As He Is Mostly Remembered - Colonel Hogan
As He Is Mostly Remembered - Colonel Hogan
Bob Crane was born Robert Edward Crane, in Waterbury, Connecticut, July 13th
1928. In 1942, at the age of 14, Bob began drumming for the Connecticut Symphony
Orchestra. He was dismissed a year later because he was not considered "serious
enough." Shortly thereafter, Bob began a radio career which eventually took him
west to Los Angeles, and landed him in the morning drive slot at CBS powerhouse
KNX, where he became known as "The King of the Los Angeles Airwaves." His show
was not only wildly successful, it was revolutionary. Bob filled the broadcast
booth with wry wit and charisma, not to mention drums, chimpanzees, and movie
stars. His show was the number-one-rated morning show in Los Angeles, and
Hollywood's biggest stars were regular guests on his show; Marilyn Monroe,
Ronald Regan, Jayne Mansfield, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Hope, and Frank Sinatra, to
name only a handful.
It was during his reign as "King of the L.A. Airwaves" that Crane captured the
attention of CBS television executives. He began making guest appearances on The
Dick Van Dyke Show, among others. Soon he landed himself a regular role on The
Donna Reed Show as Doctor David Kelsey.
However, Crane's character was dropped
after two seasons because executives decided the flirtatious Kelsey, was "too
suggestive." Then, in 1965 Crane was offered the starring role in a highly
controversial television pilot about Allied prisoners in a German P.O.W. camp.
The pilot made a splash and Hogan's Heroes went on to become one of the most
successful sitcoms of all time. In 1966 and 1967, Bob was nominated for two Emmy
awards - this would be the peak of his career. In 1971, after a six-year run,
CBS inexplicably canceled Hogan's Heroes when management decided to take the
entire network in a different direction.
In the years following the cancellation of Hogan's Heroes, Bob stayed busy with
various film and television appearances, including two Disney films, Superdad
and Gus. Bob also remained a regular guest on the talk show circuit, as well as
a guest host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. In 1975 NBC gave Bob another
shot at prime time with The Bob Crane Show. However, the show was not a critical
success, and it was canceled after only thirteen episodes. For the next several
years Bob showed his wares on the dinner theater circuit, acting and directing
in Beginner's Luck, among other productions.
The Murder
The Body Carried Out, Beginner's Luck Poster, and Crime
Scene
In the afternoon of June 29, 1978,
actress Victoria Berry knocked on the door to apartment 132A at the Winfield
Apartments. She expected her knock to be answered by former TV star Bob Crane.
There was no answer. She pushed the open the unlocked door and went inside.
There she found his half naked body lying in bed. His face was so badly beaten
that he was unrecognizable from the left side. An electric cord was wrapped
around his neck.
The publicity surrounding the crime brought more attention to Bob Crane than he
had seen in the 7 years since Hogan's Heroes left the air. Before the prison
camp closed, Crane had enjoyed a constantly rising career.
Crane dropped out of school at 16 beginning a career as a drummer in a symphony
orchestra. His sense of humor got him in trouble and he was fired for clowning
around. After playing with several bands and marrying his highschool sweethart,
the 22 year old Crane was hired as an announcer at a small radio statin for
$37.50 a week. After a couple of moves to different stations, his salary shot up
to $500 per week.
In 1956, at the age of 28, he hit the big time. CBS radio in Los Angeles hired
him as the morning drive time personality. After a tame start, the rating
spiraled up, as did Crane's salary. Crane hobnobbed with stars interviewing
countless celebrity guests, including Jerry Lewis, Bob Newhart, Jonathan
Winters, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Mansfield, Frank Sinatra, and Ronald Reagan.
Crane developed an interest in acting. He appeared in a number of local theater
productions. He also became interested in photography, making home movies of
skits with his family.
His radio celebrity lead to a number of guest appearances on TV shows. Then, in
1963 he moved to television when he was cast as in the recurring role of the
Stone's next-door neighbor on the "The Donna Reed Show". He did not give up his
day job as "King of the Airwaves" at KNX, maintaining busy schedule. From 6 to
10 in the morning he was live on radio. For the rest of the day he was on the
set of the TV show.
Crane departed the show in 1964, some say because of a sexually aggressive
attitude toward his stage wife. His biggest triumph was already in the works: A
unusual series set in a World War II prison camp.
In 1965, Hogan's Heroes premiered. It placed 9th in the Nielsens, and was the
only new series to do well. In the first two seasons, Crane twice received Emmy
nominations for Best Actor.
The handsome star of the hit new television series became a fixture in Hollywood
night scene. He revealed an interest in buxom women and was a frequent visitor
to topless bars and strip clubs. He found a way to blend his sexual interests
with his love of the camera. He began to videotape his sexual encounters.
Co-star Richard Dawson introduced Crane to video salesman John Carpenter who
shared Crane's interest in photography and, as it turns out, sex.
Still married, Crane had an affair with actress Cynthia Lynn who played the
played Colonel Klink's secretary. Later, he had an affair with the actress Patti
Olsen. After 21 years of marriage Crane divorced his wife and married Patti.
To the surprise of the cast, Hogan's Heroes was canceled after its 6th season.4
Crane would never be able to replicate the success of the series.5 A romantic
comedy film ("The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz", 1968), was a dismal flop. He
did a few TV movies and a Disney film ("Superdad", 1974). In 1975 NBC gave him
his second shot at a series. "The Bob Crane Show" lasted only 13 weeks.
To jump start his career, Bob Crane turned to the stage and the play,
"Beginner's Luck" which he had earlier purchased. He began to tour the dinner
theater circuit which brought him to Scottsdale's Windmill Dinner Theatre in the
summer of 1978. This was the last performance which Crane would ever make. His
body was found in the Scottsdale apartment where he was staying for the run of
the play.
Crane had not left performing before the TV camera entirely behind. The police
found video equipment and a library of video tapes in the apartment. The tapes
showed the actor engaged in group sex with various women. Prominently featured
in the videos was Crane's long time friend and videophile John Carpenter.
Carpenter At Trial, The Video Equipment In The Death
Room
The police investigation immediately centered on Carpenter. It had been a pattern for Carpenter to visit Crane in towns where Crane was on tour. The two would make the rounds to bars and night spots to pick up women, bringing them to Crane's apartment to perform in front of the camera.
The handsome, personable
and famous Crane was Carpenter's entre to women and sex. But Crane had expressed
his intention to break of his relationship with Carpenter, and possibly end his
sexual escapades.
Carpenter had been bar hopping with Crane on the night of the murder. They had
picked up two women and had been seen the Safari cafe. Crane went home alone.
Carpenter took one of the women to his motel, the Sunburst Resort, only a block
away. Carpenter left early the next morning. Blood matching Crane's rare blood
type was found in the car Carpenter had rented.
Greg Kinnear As Bob Crane in Paul Schrader's
AUTO FOCUS
But no murder weapon was found, and DNA testing which could make a positive
identification had not yet been developed. The county attorney at the time
declined to prosecute.
In 1992, the investigation was reopened. Investigators determined that bits of
fat tissue seen in photos of Carpenter's rental car matched those found at the
murder scene.
They also concluded that the murder weapon was a second tripod
seen in video tapes but missing from the actor's apartment. Charges were brought
by the new county attorney, and in 1994 Carpenter was placed on trial. After two
months of trial, Carpenter was found not guilty.
Bob and Patricia Crane (a.k.a. Sigrid Valdis)
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