"Hogan's Heroes" Hogan Gives a Birthday Party (TV Episode 1966) Poster

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6/10
Schultz sees too much; General doesn't think straight
FlushingCaps10 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
KFO9494 has done a fine review here of the basic plot. I wish to focus on a weakness of this series--at times they have Sergeant Schultz see and hear too much to ignore.

It is one thing for him to get a glimpse of something in the barracks and decide to pretend he sees "NUTTHHING" but in this episode he clearly sees two extra "prisoners" and sees them being fitted for German uniforms and photographed. Later he is even taken along for an airplane ride with Hogan piloting the plane that bombs a refinery before they all parachute out to return to camp.

In the scattered episodes where Schultz walks in and sees all sorts of activity that clearly indicates the men are up to something, I feel it doesn't stretch believability, it breaks it by a long shot. If Schultz is at all loyal to his country, he needs to report the sabotage and other activities he witnesses.

As I say, I am quite happy when he only sees one of the regular prisoners where he doesn't belong, or some other irregularity that doesn't really indicate what is going on, but this episode in particular stands out for him knowing way too much to continue his "I see nothing..." routine.

The other problem with this episode, is that the Nazi general who knows everything about Hogan--so he claims--is lured by a few words from Hogan into believing the American is up to something that very night, so he changes his plans to stay overnight at Stalag 13 to fly back to Berlin to keep on top of whatever Hogan is up to.

Huh? How better to keep track of Hogan than to stay right at the camp with him, if he thinks Hogan is up to something? That part made no sense to me. On making his decision, he orders Schultz to inform his flight crew to get ready to fly--OK, but also tells Schultz to dismiss the guards around his airplane. I don't understand why he didn't want them to keep guarding it until he got aboard to prevent any possible sabotage by Hogan and Company.
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5/10
An average show to start season two.
kfo949423 September 2014
We start off the second season in an average fashion as James Gregory stars as General Biedenbender who happens to be a Luftwaffe intelligent officer that has studied Colonel Hogan's bombing tactics. General Biedenbender knows everything about Hogan, his flying formation, his personal tics and right down to his birthday- which happens to be the day of his visit.

In the meantime, Hogan's gang has received two shot-down fighters that are in camp and are preparing them before they can take the underground path back to London. With General Biedenbender's plane near the camp, Hogan has a plan where the two pilots can return to London and also possibly take care of a fuel refinery plant that the Allies are having trouble destroying.

Even though James Gregory seemed to fit the character of the General, is just did not play as well on the screen. Perhaps it was the fact that Gregory did not use, nor try to use, any type of German accent while delivering his lines. The only reason the viewer knew he was a German was that he wore the uniform. The show was also lacking comic value as it just did seem to have many laughs. An average show to start of the second season.
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