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The Final Resting Place of Bob Crane.

 

Bob (Robert) Crane  13th July  1928 - 29th June  1978
Best known as the star of Hogan's Heroes on CBS, but he also had his own morning TV show on which many famous stars of the time appeared. He was bludgeoned to death while he slept in his hotel room in Scottsdale, Arizona. His murder is still unsolved to this day. Originally buried in Oakwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles but was moved here a couple of years ago.

Located in the center of the lawn.


Robert Edward Crane was an American disc jockey and actor who starred as Colonel Robert Hogan in the television sitcom Hogan's Heroes from 1965 to 1971. He was nominated for two Emmy Awards for his work on that show. His 1978 murder remains officially unsolved. The resulting investigation brought to public light the double life that Crane had been leading for years as an amateur pornographer and sex addict. Crane was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He dropped out of high school and became a drummer, performing with dance bands and a symphony orchestra. In 1949 he married his high school sweetheart; they eventually had three children. He started his broadcasting career in 1950, working at three different radio stations before the year was up -- first at WLEA in Hornell, N.Y., then at WBIS in Bristol, Connecticut, and finally at WICC-AM in Bridgeport, Connecticut, a 500-watt operation where he stayed until 1956. That station had virtually no listeners; it was noted that one time, he offered $100 to the first listener who called in -- and the phone didn't ring. Crane moved to Weei in Boston, and in 1956, he moved his family to California to continue his radio career at KNX-AM in Hollywood.
Crane's interest turned to acting, and at age 33 he began his career. He soon was a regular on The Donna Reed Show during the 1963 – 1965 seasons. On The Dick Van Dyke Show he played a character named "Harry" who tried out for the role of Marc Anthony in a community play. The character for which he is best known is "Colonel Robert Hogan", the lead role in Hogan's Heroes. 
Crane was bludgeoned to death in Scottsdale, Arizona, in a murder case that was never officially solved. An associate, John Henry Carpenter, was tried for the murder in 1994 but was found not guilty. Prior to the murder, Carpenter and Crane had made pornographic videos of Crane having sex with numerous women. Crane's life and murder was the subject of the 2002 film Auto Focus. His son, Scotty Crane, and his second wife, Patricia Olsen, objected to the way Crane was portrayed and took to the media to present their side of the story. Shortly before the film's release, Scotty started a website featuring Bob Crane's amateur pornography. He later took the video clips off the site. According to an A&E Network program on the subject, Crane had tired of his libertine lifestyle and wished to resume leading a more normal life. Since this would have meant cutting off his relationship with Carpenter, this decision of Crane's was presumed to be the motive for the murder. As Carpenter was acquitted, both the murderer and the motive remain officially open questions. John Carpenter died on September 4th, 1998.
Crane was originally buried in Oakwood Memorial Park, Los Angeles but was later moved Westwood.