A brilliant career that went out of focus.
Bob Crane was born in Connecticut in 1928, and was a musician and DJ before becoming an actor. He co-starred in several TV shows, and in 1965, he starred in the hit sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes”, which ran until 1970. For the next several years, Crane jockeyed between more TV and Disney movie roles; unfortunately, his personal life took a very dark turn.
Crane developed a habit of picking up women, and filming his hotel-room escapades with them. In June 1978, he was found murdered in a hotel room in Scottsdale. The initial suspect in the crime was an estranged friend, a fellow sex-tape enthusiast named John Carpenter. Carpenter was eventually acquitted, due to lack of conclusive evidence (DNA testing was not available then). Crane’s murder remains one of the most baffling unsolved Hollywood mysteries.
At the time of his death, Bob Crane was only 49.
The night before last I couldn't sleep and Auto Focus was just starting on cable. I'd seen it before but watched again, and it seems to have improved with age. Or perhaps during the first viewing I was geared up to see how sleazy it was going to be. During my recent viewing I focused more on Bob Crane and John Carpenter's relationship. Both these men were very sick in a time when medical science had no proper diagnosis or treatment for their disease.
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