Cultureshark Remembers Ivan Dixon

TV's Ivan Dixon passed away a few weeks ago, so by now you probably recognize the name if you didn't at first. If not, bear with me as I relate a brief story.

A while back, I had the opportunity, in a professional capacity, to view Dixon in the 1964 film "Nothing But a Man." Never having heard of the movie, I was pleasantly surprised to see he was the star. "Cool," I thought, and I soon shared the news with a colleague. "Hey, Kinchloe from Hogan's Heroes is in this one," I e-mailed her. She didn't recognize the character name. "Kinchloe?" she replied. "Is he the black one?"

I had to chuckle then, just as I do now, because most people would have the same reaction. Ivan Dixon wasn't given much chance to do a whole lot on "Hogan's Heroes," but it's unfortunate that people don't recognize even the name "Kinchloe," let alone "Ivan Dixon." And as even a cursory look at his IMDB page reveals, Dixon was a heck of a lot more than just "the black guy on Hogan's Heroes."

Take "Nothing But a Man." I was both astonished by how good that movie was and embarrassed for not being even remotely aware of it. Dixon's great in a portrait of a young black man who tries to avoid compromising his beliefs, his identity, and his basic humanity while dealing with the external and internal pressures that confront African-Americans in the southern U.S. It's a brilliant movie, and Dixon carries it with ease even as his character reacts to an uneasy world.

Ivan Dixon also directed feature films and a bunch of TV shows in his accomplished career in the industry. But this isn't to say he has anything to apologize for his TV acting. In a little mini-tribute after his passing, I watched "The Prince from the Phone Company," a rare Kinch-centric "Hogan's Heroes" installment in which Dixon also played an African prince. Hijinkis ensue as Kinchloe impersonates him and the gang tricks the Nazis yet again. It's a fun first-season episode that gives Dixon a dual role, a love interest of sorts, and a nice spotlight to show off his charm.

I followed that up by viewing Dixon in a fine "Twilight Zone" episode, "The Big Tall Wish." Buried under some "battered fighter" makeup, he stands out as a cynical boxer who scoffs at a young boy's belief in the simple power of hope. The episode is available as a free stream at CBS.com.

I don't have a Retro Television Network affiliate in my area yet, but I read that they put together a little tribute to Dixon consisting of a few "Hogan's Heroes" episodes. While it would have been nice if they could have been a little creative, considering the wide variety of shows in which he appeared, kudos to RTN for stepping up with the kind of class gesture TV Land used to do.