30 Days of Hogan's Heroes - Day 3

[belphegor1982]

Day 3 – Favourite supporting character, male?

Colonel (Group Captain, really – proper RAF rank) Rodney Crittendon.

First time I saw an episode with him, he really rubbed me the wrong way – I like an upper-class twit caricature any day, but his sort of absolute obliviousness and wrong genre savvy just... grated. And then he appeared in six more episodes (seven if you count “Lady Chitterly’s Lover” as two separate parts) and slowly grew on me. Yes, he’s a bit of an idiot, has a tendency to bungle the simplest missions (for a given value of “simple” – this is Hogan’s Heroes, after all) and do and say exactly the wrong things... But he’s also shown to care about his men, feel very guilty and self-deprecating when they’re captured (which was at least partially his fault), and be well-meaning and kind-hearted.

Crittendon: (...) the look I saw on the faces of my command, I’ll remember until my dying day. I failed them, Hogan. I failed them.
Hogan (sighs): You, uh... You saved the lives of your men, Colonel.
Crittendon: I’d rather you didn’t call me that. I’m a disgrace to this uniform. A vital mission has been ruined because I... I had to do things my way. (“Crittendon’s Commandos”)

And he actually does pretty well in “Lady Chitterly’s Lover” – has a substantial part in saving the day, as a matter of fact.

Despite the film being set in 1926, Bernard Fox’s character Winston Havelock in The Mummy is so reminiscent of Crittendon (probably intentionally, since Steve Sommers mentions Hogan’s Heroes in his commentary) that I just can’t keep a stiff upper lip when I watch it now. I can just imagine Winston as an uncle of Crittendon’s...

Of course, Sgt. Moffitt’s great fanfiction The Crittendon Chronicles also has a lot to do with my soft spot for the man. He is a nincompoop, but an endearing one :o)

Comments

[ivybramble.livejournal.com]

I've always thought that was the mark of a truly great character - someone who actually manages to to grow on you whether you liked the character initially or not.

Also...poor, poor Winston! *sniffs*

[belphegor1982.livejournal.com]

Yes :o) Just like in real life, someone can make a bad (or just not so good) impression on you and then proceed to worm their way into your heart. Now it's got to a point where I find it hard to believe I really didn't like him at first.

And oh my word... poor Winston indeed. I used to get sad at this point every time I saw the film, and it's worse now. It's such a sombre, solemn moment when the plane goes down :'/

[ivybramble.livejournal.com]

I freely admit that is the only part of 'The Mummy' duology that always makes me teary.

[belphegor1982.livejournal.com]

You don't include the third instalment in "The Mummy" either, huh? For me it's "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns", full stop. The third was a nice enough action/adventure flick, but largely forgettable and not part of my headcanon/continuity.

[ivybramble.livejournal.com]

There weren't any mummies *in* it. Therefore it doesn't count. (Returning cast members be damned!)