"Hogan's Heroes": The Pilot Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

The series started in 1965 when TV shows were transitioning from black and white to color. During this time, producers made one episode of a show and tried to sell it to the networks. If the network liked it, they would order more shows. At some point between the shooting of the pilot and the remaining shows, it was decided to go to color. CBS made a big deal about the rest of the shows being in color by making an announcement right at the beginning of the show which was transferred to the DVD. I remember NBC touted their color shows by having the peacock show its tail "...in living color" (no reference to the Fox TV show). I don't remember ABC doing it but they probably did too.

Answer: Vladimir Minsk

He was played by Leonid Kinskey who was born in St Petersburg, Russia. Although no explanation was given for his departure, it has been reported that Kinskey felt the subject matter especially that of bungling Nazis, was taken too lightly. In later episodes, tailoring duties fell on Corporal Peter Newkirk and Corporal Louis LeBeau.

Answer: True

Both were played by Larry Hovis. Carter took the place of Minsk and became the explosives expert. Carter wasn't the brightest bulb on the string and I often wondered why he was kept as part of the team. In one set of opening credits he was seen a bit confused as he added chemicals to each other. Oh my! There was one episode where Carter and Newkirk were shooting a flaming arrow at a supply truck. Carter is supposed to be the expert bowman (having some sort of Native American blood) but he ended up shooting the arrow into the window sill. Newkirk was the one that ended up hitting the truck with the arrow. Carter was sort of like Gilligan to the "Heroes".

Answer: 1942

According to the very beginning, it was 1942. The Germans were winning WWII at that point. How much influence in the turning of the German war machine's tide would our "Heroes" have?

Answer: 7

At least for this episode. I haven't noticed if they are in barracks seven in any of the other episodes or not. There have been a few episodes when the men have had to move to other barracks for one reason or another.

Answer: A bell

A very loud bell, almost like those in schools. It would be rung several times for about three seconds per blast. I don't remember this being used in any other episodes. After the pilot, Schultz would come barging in and yell, "Everybody out for rrooollll call!" I think they may have done this so that Schultz would interact with the men more and see and hear things he didn't want to see or know about. "I know NOTHING!" If I am wrong please write to me and tell me the season and episode.

Answer: False

No, they assigned a man to be an informer and to integrate with the prisoners. However, Hogan and his men were always prepared for such a thing and "felt him out" first. They caught on pretty quickly and discredited him.

Answer: He gets doused with water

The informer believed that there was a hidden entrance to a tunnel under the water tower and that the opening is lifted by pulling on the chain that opens and closes the valve. Unfortunately, Colonel Burkhalter is standing under the water pipe when he does this.

This was a pretty standard bit of physical comedy. The recurring role of Burkhalter is played superbly by Leon Askin. Apparently his superiors in Berlin thought he was superb too. He gets promoted to General between episodes one and two.

Answer: They steal his helmet and pass it down to the other end of the line

They often held his gun for him while he would tie his boot or adjust his helmet but I don't remember them ever hiding his gun. He did hide his OWN gun once in a later episode. Klink always had an unkind remark for Schultz. Poor Schultz, he was somewhat of a pacifist and didn't really care about the war which is probably why he knew and saw "nothing, NO-THING!".

Answer: Pole vaulted over it

Although they may have tried to pole vault it eventually. In later episodes the truck itself wasn't used as much, however the driver of the dog truck was certainly an agent of some sort. The emergency tunnel became the commonest way to get into and out of camp as time went on. I often wondered why it was called "the emergency tunnel" in later episodes. Since they used it so often, I didn't really see any emergencies.

In the pilot episode (which I just recently saw for the first time) it wasn't used like Grand Central Station like it was in later episodes.

There was a later episode where Newkirk recreated the "window fence". While on a work detail for fence repair, he tried to thin the wires so they would break but Klink was on to this, so he then created the "window fence" as if this was a new idea. Probably a different writer who was unaware of this idea in the pilot.