Robert Clary is best known for his portrayal of the spirited Corporal Louis Lebeau on the popular television series Hogan's Heroes (on the air from 1965 to 1971 and widely syndicated around the globe). But it is Clary's experiences as a Jew during the Holocaust that infuse his compelling memoir with an honest recognition of life's often horrific reality, a recognition that counters his glittering five-decade career as an actor, singer, and artist and distinguishes this book from those by other entertainers.

This fun and informative book takes fans of "Hogan's Heroes", the classic 1960s sitcom, behind the scenes to reveal the details of the show's creation, the controversy surrounding its unlikely premise, interviews with the stars and crew, a detailed guide to each of the 168 episodes, and much more. 25 photos.

Since his untimely death on June 29, 1978, Bob Crane's unofficial biography has become akin to a broken record. Like a skip in the acetate, his murder and the scandal that grew from it have been the repeated focus of attention, to the exclusion of nearly everything else. Over time, the line between fact and fiction blurred, and his life story became distorted. All perspective on Bob Crane as a human being was lost, and he became nothing more than a two-dimensional cartoon character without depth, dimension, or definition.Now, nearly two hundred people who knew the Hogan's Heroes star personally and better than most--family; friends as far back as elementary school; colleagues in radio, television, theatre, and film; and the man who was helping him battle and overcome his addiction, Reverend Edward Beck--have spoken out on Bob Crane's behalf, and in many instances, for the first time. Within the pages of this book, they share their memories and thoughts about a man whom they knew as an exceptional and talented musician, a genius in radio, a sharp-witted comedian, a gifted actor and director, a man driven to success, a doting and loving father, a loyal friend, and a kind and gentle spirit with a sunny personality--a man who, while not perfect, was vastly different from how he has been presented over the decades.Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography balances the scales and sets the record straight, providing a full and complete history of Bob Crane, clarifying who he really was--and maybe just as importantly, who he was not.

The stirring memoir of the courage and strength of Beth Jacob students and the acts of kindness and heroism they performed even while caught between the jaws of the Nazi monster. In the ghettos and in the concentration camps, the fire of Torah and faith burned strong and clear in the hearts of these young martyrs and survivors.

For many years, most people, including my sister and myself, were unaware that our mother's escape from Paris, France was necessitated by her being Jewish. Until the latter part of his career, most fans were unaware that Robert Clary was a Holocaust survivor who had spent 31 months in concentration camps. As Jews in Paris in the early 1940s, my family endured the entire spectrum of experiences resulting from Nazi occupation. Some members hid in their home towns without ever being arrested. Some were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Fortunately for her, my mother managed to escape and join the French Resistance in order to do her part to remove the menace to her normal existence. My Uncle Robert was not as lucky, but survived 31 months in 4 different concentration camps. Their biographies, "One of the Lucky Ones" and "From the Holocaust to Hogan's Heroes" give detailed accounts of their wartime experiences. Their survival took great courage and luck combined with a dash of talent in order to survive. Their greatest legacy, however, is not only learned by reading or hearing of their wartime experiences, but also by understanding how they refused to let their experiences keep them from living full, satisfying lives. In addition to enjoying life after the war, they both used their survival to help others make the most of their lives. "Talent Luck Courage" highlights their stories and explains how these two courageous individuals influenced my sister and me, the second generation of Holocaust survivors, to seek adventures of our own.

A fascinating 2005 study of the place of alternate histories of Nazism within Western popular culture.

Laughter After will appeal to a number of audiences—from students and scholars of Jewish and Holocaust studies to academics and general readers with an interest in media and performance studies.