Excerpt from the Hogan's Heroes Fan Club Newsletter

Larry Hovis "Carter" Interview excerpt

Larry Hovis began his career as a singer in his hometown of Houston, Texas. He recorded a single for Capitol Records while still a teenager. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles in 1963, he landed his first regular television series role in Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. He was also a performer and writer on Laugh In for two seasons (1967-68, 1971-72). After Hogan's Heroes, he produced game shows, including Liar's Club, and performed in stage productions such as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Currently, Larry is teaching drama at Southwest Texas State University.

Q: In the pilot episode of Hogan's Heroes, you were not one of the regulars. How did it happen that you were cast permanently?

Larry Hovis: Well, it was just one of those things. In the pilot I was Lieutenant Carter, and I escaped. And then they showed the pilot to CBS, and CBS picked it up for a series, and Eddie Feldman, the producer, just decided to make me a regular. And he said, 'We'll just make you a sergeant instead of a lieutenant, because sergeants are more sympathetic.' And I said, 'What about the escape?' And he said, 'No one will care.'

Q: When you first heard the premise of the show -- a sitcom set in a POW camp -- what did you think?

LH: Well, I had to be sure that we were doing something tasteful. I didn't equate a POW camp with a concentration camp. Obviously I knew the difference. But I knew that the public might not be as ready for something like that, until they found out what we really were, and that we were not really making fun of the Holocaust or anything like that. It was really about the ingenuity of the American G.I. Hopefully, if anything, it makes war seem ridiculous. I know that's kind of a Pollyanna thing to say, but what else can you do with a 30 minute sitcom?

Q: What do you think about the fact that it's such a hit now in Germany?

LH: I'm really amazed! I'm amazed that people here still care. That always really surprises me. But I guess it's really an interesting comment on the German people that they can see what we were doing and laugh at that, and I just think it's amazing, and very nice.

BSR: Was it frustrating being one of a cast of seven regulars?

LH: Not at all! It was one of the luckiest things in the world. My goodness, when you really analyze my character, any competent actor could have done what I did. And the fact that Eddie said you're the guy that's going to get to do it for six years... I mean, who could have a complaint?

BSR: After Hogan's Heroes you did less acting, and more producing and writing. What prompted your shift in careers?

LH: My interests. The kind of acting I love to do. I'm from the theater. My whole background is stage. And I realized I was kind of this nebbish guy next door type. I was probably never going to get to do the kind of things dramatically that I really wanted to do. So I returned to theater from time to time, and to write, and produce. It's by no means sour grapes. At some point, you've got to realize, you're either a leading man or you're not.

Q: Are you still recognized as Carter?

LH: Gosh, occasionally. And that really does surprise me, because I've lost a lot of my hair! But yeah, sometimes people still do.

Q: Do you still get fan mail?

LH: Occasionally. It is amazing. How in the world people find me, I don't know. But it's very nice. It's terrific.

Last Modified : Fri 16 May 2008 6:25 AM