Robert Edward Crane was born in Waterbury, Connecticut on July 13th, 1928. In his early teens, he was demonstrating musical talent and had set his sights on becoming a drummer, fantasizing about becoming the next Buddy Rich. At age sixteen, he began drumming for the Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, but was let go after two years for "clowning around during a Bach fugue."

He married his high school sweetheart, Anne Terzian, in 1949. They would eventually have three children: Robert David, Deborah Ann, and Karen Leslie.

Crane began his career in radio-in WLEA in Hornell, New York, WBIS in Briston, Connecticut, WICC in Bridgeport, and Boston's WEEI. His success in the east led to an offer for him to move in 1956 to Los Angeles and host the morning show at KNX. There he became known as "The King of the Los Angeles Airwaves." His show filled the broadcast booth with sly wit, drums, and often, movie stars. His show was the number-one rated morning show in LA and stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, were guests.

But Crane had a higher ambition, and pursued acting opportunities. He subbed for Johnny Carson on "Who Do You Trust?" (and turned down the chance to be Carson's replacement), and acted on shows like "The Twilight Zone," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," and "General Electric Theater." When Carl Reiner guested on the KNX show, Crane persuaded him to book him on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in 1961. This was where Donna Reed saw him and cast him in the recurring role as neighbor Dr. Dave Kelsey (1963-1965). He also acted small roles in the dramatic films "Return to Peyton Place" and "Man-Trap."

In 1965, Crane was offered the starring role in a television comedy pilot about Allied prisoners in a German P.O.W. camp, "Hogan's Heroes." The character of the wisecracking Colonel Robert Hogan fit Crane like a glove, and the show, which had the rebellious spirit of "Stalag 17" and "The Great Escape," became a hit, finishing in the top ten during the 1965-66 season. The basic concept was that Hogan and his team led the Nazis (well played by Werner Klemperer and John Banner) to believe that the camp was escape-proof so that they could continue their secret activities. There was some controversy at the beginning as to whether this kind of material was appropriate for a sitcom, but that soon passed. "Hogan's Heroes" went on for six seasons, and Crane was nominated for an Emmy twice, in 1966 and 1967. During this time, Crane met Patricia Olsen, who played Hilda on "Hogan's Heroes," under the stage name, Sigrid Valdis. Crane divorced his wife of twenty years, and married Patricia on the set of the show in 1970. They had a son, Scotty, the following year.

After "Hogan's Heroes" was cancelled in 1971, Crane continued to act, appearing in two Disney films, "Superdad" (1974) and "Gus" (1976), and had numerous guest spots on TV shows like "Police Woman," "Ellery Queen," "Quincy," and "The Love Boat." He had his own TV show "The Bob Crane Show" in 1975, but it was cancelled by NBC after three months.

In 1973, Crane bought the rights to the play "Beginner's Luck." He directed and starred in the play and toured dinner theatres in California, Texas, Hawaii and Arizona. It was in Scottsdale, Arizona, that the unthinkable happened. In the early morning of June 29, 1978, Crane was murdered in his rented apartment/hotel room. He was beaten to death with a blunt instrument while he slept and strangled with an electric cord. He was 49 years old.

During the murder inquiry, it became clear that Crane was a man of unusual habits, to say the least. The room was filled with photographic and video equipment, which documented the countless women that Crane had slept with during his travels. Crane kept elaborate notebooks of the photos and also edited the videos, juxtaposing his home pornography with footage from sitcoms. As the police began interviewing women, some were aware that they were being filmed, but some were not.

The police focused their investigation on a friend of Crane's, John Carpenter, who often accompanied the actor on his sexual escapades. Hanging out with Crane gave him access to many of the women who were attracted to the celebrity. He also was the supplier of all of Crane's video equipment.

Carpenter maintained his innocence and the county attorney's office felt that there was insufficient evidence. In 1992, with a new County Attorney and new evidence discovered (a photograph of "tissue" on Carpenter's car door), Carpenter was finally arrested and later brought to Arizona for trial. But after all this time, much evidence (not very well preserved to begin with) had been lost. Carpenter was found innocent and died in 1998 at the age of 70.

Since then, the debate continues as to who was Crane's killer. To this day, there are many websites dedicated to daily discussion of the case. Some are convinced of Carpenter's guilt, and others have divergent theories as to possible suspects. But Crane's murder has never been solved, and the mystery continues, just as Bob Crane's face lingers on in re-runs of "Hogan's Heroes."


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