Hogan’s Heroes (1965 to 1971) was a beloved American sitcom about the hijinks of a Nazi POW camp during WWII. Wait what the fuck? How did this get made?
Wednesday, 12 Mar 2025
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I read somewhere that the military used to be much easier to make fun of in the US because basically all adults played some role in World War 2, so it was a much more common experience.
I loved this show as a kid. It was really hilarious, because the whole schtick was the Germans were so inept the Americans could escape any time they wanted but they chose to stay and fuck shit up. 😂 I guess it’s kinda the way a lot of comedies took the piss out of suicide bombers immediately after 9/11, it’s a response of absurdity to weaken the narrative of the adversary’s strength.
Making fun of things removes their power.
Because we made the Germans look stupid as hell in this sit com.
I KNOW NOTHING! NOTHING!
Cause it’s hilarious.
See also BBC’s Allo Allo, making fun of Nazis is the best way to undermine them. The Germans are incompetent fools in both the shows
Same way Jojo Rabbit got made. People have been making fun of nazis since nazis were a thing
Wait until you find out about this certain British sitcom about a failed artist moving to a new apartment
what exactly does it mean to ask, “how did this get made”? what’s the big deal?
Because nazis deserve to be made fun of
This is a stupid take because Hogan’s Heroes was an awesome show that I loved as a kid.
I mean, you had The Producers released in 1967 and it was written and directed by Mel Brooks and starred Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel (all Jews who lived through WWII) and the point of that whole movie was to lampoon and take the power away from Hitler and Nazi Ideology.
And 3 years before that, you have Dr Strangelove released, when there were still perpetrators and victims of US Nuclear attacks alive. (Unfortunately America literally DID learn to stop worrying and love the bomb. )
Do some research. John Banner was a Yiddish theater star, Werner Klemperer’s father was Otto Klemperer, LeBeau was a camp survivor. It was satire. The Nazis were boobs.
You clearly haven’t seen the show if you’re confused about how it was made.
A. The show is actually fantastic and extremely funny
B. The Nazis in the show are entirely incompetent
C. It’s the 60s and you were allowed to do whatever you want on tv as long as there wasn’t too much blood or sexual content so long as people watched the show.
Check out Stalag 17 from 20 years earlier. Same premise with even darker humour
It basically shows the Americans pwning the Nazis in funny ways, so maybe not so surprising
My grandfather was a WW2 vet and served in Europe. I remember watching reruns of this show with him 1970s early 80s. He thought it was hilarious. He would sit in his chair and smoke his pipe, I on the floor. Side note he also took me to the theater to see Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan and to MLB games. He was a great guy. Died in 83’. I cried very hard at his funeral. I remember him well.
You can see a heightened version of the show pitch on Paramount +’s The Offer.
Wait till you find out about the Nazi exploitation movies of the 79’s. Ilsa
The nazis were being made fun of, it was less nazi hijinks and more like allies running circles around incompetence. I believe the two actors pictured actually had some say in making sure the characters were not shown in a good light.
Robert Clary (Labeau) was a Holocaust survivor and had a particular tattoo on his arm. I can’t imagine surviving the horror and then spoofing the people who mistreated you.
This was actually a great show, closer to MASH than you’d think for a comedy show.
My grandfather was a POW in Germany in WWII and he absolutely LOVED Hogan’s Heroes and how they made the Germans out to be total nincompoops.
Have you ever watched it? Great show, they make the Nazis look like idiots every episode. Why is it hard to believe it got made?
Also, contrary to a popular belief, Hulk Hogan wasn’t involved in filming it. It’s actually named after him because he’s been overseeing the real camp the show was based on.
This was a great show. It got made because it depicted them as bumbling idiots. Really quite funny
And a huge part of the cast were survivors of Nazi persecution, up to age including the camps. They liked playing the idiot Nazis.
I know it might be difficult to see from the Ivory tower. The people who made this we survivors od WW2. It is quite possible they used humor to deal with the trauma of the times. Maybe just maybe we in 2024 don’t have the ability or the right to judge them.
They made fun of Nazis. Was easy to get made, and well loved.