User Reviews

In this episode an Italian Commandant, Major Bonacelli, is coming to Stalag 13 to study the way which the Germans run their prison camps. However, Bonacelli is more interested in defecting to Switzerland that to continue in the Italian army under Nazi control.

When Bonacelli gets to camp he is basically disinterested. he is ready to leave the war and live near a lake over the border. With the Germans making Bonacelli eat things like sauerkraut, Lebeau makes some pizzas that gets Bonacelli to confess to Hogan his real desire about the war. The Allies could use Bonacelli as a contact to free the Italian people of Nazi rule plus give them vital information for an invasion.

There are many good moments in this episode. Hans Conried does an excellent job of playing the Italian Major that wants nothing but rest in an Swiss city. Mr Conried play his part to perfection as his wit and looks made the show that much more enjoyable. This episode had all the things that make for a great show. Great actors doing their part and great writing made for one of the better shows in the collection.

Although writer Arthur Julian's lively script is given over to comical situations, "The Pizza Parlor" is premised upon real-world context rarely addressed in "Hogan's Heroes," namely, the relationship between Nazi Germany and its European Axis partner Italy, which sundered when the tide turned against the Axis during World War Two. By late 1943, when the Allies, having successfully invaded Sicily, were poised to invade mainland Italy, Italy capitulated. This resulted in Italy declaring war on its erstwhile ally Nazi Germany while, for their part, the Germans invaded and occupied northern Italy.

All of which is backstory for the arrival of Major Bonacelli (Hans Conreid), commandant of an Italian prisoner-of-war camp, at Stalag 13, where Colonel Klink will give him pointers on running an efficient POW camp. However, Bonacelli had tried earlier to convince his German driver (Bard Stevens) to join him in deserting to Switzerland before an Allied bombing raid wounds the driver, thus concealing Bonacelli's transgression. Once Colonel Hogan discovers Bonacelli's distaste for the war, he tries to recruit him to spy for the Allies, but the Italian is equally reluctant to risk his life for that. How to tempt him? By winning him over with a fresh, homemade pizza pie, of course--but who in camp has a recipe for that?

"The Pizza Parlor" is notable also for involving a POW outside the core Heroes for an operation. Tony Garlotti's (Joe E. Tata) father (Ernest Sarracino) has a great recipe, but that entails a humorous daisy-chain of calls to reach him in his Newark, New Jersey, pizzeria before the Heroes can entice Bonacelli with the comestible bribe. But can they still succeed when Bonacelli's wounded driver shows up at Stalag 13 calling him a traitor? Well-executed by director Gene Reynolds, "The Pizza Parlor" serves up Conreid's always-enjoyable scared-rabbit shtick topped with actual historical tensions between two ostensible wartime partners.

This is probably my all-time favorite Hogan's Heroes episode. I find the call to London hysterical and it always cracks me up. Of course they never could make calls like that during WW II.

I really don't know why I like this episode so much, but I really do. It's pure Hogan Heroes! Of course it's dumb, but who cares? And on a side note, I prefer Vito Scotti's version of the Italian major, but Hans Conried is good here.

Probably the worst Hogan's ever produced. Hans Conried deserved better.