An Evening of Generals

Prisoners

 * Colonel Hogan - Bob Crane
 * Corporal Louis LeBeau - Robert Clary
 * Corporal Peter Newkirk - Richard Dawson
 * Sergeant James Kinchloe - Ivan Dixon
 * Sergeant Andrew Carter - Larry Hovis

Camp Personnel

 * Kommandant Wilhelm Klink - Werner Klemperer
 * Sergeant Hans Schultz - John Banner

Semi-Regulars

 * General Albert Burkhalter - Leon Askin

Guest Stars

 * Jacques Mornay - Maurice Marsac
 * General Felix Mercer - Ben Wright
 * General Bruner - John Hoyt

Synopsis
Hogan has his men pose as caterers to destroy a roomful of Generals.

Plot Details
Klink is in his office being briefed by General Burkhalter who is discussing a strategy meeting that will be held in Hammelburg. The meeting will be attended by staff officers, generals, admirals and other high ranking officers of the German military. A banquet is due to be held the night before the strategy meeting, and since Burkhalter will be in Berchtesgaden, he tasks Klink to arrange the banquet. He gives Klink a list of the guests and orders him to memorise it and then destroy it. Klink remarks the the guests are "the finest military minds in all of the Third Reich," observes that he has not been listed as a guest, and tries to brush it off as an oversight. Burkhalter muses that he considers it the perfect oversight. The entire conversation has been overheard by the Heroes on the coffee pot, and Hogan quickly has Kinch bring him a camera and instructs him to pick up some rags and follow his lead. The Heroes meet Klink and Burkhalter outside the former's office where Hogan asks to speak with Klink. The Prussian colonel tells him to wait in his office, and Hogan orders his men to dust off Burkhalter's car. Schultz tries to stop them, but Burkhalter lets them continue. Klink apologises to Burkhalter and describes the prisoners as being "little children" on occasion, with Hogan merely replying that they have "the most wonderful daddy in the whole world," embarassing Klink.

A little while later, Hogan finishes photographing the guest list, which Klink has not yet destroyed. As Klink enters the office, Hogan quickly hides what he has been doing and asks Klink to be the master of ceremonies at the entertainment committee's next show and for him to do a violin solo. Klink wonders why Hogan needed to ask him that in his office, and Hogan replies he did it so Burkhalter wouldn't be jealous. After having a laugh at Burkhalter's lack of skill with his instrument of choice: a mandolin. Klink refuses Hogan's offer on the basis that the last time he appeared, his name on the billing card was in the same size and type as Schultz, who can only make animal noises, Hogan promises to put Klink's performance in the top spot, and give him star billing. Klink gives the answer that he will consider it, before Hogan leaves.

Later in the barracks, Newkirk is reading the guest list, while Kinch is off sending what they have learned to London. Kinch soon returns and gives London's answer: the meeting is a logistics and supply meeting for a full offensive, and they want the attendees knocked off. The rest of the Heroes are bewildered and insist that it is too dangerous and suggest that the air force simply bomb the meeting. Hogan points out that due to its importance, every anti-aircraft measure would be put on "a ten second alert" when the meeting begins and calculates that twenty per cent of an attacking force might make it through, "and that's a big maybe." Hogan insists that they do the job, but offers it as a volunteer only mission. Reluctantly all the Heroes agree to do the job and enter Hogan's office to plan. LeBeau suggests they poison the guests meals, but Hogan rejects the idea in favour of Carter's explosives. He also instructs Kinch to have London send someone over who is experienced in cooking and can speak fluent German.

The operative is parachuted near Stalag 13 and brought to camp. He is Sergeant Jacques Mornay, a member of the Free French. He is not known by the Germans, which fits into Hogan's plan as Mornay is to enter Stalag 13 as a Gestapo collaborator. The Underground have arranged a car, a driver and a uniform all ready. Mornay is presented with a fake identity card and orders to work on the banquet as well as a list of the guests to memorise. Mornay praises the Heroes efficiency and muses that if all the armies were as efficient, the war would be over. Hogan cheerfully replies that if that happened, they'd be out of a swell job.

Sometime later, Carter is showing the explosives he has built for the banquet, he goes on to state that there will be four or five made, and each made to look like a flag stand so it would look natural on the dinner table. Hogan commends Carter as a genius for his work.

Klink meanwhile has been visited by Mornay, in the guise of being a Gestapo collaborator. Klink phones Burkhalter and informs him of Mornay, and expresses outrage that the Gestapo would send someone to spy on them. Burkhalter however tells Klink to cooperate with the Gestapo and to shut up about it. Klink orders Schultz to house Mornay in the guest quarters and give him whatever assistance he needs. They are intruded upon by Hogan, and Mornay asks he be allowed the services of another chef. Klink suggests Corporal Hinkelman, who cooks for the officers mess. Schultz describes Hinkelman as being "wonderful" and describes a method he uses to cook pig feet, which turns Klink off the idea entirely. Hogan then pretends that Schultz has asked him to provide LeBeau to help. Klink offers to host the entertainment committee's show and perform a violin solo in exchange for LeBeau's assistance, which Hogan agrees to.

Mornay later visits Hogan's barracks where he shows Hogan the sketch he has made of the banquet room at a local hotel in town, as well as the menu. Carter brings up one of his explosives, now fully disguised as a decoration which meet Hogan and Mornay's approval. Mornay explains that he and LeBeau will go to the hotel at nine o'clock the next morning, set the table and then go to the kitchen to prepare the dinner. LeBeau has been instructed on how to adjust the timers on the bombs and will be able to set them whenever he needs to. As Mornay is going through the sketch he made, Newkirk warns them that Klink is approaching. They quickly scatter before Klink comes in, and the Prussian colonel asks why Mornay left his quarters. He claims that he is there to go over a few things with LeBeau. Klink orders Mornay to finish his business with LeBeau and then return to his room, as the barracks are off-limits to civilians. Klink turns to leave, but notices the decorative bomb on the table. Mornay quickly pretends that they are decorations he has brought with him from Berlin. Klink picks it up an inch and drops it onto the table, causing a round of horrified looks on the faces of the prisoners. The Kommandant notices that it is quite heavy, which Mornay explains as being so they don't tip over. Klink is satisfied with Mornay's story and leaves.

The next day, Mornay and LeBeau, having finished setting the the table and timers, are instructed to work in the kitchen and that the banquet room will be locked until the guests arrive. They are further instructed by Klink to prepare for an additional guest, one General Felix Mercer. LeBeau quickly has Mornay ask Klink for permission to return to camp for pots and pans, which Klink allows.

As it turns out, Mercer is a highly valued Allied secret agent who reports to British intelligence. Hogan is ordered that no harm must come to Mercer and to abandon their plans. Hogan instructs Mornay to tell Klink that he needs more waiters for the banquet, and that they will take Carter with them to stop the explosives prior to the banquet.

Later in the hotel, seeing that the only feasible way into the locked banquet room is via the dumbwaiter, Hogan tries to have Carter go up the dumbwaiter to stop the timers. This fails however, as Carter is too large to fit. Hogan then has the shorter LeBeau go up the dumbwaiter. Another failure occurs when LeBeau finds two German guards playing cards in the room, thus preventing him from reaching the timers.

That night as the guests are enjoying drinks before the banquet begins, Mornay brings Mercer a glass of champagne and learns that he speaks fluent French. Quickly, but unobtrusively leaving, Mornay meets Hogan outside and suggests that he tell Mercer what they are doing in French. Hogan rejects the idea as Mercer wouldn't believe him due to his guise of being a Gestapo collaborator, but is hit with another one. He instructs Mornay to inform General Bruner (the host) that dinner is served, and then return, which Mornay does, along with LeBeau. With less then seventeen minutes until the explosives go off, Hogan then has the two Frenchmen begin a loud argument in their own language. Their work is so well done that the guests can't hear themselves speak. General Bruner and Klink arrive to break up the situation but it is of no use. Hogan suggests they fetch Mercer, as he speaks French. Mercer soon appears and breaks up the conversation, allowing Hogan to tell him what their plan is. Mercer quickly reveals that the guests have been given a complete set of plans listing every German supply depot in France. Far more valuable than the elimination of all the guests. Knowing they have little time, Hogan tells Mercer to go back into the room, expose the explosive decorations, leave his set of plans on the table and make sure he is the last to leave the room. Hogan then explains that someone has to go up the dumbwaiter and get the plans before the bombs go off and he and Mornay literally have to drag LeBeau to the dumbwaiter to do it. Mercer soon does his job of exposing the bombs, and has all inside evacuate, with him last, as planned. Hogan meanwhile has LeBeau go up the dumbwaiter, and tells him that if anything goes wrong, to forget the plans and come back down. The Frenchman goes up, and after some searching, finds the plans and goes back down the dumbwaiter in the nick of time, just as the explosives go off. Mornay is given the plans and leaves, and LeBeau insists he will never doubt Carter's affinity with explosives again. Carter however sadly points out that his bombs were one minute late. Earning a look of horror from LeBeau.

The next day at Stalag 13, Klink is dealing with the fallout from the disaster at the banquet. He informs Hogan that he will be far too busy to perform at the entertainment committee's show. Hogan however points out a large poster he has brought with him for the show which prominently features "starring Colonel Wilhelm Klink and his violin." Klink is impressed by the poster and agrees to perform a violin solo over the public announcement system instead. As Klink leaves his office, Schultz points out that there will be a mass escape when Klink tries to play his violin. Hogan promptly tears up the poster and declares that there will be no show as he'd "hate to be alone in Stalag 13."

Story Notes

 * This is the eightieth produced episode of the series, but is the seventy-fifth episode to be shown on television and is the thirteenth episode shown for the Third Season.
 * The episode's title is taken from the novel and 1967 war film, The Night of the Generals.

Timeline Notes and Specuations

 * This appears to take place in early March of 1944. Carter says that the Germans have been doing okay so far in the course of the war. The story plot concerns "a logistic and supply briefing for an all-out offensive." This could be anything except the Battle of the Bulge (Fall Wacht am Rhein), given the general timeframe. The best fit historically is probably the German occupation of Hungary on March 19, 1944; or it might be a reference to German plans to push any potential Allied invasion of France back into the sea.
 * On the other hand, when Hogan unveils the poster for the entertainment program - in the wrap-up scene prior to the closing credits - the event is called 'Escapades of 1943'.
 * This episode takes place almost immediately before "Some Of Their Planes Are Missing." Colonel Klink says he's going to be busy for the next few weeks on official business. As we find out in the later episode, he was getting Stalag 13 ready for the arrival of the detail of pilots from KG200.

Quotes

 * (After using the dumbwaiter and seeing two guards playing cards) LeBeau: Bonjour, just testing...don't play the Jack, he's saving them.

Bloopers

 * When Jacques Mornay first arrives in the Stalag 13 tunnel, LeBeau introduces him to Hogan, Hogan says "You've met the rest of the fellas?" and Mornay says "Yes"; at this point we cut away for less than a second to Kinch saying "How are ya?" and when we cut back to LeBeau, Mornay, and Hogan, Carter is suddenly in the shot as well, seated and changing his clothes. (The Kinch "How are ya?" may have been shot for the later episode Is There A Doctor In The House?, where it was also used.)