The Mammoth Book of Celebrity Murders (67 page)

Crane had reached the top of his chosen tree – there was no one better in the world of radio; he had fame and was enjoying the money it brought. Most men would have been satisfied with
this new-found fame and fortune, but Crane was still hankering for more. Having met the stars of Hollywood – and their star qualities were infectious – Crane’s new ambition was to
become an actor, and when he set his mind on something, he threw his entire energy into it, determined to succeed.

His introduction into acting was gradual, initially guest appearances on a number of popular television shows, including the very popular
Dick Van Dyke Show
. Crane’s quick wit and
repartee, coupled with his easy conversational style, went down well with the audiences and he settled in easily to the world of television – he was after all well practised at talking to
hundreds of thousands of listeners; the only difference now was that they could see him, and he was more than comfortable with this.

His first acting role on the big screen came in 1961 when he played a relatively minor part in the film sequel,
Return to Peyton Place
, following this up in the same year with another
small role in the movie
Man-Trap
. These really set him on his way in his new-found acting career and his family were overjoyed at the way things were progressing.

In 1963, Crane auditioned for a regular part on the
Donna Reed Show
and was ecstatic when he heard the news that he had been chosen, determined to make his mark and improve his already
blossoming profile. He managed to maintain his character for two years, until 1965, when his contract was not renewed as the producers were concerned that Crane’s character had developed away
from their original brief. The problem was Crane’s interpretation of the character. Knowingly or not, he had managed to bring out the flirtatious and suggestive side of his character, a style
which sat awkwardly with the wholesome, “family values” type of show which the
Donna Reed Show
represented.

The loss of his part in the
Donna Reed Show
came as a huge blow to Crane, who genuinely believed he was adding something unique and wonderful to the show. For many actors this rejection
would have spelled trouble – although rejection is part of the game, not getting the part is acceptable, whereas losing a part which had been secured and expertly executed for two years would
have caused a severe dent in the most thick-skinned thespian. Crane’s confidence however remained strong and his sacking only a short-lived blight on his ambition to become a famous actor.
Later that same year he won the part that would make him a star in his own right when he was given the lead in a new and controversial television comedy called
Hogan’s Heroes.

The new sitcom was pioneering from the very start, based as it was in a Nazi prison camp. Many would be excused for wondering how on earth this setting would be deemed amusing as the Second
World War was still a terrible memory for millions of ex-soldiers. The show was truly ambitious, possibly ahead of its time, but then again so was Crane. When he first read the scripts he was in no
doubt at all that he would accept the starring role, impressed as he was at the brilliance of the scriptwriters.

With some degree of nervousness the show was aired in 1965, and to everyone’s delight was extremely well received, the viewing figures were good and the show quickly grew in popularity.
The way that the characters were presented and acted managed to take the edge off the controversial setting and the audiences came to love the way the Germans were portrayed as bumbling buffoons,
easily fooled by the more astute American prisoners.

Crane had finally arrived and although the show wasn’t without its critics, it was without doubt a resounding success. Those elements who were offended were either Jewish, unhappy at the
trivialization of a terrible chapter in world events, or neo-Nazis, upset that their German heroes were portrayed as fools. Both groups undoubtedly sent hate mail, some even threatening Crane and
other members of the cast, but most people simply enjoyed the entertainment. Ironically, the two main Nazi characters were played by Jewish actors, namely John Banner and Werner Klemperer who
played Colonel Klink. Banner had lost his family in the concentration camps when he was just 28 years old and enjoyed the fact that he was able to poke fun at those who held such views.

The show was a long-running success and in 1966, and again in 1967, Crane was nominated for an Emmy, his fame beyond doubt and his wealth increasing beyond all expectations. Along with the fame
came the adulation, and Crane, a womanizer at heart, found that his new Hollywood credentials gave him the sort of appeal he had always dreamt of. He pursued his interest in women the way he had
pursued his acting goals – with energy and enthusiasm. All of his conquests were willing, some were married and many were scorned.

By now Crane’s career had matured and he found himself in perpetual demand, his schedule was such that he was hardly ever at home and the pressure was taking its toll on his marriage to
Anne. During his long absences she was left to look after the house and bring up their three children, a difficult task at the best of times, but worse when rumours of Crane’s extramarital
encounters began to circulate. For Crane absence did not make the heart grow fonder – when Anne suggested they separate, he was more than happy to oblige.

Patti Olsen, a new member of the
Hogan’s Heroes
cast, had become quite close to Crane. Pretty and blonde, she had not escaped his attention. As Crane’s marriage was over
– he was in the process of getting divorced from Anne – the relationship with Patti soon blossomed. After a whirlwind romance Crane proposed to her and the pair quickly began preparing
for their marriage. Having been married in the conventional confines of a church once, the pair now sought the permission of the studios to hold their ceremony on the set of
Hogan’s
Heroes.
On 16 October 1970, Bob Crane and Patti Olsen were married before their friends, work colleagues and family on the film set.

Shortly after his second marriage, just when Crane was enjoying himself most, the president of the CBS network, Robert Wood, announced a review of all programming schedules. Wood was concerned
that his audience was ageing and wanted a slice of the advertising budgets aimed at the younger market. Among the first shows axed were the very popular
The Beverly Hillbillies
and
The Ed
Sullivan Show
, a decisive move by CBS; however the decision which would have Crane reeling was the culling of his prime-time show,
Hogan’s Heroes.

Crane was devastated; he felt that the show could easily carry on running, and that the viewing figures could still be maintained. His words however were lost on the CBS executives whose
commitment to a new, younger audience was unfaltering; they had made their decision and were not going to change it, not even for the Emmy nominated Crane.

Crane still received offers, but he could never find a role which measured up to his character in
Hogan’s Heroes.
He searched in vein for his next sure-fire winner but could find
nothing which would fill the void left by his high-profile television show. He took roles in several movies and managed a number of guest appearances, but none of the work was fulfilling for him,
it merely kept him ticking over financially.

In 1973 Crane tried his hand at stage acting and joined the cast of a play called,
Beginner’s Luck.
He was not one for doing things half-heartedly and accepted both a starring role
and responsibility for the directing, a new and challenging experience for him. The play did exceptionally well and went on to tour for almost five years.

In 1975 Crane was back on television, this time presenting his own show, appropriately named
The Bob Crane Show.
He was hoping that he would be able to achieve the same success with his
new venture as he had enjoyed with his radio show and
Hogan’s Heroes.
Initially all the signs were good, but after a very well-received launch, the show started to weaken, after only
three months NBC pulled the plug, and once more Crane found himself out of a job.

Over the years, indeed for much of Crane’s adult life, he had pandered to the whim of his considerable sexual appetite. He was an expert flirt and enjoyed chatting with his many female
fans, his favourite type being busty blondes. He was partial to both reading and watching all forms of pornography and was quite happy to chat about his sexual conquests, much to the embarrassment
of those around him. His sexual activity increased further after the culling of
Hogan’s Heroes
, and depressed at the way his career was heading, Crane decided to prove himself in other
ways. He was fast becoming a sex addict and his indiscretions were once again the cause of great trouble with his wife, who managed to keep tabs on her husband through the Hollywood grapevine.

Not only did Crane enjoy the chase, he enjoyed every aspect of his interactions with women – the chatting up, the seduction and also his natural ability to attract young women; his star
quality certainly gave him the edge in the dating game. Crane’s conquests were many, and he could prove it too, for he liked to keep tangible evidence of his encounters, often taking
Polaroids of the naked girls with whom he had slept, and occasionally, if the girls would comply, he would take videos of their love-making. The photographs were all stored in a series of albums,
beautifully laid out and always on hand. Crane enjoyed showing them to his friends as he was proud of them and enjoyed watching the reactions on their faces; strangely, his delight was even greater
if they seemed offended by the contents of his little book of reminders. The videos were watched over and over again; Crane was never bored of viewing them and would often let his close friends
watch his perverse activities.

One such friend was John Carpenter, part American and part Spanish, with thick dark hair, a long nose and thin lips. Carpenter had endured a period in Korea as a tank commander before taking up
the job which would bring him into contact with Bob Crane. During Carpenter’s time in the Army he had shown an interest in electronics and had used his time wisely, expanding his knowledge in
this area, hoping it would help him get work once he was back in civvy street. Sure enough, on leaving the Army, he managed to secure a job with Hoffman Easy Vision, a television manufacturing
company. After a couple of job changes Carpenter was offered a role with Sony, the Japanese giant of the consumer electronics market. It was through his job at Sony that he began coming across
people from the world of acting, Bob Crane being one of them. Carpenter was keen to demonstrate the new technology, especially the VCR and video camera, which blended nicely with Crane’s
aspirations to film his own sex shows.

It was whilst discussing the new recording equipment that Crane and Carpenter became good friends, with Crane keen to learn all about the equipment, warming to the idea of what he might achieve
with it.

One such private viewing was to take place on the morning of 26 June 1978, when the phone suddenly rang, putting a brief halt to the planned screening. On the other end of the phone, a young
actress who had obtained Crane’s number asked if he would be prepared to listen to an audio tape she had produced. Crane, thinking fast, and almost certainly hopeful of a potential sexual
encounter, invited her over to his house. Unfortunately for him, however, his reputation as a womanizer had gone ahead of him and the would-be actress declined his offer, wary of visiting him at
his home. She asked instead if he would meet her in a public bar, to which Crane agreed, before returning to watch his latest screening. He had tried his hand and failed with the young actress, a
type normally so motivated to succeed that they would often agree to anything. Whether he actually turned up or not has never been established.

Later that same day Crane was reminded by his co-star, Victoria Berry, that his presence would be required at a barbecue party thrown for the cast and crew of his new show,
Beginner’s
Luck.
Crane surprised the other guests when he arrived with Carpenter – he would normally have had a girl on his arm. The two men laughed and enjoyed the proceedings, Crane having his
photograph taken by a number of people and Carpenter happily watching his famous friend turning on the charm. When it was time to leave, however, Crane had managed to arrange some company and left
with yet another beautiful young woman, leaving Carpenter to make his own way home.

The following day Crane and Carpenter met up again and decided to check out some new video equipment. Whilst out shopping Crane was enjoying the usual attention while Carpenter checked out the
specifications and prices on Crane’s proposed purchases. Having bought some equipment the two men did a little clothes shopping in preparation for the night ahead. They were planning a night
of entertainment, some steamy passion and with any luck, a bit of amateur photography. After they returned home Crane made a number of phonecalls, the first to his son Bobby wishing him a happy
birthday, the second was to a waitress he knew, looking to set up a date for that evening. He also asked if she could bring a girlfriend along to make a foursome with his friend John Carpenter.
There is no doubt that the two men got on well as friends, but they were out of different stables. Crane was good looking, famous and a natural with the ladies. Carpenter on the other hand was not.
He certainly benefited from his association with Crane and was always first in line for the woman Crane overlooked. The only thing Crane appeared to get out of the friendship was admiring glances
and minimal competition. Others have suggested there was more to the relationship, something more complex.

With the date agreed the four went out to dinner, but immediately it was clear that Carpenter was unimpressed with his “date” and privately told Crane as much. With the mood
distinctly frosty, Crane and Carpenter decided not to pursue their two guests, instead choosing to head out on the town to see if they could round up some other willing fillies. Later that evening
the two men arrived at the famous Bobby McGee’s bar in Scottsdale where they were served by a waitress called Linda Robertson, who could not help but notice that they appeared to be in deep
conversation, possibly arguing, later referring to them as tense. Most of the people in the bar that evening appeared to be having a good laugh, out to enjoy themselves, but her two punters were
certainly not in high spirits, and looked as if they were trying to sort out some disagreement.