The Return of Major Bonacelli

Series:	Hogan's Heroes
Episode:	The Return of Major Bonacelli
Original Airdate:	March 15, 1969
Production Number:	5784-118
Written by:	Arthur Julian
Directed by:	Jerry London
Produced by:	Edward H. Feldman, William A. Calihan & Jerry London

Regular

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

• Major Wolfgang Hochstetter - Howard Caine
• Fräulein Helga - Sigrid Valdis

Guest Stars

• Major Bonacelli - Vito Scotti
• Gretchen - Marion Brash
• Radio Operator - Diana Chesney

Synopsis

The Italian officer, who studied under Klink, helps Hogan photograph an antaircraft installation.

Production Notes

When Hochstetter arrives at Stalag 13, the sky is heavily overcast and his car is spotted with rainwater. Small puddles are on the ground. The town set also appears to have been rained on, although the sun is shining. The winter of 1969 was by far the wettest season while Hogan's Heroes was in production, and outdoor filming was often affected during January and February.

Story Notes

• This is the one hundred and eighteenth episode of the series, but it is the one hundredth and seventeenth episode to be shown on television and is the twenty-fifth episode shown for the Fourth Season.
• Vito Scotti plays Major Bonacelli in this episode. Previously, he was played by Hans Conried.
• The same AA guns that the Germans were deploying at Hammelburg were also being deployed at Capizzio in Italy.
• Schultz claims to have smelled the pizza that LeBeau was cooking for Major Bonacelli from three miles away, outside the camp. "Somebody opened the window on my bus," he grins.
• Schultz claims that his wife's cooking is so bad that he prefers to have his Christmas dinner with the prisoners.
• Klink's mother is mentioned.
• Corporal Langenscheidt is mentioned, although never seen.
• Lt. Bergman is mentioned. Klink assigns him to find a missing Russian pilot in A Russian Is Coming.

Timeline Notes and Speculations

• This episode takes place in late September of 1944; see below.
• This takes place shortly before The Big Dish. The new AA guns have just arrived but are not yet operational. The new radar unit on which Lady Stanford was working appears to have been intended for them.

Bloopers

• When Carter pokes the rear right tire on Hochstetter's car with the tip of his trash pole, it should have blown out immediately.
• After LeBeau removes the hot pan of pizza from the stove with an oven mitt, Newkirk handles the pan with bare hands. Later, Bonacelli treats a later pan properly.
• When Major Hochstetter commands the driver to "Follow that car, dummkopf!" the actor playing Corporal Schneider, Hochstetter's chauffeur, forgets that the driver door handle on his Benz sedan is located near the front fender on the A-pillar, and not the B-pillar where most modern car door handles are placed. A chauffeur would not suddenly forget how to get into his car!

External links

• The Return of Major Bonacelli at the Internet Movie Database
• The Return of Major Bonacelli episode capsule at Webstalag 13
• The Hofbrau

Previous episode: The Big Dish

Next episode: Happy Birthday, Dear Hogan