Hogan Season 5 continues...
- Klink's getting blackmailed by a Gestapo agent due an incriminating "Big Picture", so the boys have to sneak out to a hotel to get the negative. Sandy Kenyon plays the blackmailer. He served in the US Army Air Corps in WWII, had recurring roles on the Dick Van Dyke Show, and was a familiar face on TV from the 50's to the 80's. He passed away in 2010.
- There's a top secret device on a crashed plane, and Hogan needs to get it--how? Set up a casino in Stalag 13--it's "The Big Gamble". They switch the device with a fake one while the Nazi scientist (Chet Stratton) plays roulette. This episode also introduces the long-running "Winter Relief" subplot--Klink's the local chairman.
- Two recurring guests--Harold J. Stone and Arlene Martel--play a defecting Field Marshal and his secretary in the obviously named "The Defector". Of course, Hogan and the boys have to get him out of Germany. Hochstedder shows up to increase the level of difficulty. One Field Marshal in the cooler and a blown up car later... I love Howard Caine's facial expressions during this episode.
- It's another Nazi with a briefcase chained to his wrist--this it's Parley Baer, better known his "country" roles such as The Andy Griffith Show and Petticoat Junction. Hogan wants the briefcase, so he cons Klink and Hochstedder that an enemy agent has come into camp via "The Empty Parachute". Once they get the case, Hogan realizes it's booby trapped, so they call London for help. There's a rare dramatic moment while Hogan disarms the bomb.
- There's vital Allied info that needs to get all over Europe, so the obvious answer is to get Klink into the cuckoo clock business. While he gets "The Antique" business started, Burkhalter's worried that Klink's going to get bumped off (he would be next). It ends with a load of clocks in a closet, a suspicious general, and a wet Klink. It's a great episode for Leon Askin.
- Berlin Betty (Antoinette Bower, returning to the show) drops by Stalag 13 to find out "Is There a Traitor in the House?". We've been over this storyline before--this time, it's Newkirk that acts as the traitor, in order to use her broadcast to get a message to the Allies.
- Burkhalter assigns Klink to guard an experimental nuclear plant (?!?!), and Hogan wants to know where it is. To find out, they give Schultz truth serum--but he only tells them about food. Well, "At Last--Schultz Knows Something". They figure it out though, and pose as farmers to use potato bombs to take out the plant.
Ben Wright played multiple bad guys on the show, including on "The Big Gamble" episode. His prolific career began in radio, and was considered a dialect expert, including Indian, Chinese, Cockney, and Arabian. He was Herr Zeller in The Sound of Music, had guest roles on The Twilight Zone, Get Smart, and My Three Sons, and did a great deal of voice work, especially in Disney films. His last role was in The Little Mermaid in 1989, the year he passed away.
More of Season 5 next time. Remember, you can play along! The DVD box set is available on Amazon.