! I'm super excited for this opportunity, as are Dee Young and Linda Groundwater, who will also be participating. All three of us can't wait to get this project rolling. 

We're back. And we're stronger than ever.

"Be it ever so humble, there's no place like...Stalag 13."

Website Redesign—And New Direction

Bob Crane: Life & Legacy

We are thrilled to unveil the redesign of our official website (vote4bobcrane.org), which has been renamed Bob Crane: Life & Legacy to encompass all aspects of our work. This includes the National Radio Hall of Fame campaign, Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography, and The Bob Crane Show: Reloaded.

However, as we lift the curtain on the new website, the time has come for us to say goodbye.

We have worked hard over the decades on Bob Crane's behalf. And we have accomplished what we set out to do: tell Bob's full and complete story, and provide honest understanding of who he was as a human being. 

This venture has been nothing short of wonderful. In telling Bob's story, we have met and gotten to know some beautiful people—many of whom became like family. We made a difference in re-establishing Bob's real legacy, and brought a bit of joy and peace to his family, friends, colleagues, and fans. We even managed to rescue Hogan's jacket. We've done a lot. So, as they say, our work here is done. 

With the support and unanimous agreement from all involved, I have decided to end our campaign.

The reason behind this decision is as you might suspect. Sadly, the media circus that focuses solely on Bob's murder and scandal has not ceased, and in fact, over the past year, it has intensified. It has taken a toll on each of us. We have tried to provide better balance for Bob, without demonizing him or propelling him to sainthood. But as one network representative told me, "Nobody wants nice. Nobody's going to care about your book. Nobody wants to hear the good stuff. They just want the dirt. That's what sells." And perhaps he's right. Last week, yet another tabloid article surfaced, and it was the last straw. Enough. 

While we believe whole-heartedly in our work on Bob's behalf, we cannot continue fighting the ongoing battle. It's a battle that will never end, and it's wearing us down. There will always be another headline, another gruesome photo of the murder scene, another heartless commentary, another hostile and hateful message sent to one of us.

On behalf of all of us, I thank you for caring about Bob and discovering his whole story. You have made this journey an amazing one. 

—Carol Ford

UPDATE: We're back! Click here.

Why We'll Never Endorse 'Auto Focus'

This quote speaks for itself. 

"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?"

—Paul Schrader, director, 'Auto Focus'

Yes, you read that right. It is unconscionable. It is disgusting. 

The general public watches this film and believes it to be true.

And it is not.

Auto Focus has done so much irreversible damage to Bob Crane's legacy and has hurt so many people from Bob's life, not the least of which are members of Bob's family and his close friends. When I see the pain it causes, I can't even put into words how it makes me feel.

It strengthens my resolve and pushes me to fight harder. Bob's family and friends mean something to me. They have become a part of my life. I cannot and will not just stand idly by and not fight on their and Bob's behalf.

Bob Crane was neither a devil nor a saint. He was human. Nobody is saying Bob was perfect. But not one single human being is perfect. And he was most certainly not the Bob Crane presented in Auto Focus. 

Not. Even. Close.

Auto Focus is total garbage. It never should have been made.

NOTES:
In 2004 or earlier, as soon as Auto Focus was out of theaters, Scott Crane removed all of his father's pornographic videos from his website. He has spoken to me at length about why he put them up for sale to begin with. He wanted to prove to people that the women in the videos not only knew they were being filmed, but they were performing for the camera; that it was consensual sex; and that there was nothing deviant going on. He told me, "I did the wrong thing for the right reasons." In 2014, Scott destroyed all of his father's pornographic films. The films and the website no longer exist.

Further, Bob's son Scott Crane denies having said the quotes attributed to him in the 2002 New York Times article mentioned here. These quotes attributed to Scott about his father showing him pornography are false. His father never showed him any pornography.

Bob's daughter Karen has also gone on record to state that her father never shared his pornography with her. She was completely unaware of his sex addiction until after his murder.

Bob Crane — Radio Pioneer, Radio Genius

In talking with many people worked with Bob Crane in radio—from WICC to KNX to KMPC, it became perfectly clear to my research colleagues/co-authors and me that Bob was a radio genius. In fact, his radio colleagues often used the phrase "radio genius" when describing Bob and his on-air talents.

After decades of research, we learned that Bob Crane was, indeed, a rarity in the broadcasting industry. He paved the way for future generations of radio DJs, talk show hosts, and personalities. According to so many who worked with the "King of the LA Airwaves" or listened to him on the air during the 1950s through the 1970s, Bob Crane was unique. He had a style all his own. It was a gift. 

Colleagues described watching Bob perform his show as if they were watching "a spectator sport." Listeners to Bob's radio show claimed they never knew what to expect. From commercials to drumming to impersonations and skits to celebrity interviews, Bob worked his magic and wove a program that kept listeners and advertisers at the edge of their seats and coming back for more. It all sounded completely spontaneous, as if everything he did was just springing to his mind, out of thin air.

Some of it was. It was a live show, after all.

Bob had a quick wit, and he could improvise. This served him well because he could think on his feet and rebound when things didn't always go according to plan.

But there was a plan. In addition to his innate capabilities behind the mic, Bob had something else.

Dedication.

You see, Bob Crane didn't just walk into the studio every morning and start talking into the microphone. Oh sure, he made it sound easy, as though he was just casually winging it.

He wasn't.

Bob's entire show was produced through extensive preparation. He worked hard at perfecting his show because he believed he owed it to his listeners to give them the very best listening experience he could offer them. People have a choice. They can buy a record (or today, download a song or album) or turn the dial. Bob wanted to make sure they wanted to to tune in to his show. He wanted his listeners to be entertained. He didn't want his show to be boring. And he did this by doing his homework, by reading the trade magazines, by studying the music artists and record labels, and keeping himself informed of everything going on in the entertainment/music industry.

As a result, The Bob Crane Show was everything but boring. It was captivating. It was wild. It was hilarious. It was dynamic. It was unprecedented.

For this reason and more, we will continue to petition for Bob's induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame, where he deserves proper recognition for his talents in and his dedication to the radio/broadcasting industry.

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Excerpts from Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography:

Bob threw himself into his work. He was out the door in the morning before most people were even conscious to arrive at KNX by six o’clock a.m. He would prepare extensively—exhaustively—for his radio shows. He made people laugh, and he loved making people laugh.

Everything Bob did on his radio show was rhythmic, as if he had rehearsed it a dozen times or more. He had prepared for it, retrieved the album out of his growing stockpile records, located the tracks, and decided which ones to use within a commercial. However, his on-air delivery was unrehearsed and unplanned. He had a natural feel for both music and comedy, and as one joke slid into another, he maneuvered through his show the way a cab driver maneuvers through rush hour traffic.

“Bob told me that he had everything prepared in the afternoon,” [Bob's cousin] Jim Senich recalled. “He would never go home when he went off the air. He said, ‘I would stay there so that when I came in in the morning, everything was ready to go.’”

Bob’s son, Robert Scott Crane, explained that his father was a workaholic. “I don’t understand when he slept or ate. The amount or prep work he did for his shows was just amazing, preparing dozens of sound effects that he would play during the show.”

[KNX announcer] Leo McElroy said, “So much of Bob’s show seemed to spring from his brain instantaneously. I think that for many of us, it was hard to tell what was pre-thought and what was something that just suddenly cropped up. He managed to make it appear that it was spontaneous even if it wasn’t.”

In preparation for his show, Bob would read everything he could get his hands on. He was perhaps one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the entertainment industry of his era.

“He would read the paper,” said [KNX salesman] Gordon Mason. “He would always a have a comment or two on the news. In fact, that was important to him because eventually that became part of his on-air material. So he read the paper quite a bit. He was very well informed on world events, and he was very well informed on entertainment events because I think he always had an eye on opportunities, especially if they occurred on TV.”

As had been the case with KNX, KMPC also granted Bob a waiver to perform his show to his liking, with his engineer handling the commercials and songs, and Bob having special dispensation to play other records throughout the show to enhance the performance. He was both prepared and off-the-cuff, producing his radio show as he had done so fluidly in the past.

According to [KMPC engineer Bob Maryon], Bob was a “fascinating, hard-working, and nice man. I’ve worked with some people who have really big egos, and because of that they’re not really pleasant to work with. I never found that with Bob. Bob just wanted to do a good show. He wanted to do it right."

Excerpts from Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography

© 2015 Carol M. Ford

Do not reproduce without written permission from the author.

Latest Acquisition to the Liberty Aviation Museum's Official Hogan's Heroes Display

Ever since the Liberty Aviation Museum acquired Bob Crane's leather A-2 bomber jacket that he wore on Hogan's Heroes (also worn by Frank Sinatra in Von Ryan's Express), along with his entire Hogan's uniform, and Klink's and Schultz's uniforms, we have forged a strong partnership with the museum. In addition to preserving these iconic items from Hogan's Heroes and keeping them on permanent display for all to enjoy, they are also strong supporters of Bob Crane, Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography, and The Bob Crane Show: Reloaded. It's a match made in Heaven. And in Ohio. And I couldn't be happier!

The museum's CEO is always on the lookout for other signature items from Hogan's Heroes. One elusive prop was the coffee pot/receiver. Fans of Hogan's Heroes know very well that Hogan and his men would listen in on conversations going on in Klink's office through the coffee pot that concealed a receiver. The Hogan's Heroes coffee pot is, without a doubt, one of the most memorable props in television history. So we were all on the hunt for it. We knew it was part of a private collection somewhere in the world. But where?

Then earlier this year, that private collector decided to sell the coffee pot at a Hollywood auction. And the Liberty Aviation Museum was right there to "rescue" it and bring it home.

I'm thrilled to tell you that this iconic TV prop is now where it belongs, with the rest of the growing official Hogan's Heroes display! And that's where it's going to stay!

In addition to its many displays that showcase Hollywood in the military, the Liberty Aviation Museum is dedicated to preserving historical military items and vehicles. The museum is home to the refurbished B-25 "Georgie's Gal" and a restored Ford Tri-motor aircraft. They are currently restoring the PT-728, a WWII Vosper PT boat. The museum is also a great supporter of our veterans and active duty military personnel. Donations to the museum go toward helping them preserve such items, as well as honor our veterans and support our military. All author profits from sales of Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography sold through their gift shop are donated back to the museum to help them achieve their goals.

You can visit the Liberty Aviation Museum, which is located in Port Clinton, Ohio, year-round. To learn more about the museum, plan a trip, support and/or join, or browse their online gift store, click here.