In just the second episode, writer Richard Powell cements the series' farcical approach with "Hold That Tiger," which establishes Sergeant Schultz as the genial but hapless stooge unable to sound the alarm about the Heroes' blatant intelligence and sabotage operations happening right before his bulging, buffoonish eyes. The pilot episode, which had reworked serious elements from the 1953 dramatic film "Stalag 17," also featured outlandishness, but here Powell abandons any pretense of credibility as "Hogan's Heroes" plays it strictly for broad laughs.
When the Germans develop their new Tiger tank, Hogan is determined to gather information on it, dispatching Newkirk to steal the tank for examination--including its disassembly and reassembly right in the middle of the prisoner-of-war camp--and arranging support from the underground to help with its return in an elaborate ruse. But when the underground agent, code-named "Tiger," turns out to be a woman (exotic beauty Arlene Martel), it throws a monkey wrench into Hogan's plans.
In addition to Tiger, Powell went on to create two more memorable recurring characters, Colonel Crittendon and Marya, while he also introduces his running fetish: no woman within sight of Hogan can resist his animal magnetism. Displaying impressive pluck, doe-eyed Martel makes the best of an ornamental role that ultimately sees her succumb to Hogan's charms, although director Robert Butler frames effectively the climactic scene between her and Bob Crane, accented by Ivan Dixon's brief but pointed interruption. Powell didn't take the show seriously, so don't take his contributions too seriously, either.
