The Dixons were friends of mine in Altadena. Ivan's son, the late N'Gai Dixon was my friend and fellow music student at Loma Alta School. I met Robert Clary and some of the other supporting cast members at a bbq at Dixons' home, where I learned the words to the theme song.
@@gregrambo606 Heroes, Heroes, Husky Men of War, Sons of all the Heroes of the War before, We're all Heroes, up to our ear-o's, You ask questions, We make suggestions, That's what we're Heroes for.
My favorite Kinch quote comes from when the boys were trying to convince the Russian fighter pilot that they weren't Germans. "Let me handle this Colonel. Do I look German to you?"
I forgot about that 😂that was great 😂 I love this show I’m 31 and I don’t think a lot of people from my age group or generation even knows of old shows like this and it’s a damn shame
Frankly, I'm glad he had to play it straight. If you look at all of the other actors, with the exception of Robert Crane, their characters were all dumbed down for comedic effect. Not dumbing Kinchloe down was actually a move FORWARD for progress in black roles at that time.
Good point. Agreed. However they could have given him some sharp witty lines. As long as they didn’t descend into buffoonery/clowning, that would have been cool too.
@@chrisconley8583 I think you're missing or purposely overlooking the point. At that point in time, Blacks were pretty much consigned to playing buffoons on tv. It was pretty much all they were givien to play. They let Kinch play it pretty much straight, which was a departure for how blacks were usually portrayed at that time. So yeah, it was a step forward.
@@chrisconley8583 Minch had a cool character. I’m black and I always looked up to him. Like when he’d be on the phone imitating a German officer. I always thought he was cool. Lt.Uhura on the other hand, she was just a glorified secretary to me. Strange that they both were communications specialists.
My dad would laugh and laugh while watching this show. My dad was a very serious and sober man. It was heaven to hear him laugh. Grateful for the show.
YOUR DAD and I have something in common. I have watched HOGANS HEROES since its inception. I am now 88 and watch METV at every HOGANS HEROES. I sometims laugh for most of a progam, even though I know the dialog,scene,and punch line at the time of the showing. EXCELLENT COMEDY !!!!!!!!
@@genehollon1472 why is that? I've seen every episode at least 20 times and still I laugh as if it was the first time. Maybe I have dementia and it is the first time.
I had the privilege of a pre-first season interview with Bob Crane, later in the run with Werner Klemperer and John Banner, and even later visited the series exterior Stalag set on the long-gone 40-Acre backlot. Crane and Banner were joys to chat with, not so much with Klemperer; too stuffy and self-important in the interview. However, it wasn't until the late 70s that I unexpectedly met Ivan Dixon. Covering a reunion of former students and surviving faculty of the school Dixon attended. The group met on a Sunday afternoon on the grounds of the long-abandoned school, then in ruins, located between Gastonia and Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Recognizing Dixon immediately, I introduced myself. Dixon excused himself from the group and graciously spent time talking with me about his time on the series, acting in other shows, and becoming an in-demand director. He counted himself fortunate to have reached his goals, and I counted myself lucky in the unexpected meeting with a fine human being.
in 1978 in a bar on dort highway in flint michigan ..i drank with bob crane. he and another guy and myself and a friend. great guy really. excellent drummer too...which many people don't know. sadly and just a few short days after that crane was murdered. i was 30 years old.
I first seen Ivan Dixon on an old black and white episode of Perry Mason. Wow he was so young in that episode. My First Cousin Once Removed, was the guy who played. Lt. Andy Anderson on many of the later episodes of Perry Mason. In case you are interested the relationship to me would be easier to understand if I simply say, he is my Mother's Cousin.
@@Colhogan06 Ivan Dixon also had a starring role on THE TWILIGHT ZONE in an episode called "The Big Tall Wish". He was a boxer who received "the big tall wish" from the young son of a neighbor.
I’m 63yo and white and I remember hearing that opening drum tattoo with glee knowing what was coming was going to be good clean fun, I never thought “it’s cool they put a black guy on the show” I remember liking The character of Kinchlow and I remember thinking he was one of the smarter characters right up there with Hogan himself.
...true and below rank of Carter but still a better trusted leader. My dad went to wapato high school (WA) and his classmate was L. Hovis's nephew.....Named Hovis! And my dad's doctor Town Doc) was Dan Doornick's DAD played for seattle seahawks. And My foot ball coach was T-Moore (Prosser) dad of Kellen dallas cowbows!
I was very young when the show aired originally. I grew up in a small rural area of Kentucky. There were only white people in that small town, and I was too young to understand the racial problems of the time. Sgt. Kinchloe was the only black actor I remember watching during that time. My grandfather was a veteran of WW2 and never missed Hogan's Heroes. Sgt. Kinchloe became my favorite character on the show. I enlisted in the USAF, and when I worked communications I thought of the show and Sgt. Kinchloe. I still watch the show everyday as I own the entire series on DVD. Thank you Ivan Dixon. You made a big difference to so many of us.
Same for me but a few decades later. Not sure where you were but I grew up in Todd County. Our homecoming queen was a black girl and it was pretty mixed back then but when I was in school you still had the different races stick to their own groups. Now when I go back and see kids walking down the street the groups seem more integrated.
Kinchloe was my favorite character in the show, when I first saw season 6 I was so sad that he left the show. But I'm glad that he went on to become a director.
@@mikeedwards2621 He was the one hero whom Col. Hogan didn't snark at. In the episode "Is General Hammerschlag Burning?" Kinch snarks at Hogan, and I love every minute of it.
I think Mr. Dixon made the right decision as he directed many great television episodes and his talents received the recognition he so deserved. Never settle if you don’t have to. Great video Rick!
I wish he had stayed for the last season, but I understand his decision. We all must remember we saw him in one way only, and that's just a small part of who he was.
@@daveb5540 They didn't know the 6th season would be their last (He may have stayed if he knew, but he made the right decision). A lot of shows were abruptly canceled around the same time.
Although John Banner (Sergeant Schultz) was my favorite, the show was not the same when Mr. Dixon left. He actually played a very important role. You can't have comedy without the straight guy. Look at Martin and Lewis, Abbott and Costello, etc... I always considered him as one of the most important characters on the show. I wish that he had finished out the show, but I'm happy that he had a successful career afterwards.
He was lamenting the lack of comedic bits, but I think he did not quite understand the importance of a straight man in comedy. Nor was he considering that he was being presented as the smartest of them (except for Hogan himself), and was the second in command. It was a groundbreaking role to have back then.
@@rmhartman It brings to mind Nichelle Nichols' meeting with MLK, who told her to stay on Star Trek. An important role at the time. Too bad (for us as viewers) that Ivan Dixon didn't have such a meeting. He was the Barney Miller of HH. Yes, you need the straight man, and yes, he was great on the show.
Mr. Dixon was my Grandfather's roommate at NCUU. He was a great talent and his role as Kinch was monumental as one of the first black lead roles in a sitcom in the 1960s. I understand why he left and if he hadn't he never would've went on to direct so many classic tv shows including Magnum and Rockford Files. He was also great on the first episode of I Spy. R. I. P. Legend.
A lot of people do not realize how versatile an actor Ivan Dixon was. He had a memorable role as the minister in a doomed town in an episode of "The Twilight Zone". Late in his career, he played a judge in at least a couple of the "Perry Mason" made-for-TV movies.
I think you are correct. I remember reading an article about the show once, and it was mentioned if something happend to Hogan, Kinch was to take charge due to his communication importance to London.
@@ricknineg And that's really another breakthrough for this show--giving a Black man that rank and making him second in command was unusual for that era.
@@billiev.9719 Or he might have said Kinch was in charge of “Operations”, which meant second-in-command. Technically it is said that Carter outranked Kinch, so it said much that Hogan had designated Kinch as #2.
My favorite line of the series was one of Kinchloes. Hogan: “a gestapo man came into camp and I wasn’t informed? Where was I?” Kinch: (rather embarrassed) “listening to the World Series with the rest of us.”
I liked when the Russian lieutenant was shot down and the underground brought him to the tunnel, and while they were trying to prove that they were from the US, France, and Britain, Kinch just came right out and said "Do I look German to you?"
I always wondered back in the day what happened to Kinch. It's good that he left to further grow his acting career on his own terms. Not many can say that.
I loved Kinch as Ivan did a great job working with the material he was given. Years later when I saw him on the movie 'Car Wash' I couldn't believe it was him, his voice seemed raspy. Dixon was immensely talented and a huge success. RIP.
Yes, he was almost unrecognizable from his HH days by ‘Car Wash’. Reminds me a bit of the change in appearance of Pernell Robert’s from Bonanza to Trapper John MD.
First, I loved his impersonation of Hitler (and a few German officers). Second, he probably had the second best part on the show. His character came across as intelligent, capable and competent, and he played it well.
@@jhooahwife Have discussed this at length at Little Oggie's channel (he has all the HH episodes there). A lot of us would have wanted a final "goodbye" episode but that wasn't the way they did things then. Tragic. Would have loved to see it myself.
@@jhooahwife Not really. It just changed into the Cold War. BTW, World War 1 didn't end either. We are still dealing with the results of it and Paris, 1919. As the military says "The last bullet of World War 1 hasn't been fired. It hasn't even been built yet".
Hey Rick, once again you hit it out of the park!! I was sorry to see Ivan Dixon leave Hogan's Heroes, I enjoyed his character but he was unhappy & did go on to experience other successes behind the camera!!! Thanks for sharing another fun video!! 👍🥴
Inspiring yes indeed. But sadly very unrealistic about the way he would have been treated by the Nazis & by his own countrymen. Guaranteed that he would not have been in a cushy POW camp with a buffoon for a commandant. A black GI would not have lasted long as a prisoner. This show was an abomination, when one considers what would have really happened to him.
I had concluded that Kinch was always 2nd in charge of the hero's. His duties and the orders he was given through out the series were those of a back up , go to, guy.
@@bloodybones63 Hogan repeatedly states that Kinch is in charges of operations. When he and LeBeau when on one of their trips to Paris, Hogan tells Kinch to "mind the store" while he's gone.
@@bloodybones63 Carter was the demolishions expert. While he technically outrankend Kinch, no officer in his right mind would wouldn't let the demo guy be in change of the entire operation.
In my opinion, When Ivan Dixon left the show, it killed it. Not just with Hogan's Heroes, with any hit show, when a leading character leaves a show unexpectedly, it is a death-blow.
@@lazyhomebody1356 But Susan Somers quit with notice didn't she? Like on MASH, lots of main characters came and went, but there was notice behind the scenes for a Smooth character transition.
Such a nice man, Ivan Dixon. I had the very fortunate opportunity to meet him in 1986 on a movie set filmed in London, Ontario. I was an extra playing a security guard on the TV movie “Amerika’ and chatted with Ivan for a few minutes between takes on the steps of Victoria Hospital (Westminster campus) and I asked him what it was like being on the set of Hogan’s Heroes. He said he had a wonderful time on that show and that it was a great cast. He told me that Werner Klemperer’s father was in WWII on the German side and that Werner’s father loved the show and how the show mocked the Nazis. He also told me how much he enjoyed directing tv shows. I told him I recalled seeing his name as a director once on Starsky and Hutch. He had fond memories of that show too. It was such a pleasure talking to Ivan and he was very easy and pleasant to talk to. He always had a look in his eyes like he was thinking of the next important thing beyond where he was at currently. A remarkable and intelligent gentleman. Thanks for the chat Ivan!
Being 1/2 Irish and the other 1/2 German, I was caught in the middle! My Irish father loved it, and my German Mother and her family absolutely hated it. Dad and I never missed an episode but my German Grandfather would yell at us about them making fun of the Germans. It also didn't help that in our area, it was slotted against Lawrence Welk. In a one TV house (remember those) this presented an interesting conflict every week! It was a battle royal every Saturday Night....!!!!
Ivan Dixon actually appeared in several episodes of other TV shows before Hogan’s Heroes”. . He did a very memorable part in the Twilight Zone episode called “The Big Tall Wish”. He was a very talented actor and he could’ve stayed one more year in Hogan’s Heroes because it only lasted until April 1971 and a paycheck is a paycheck but he decided he wanted to do other things.
@Lora My, how 'shallow' you insinuate Ivan Dixon to be. He DREAMED of being a director and was directing episodic TV right away, the summer he left "Hogan" through the early '90s. Nearly a quarter of a century. As a few others commenting have informed us, Dixon then moved to Hawaii where he owned a radio station. And professed to love the experience and living in 'the Aloha State.' "Lara," suggest you take a look at his IMDB page (which I did before answering your rather simplistic comment) -- Ivan achieved 47 directing credits and had 51 acting credits (where his 142 "Hogan" episodes count as one), the majority of the latter accumulated before his successful switch to director. Whether viewers remember Dixon, or Dixon as Sgt. Kinchloe -- which might be considered by him 'kinda sweet' or 'a kick' -- is no doubt the furthest thing from his mind when he's fully aware of all the filmed entertainment and joy he brought to audiences by directing diverse, popular shows AND all the respect he earned and influence he had directing many big series stars, guest cast and countless supporting players PLUS commanding about a hundred crew members on the sets of each and every directing assignment. All those episodes of "The Rockford Files," "The Waltons," "Magnum, p.i.," "Bret Maverick," et al. have entertained for decades -- and will continue to do so for generations to come. In summary and in closing: "Chris Jas" is on the money with her / his comment, "He took a chance on himself and won!"
It's a pity the talent of Mr. Dixon was so... Under used. His later success proves how versatile the man was. Thank you Ivan Dixon for so many enjoyable moments you've given us both on and off HH
I think he was an intrical part of the show, much like Greg Morris on Mission Impossible! These two black men played it straight, but they DIDN'T play the fool! I think he left at just the right time Rick! He stayed long enough to make a name for himself, and it was time to broaden his horizons!!📺🎬🇺🇸
Barney was my favorite MI character. I remember him defusing bombs and being totally convincing as afraid the thing’s gonna blow up in his face but also being an ice cold pro bomb guy. No dialogue. All Greg Morris’ facial expressions, body language and apparent concentration. Gail Fischer was also a pioneer of black actors getting more challenging, non-stereotype parts. She wasn’t just Mannix’s secretary, they were a team. No Mannix w/o Peggy.
I bought the complete DVDF Series and watched it like 4 times. I loved Kinch's role and I agree that his character role was 2nd in command due to his leadership. Great series that is a classic even if you are not a fan of WW2 films.
Poor Kinch rarely got to leave the barracks. Hogan and everyone else got to go into town, and even to Paris once in awhile. A funny scene was as the heroes were on a night mission and darkening their faces, Kinch was offered some of the dark camouflage. Kinch was like, really? It was done in good fun and tastefully. I think it wasn't an easy choice for Dixon to leave the show. The writers should have done more with his character. The few times when plots were centered around Kinch, Dixon did an excellent job. Considering the time period when the show was set, Kinch was treated very well by those around him, even the Germans. Kinch was definitely an asset to the Heroes. Hogan knew that no matter what he asked of Kinch, the job would be done.
It was true he didn't get nearly as much comedy as the rest of the cast, but when he did do funny things he was FUNNY!! Also nice to see the glamorous Barbara Mcnair brought on as a guest star to interact with Kinch! Sadly it seems that Kenneth Washington is the "overlooked" cast member! He and Robert Clary are still alive as of now they are the only surviving main cast members!
There was an episode when he operated a remote control that hit the fence knocking Klink into Burkhalter and knocking Byrkhalter him the car. Another time he turned the water on while Gestapo mwn were sesrching for a tunnel dreanching them. HILARIOUS!!!
He starred in a terrific episode of The Twilight Zone, the only episode of it's 5 year run with an all black cast. Another trailblazing moment for Ivan.
@@keithdaniels5918 He played Lonnie in Car Wash. He was the older guy that tried to calm down the young guy that was going to"get"the owner of the car wash.
He didn't know it was the last season. His departure caused it to be the last season because the ratings tanked after he left. His leaving was Hogan's Heroes' "jumping the shark" moment...especially in the way the producers just replaced him with an almost identical character hoping that nobody would notice.
The only problem I had was that there was no explanation as to where Kinchloe went. It was a prison camp. It's not like you can just walk out the door. Was he released, swapped or did he escape?
I think that when Bing Crosby Productions ended their support for the show and a new company called Hogan's Horde took over, some management changes were made. I sense Ivan Dixon did not like where it was going and chose to exit.
Sad the writers didn't just write more comedy into the show to keep him. He definitely played a great character in the show and I liked the parts where his comedy acting was featured.
Dixon was given a more dignified character because the writers were trying to be respectful and progressive. The "Black Power" movement was underway and would have complained if he was silly or dumb. You have to understand the times.
Yeah, because of that, I found him very un-interesting, even though back then, a black audience was happy with any black face they saw on TV. Even if they had him playing it straight, they might have did more with this character
The show was actually still strong in season 6 so it didn't destroy the show but his absence was still felt and I do prefer him to the guy they replaced him with.
Bullshit. Larry Linville himself stated that if his character would have grown, he'd have been just like everyone else on the show. The fact that he remained unchanging is what made Frank Burns precisely what he was - a little weasel. Linville did NOT leave the show because of that. Do some research, dude.
My favorite bit Kinch was ever involved with ... the Heroes were getting ready to do one of those night missions, and they're passing around the shoe polish or whatever the black stuff they'd smear on their faces was, and after Carter's done with it, he passes it to Kinch, who just gives him this LOOK.
I always enjoyed watching "Kinch" on "HH". Before HH, Ivan Dixon appeared in a 1963 "Perry Mason" episode, "The Case of the Nebulous Nephew". Whatever his character, it was always a completely believable and natural portrayal. A very good actor!
The one line that I loved was when they were trying to get the Russian pilot to calm down and trust them all, Ivan says, “Do I look German to you?”! That line caught me off guard because he rarely was given funny lines. As much as I missed him on the show, I understood why he left.
The real reason he left the show may have been his racism. If you notice, thoughout the show's run, he refused to call his superior officer, Hogen, sir, as an enlisted man is required to do. He would always end his replys to Hogan with "Right, OK, If you say so, or just Colonel." They let him get away with the disrespect, despite making the other actors play by the rules.
Love the series ever since I was a kid watching it when it came out. Watch a couple of episodes every night before bed. All the characters were great I didn’t think he was under used. There’s definitely no way a show like this could be made in today’s social Justice toxic Hollywood environment.
I think Ivan did the right thing by leaving, for the reasons you cite. He only "missed" one season before the show was cancelled but he opened the door to so many other roles. He has a solid acting background and I think this kept him from being type cast. Also, I didnt realize how many shows he directed - he may have missed this opportunity to branch out if he stayed.
Rick, don't know how it was done in WW2, but in the 80's, radio transmission encryption was done with a code book that was supposed to be replaced monthly. A friend who was a 25 year old Captain, like me, was being fast tracked. He was placed in charge of radio security in Berlin (Cold War going on). He found that the code books had not been replaced in five years. He then went directly to a general and threw a full bird colonel under the bus for this lapse in security. A week later he was called into the general's office. The colonel and general were there. My friend was then told that he had reached "terminal rank" (would never be promoted again) and that the colonel he threw under the bus was the general's best friend. Oops.
@@lazyhomebody1356 Umm, yeah, good luck with that. At that point, he would not have been told he'd reached "terminal rank", he would've just been designated TERMINAL, never to draw another breath!
Ivan was in t.v. years before Hogan's Heroes. He was in the only two part episode of The Outer Limits. It was called, "The Inheritors" and there were at least 3 other Hogan's cast members in just that episode although, at least 4 others (Rich Dawson, Howard Caine, Arlene Martel and Marianna Hill) were in other episodes of The Outer Limits. Walter Burke, who was in at least one Hogan's episode, was in at least 2 Outer Limits episodes. In The Inheritors, along with Ivan, there was also Leon Askin, Jim Frawley (who appeared in one early episode of Hogan's) and Steve Ihnat (who was also in just one episode). Ivan was also in at least one "Mission: Impossible" episode, I THINK he was also in an "I Spy" show.
In several ways Kinch was Hogan's unofficial Second-in-command. He did have funny moments- in one episode as KInch KO's a Nazi driver he says, in a bad cockney accent "A little present from the British Commandos!" Newkirk responds, in a REAL cockney accent, "I'll handle the English accents, if you don't mind!"
Shame he had to leave because I liked the fact that not only was he the radio guy but he was also the go to tech guy…. He was also funny. On one episode he had to impersonate a German officer, even wore a monocle even though he was on the phone! The only other role I remember him playing was in the movie ‘Car wash’…..
I look at Ivan's leaving Hogan's Heroes much like when Pernell Roberts left Bonanza. I think Ivan should have stayed on to the end of the series. In my opinion his staying with the show would have looked better for his future career.
I loaned his character on the show period as a child I had a stutter and a thick southern drawl. I was trying to find my voice with the help of a teacher she said watch as much television as you can and you will hear different voices, pick one that you like. I was more or less a myna bird. Sammy Davis Jr Godfrey Cambridge, Rich Little, Frank Gorshen. But, Ivan Dixon I got to see every week. He would vocal impressions of Maj. Hochstetter, Gen. Burkholter, other Germans or British Intel. I did impressions all of the time. My parents and other adults knew who I was doing and that's all that mattered. I finally lost the stutter and the drawl, but found my voice at 12. Went on to do local theatre, radio, voiceovers, instructional audio work and eventually got into education. Thank you, Sgt James Kinchloe.
I feel like Kinchloe was way more charismatic than Baker and it was good to have a less silly/stereotypical character to balance things out. Whenever the show did give him a funny line, Ivan Dixon made the most of it. His absence was a loss to the last season. That being said, I don't blame Dixon for getting bored with the role at all and leaving was certainly his right.
The only episode where he was recognized as black was the boxing episode. General Burkhalter identified him as black and compared him to Jesse Owens. The writers gave Ivan Dixon several episodes. Highlighting him as the African King was another Kinch episode. He should’ve stuck it out through the run.
Interestingly, I first found out about the famed Tuskegee Airmen while watching "Hogan's Heroes" as a boy around eight years old. A family friend who served in the Army Air Corps noted that the military was segregated in WW2, and that meant that Sgts. Kinchloe and Baker had to have been assigned to the 332nd - an all Black Fighter Group, who famously flew planes with red painted tails. But most fighter pilots were commissioned officers, so he wasn't entirely sure. Watching this reminded me of that day, and so I did a bit more digging: According to the "Hogan's Heroes Wiki," "On June 8, 1942, (Sgt. Kinchloe was) shot down during an American air raid over Germany and was captured; eventually placed at Stalag 13, where he joined Colonel Hogan's Anti-Nazi organization. In due course, Sgt. Kinchloe was put in charge of operations, as well as being made the group's radio operator and electronic expert, and at some point became Hogan's aide-de-camp and Chief of Staff." To the best of my knowledge - it was never brought up in the series - as part of a bomber crew, Sgt. Kinchloe would have been assigned (by default in the then-segregated service) to the 477th Medium Bombardment Group, which trained to fly B-25's. Though the 477th Medium Bombardment Group did not see actual deployment in the real world; in the "Hoganverse," it must have been active. Though less is known about Sgt. Kinchloe's replacement - Staff Sergeant Richard Baker - he was also most likely part of the 477th Medium Bombardment Group in the "Hoganverse" as well. Thanks for posting this for us! My Like is in the 5.1Ks
Mr. Dixon was marvelous in two Twilight Zone episodes, first as a struggling boxer , then as a preacher , when the sun doesn't rise after an innocent man is hanged.
Ivan Dixon also co-starred in a film with one of my favorite actresses of the golden age of film - Dorothy Dandridge. I believe it was called ‘The Murder Men’ (aka Blues of a Junkman). This was the early 60’s. Dorothy Dandridge was the first African-American woman to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. She was up against Judy Garland, Grace Kelly, Jane Wyman, and Audrey Hepburn. With a list like that she had an uphill battle.
Watched every week as a kid and over and over in reruns..and never knew Kinch's first name was James.. Robert Hogan,Andrew Carter, Peter Newkirk, Louis Lebeau..Hans Shultz.. Wilhelm Klink
@@OdinHammersmith “I vill surround zis camp vith a RING OF STEEL” “Vat iss zis man doing here???” “BAH!!!” Rest In Peace, Howard Caine (born Howard Cohen).
It's unsurprising Dixon left. He was a fantastic actor. If you get a chance, check out his acting in the film "Nothing But a Man." It's a heart-wrenching portrayal of life in black America before and during the Civil Rights movement...and he made it in 1964, BEFORE "Hogan's Heroes." After making such a great dramatic movie, it's no wonder he felt he was wasted on "Hogan." As for Kenneth Washington/Sgt. Baker...given Dixon left, this is one case where I would've preferred if they'd just called Washington "Kinchloe" -- recasting the role, rather than creating a new "character" who did the same stuff as the old one. Having this new guy around, with no mention of where Kinch went or why that didn't ruin Stalag 13's perfect record, was really jarring.
A lot of people don't remember Ivan Dixon was one of the main cast members in the movie Car Wash He played the character Lonnie the no nonsense car wash employee He didn't have any comedic lines in the entire movie He played the straight man just like he did in Hogan's Heroes but he did an outstanding job in Car Wash
Kinch was my favorite character and even as a child I felt he wasn't used enough all the memories I have of him were tappiing out morse code eavesdropping on Klink and a few commando missions in the woods a good actor who turned out to be a better director.
Ivan Dixon was a beloved character, because he loved his country, and it showed, and he was a fine actor as well. He never played the "victim" (because I'm black) crap. When his team screwed up, causing our side a set-back, he laid into them, as any good Sargent would do. Robert Clary and Kenneth Washington are the last surviving members of the main cast. If they are available, and their health allows, it would be great to hear them in a interview. Also, there were several extras in the show, that were regulars. Yet they never (with one or two exceptions) had a speaking role. Also, those extras never appeared in the credits. Who were those extras? What were their names? They should not go down in TV history as "anonymous". Also, is there a master tape of the theme song? The sound quality of what gets broadcast sounds like a 1972, kitchen counter-top AM radio. A real band was playing real instruments. I would hope that there is a recording that sounds like real people in a real band were playing. Who would have that master tape? Will the public ever be treated to hearing the theme song sound like real music? (and I believe that Bob Crane was on the drums for the theme song)
It wasn't at all the same without him. ...... ...I found out in 2020 that he still holds a lot of resentment and racism toward whites because of the problems he'd had in this time period, and it SO SEVERELY bums me out that he doesn't know that he was such a grounding, vital force on the team and he was always one of my favorites. Growing up when I learned about racism I was proud to have grown up watching him be in Hogans Heroes and to have already known that there was no difference between him and the others. His childhood was tough, but him in this role freed people like me from ever having any racial misconceptions. I found out that he'd written and directed other movies in his time in Hollywood and was excited to check them out, but it still breaks my heart that one of my heroes has so much resentment against the time that gave him as a hero to me in the first place. I wish he'd finished out the show with the cast. I get it, but it was never the same, and anytime I see Baker it's just a reminder that Kinch is gone
I haven't watched hogans heroes Rick I need to check this show out thanks for sharing all the info rick about the show in learning I'm gonna have to check this out man great video rick thanks for sharing buddy👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Ivan Dixon was a high quality actor who was over qualified for the role Kinchloe. I love the character, he was essentially second in command after Hogan. However, him as Kimchloe was the equivalent of having Sir Laurence Olivier play Newkirk.
This was great. I do really like Kinchloe and I was disappointed that he left and also wish that he would have been given more story lines or more dialogue. I love the episode where he was boxing Battling Bruno and knocked him out while sparring...lol
If he felt like leaving, it’s ok, but as a black kid watching it in syndication, he was very important to me. I felt bad that he couldn’t go on the missions with them, but understood why. His character was definitely under the other guys, but they never really made fun of him or made him the but of jokes or anything. He had dignity, and it meant the world to me. On another note, this isn’t the channel I usually hear this voice in, is it?
Dixon's role was monumental for sure...not just for co starring as a black man in a predominantly white cast, Kinch was not only Hogan's right hand man but also the highly intelligent voice of reason who would often tell Hogan when he felt Hogan might be going too far.
The Dixons were friends of mine in Altadena. Ivan's son, the late N'Gai Dixon was my friend and fellow music student at Loma Alta School. I met Robert Clary and some of the other supporting cast members at a bbq at Dixons' home, where I learned the words to the theme song.
You have been blessed to have known them. I’m sure you have so many great stories! Great to have you see and enjoy my video
What a awesome experience!
That's great. What are the words to the Theme song ?
@@randytim512
You beat me to the punch with that question!
@@gregrambo606 Heroes, Heroes, Husky Men of War, Sons of all the Heroes of the War before, We're all Heroes, up to our ear-o's, You ask questions, We make suggestions, That's what we're Heroes for.
My favorite Kinch quote comes from when the boys were trying to convince the Russian fighter pilot that they weren't Germans. "Let me handle this Colonel. Do I look German to you?"
It would have been funny if the Russian had said, "I don't know. Maybe you came from the Black Forest?"
I always quote that line
That was one of the funniest lines on the show. The actor who played the Russian was LT Carpenter on McHales Navy
I forgot about that 😂that was great 😂 I love this show I’m 31 and I don’t think a lot of people from my age group or generation even knows of old shows like this and it’s a damn shame
And in one episode (S1 E4), Hogan said, "I need a German soldier. Kinch said, "How about me?"
Hogan said, "Don't be funny."
Frankly, I'm glad he had to play it straight. If you look at all of the other actors, with the exception of Robert Crane, their characters were all dumbed down for comedic effect. Not dumbing Kinchloe down was actually a move FORWARD for progress in black roles at that time.
Good point. Agreed. However they could have given him some sharp witty lines. As long as they didn’t descend into buffoonery/clowning, that would have been cool too.
Very true!
So your argument is that they didn’t treat his character equally or the same as the others as “progress”.
That’s not “progress” that’s pandering.
@@chrisconley8583 I think you're missing or purposely overlooking the point. At that point in time, Blacks were pretty much consigned to playing buffoons on tv. It was pretty much all they were givien to play. They let Kinch play it pretty much straight, which was a departure for how blacks were usually portrayed at that time. So yeah, it was a step forward.
@@chrisconley8583 Minch had a cool character. I’m black and I always looked up to him. Like when he’d be on the phone imitating a German officer. I always thought he was cool. Lt.Uhura on the other hand, she was just a glorified secretary to me. Strange that they both were communications specialists.
My dad would laugh and laugh while watching this show. My dad was a very serious and sober man. It was heaven to hear him laugh. Grateful for the show.
My dad was the same way with "All In The Family".
YOUR DAD and I have something in common. I have watched HOGANS HEROES since its inception. I am now 88 and watch METV at every HOGANS HEROES. I sometims laugh for most of a progam, even though I know the dialog,scene,and punch line at the time of the showing. EXCELLENT COMEDY !!!!!!!!
@@genehollon1472 why is that? I've seen every episode at least 20 times and still I laugh as if it was the first time. Maybe I have dementia and it is the first time.
I had the privilege of a pre-first season interview with Bob Crane, later in the run with Werner Klemperer and John Banner, and even later visited the series exterior Stalag set on the long-gone 40-Acre backlot. Crane and Banner were joys to chat with, not so much with Klemperer; too stuffy and self-important in the interview. However, it wasn't until the late 70s that I unexpectedly met Ivan Dixon. Covering a reunion of former students and surviving faculty of the school Dixon attended. The group met on a Sunday afternoon on the grounds of the long-abandoned school, then in ruins, located between Gastonia and Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Recognizing Dixon immediately, I introduced myself. Dixon excused himself from the group and graciously spent time talking with me about his time on the series, acting in other shows, and becoming an in-demand director. He counted himself fortunate to have reached his goals, and I counted myself lucky in the unexpected meeting with a fine human being.
in 1978 in a bar on dort highway in flint michigan ..i drank with bob crane. he and another guy and myself and a friend. great guy really. excellent drummer too...which many people don't know. sadly and just a few short days after that crane was murdered. i was 30 years old.
Thank You cheers from Pennsylvania 👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I first seen Ivan Dixon on an old black and white episode of Perry Mason. Wow he was so young in that episode. My First Cousin Once Removed, was the guy who played. Lt. Andy Anderson on many of the later episodes of Perry Mason. In case you are interested the relationship to me would be easier to understand if I simply say, he is my Mother's Cousin.
@@Colhogan06 Ivan Dixon also had a starring role on THE TWILIGHT ZONE in an episode called "The Big Tall Wish". He was a boxer who received "the big tall wish" from the young son of a neighbor.
@@donwelch6612 Where were you on the night of...?🕴🙂
I’m 63yo and white and I remember hearing that opening drum tattoo with glee knowing what was coming was going to be good clean fun, I never thought “it’s cool they put a black guy on the show” I remember liking The character of Kinchlow and I remember thinking he was one of the smarter characters right up there with Hogan himself.
...true and below rank of Carter but still a better trusted leader. My dad went to wapato high school (WA) and his classmate was L. Hovis's nephew.....Named Hovis! And my dad's doctor Town Doc) was Dan Doornick's DAD played for seattle seahawks. And My foot ball coach was T-Moore (Prosser) dad of Kellen dallas cowbows!
Yes, Sgt Kintchloe was known to be 2nd in command! I didn't care for Sgt Baker he was boring 😴 and he didn't have what Sgt Kintchloe had
No
Disregard the no in the previous reply. I meant to say that I too always looked at kinchloe as second in command.
I was very young when the show aired originally. I grew up in a small rural area of Kentucky. There were only white people in that small town, and I was too young to understand the racial problems of the time. Sgt. Kinchloe was the only black actor I remember watching during that time. My grandfather was a veteran of WW2 and never missed Hogan's Heroes. Sgt. Kinchloe became my favorite character on the show. I enlisted in the USAF, and when I worked communications I thought of the show and Sgt. Kinchloe. I still watch the show everyday as I own the entire series on DVD. Thank you Ivan Dixon. You made a big difference to so many of us.
Same for me but a few decades later. Not sure where you were but I grew up in Todd County. Our homecoming queen was a black girl and it was pretty mixed back then but when I was in school you still had the different races stick to their own groups. Now when I go back and see kids walking down the street the groups seem more integrated.
@@tofu6465 Muhlenberg Co. north part of the county near Bremen. There were more of racial mixture in the south area near Drakesboro.
If he wasn't feeling fulfilled, I think it was the right move for him. As much as we all loved him, he had to do what made him happy.
Kinchloe was my favorite character in the show, when I first saw season 6 I was so sad that he left the show. But I'm glad that he went on to become a director.
Kinch was always so smooth and cool...
I liked Kinch. Cool dude.
Sgt Kintchloe was one of my favorite characters!
@@mikeedwards2621 He was the one hero whom Col. Hogan didn't snark at. In the episode "Is General Hammerschlag Burning?" Kinch snarks at Hogan, and I love every minute of it.
I think Mr. Dixon made the right decision as he directed many great television episodes and his talents received the recognition he so deserved. Never settle if you don’t have to. Great video Rick!
I wish he had stayed for the last season, but I understand his decision. We all must remember we saw him in one way only, and that's just a small part of who he was.
On Judy Norton's RUclips channel( she portrayed MaryEllen on The Waltons) she mentioned what a good director Ivan Dixon was on her show.
I just saw one of the Rockford Files, I noticed his name! Season 3 I think, anyway a lot of different camera angles and pace.
@@daveb5540 They didn't know the 6th season would be their last (He may have stayed if he knew, but he made the right decision). A lot of shows were abruptly canceled around the same time.
“Kinch” was great as the straight man, I especially liked his interaction with Schultz. Hogan’s Heroes was one of my favorites of that day.
Really liked Ivan Dixon's role and didn't think the final season was as good without him.
I agree
Some good episodes in the last season. I think Kenneth did a decent job of filling in. But, Ivan was the man!
Although John Banner (Sergeant Schultz) was my favorite, the show was not the same when Mr. Dixon left. He actually played a very important role. You can't have comedy without the straight guy. Look at Martin and Lewis, Abbott and Costello, etc... I always considered him as one of the most important characters on the show. I wish that he had finished out the show, but I'm happy that he had a successful career afterwards.
He was lamenting the lack of comedic bits, but I think he did not quite understand the importance of a straight man in comedy. Nor was he considering that he was being presented as the smartest of them (except for Hogan himself), and was the second in command. It was a groundbreaking role to have back then.
@@rmhartman It brings to mind Nichelle Nichols' meeting with MLK, who told her to stay on Star Trek. An important role at the time. Too bad (for us as viewers) that Ivan Dixon didn't have such a meeting. He was the Barney Miller of HH. Yes, you need the straight man, and yes, he was great on the show.
He did have several comic scenes scattered throughout the series, though. They were just few and far between, but he did a fine job with them.
Mr. Dixon was my Grandfather's roommate at NCUU. He was a great talent and his role as Kinch was monumental as one of the first black lead roles in a sitcom in the 1960s. I understand why he left and if he hadn't he never would've went on to direct so many classic tv shows including Magnum and Rockford Files. He was also great on the first episode of I Spy. R. I. P. Legend.
How cool is that. I never knew that. I am glad that he was successful after HH.
@@jamesdellaneve9005 oh yeah man with such talent there's no way he'd spend the rest of his life on the sidelines.
A lot of people do not realize how versatile an actor Ivan Dixon was. He had a memorable role as the minister in a doomed town in an episode of "The Twilight Zone". Late in his career, he played a judge in at least a couple of the "Perry Mason" made-for-TV movies.
I always thought of Ivan's role in HH's as being the 2nd in command after Hogan. Great vid again Rick!
I think you are correct. I remember reading an article about the show once, and it was mentioned if something happend to Hogan, Kinch was to take charge due to his communication importance to London.
I have no problem putting Kinch as second in command. Not much just because of his rank, but his personality too
@@ricknineg And that's really another breakthrough for this show--giving a Black man that rank and making him second in command was unusual for that era.
In one of the episodes - I forget which one - Hogan actually introduces Kinch to somebody as his second in command.
@@billiev.9719 Or he might have said Kinch was in charge of “Operations”, which meant second-in-command. Technically it is said that Carter outranked Kinch, so it said much that Hogan had designated Kinch as #2.
My favorite line of the series was one of Kinchloes.
Hogan: “a gestapo man came into camp and I wasn’t informed? Where was I?”
Kinch: (rather embarrassed) “listening to the World Series with the rest of us.”
I liked when the Russian lieutenant was shot down and the underground brought him to the tunnel, and while they were trying to prove that they were from the US, France, and Britain, Kinch just came right out and said "Do I look German to you?"
I always wondered back in the day what happened to Kinch. It's good that he left to further grow his acting career on his own terms. Not many can say that.
Kinch was replaced by Baker and Col. Klink didn't seem to notice. Yet no one escapes from Stalag 13
Transfers between Stalags were shown to happen in other episodes.
I loved Kinch as Ivan did a great job working with the material he was given. Years later when I saw him on the movie 'Car Wash' I couldn't believe it was him, his voice seemed raspy. Dixon was immensely talented and a huge success. RIP.
Yes, he was almost unrecognizable from his HH days by ‘Car Wash’. Reminds me a bit of the change in appearance of Pernell Robert’s from Bonanza to Trapper John MD.
@@neneshubby I never believed that Wayne Rogers grew up to be Pernell Roberts.
First, I loved his impersonation of Hitler (and a few German officers). Second, he probably had the second best part on the show. His character came across as intelligent, capable and competent, and he played it well.
I think they should’ve done a final 1 hour episode when the war ended. Like they did with MASH.
The Korean War never ended. They only have a ceasefire in place. There are still 30 thousand troops there.
@@jhooahwife Have discussed this at length at Little Oggie's channel (he has all the HH episodes there). A lot of us would have wanted a final "goodbye" episode but that wasn't the way they did things then. Tragic. Would have loved to see it myself.
@@jhooahwife Not really. It just changed into the Cold War. BTW, World War 1 didn't end either. We are still dealing with the results of it and Paris, 1919. As the military says "The last bullet of World War 1 hasn't been fired. It hasn't even been built yet".
@Michael Pezzullo Wow!! Thanks.
@@SSN515 So, that’s what they’re pushing now?
I just found your channel a couple of days ago. My housework is piling up because I'm binge watching your videos.
Oh no! I’m responsible for the backlog on work haha 😂
It’s worth it! 😁
@@ricknineg
To the cooler! Dismissed!
Dunt forget " nothing but a man" cuzZ 😎
Hey Rick, once again you hit it out of the park!! I was sorry to see Ivan Dixon leave Hogan's Heroes, I enjoyed his character but he was unhappy & did go on to experience other successes behind the camera!!! Thanks for sharing another fun video!! 👍🥴
Seeing a Black man being an integral part of the cast/mission was inspiring back in the 1960s!
Inspiring yes indeed. But sadly very unrealistic about the way he would have been treated by the Nazis & by his own countrymen. Guaranteed that he would not have been in a cushy POW camp with a buffoon for a commandant. A black GI would not have lasted long as a prisoner. This show was an abomination, when one considers what would have really happened to him.
I had concluded that Kinch was always 2nd in charge of the hero's. His duties and the orders he was given through out the series were those of a back up , go to, guy.
He rank was 2nd among the group to Hogan.
@@melainewhite6409 Wrong. Kinch was a staff sergeant, Carter was a Sergeant First class.
@@bloodybones63 Hogan repeatedly states that Kinch is in charges of operations. When he and LeBeau when on one of their trips to Paris, Hogan tells Kinch to "mind the store" while he's gone.
@@darkcloud1948 Well, you wouldn't leave a kook like Carter in charge, of course, but Carter was the superior noncom. He outranked Kinch.
@@bloodybones63 Carter was the demolishions expert. While he technically outrankend Kinch, no officer in his right mind would wouldn't let the demo guy be in change of the entire operation.
He directed some episodes of the Rockford files and he had a role as Lonnie in the movie car wash from 1976
In my opinion, When Ivan Dixon left the show, it killed it. Not just with Hogan's Heroes, with any hit show, when a leading character leaves a show unexpectedly, it is a death-blow.
Except Three's Company! I liked Teri better than Chrissy
@@lazyhomebody1356 But Susan Somers quit with notice didn't she? Like on MASH, lots of main characters came and went, but there was notice behind the scenes for a Smooth character transition.
@@rickdixon4662 Oh! Agree
It was a shame he wasn't given as much air time on the show. I liked his character a lot! He did have a successful career as director though.
Such a nice man, Ivan Dixon. I had the very fortunate opportunity to meet him in 1986 on a movie set filmed in London, Ontario. I was an extra playing a security guard on the TV movie “Amerika’ and chatted with Ivan for a few minutes between takes on the steps of Victoria Hospital (Westminster campus) and I asked him what it was like being on the set of Hogan’s Heroes. He said he had a wonderful time on that show and that it was a great cast. He told me that Werner Klemperer’s father was in WWII on the German side and that Werner’s father loved the show and how the show mocked the Nazis. He also told me how much he enjoyed directing tv shows. I told him I recalled seeing his name as a director once on Starsky and Hutch. He had fond memories of that show too. It was such a pleasure talking to Ivan and he was very easy and pleasant to talk to. He always had a look in his eyes like he was thinking of the next important thing beyond where he was at currently. A remarkable and intelligent gentleman. Thanks for the chat Ivan!
Did he mention anything about the movie Nothing But A Man? It was partially filmed in my little home town o Estell Manor, NJ in the early 60s.
@@rmadara Sorry Ron. No mention of it.
I did not know about Ivan Dixon’s success as a director. Thanks for the info.
He was also great in the movie- Patch of Blue-in 1965 with Sidney Poitier..
Being 1/2 Irish and the other 1/2 German, I was caught in the middle! My Irish father loved it, and my German Mother and her family absolutely hated it. Dad and I never missed an episode but my German Grandfather would yell at us about them making fun of the Germans. It also didn't help that in our area, it was slotted against Lawrence Welk. In a one TV house (remember those) this presented an interesting conflict every week! It was a battle royal every Saturday Night....!!!!
His character was fantastic, and he played him perfectly. You gotta do what’s right for you.
Ivan Dixon actually appeared in several episodes of other TV shows before Hogan’s Heroes”. . He did a very memorable part in the Twilight Zone episode called “The Big Tall Wish”. He was a very talented actor and he could’ve stayed one more year in Hogan’s Heroes because it only lasted until April 1971 and a paycheck is a paycheck but he decided he wanted to do other things.
Well said and well put.
He took a chance on himself and won! 👍
@Lora My, how 'shallow' you insinuate Ivan Dixon to be. He DREAMED of being a director and was directing episodic TV right away, the summer he left "Hogan" through the early '90s. Nearly a quarter of a century. As a few others commenting have informed us, Dixon then moved to Hawaii where he owned a radio station. And professed to love the experience and living in 'the Aloha State.'
"Lara," suggest you take a look at his IMDB page (which I did before answering your rather simplistic comment) -- Ivan achieved 47 directing credits and had 51 acting credits (where his 142 "Hogan" episodes count as one), the majority of the latter accumulated before his successful switch to director.
Whether viewers remember Dixon, or Dixon as Sgt. Kinchloe -- which might be considered by him 'kinda sweet' or 'a kick' -- is no doubt the furthest thing from his mind when he's fully aware of all the filmed entertainment and joy he brought to audiences by directing diverse, popular shows AND all the respect he earned and influence he had directing many big series stars, guest cast and countless supporting players PLUS commanding about a hundred crew members on the sets of each and every directing assignment. All those episodes of "The Rockford Files," "The Waltons," "Magnum, p.i.," "Bret Maverick," et al. have entertained for decades -- and will continue to do so for generations to come.
In summary and in closing: "Chris Jas" is on the money with her / his comment, "He took a chance on himself and won!"
It's a pity the talent of Mr. Dixon was so... Under used. His later success proves how versatile the man was. Thank you Ivan Dixon for so many enjoyable moments you've given us both on and off HH
I think he was an intrical part of the show, much like Greg Morris on Mission Impossible! These two black men played it straight, but they DIDN'T play the fool! I think he left at just the right time Rick! He stayed long enough to make a name for himself, and it was time to broaden his horizons!!📺🎬🇺🇸
Barney was my favorite MI character. I remember him defusing bombs and being totally convincing as afraid the thing’s gonna blow up in his face but also being an ice cold pro bomb guy. No dialogue. All Greg Morris’ facial expressions, body language and apparent concentration. Gail Fischer was also a pioneer of black actors getting more challenging, non-stereotype parts. She wasn’t just Mannix’s secretary, they were a team. No Mannix w/o Peggy.
@@brinsonharris9816 👌
I bought the complete DVDF Series and watched it like 4 times. I loved Kinch's role and I agree that his character role was 2nd in command due to his leadership. Great series that is a classic even if you are not a fan of WW2 films.
I absolutely missed Kinch is season 6. I enjoyed all of the Heroes and felt that Kinch was so smart, cool, and added to the group
Poor Kinch rarely got to leave the barracks. Hogan and everyone else got to go into town, and even to Paris once in awhile.
A funny scene was as the heroes were on a night mission and darkening their faces, Kinch was offered some of the dark camouflage. Kinch was like, really? It was done in good fun and tastefully.
I think it wasn't an easy choice for Dixon to leave the show. The writers should have done more with his character. The few times when plots were centered around Kinch, Dixon did an excellent job.
Considering the time period when the show was set, Kinch was treated very well by those around him, even the Germans. Kinch was definitely an asset to the Heroes. Hogan knew that no matter what he asked of Kinch, the job would be done.
It was true he didn't get nearly as much comedy as the rest of the cast, but when he did do funny things he was FUNNY!! Also nice to see the glamorous Barbara Mcnair brought on as a guest star to interact with Kinch! Sadly it seems that Kenneth Washington is the "overlooked" cast member! He and Robert Clary are still alive as of now they are the only surviving main cast members!
Very well said!
There was an episode when he operated a remote control that hit the fence knocking Klink into Burkhalter and knocking Byrkhalter him the car. Another time he turned the water on while Gestapo mwn were sesrching for a tunnel dreanching them. HILARIOUS!!!
He starred in a terrific episode of The Twilight Zone, the only episode of it's 5 year run with an all black cast. Another trailblazing moment for Ivan.
Ivan Dixon was a great actor and was in the film “Car Wash”.
Really??? Now I got to go back and watch it again and find him.
Great role!
Nobody seems to remember him in Nothing But A Man.....partially filmed in Estell Manor, NJ :)
@@keithdaniels5918 He played Lonnie in Car Wash. He was the older guy that tried to calm down the young guy that was going to"get"the owner of the car wash.
@@kenangerstein3561 thanks Ken !!
If he knew that there was only going to be one more season, he should have stayed. He may not of known.
Yes, no one knew about the cancellation until the last minute
I always thought it was the last season BECAUSE he left.
He didn't know it was the last season. His departure caused it to be the last season because the ratings tanked after he left. His leaving was Hogan's Heroes' "jumping the shark" moment...especially in the way the producers just replaced him with an almost identical character hoping that nobody would notice.
Dixon even directed some of the Airwolf episodes in the first season of Airwolf that were among the best...
The only problem I had was that there was no explanation as to where Kinchloe went. It was a prison camp. It's not like you can just walk out the door. Was he released, swapped or did he escape?
Klink : there have been no successful escapes from Stalag 13 " lol
Haha
Losing him showed how integral he had been to the show.
If HH wasn't giving Ivan Dixon the exposure, experience he needed and deserved, then moving on was the best thing for him.
I think that when Bing Crosby Productions ended their support for the show and a new company called Hogan's Horde took over, some management changes were made. I sense Ivan Dixon did not like where it was going and chose to exit.
Sad the writers didn't just write more comedy into the show to keep him. He definitely played a great character in the show and I liked the parts where his comedy acting was featured.
Dixon was given a more dignified character because the writers were trying to be respectful and progressive. The "Black Power" movement was underway and would have complained if he was silly or dumb. You have to understand the times.
It’s a double edged sword, if the character was written to be silly and funny then you’d have a JJ on Good Times situation.
Yeah, because of that, I found him very un-interesting, even though back then, a black audience was happy with any black face they saw on TV. Even if they had him playing it straight, they might have did more with this character
I really hated it when he left it wasn't the same
The show was actually still strong in season 6 so it didn't destroy the show but his absence was still felt and I do prefer him to the guy they replaced him with.
That's why Larry Linvell left MASH
Frank Burns was the only character that wasn't growing and changing
Bullshit. Larry Linville himself stated that if his character would have grown, he'd have been just like everyone else on the show. The fact that he remained unchanging is what made Frank Burns precisely what he was - a little weasel. Linville did NOT leave the show because of that. Do some research, dude.
My favorite bit Kinch was ever involved with ... the Heroes were getting ready to do one of those night missions, and they're passing around the shoe polish or whatever the black stuff they'd smear on their faces was, and after Carter's done with it, he passes it to Kinch, who just gives him this LOOK.
I always enjoyed watching "Kinch" on "HH". Before HH, Ivan Dixon appeared in a 1963 "Perry Mason" episode, "The Case of the Nebulous Nephew". Whatever his character, it was always a completely believable and natural portrayal. A very good actor!
He was superb in the Twilight Zone episode "The Big Tall Wish", in which he played a washed-up boxer. It's a brilliant, sensitive acting job from him.
The one line that I loved was when they were trying to get the Russian pilot to calm down and trust them all, Ivan says, “Do I look German to you?”! That line caught me off guard because he rarely was given funny lines. As much as I missed him on the show, I understood why he left.
My basic training platoon was called " Hogards Heroes" in honor of our drill sergeant Hogard and Hogan's heroes
The real reason he left the show may have been his racism. If you notice, thoughout the show's run, he refused to call his superior officer, Hogen, sir, as an enlisted man is required to do. He would always end his replys to Hogan with "Right, OK, If you say so, or just Colonel." They let him get away with the disrespect, despite making the other actors play by the rules.
Love the series ever since I was a kid watching it when it came out. Watch a couple of episodes every night before bed. All the characters were great I didn’t think he was under used. There’s definitely no way a show like this could be made in today’s social Justice toxic Hollywood environment.
I think Ivan did the right thing by leaving, for the reasons you cite. He only "missed" one season before the show was cancelled but he opened the door to so many other roles. He has a solid acting background and I think this kept him from being type cast. Also, I didnt realize how many shows he directed - he may have missed this opportunity to branch out if he stayed.
Staying for the sixth season wouldn’t have killed Ivan Dixon’s career. It would’ve been other opportunities!
I wish he remained. But he has to do what he thinks is best for himself and his family. He has a place in television history.
Rick, don't know how it was done in WW2, but in the 80's, radio transmission encryption was done with a code book that was supposed to be replaced monthly. A friend who was a 25 year old Captain, like me, was being fast tracked. He was placed in charge of radio security in Berlin (Cold War going on). He found that the code books had not been replaced in five years. He then went directly to a general and threw a full bird colonel under the bus for this lapse in security. A week later he was called into the general's office. The colonel and general were there. My friend was then told that he had reached "terminal rank" (would never be promoted again) and that the colonel he threw under the bus was the general's best friend. Oops.
Very interesting stuff! I love learning from you guys because I wanna fill myself with as much knowledge as possible.
He did the right thing! He should have gone higher up and reported them BOTH
@@lazyhomebody1356 Umm, yeah, good luck with that. At that point, he would not have been told he'd reached "terminal rank", he would've just been designated TERMINAL, never to draw another breath!
@@jasonrodgers9063 Yeah. I keep forgetting people suck,lol
2:00 It's something to think that Kenneth Washington and Robert Clary are the only surviving cast members of the entire show.
@@stratmaster5 i didnt like ken washington kinch i loved. washington was just dry.
Ken Washinton played a minor role as a police officer in Adam-12. He was a solid actor!
@@johnc7329 what your a protestor....lloll....he was shitty actor plain and simple,...
Ivan was in t.v. years before Hogan's Heroes. He was in the only two part episode of The Outer Limits. It was called, "The Inheritors" and there were at least 3 other Hogan's cast members in just that episode although, at least 4 others (Rich Dawson, Howard Caine, Arlene Martel and Marianna Hill) were in other episodes of The Outer Limits. Walter Burke, who was in at least one Hogan's episode, was in at least 2 Outer Limits episodes.
In The Inheritors, along with Ivan, there was also Leon Askin, Jim Frawley (who appeared in one early episode of Hogan's) and Steve Ihnat (who was also in just one episode). Ivan was also in at least one "Mission: Impossible" episode, I THINK he was also in an "I Spy" show.
Greatest line said to Klinch YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT GERMAN?
One can’t not laugh at that line 😝
Bob Crane pretty much played a straight man role, too.
In several ways Kinch was Hogan's unofficial Second-in-command. He did have funny moments- in one episode as KInch KO's a Nazi driver he says, in a bad cockney accent "A little present from the British Commandos!" Newkirk responds, in a REAL cockney accent, "I'll handle the English accents, if you don't mind!"
Ivan Dixon was great on Hogan’s Heroes and many other projects. He was also in the great film “Car Wash”.
Shame he had to leave because I liked the fact that not only was he the radio guy but he was also the go to tech guy…. He was also funny. On one episode he had to impersonate a German officer, even wore a monocle even though he was on the phone! The only other role I remember him playing was in the movie ‘Car wash’…..
I'm so glad to learn of his success as a Director.
I look at Ivan's leaving Hogan's Heroes much like when Pernell Roberts left Bonanza. I think Ivan should have stayed on to the end of the series. In my opinion his staying with the show would have looked better for his future career.
Kinch-“There’s a place for everything, and the thing is in it’s place”.
He had a very solid role in a twilight zone episode “The big tall wish”
He had another TZ role where he as a holy man, at the end of the world being swallowed by darkness.
@@heedmywarning2792 ..."I am the night- color me black"?
In that TZ episode, Terry Becker (Voyage to the bottom of the sea) played the villain.
I'll have to look up THAT one-!!
@@daleburrell6273 yes, and 'Goober' George Lindsey was a piece of work too.
@@heedmywarning2792 ...YOU BETCHER LIFESAVERS-!!!
I loaned his character on the show period as a child I had a stutter and a thick southern drawl. I was trying to find my voice with the help of a teacher she said watch as much television as you can and you will hear different voices, pick one that you like. I was more or less a myna bird. Sammy Davis Jr Godfrey Cambridge, Rich Little, Frank Gorshen.
But, Ivan Dixon I got to see every week. He would vocal impressions of
Maj. Hochstetter,
Gen. Burkholter, other Germans or British Intel. I did impressions all of the time. My parents and other adults knew who I was doing and that's all that mattered. I finally lost the stutter and the drawl, but found my voice at 12. Went on to do local theatre, radio, voiceovers, instructional audio work and eventually got into education. Thank you,
Sgt James Kinchloe.
I feel like Kinchloe was way more charismatic than Baker and it was good to have a less silly/stereotypical character to balance things out. Whenever the show did give him a funny line, Ivan Dixon made the most of it. His absence was a loss to the last season. That being said, I don't blame Dixon for getting bored with the role at all and leaving was certainly his right.
The only episode where he was recognized as black was the boxing episode. General Burkhalter identified him as black and compared him to Jesse Owens. The writers gave Ivan Dixon several episodes. Highlighting him as the African King was another Kinch episode. He should’ve stuck it out through the run.
Interestingly, I first found out about the famed Tuskegee Airmen while watching "Hogan's Heroes" as a boy around eight years old.
A family friend who served in the Army Air Corps noted that the military was segregated in WW2, and that meant that Sgts. Kinchloe and Baker had to have been assigned to the 332nd - an all Black Fighter Group, who famously flew planes with red painted tails. But most fighter pilots were commissioned officers, so he wasn't entirely sure. Watching this reminded me of that day, and so I did a bit more digging:
According to the "Hogan's Heroes Wiki," "On June 8, 1942, (Sgt. Kinchloe was) shot down during an American air raid over Germany and was captured; eventually placed at Stalag 13, where he joined Colonel Hogan's Anti-Nazi organization. In due course, Sgt. Kinchloe was put in charge of operations, as well as being made the group's radio operator and electronic expert, and at some point became Hogan's aide-de-camp and Chief of Staff."
To the best of my knowledge - it was never brought up in the series - as part of a bomber crew, Sgt. Kinchloe would have been assigned (by default in the then-segregated service) to the 477th Medium Bombardment Group, which trained to fly B-25's. Though the 477th Medium Bombardment Group did not see actual deployment in the real world; in the "Hoganverse," it must have been active.
Though less is known about Sgt. Kinchloe's replacement - Staff Sergeant Richard Baker - he was also most likely part of the 477th Medium Bombardment Group in the "Hoganverse" as well.
Thanks for posting this for us!
My Like is in the 5.1Ks
Mr. Dixon was marvelous in two Twilight Zone episodes, first as a struggling boxer , then as a preacher , when the sun doesn't rise after an innocent man is hanged.
Yes that was a good episode.
Ivan Dixon also co-starred in a film with one of my favorite actresses of the golden age of film - Dorothy Dandridge. I believe it was called ‘The Murder Men’ (aka Blues of a Junkman). This was the early 60’s. Dorothy Dandridge was the first African-American woman to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. She was up against Judy Garland, Grace Kelly, Jane Wyman, and Audrey Hepburn. With a list like that she had an uphill battle.
Watched every week as a kid and over and over in reruns..and never knew Kinch's first name was James.. Robert Hogan,Andrew Carter, Peter Newkirk, Louis Lebeau..Hans Shultz.. Wilhelm Klink
You forgot Wolfgang Burkhalter
@@OdinHammersmith
Wolfgang Hochstetter,
Albert Burkhalter
@@Mikey300 Dude your right. I totally botched that one. Hochstetter was the best. Always made me laugh the loudest.
@@OdinHammersmith Wolfgang? I thought his sister Gertrude called him Albert?
@@OdinHammersmith
“I vill surround zis camp vith a RING OF STEEL”
“Vat iss zis man doing here???”
“BAH!!!”
Rest In Peace, Howard Caine (born Howard Cohen).
It's unsurprising Dixon left. He was a fantastic actor. If you get a chance, check out his acting in the film "Nothing But a Man." It's a heart-wrenching portrayal of life in black America before and during the Civil Rights movement...and he made it in 1964, BEFORE "Hogan's Heroes." After making such a great dramatic movie, it's no wonder he felt he was wasted on "Hogan."
As for Kenneth Washington/Sgt. Baker...given Dixon left, this is one case where I would've preferred if they'd just called Washington "Kinchloe" -- recasting the role, rather than creating a new "character" who did the same stuff as the old one. Having this new guy around, with no mention of where Kinch went or why that didn't ruin Stalag 13's perfect record, was really jarring.
I always liked Kinch. Looking back now the part was respected and a proved to be a good role model.
A lot of people don't remember Ivan Dixon was one of the main cast members in the movie Car Wash He played the character Lonnie the no nonsense car wash employee He didn't have any comedic lines in the entire movie He played the straight man just like he did in Hogan's Heroes but he did an outstanding job in Car Wash
Kinch was my favorite character and even as a child I felt he wasn't used enough all the memories I have of him were tappiing out morse code eavesdropping on Klink and a few commando missions in the woods a good actor who turned out to be a better director.
I agree that Ivan should have had more exposure. He played a terrific lead role as a boxer on The Twilight Zone a number of years earlier.
That was a great episode
Many people forget that Kinchloe was the 2nd in command.
Dixon was the best actor overall in the cast. IMHO
Ivan Dixon was a beloved character, because he loved his country, and it showed, and he was a fine actor as well.
He never played the "victim" (because I'm black) crap.
When his team screwed up, causing our side a set-back, he laid into them, as any good Sargent would do.
Robert Clary and Kenneth Washington are the last surviving members of the main cast.
If they are available, and their health allows, it would be great to hear them in a interview.
Also, there were several extras in the show, that were regulars. Yet they never (with one or two exceptions) had a speaking role.
Also, those extras never appeared in the credits.
Who were those extras? What were their names?
They should not go down in TV history as "anonymous".
Also, is there a master tape of the theme song?
The sound quality of what gets broadcast sounds like a 1972, kitchen counter-top AM radio.
A real band was playing real instruments. I would hope that there is a recording that sounds like real people in a real band were playing.
Who would have that master tape? Will the public ever be treated to hearing the theme song sound like real music?
(and I believe that Bob Crane was on the drums for the theme song)
He was also a guest on Have Gun Will Travel with Richard Boone
Ivan Dixon's character was my favorite on this show.
No one could replace Kinchloe!
It wasn't at all the same without him.
...... ...I found out in 2020 that he still holds a lot of resentment and racism toward whites because of the problems he'd had in this time period, and it SO SEVERELY bums me out that he doesn't know that he was such a grounding, vital force on the team and he was always one of my favorites. Growing up when I learned about racism I was proud to have grown up watching him be in Hogans Heroes and to have already known that there was no difference between him and the others. His childhood was tough, but him in this role freed people like me from ever having any racial misconceptions. I found out that he'd written and directed other movies in his time in Hollywood and was excited to check them out, but it still breaks my heart that one of my heroes has so much resentment against the time that gave him as a hero to me in the first place.
I wish he'd finished out the show with the cast. I get it, but it was never the same, and anytime I see Baker it's just a reminder that Kinch is gone
I haven't watched hogans heroes Rick I need to check this show out thanks for sharing all the info rick about the show in learning I'm gonna have to check this out man great video rick thanks for sharing buddy👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
You got it Cade!
Thanks man
Thanks for the info, didn't know why he had left.👍👍👍👍👍❤🇺🇸
Ivan Dixon was a high quality actor who was over qualified for the role Kinchloe. I love the character, he was essentially second in command after Hogan. However, him as Kimchloe was the equivalent of having Sir Laurence Olivier play Newkirk.
This was great. I do really like Kinchloe and I was disappointed that he left and also wish that he would have been given more story lines or more dialogue. I love the episode where he was boxing Battling Bruno and knocked him out while sparring...lol
I fully understand and respect why he departed the show. His character was definitely missed, hands down one of the best ones of the series.
As I do when I take off my hat, you make a good point !!
If he felt like leaving, it’s ok, but as a black kid watching it in syndication, he was very important to me. I felt bad that he couldn’t go on the missions with them, but understood why. His character was definitely under the other guys, but they never really made fun of him or made him the but of jokes or anything. He had dignity, and it meant the world to me. On another note, this isn’t the channel I usually hear this voice in, is it?
As John Cleese said “A mans got to do what a mans got to do”!
Dixon's role was monumental for sure...not just for co starring as a black man in a predominantly white cast, Kinch was not only Hogan's right hand man but also the highly intelligent voice of reason who would often tell Hogan when he felt Hogan might be going too far.