Editing Bob Crane

{{Short description|American actor, drummer, host, and DJ (1928–1978)}}
{{for multi|the Australian cricketer|Bob Crane (cricketer)|the biochemist|Robert K. Crane}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Bob Crane Colonel Hogan 1969.JPG
| caption = Crane in ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'', 1969
| birth_name = Robert Edward Crane
| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|7|13|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Waterbury, Connecticut]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1978|6|29|1928|7|13|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Scottsdale, Arizona]], U.S.
| death_cause = [[Homicide]]
| resting_place = [[Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery]]
| occupation = {{hlist|Actor|drummer|radio host|disc jockey}}
| years_active = 1950–1978
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Anne Terzian|1949|1970|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Sigrid Valdis]]|1970}}
}}
| children = 5
}}

'''Robert Edward Crane'''<ref name="BC's little me's">Crane, Robert (2015). ''[https://archive.org/details/cranesexcelebrit0000cran/page/100/mode/2up?q=%22christened+Robert+Edward+Crane%22+%22don%27t+worry+Bobby%22 Crane : Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder]''. Lexington, Kentucky : University Press of Kentucky. p.&nbsp;100. {{ISBN|978-0-8131-6074-0}}.</ref> (July 13, 1928 – June 29, 1978) was an American [[acting|actor]], [[drummer]], [[radio personality]] and [[disc jockey]] known for starring in the [[CBS]] [[situation comedy|sitcom]] ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]''.

Crane was a drummer from age 11,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Ford |first=C.M. |title=Bob Crane: The definitive biography |publisher=AuthorMike Ink. |year=2015 |isbn=978-0991033072 |location=Wilbraham MA}}</ref> and began his entertainment career as a radio personality, beginning in [[Hornell, New York]] and later in [[Connecticut]]. He then moved to [[Los Angeles]], where he hosted the number-one rated morning radio show. In the early 1960s, Crane moved into acting, eventually landing the lead role of Colonel Robert Hogan in ''Hogan's Heroes''. The series aired from 1965 to 1971, and Crane received two [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy Award]] nominations.

Crane's career declined after ''Hogan's Heroes''. He became frustrated with the few roles that he was being offered and began performing in [[dinner theater]]. In 1975 he returned to television with the [[NBC]] series ''[[The Bob Crane Show]]'', but the series received poor ratings and was cancelled after thirteen weeks. Afterward, Crane returned to performing in dinner theater and also appeared in occasional guest spots on television.

Crane was found bludgeoned to death in his [[Scottsdale, Arizona]], apartment while on tour in June 1978 for a dinner theater production of ''Beginner's Luck''. In the 1990s his friend [[John Henry Carpenter]] was tried for the murder but was [[acquitted]], and the case remains officially unsolved. Crane's previously uncontroversial public image suffered due to the suspicious nature of his death and posthumous revelations about his personal life.<ref>{{Cite news |last=France, Lisa Respers |date=November 15, 2016 |title=We still don't know who killed Bob Crane |work=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/14/entertainment/bob-crane-murder/index.html}}</ref>

==Early life==
Bob Crane was born in [[Waterbury, Connecticut]], the younger of two sons to Rose Mary ([[née]] Ksenich) and Alfred Thomas Crane—the original spelling of the family name was Crean.<ref>Hind Posz, Darcie. "Robert E. Crane of ''Hogan's Heroes'' and his Hogan and Crean Ancestors of Waterbury and Stamford." ''Connecticut Ancestry'', Vol. 64, no. 1 (August 2021): 31-40.</ref> Crane spent his childhood and teenaged years in [[Stamford, Connecticut|Stamford]].<ref name="Altamont">''[[Altamont Enterprise and Albany County Post]]'', Friday, February 13, 1970, p. 1, "Glittering Stars to Appear on Telethon," [http://historicnewspapers.guilpl.org/altamont-enterprise-1970/altamont-enterprise-1970%20-%200069.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726135058/http://historicnewspapers.guilpl.org/altamont-enterprise-1970/altamont-enterprise-1970%20-%200069.pdf|date=July 26, 2011}}; A&E "Bob Crane Biography" [http://www.biography.com/articles/Bob-Crane-9542342];''[[TV Radio Mirror]]'', October 1967, pp. 33, 76–79.; Stamford High School; Stamford Historical Society, Stamford CT.</ref>

Crane began playing drums at the age of 11, and by junior high was organizing local drum and bugle parades with his neighborhood friends.<ref name=Altamont/> He joined his high school's orchestra and its marching and jazz bands.<ref name=Altamont/><ref>''TV Star Parade'', January 1966, "The Unlikeliest Hero of Them All," pp. 8, 70–71; Stamford High School, Stamford, CT.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 25, 1966 |title=Bob Crane's 'Instant' Success Story |pages=3 |work=Nashua Telegraph |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77364519/bob-cranes-instant-success-story/ |access-date=May 9, 2021}}</ref> Crane also played for the Connecticut and [[Norwalk Youth Symphony|Norwalk]] Symphony Orchestras as part of their youth orchestra program.<ref>''TV Radio Mirror'', October 1967, pp. 33, 76–79; Bridgeport Symphony Orchestra, formerly Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, Bridgeport CT; Stamford High School, Class of 1946 Alumni.</ref> He graduated from [[Stamford High School (Stamford, Connecticut)|Stamford High School]] in 1946.<ref name=Altamont/> Two years later, he enlisted for two years in the [[Connecticut Army National Guard]] and was honorably discharged in 1950.<ref>''[[Newark Advocate]]'', July 24, 1965, "Crane Gambles $150,000," p. 7; Stamford National Guard records, Stamford CT.</ref> The previous year, he married his high-school sweetheart, Anne Terzian. The couple had three children: Robert David, Deborah Anne, and Karen Leslie.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 30, 1978 |title='Hogan's Heroes' Star Bob Crane Beaten to Death |page=6 |work=[[Youngstown Vindicator]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OKpJAAAAIBAJ&pg=3541,5676842&dq=bob+crane+sigrid+valdis&hl=en |access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref>

==Career==
===Early career===
[[File:Bob Crane in 1963.jpg|thumb|right|Crane in 1963]]
In 1950, Crane began his career in radio broadcasting at [[WLEA]] in [[Hornell, New York]]. He soon moved to Connecticut stations [[WLAD]] in Danbury, [[WPRX|WBIS]] in [[Bristol, Connecticut|Bristol]] and then [[WICC-AM 600|WICC]] in [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]], a 1,000-watt operation with a signal covering the northeastern portion of the [[New York metropolitan area]]. In 1956, Crane was hired by [[CBS Radio]] to host the morning show at its [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] flagship [[KNX (AM)|KNX]] in [[Los Angeles]], partly to re-energize that station's ratings and partly to halt his erosion of suburban ratings at [[WCBS (AM)|WCBS]] in [[New York City]]. In Los Angeles, Crane filled the broadcast with sly wit, drumming and such guests as [[Marilyn Monroe]], [[Frank Sinatra]] and [[Bob Hope]]. His show quickly topped the morning ratings with adult listeners, and he became "king of the Los Angeles airwaves."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bob Crane Biography |url=http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027075953/http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342 |archive-date=October 27, 2015 |access-date=November 4, 2015 |website=Biography.com}}</ref>

Crane's acting ambitions led to guest-hosting for [[Johnny Carson]] on the daytime game show ''[[Who Do You Trust?]]'' and appearances on ''[[Static (The Twilight Zone)|The Twilight Zone]]'' (uncredited), ''[[Channing (TV series)|Channing]]'', ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents]]'' and ''[[General Electric Theater]]''. After [[Carl Reiner]] appeared on his radio show, Crane persuaded Reiner to book him for a guest appearance on ''[[The Dick Van Dyke Show]]''.

===''The Donna Reed Show'' (1963–1964)===
After seeing Crane's performance on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', [[Donna Reed]] offered him a guest shot on her program, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]''. After the success of that episode, Crane's character, Dr. David Kelsey, was incorporated into the show's storyline, and Crane became a regular cast member, beginning with the episode "Friends and Neighbors." Crane continued to work full-time at KNX during his stint on ''The Donna Reed Show'', running back and forth from the KNX studio at [[CBS Columbia Square|Columbia Square]] to [[Columbia Studios]]. He left the show in December 1964.<ref name=":0" />

===''Hogan's Heroes'' (1965–1971)===
In 1965, Crane was offered the starring role in a [[CBS]] television [[sitcom]] set in a [[World War II]] [[prisoner of war|POW]] camp. ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]'' involved the sabotage and espionage missions of [[Allied Powers of World War II|Allied]] soldiers, led by Colonel Robert Hogan, from under the noses of the oblivious Germans guarding them. The show was an immediate ratings hit, finishing in the top ten in its first year. The series lasted for six seasons on CBS, and Crane was nominated for an [[Primetime Emmy Awards|Emmy Award]] in 1966 and 1967.

After having a [[Romantic relationship|love affair]] with ''Hogan'' co-star [[Cynthia Lynn]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=August 26, 2019 |title=The Tragic, Unsolved Murder of Hogan's Heroes Star Bob Crane |url=https://ew.com/tv/2019/08/26/bob-crane-hogans-heroes-unsolved-murder/ |access-date=September 6, 2021 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> the actress who played Helga, Crane became romantically involved in 1968 with Lynn's replacement Patricia Olson, who played Hilda under the stage name [[Sigrid Valdis]]. Crane divorced Terzian in 1970, just before their 21st anniversary, and married Olson on the set of the show later that year, with series co-star [[Richard Dawson]] serving as [[best man]].<ref name="people">{{cite magazine |last=Tresniowski |first=Alex |magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]] |date=November 4, 2002 |volume=58 |number=19 |title=What About Bob? |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20138390,00.html |accessdate=November 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101193558/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20138390,00.html |archive-date=November 1, 2008 |via=[[Wayback Machine]]}}</ref><ref name="milwaukee">{{Cite news |date=November 22, 2007 |title=Sigrid Valdis, 72 |page=8E |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ROMqAAAAIBAJ&pg=5507,586277&dq=bob+crane+sigrid&hl=en |access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref>
The couple's son, Robert Scott "Scotty" Crane, was born in 1971,<ref name="BC's little me's"/> and they later adopted a daughter, Ana Marie. 

Crane's son Robert David later alleged that Crane was not the biological father of any of Olson's children. When they were married in 1970, Olson was already pregnant, but Crane had had a [[vasectomy]] in 1968 while he was still married to Terzian.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fryer |first=Christopher |title=Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |year=2015 |isbn=9780813160757 |location=Lexington, KY |pages=93–94 |language=English}}</ref> Crane and Olson [[marital separation|separated]] in 1977,<ref name=milwaukee/> and were mere weeks away from finalizing their divorce at the time of Crane's death in June 1978.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Fryer |first=Christopher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ReptBgAAQBAJ&dq=%E2%80%9CMy+dad+and+Patti+were+just+weeks+from+the+decree+finalizing+their+divorce%E2%80%9D&pg=PA70 |title=Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |year=2015 |isbn=9780813160757 |location=Lexington, KY |pages=70 |language=English}}</ref>

===After ''Hogan's Heroes''===
In 1968, Crane and ''Hogan'' co-stars [[Werner Klemperer]], [[Leon Askin]] and [[John Banner]] appeared with [[Elke Sommer]] in a feature film, ''[[The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz]]'', set in the divided city of [[Berlin]] during the [[Cold War]]. In 1969, Crane starred with [[Abby Dalton]] in a [[dinner theater]] production of ''[[Cactus Flower (play)|Cactus Flower]]''.

Following the cancellation of ''Hogan's Heroes'' in 1971, Crane appeared in two [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]] films: ''[[Superdad]]'' (1973), in the title role, and a small role in ''[[Gus (1976 film)|Gus]]'' (1976). In 1973, Crane purchased the rights to a comedy play called ''Beginner's Luck'' and began touring it, as its star and director, at the Showboat Dinner Theatre in [[St. Petersburg, Florida]]; the La Mirada Civic Theatre in [[California]]; the Windmill Dinner Theatre in [[Scottsdale, Arizona]]; and other dinner theaters around the country.<ref>Noe, Denise: [http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/classics/bob_crane/3.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813124623/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/classics/bob_crane/3.html|date=August 13, 2008}} TruTV Crime Library, The Bob Crane Case.</ref>

Between theater engagements, Crane guest-starred in a number of television shows, including ''[[Police Woman (TV series)|Police Woman]]'', ''[[Gibbsville (TV series)|Gibbsville]]'', ''[[Quincy, M.E.]]'' and ''[[The Love Boat]]''. In 1975, he returned to television with his own series, ''[[The Bob Crane Show]]'' on [[NBC]], which was cancelled after fourteen episodes. 

In early 1978, Crane taped a travel documentary in [[Hawaii]] and recorded an appearance on the Canadian afternoon cooking show ''[[Celebrity Cooks]]''; neither aired in the U.S. His appearance on ''Celebrity Cooks'' was broadcast on [[CBC Television]] five times beginning in 1978, and was dramatized in the biopic film ''[[Auto Focus]]''.<ref name=":0" /> Claims that Crane had been distraught during the taping and had made inappropriate jokes about death and sex have been denied by the show's producers and production staff, who have stated that taping would have stopped or the episode cancelled if anything inappropriate had been said.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ford |first1=Carol |last2=Groundwater |first2=Linda |title=Flipside: The True Story of Bob Crane (09. Bob Crane's 1978 Appearance on 'Celebrity Cooks') |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/09-bob-cranes-1978-appearance-on-celebrity-cooks/id1477056154?i=1000517293362 |website=Apple Podcasts |access-date=August 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ford |first1=Carol M. |last2=Young |first2=Dee |last3=Groundwater |first3=Linda J. |title=Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography |date=2015 |publisher=AM Ink Publishing |isbn=9780991033072}}</ref>

==Private life and murder==
Crane frequently videotaped and photographed his own sexual escapades.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rubin |first=Paul |date=April 21, 1993 |title=THE BOB CRANE MURDER CASE PART ONE |url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1993-04-21/news/the-bob-crane-murder-case-part-one/2/ |access-date=December 15, 2012 |publisher=Phoenix New Times |page=2}}</ref> During the run of ''Hogan'', Dawson introduced Crane to [[John Henry Carpenter]], a regional sales manager for [[Sony Electronics]] who often helped famous clients with their video equipment.<ref>{{harv|Katz|2010|p=288}}</ref> The two men struck up a friendship and began visiting bars and nightclubs together. Crane attracted many women due to his celebrity status, and he introduced Carpenter to them as his manager. The two men videotaped their joint sexual encounters.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kim |first=Eun-Kyung |date=November 1, 1994 |title=Crane's friend acquitted |page=A–8 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XLJRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6925,36069&dq=bob+crane+carpenter+friendship&hl=en |access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref> Crane's son Scotty later insisted that all of the women were aware of the videotaping and consented to it, but several claimed that they had no idea that they had been recorded until they were informed by Scottsdale police after Crane's murder.<ref name="sfweekly">{{Cite web |last=Wilonsky |first=Robert |date=July 18, 2001 |title=Klinky Sex |url=http://www.sfweekly.com/2001-07-18/culture/klinky-sex/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223233305/http://www.sfweekly.com/2001-07-18/culture/klinky-sex/ |archive-date=December 23, 2010 |access-date=December 15, 2012 |publisher=sfweekly.com}}</ref> During their friendship, Carpenter became national sales manager at the consumer electronics company [[Akai]] and arranged his business trips to coincide with Crane's touring schedule, allowing the two to continue videotaping their sexual encounters.<ref>{{harv|Katz|2010|p=289}}</ref>

[[File:Scottsdale-Winfield Aparments No.132A-1970-Bob Crane-1.JPG|thumb|250px|Apartment 132A of the Winfield Place Apartments (now condominiums) where Crane was murdered]]
[[File:Scottsdale-Winfield Aparments No.132A-1970-Bob Crane-2.JPG|thumb|250px|A funeral wreath on the door of apartment 132A]]
[[File:Bob Crane grave at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Brentwood, California.JPG|thumb|Crane and Valdis' gravestone, bearing their portraits and the banner "Hogan and Hilda, Together Forever"]]
In June 1978, Crane was living in the Winfield Place Apartments in Scottsdale during a run of ''Beginner's Luck'' at the Windmill Dinner Theatre. On the afternoon of June 29, his co-star Victoria Ann Berry entered his apartment after he failed to show up for a lunch meeting, and discovered his body.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-la-crosse-tribune-actor-bob-crane-be/139202222/ |title=Actor Bob Crane Beaten To Death |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |newspaper=[[La Crosse Tribune]] |location=[[La Crosse, Wisconsin]] |page=5 |date=July 30, 1978 |accessdate=January 20, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Crane had been bludgeoned to death with a weapon that was never identified, though investigators believed it to be a camera tripod. An electrical cord had been tied around his neck.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kim |first=Eun-Kyung |date=September 13, 1994 |title=Trial reruns TV star's love life |page=A–8 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Z8haAAAAIBAJ&pg=2601,7522791&dq=bob+crane+bludgeoned+tripod&hl=en |access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref>

Crane's funeral was held on July 5, 1978 at [[St. Paul the Apostle Church and School|St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church]] in [[Westwood, Los Angeles]]. An estimated 200 family members and friends attended, including [[John Astin]], Astin's wife [[Patty Duke]] and [[Carroll O'Connor]]. Pallbearers included ''Hogan'' producer Edward Feldman, co-stars [[Robert Clary]] and [[Larry Hovis]], and Crane's son Scotty. He was interred in [[Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery]] in [[Chatsworth, Los Angeles|Chatsworth, California]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 6, 1978 |title=Family, friend mourn Crane |page=6 |work=Kingman Daily Miner |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TvNSAAAAIBAJ&pg=4255,7236148&dq=bob+crane+westwood+burial&hl=en |access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref> Olson later had his remains relocated to [[Westwood Village Memorial Park]] in Westwood, and she was buried beside him in 2007 under her stage name of Sigrid Valdis.<ref>Bob Crane Biography. [http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342 biography.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027075953/http://www.biography.com/people/bob-crane-9542342 |date=October 27, 2015 }}, retrieved November 3, 2015.</ref>

===Investigation===
Scottsdale police had no homicide division in 1978, so it was ill-equipped to handle such a high-profile murder investigation. The crime scene yielded few clues; no evidence was found of forced entry, and nothing of value was missing. Detectives examined Crane's extensive videotape collection, which led them to Carpenter, who had flown to [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] on June 25 to spend a few days with Crane. Carpenter's rental car was impounded and searched. Several blood smears were found that matched Crane's blood type; no one else of that blood type was known to have been in the car, including Carpenter. [[DNA testing]] was not yet available, and the [[Maricopa County, Arizona|Maricopa County]] District Attorney declined to file charges.<ref name=two/>

In 1990, Scottsdale police investigator Barry Vassall and Maricopa County Attorney's Office investigator Jim Raines<ref name="three" /> re-examined the evidence from 1978 and persuaded the county attorney to reopen the case.<ref name="bulletin">{{Cite news |date=March 12, 1993 |title=Crane case to go forward |work=The Bulletin |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=e45TAAAAIBAJ&pg=3759,5008597&dq=bob+crane+john+henry+carpenter+sex&hl=en |access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref> DNA testing was inconclusive on the blood found in Carpenter's rental car, but Raines did discover an evidence photograph of the car's interior that appeared to show a piece of brain tissue. The actual tissue samples recovered from the car had been lost, but an Arizona judge ruled that the new evidence was admissible.<ref name=bulletin/> In June 1992, Carpenter was arrested and charged with Crane's murder.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 8, 2008 |title=How did Bob Crane die, anyway? |url=http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbobcrane.html |access-date=December 15, 2012 |publisher=straightdope.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Balazs |first=Diana |date=September 12, 1998 |title=Suspect in killing of 'Hogan's Heroes' actor Bob Crane |page=A–12 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XoRIAAAAIBAJ&pg=5427,579515&dq=bob+crane+john+henry+carpenter+sex&hl=en |access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref>

===Trial===
At the 1994 trial, Crane's son Scotty testified that Crane had repeatedly expressed a desire to terminate his friendship with Carpenter in the weeks before his death. He said that Carpenter had become "a hanger-on" and "a nuisance to the point of being obnoxious."<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 4, 1994 |title=Bob Crane's son testifies in trial |page=A–2 |work=The Telegraph |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XqJdAAAAIBAJ&pg=2022,5749978&dq=bob+crane+john+henry+carpenter+son&hl=en |access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref> "My dad expressed that he just didn't need Carpenter kind of hanging around him anymore," he said.<ref name=two/> Scotty further testified that Crane had called Carpenter the night before the murder to end their friendship.<ref name="philbin">Philbin, Tom (2012). ''The Killer Book of Cold Cases: Incredible Stories, Facts, and Trivia from the Most Baffling True Crime Cases of All Time''. Sourcebooks, Inc. {{ISBN|1-402-25356-7}} p. 191</ref>

Carpenter's attorneys attacked the [[prosecution]]'s case as circumstantial and inconclusive. They presented evidence that Carpenter and Crane were still on good terms, including witnesses from the restaurant where the two men had dined the evening before the murder. They noted that the murder weapon had never been identified or found; the prosecution's camera tripod theory was sheer speculation, they said, based solely on Carpenter's occupation. They disputed the claim that the newly discovered evidence photo showed brain tissue, and alleged that the police work had been sloppy, such as the mishandling and misplacing of evidence—including the crucial tissue sample itself.<ref name="three">Rubin, P. (May 5, 1993). The Bob Crane Murder Case, Part Three. [http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/film/the-bob-crane-murder-case-part-three-6425779 ''Phoenix New Times'' archive], retrieved November 4, 2015.</ref> They pointed out that Crane had been videotaped and photographed in sexual relations with numerous women, implying that any one of them might have been the killer.<ref name=philbin/> Other potential suspects proposed by Carpenter's attorneys included angry husbands and boyfriends of the women, and an actor who had sworn vengeance after a violent argument with Crane in [[Texas]] several months earlier.<ref name="two">Rubin, P. (April 28, 1993). The Bob Crane Murder Case, Part Two. [http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/the-bob-crane-murder-case-part-two-6425966 ''Phoenix New Times'' archive], retrieved November 3, 2015.</ref>

Carpenter was [[acquittal|acquitted]],<ref>{{Cite news |title=Actor Bob Crane died a gruesome death. Anchor's book takes another look |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/03/13/new-book-actor-bob-cranes-bloody-murder/99145724/ |access-date=May 4, 2018 |work=USA Today}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=France |first=Lisa Respers |title=We still don't know who killed Bob Crane |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/14/entertainment/bob-crane-murder/index.html |access-date=May 4, 2018 |website=CNN|date=November 14, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Cold Case: Bob Crane's Secret Life Implicated |url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Hogans-Heroes-Bob-Crane-Murder-Cold-Case-Hollywood-Star-Kept-Secret-Celebutantes-Now-Flaunt-150263225.html |access-date=May 4, 2018 |website=NBC Los Angeles|date=May 5, 2012 }}</ref> and he continued to maintain his innocence until his death in 1998.<ref name="Newton">Newton, Michael (2009). ''The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes'' (2nd ed.). Infobase Publishing. {{ISBN|0-8160-7818-1}}</ref> 

After the trial, Crane's son Robert David speculated publicly that Patricia Olson might have had a role in instigating the crime. "Nobody got a dime out of [the murder]," he said, "except for one person," alluding to Crane's [[will and testament|will]], which left his entire estate to Olson while excluding him, his siblings and his mother. Robert David repeated his suspicions in the 2015 book ''Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder''.<ref>Crane R, Fryer C. ''Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder''. University Press of Kentucky (2015), pp. 200–209. {{ISBN|081316074X}}</ref> Maricopa County District Attorney [[Rick Romley]] responded, "We never characterized Patty as a suspect," adding, "I am convinced John Carpenter murdered Bob Crane."<ref name=people/> Officially, Crane's murder remains unsolved.<ref name=Newton/>

===Later DNA testing===
In November 2016, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office permitted Phoenix television reporter John Hook to submit the 1978 blood samples from Carpenter's rental car for retesting, using a more advanced DNA technique than the one used in 1990.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kimball |first=Lindsay |date=November 15, 2016 |title=New DNA Evidence Proves ''Hogan's Heroes'' Star Bob Crane's Murderer Is Still Unknown |url=http://people.com/crime/bob-crane-murder-new-dna-results/ |magazine=People |access-date=November 16, 2016}}</ref> Two sequences were identified, one from an unknown male, and the other too degraded to reach a conclusion. 

This testing consumed all of the remaining DNA from the rental car, making further tests impossible. Hook's investigation turned up two blood vials, samples from Crane and Carpenter, located in evidence storage at the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Carpenter voluntarily gave a sample to Scottsdale Police when he was questioned in 1978. Crane's blood vial was recovered during his autopsy the day after the murder. Both were used as comparison samples for Hook's DNA tests on the blood stains found in Carpenter's rental car.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 15, 2016 |title='Hogan's Heroes' star Bob Crane's murder still a mystery despite new DNA tests |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/hogans-heroes-star-bob-cranes-murder-still-a-mystery-despite-new-dna-tests |access-date=November 16, 2016 |publisher=FoxNews.com}}</ref>

==''Auto Focus''==
Crane's life and murder were the subject of the 2002 feature film ''[[Auto Focus]]'' directed by [[Paul Schrader]] and starring [[Greg Kinnear]] as Crane. The film is based on the book ''The Murder of Bob Crane'' by author [[Robert Graysmith]] and was described as "brilliant" by critic [[Roger Ebert]]. It portrays Crane as a happily married, church-going family man who succumbs to [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]'s celebrity lifestyle after becoming a television star. He meets Carpenter, played by [[Willem Dafoe]], and learns about then-new [[home video]] technology. He subsequently descends into a life of strip clubs, [[BDSM]] and [[sex addiction]].<ref>Ebert, R. (September 2, 2002). "Auto Focus" Captures Star's Downfall. [https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals-and-awards/auto-focus-captures-stars-downfall RogerEbert.com archive]. Retrieved November 15, 2013.</ref>

Scotty challenged the film's accuracy in an October 2002 review. "During the last twelve years of his life," he wrote, "[Crane] went to church three times: when I was baptized, when his father died, and when he was buried." Scotty further stated that Crane was a sex addict long before he became a celebrity, and that he may have begun recording his sexual encounters as early as 1956. There was no evidence, he said, that Crane engaged in BDSM; there were no such scenes in any of his hundreds of home movies, and Schrader admitted that the film's BDSM scene was based on his own experience while writing his earlier film ''[[Hardcore (1979 film)|Hardcore]]'' (1979).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crane |first=Scotty |title=Raging Bullshit: Auto Focus Is Not My Dad's Story |work=The Stranger |url=http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/raging-bullshit/Content?oid=12356 |access-date=August 14, 2011}}</ref> Before production on ''Auto Focus'' was announced, Scotty and Olson had tried to sell a rival script titled ''F-Stop'' or ''Take Off Your Clothes and Smile'', but interest ceased after ''Auto Focus'' was announced.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Truth About Bob Crane |url=http://mortystv.com/bob_crane.shtml |access-date=August 14, 2011 |publisher=Morty's TV.com}}</ref>

In June 2001, Scotty launched the {{abbr|bobcrane.com|Caution: the site is now defunct, and the URL is flagged by anti-virus software as hosting malware.}} website,<ref name=sfweekly/> which remained active as late as May 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bobcrane.com/ |title=The Official Website of Bob Crane |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520033433/http://bobcrane.com/ |archive-date=May 20, 2017 |via=[[Wayback Machine]]}}</ref> It included a paid section featuring photographs, outtakes from his father's sex films and Crane's autopsy report that proved, he said, that his father did not have a [[penile implant]] as stated in ''Auto Focus''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=October 24, 2002 |title=Sons take sides in biopic dispute |page=D5 |work=The Hour |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Tw8hAAAAIBAJ&pg=3393,3451705&dq=bob+crane+scotty+autopsy+report&hl=en |access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 4, 2003 |title=A star is porn |work=The Age |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/04/1057179135350.html |access-date=December 15, 2012}}</ref> Explicit photographs and videos from Crane's private archive could also be purchased for a monthly subscription fee of $19.95.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fryer |first=Christopher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ReptBgAAQBAJ&dq=%E2%80%9C%E2%80%9CXXX-rated+photographs+and+videos+from+my+dad%E2%80%99s+private+archive+of+sexual+liaisons+involving+him+and+various+women%E2%80%94all+for+a+monthly+subscription+fee+of+%2419.95.+The+site+also+offered+T-shirts+with+a+black-and-white+image+of+Patti%E2%80%99s+husband+and+Scotty%E2%80%99s+father+in+flagrante+delicto+with+a+consenting+female.%E2%80%9D&pg=PA282 |title=Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder |publisher=University of Kentucky |year=2015 |isbn=9780813160757 |location=Lexington, KY |pages=282 |language=English}}</ref> The site was renamed "Bob Crane: The Official Web Site", but is now abandoned. An "Official Licensing Website of Bob Crane" was maintained by CMG Worldwide elsewhere on the internet—it was active as late as February 2023,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cmgww.com/stars/crane/ |title=Bob Crane – The Official Licensing Website of Bob Crane |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206185700/https://www.cmgww.com/stars/crane/ |archive-date=February 6, 2023 |via=[[Wayback Machine]]}}</ref> but the website is now defunct.

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Return to Peyton Place (film)|Return to Peyton Place]]''
| Peter White
| Uncredited
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Man-Trap]]''
| Ralph Turner
|
|-
| 1964
| ''[[The New Interns]]''
| Drunken prankster at baby shower
| Uncredited
|-
| 1968
| ''[[The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz]]''
| Bill Mason
|
|-
| 1972
| ''Patriotism''
| Narrator
| Short film
|-
| 1973
| ''[[Superdad]]''
| Charlie McCready
|
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Gus (1976 film)|Gus]]''
| Pepper
| Final film role
|-
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1953
| ''[[General Electric Theater]]''
| {{Citation needed|date=November 2016}}
| Episode: "Ride the River"
|-
| 1959
| ''Picture Window''
| Jerry McEvoy
| Unaired pilot
|-
| 1961
| ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''
| Disc Jockey
| Episode: "[[Static (The Twilight Zone)|Static]]", uncredited
|-
| 1961
| ''[[General Electric Theater]]''
| Harry
| Episode: "The $200 Parlay"
|-
| 1962
| ''[[The Dick Van Dyke Show]]''
| Harry Rogers
| Episode: "Somebody Has to Play Cleopatra"
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents|The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]''
| Charlie Lessing
| Season 1 Episode 15: "The Thirty-First of February"
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Channing (TV series)|Channing]]''
| Prof. Arlen
| Episode: "A Hall Full of Strangers"
|-
| {{nowrap|1963–1965}}
| ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]''
| Dr. Dave Kelsey
| 62 episodes
|-
| 1965–1971
| ''[[Hogan's Heroes]]''
| Col. Robert E. Hogan
| 168 episodes
|-
| 1966
| ''[[The Lucy Show]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "Lucy and Bob Crane"
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Password (American game show)|Password]]''
| Himself
| Game show contestant / celebrity guest star
|-
| 1967
| ''[[The Green Hornet (TV series)|The Green Hornet]]''
| Uncredited<br>(non-speaking role)
| Episode: "Corpse of the Year, Part 1"
|-
| 1967
| ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]''
| Col. Hogan
| Episode: "Freddie's Heroes"
|-
| 1969
| ''[[Arsenic and Old Lace (1969 film)|Arsenic and Old Lace]]''
| Mortimer Brewster
| Television film
|-
| 1969
| ''[[Love, American Style]]''
| Howard Melville
| Episode: "Love and the Modern Wife"
|-
| 1971
| ''Love, American Style''
| Mark
| Episode: "Love and the Logical Explanation"
|-
| 1971
| ''Love, American Style''
| {{Citation needed|date=November 2016}}
| Episode: "Love and the Waitress"
|-
| 1971
| ''[[The Doris Day Show]]''
| Bob Carter
| Episode: "And Here's... Doris"
|-
| 1971
| ''[[Night Gallery]]''
| Ellis Travers
| Episode: "House – with Ghost"
|-
| 1972
| ''[[The Delphi Bureau]]''
| Charlie Taggart
| [[Television pilot]]
|-
| 1974
| ''[[Tenafly (TV series)|Tenafly]]''
| Sid Pierce
| Episode: "Man Running"
|-
| 1974
| ''[[Tattletales]]''
| Himself
| Game show contestant / celebrity guest star
|-
| 1974
| ''[[Police Woman (TV series)|Police Woman]]''
| Larry Brooks
| Episode: "Requiem for Bored Wives'
|-
| 1975
| ''[[The Bob Crane Show]]''
| Bob Wilcox
| 14 episodes
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Joe Forrester (TV series)|Joe Forrester]]''
| Alban
| Episode: "The Invaders"
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Ellery Queen (TV series)|Ellery Queen]]''
| Jerry Crabtree
| Episode: "The Adventure of the Hardhearted Huckster"
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Spencer's Pilots]]''
| Cozens
| Episode: "The Search"
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Gibbsville (TV series)|Gibbsville]]''
| Lawyer
| Episode: "Trapped"
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Quincy, M.E.]]''
| Dr. Jamison
| Episode: "Has Anybody Here Seen Quincy?"
|-
| 1977
| ''[[The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries]]''
| Danny Day
| Episode: "A Haunting We Will Go"
|-
| 1978
| ''[[The Love Boat]]''
| Edward "Teddy" Anderson
| Episode: "Too Hot to Handle/Family Reunion/Cinderella Story" (final US television appearance)
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Celebrity Cooks]]''
| Himself 
| Episode: "Chicken A La Hogan`s Heroes". Guest on daytime cooking show, aired nationally in Canada on CBC Television (final television appearance)
|}

==Awards and honors==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Title of work
! Nominated/Won
|-
|1966
|[[Primetime Emmy Award]]
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series]]
|''Hogan's Heroes''
|{{nominated}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series - 1966 |url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1966/outstanding-lead-actor-in-a-comedy-series |website=[[Emmys.com]] |access-date=September 6, 2021}}</ref>
|-
|1967
|Primetime Emmy Award
|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
|''Hogan's Heroes''
|{{nominated}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series - 1967 |url=https://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/1967/outstanding-lead-actor-in-a-comedy-series |website=[[Emmys.com]] |access-date=September 6, 2021}}</ref>
|-
|}

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist}}

'''Further reading'''
* {{Cite web |last=Lynette Rice |date=August 26, 2019 |title=The tragic, unsolved murder of Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/the-tragic-unsolved-murder-of-hogans-heroes-star-bob-crane/ar-AAGmFT9?ocid=spartanntp |website=MSN}}
* {{cite book |last=Katz |first=Hélèna |date=2010 |title=Cold Cases: Famous Unsolved Mysteries, Crimes, and Disappearances in America |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-37692-4}}
* Hook, John. [http://www.whokilledbobcrane.com/ "Who Killed Bob Crane? The Final Close-Up"]. Brisance Books Group (2016). {{ISBN|9781944194253}}
* Crane, Robert and Fryer, Christopher. ''Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder''. University Press of Kentucky (2015). {{ISBN|081316074X}}
* ''Crime and Investigation Network.'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKsOtIBdvEk "Murder in Scottsdale : The Death of Bob Crane"]. Video. Published May 30, 2014.
* Ford, Carol M., Young, Dee, and Groundwater, Linda. ''Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography''. AuthorMike Ink (2015). {{ISBN|0991033078}}
* Fox 10 Phoenix ([[KSAZ-TV]]). [http://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/arizona-news/217491292-story Who killed Bob Crane? A closer look at evidence in the 1978 murder investigation]. Videos.  Published November 14, 2016.
* Graysmith, Robert. ''The Murder of Bob Crane: Who Killed the Star of Hogan's Heroes?''. [[Crown Publishers]], New York (1993). {{ISBN|0517592096}}
* Scott, A.O. [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/04/movies/film-festival-reviews-the-bob-crane-story-everything-but-a-hero.html "The Bob Crane Story: Everything but a Hero"]. ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 4, 2002

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{Commons category|Bob Crane}}
* {{official website|https://www.cmgww.com/stars/crane/}}
* {{IMDb name|186314|Bob Crane}}
* {{tcmdb name}}


{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crane, Bob}}
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