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Jack: Until recently you really hadn’t done any media regarding your father. Why have you now gone public with a web site? RSC: To set the record straight and clear up rumors about my father and his life. Over the years many rumors have been propagated and presumed to be fact. I feel like a lot of this has to do with the fact that my mother and I never participated in any press or television until recently. A lot of these rumors paint a really ugly, dark portrait of my dad. Bob Crane was not a dark person at all; he was extremely funny, charismatic, quick-witted, silly and a very driven, hard working guy! A work-a-holic in fact! At one point in his life he did a radio show, a television show, and sat in as a drummer with various Big Band Jazz groups! I barely have time to take a shower! My dad was an amazing guy and I continue to be motivated by him. He achieved an amazing amount of success at a very young age. I know my father would hate to be thought of as “dark” by his fans as the film Auto Focus depicts him to be. The web site is a celebration of my dad's life, featuring all aspects of his life. . . . I mean it as a tribute. And I have been working hard to fill it out with more and more content. At this point the site features the actual legal documents that disprove many of the rumors that are out there, as well as information about when Bob will be appearing on television, and a fan section; where fans post Bob Crane inspired material (there is a girl from Alaska currently winning national poetry slams with her Bob Crane poem). Just so you know, all of that content is free because I want people to have a true understanding about my dad. It’s not cheap creating this site and keeping it updated and online. The support that I have received since going public has been really cool and I love that people are still interested in my dad. It’s amazing to me how many people were and still are fans of my fathers. It lets me know I am doing the right thing. Jack: What can you tell me about your involvement with the film Auto-Focus, starring Greg Kinnear as Bob Crane and Willem Dafoe as his buddy John Carpenter. I saw something on Entertainment Tonight about it hitting theaters this Fall (2002). RSC: Well, unfortunately I am not involved with that project at all. It's a long story, but in brief, here it goes. My radio partner Jonathan Evison, my mother and myself wrote the Bob Crane story in the form of a screenplay a few years ago and titled it "Take Off Your Clothes and Smile," the working title was "F-Stop." This is a true account of Bob Crane’s Life, told from the inside out. Our screenplay received great feedback from admired people in the business. Army Archerd did a great write-up in Variety about it and suspiciously soon after that, we discovered that Propaganda Pictures was in the process of writing their own version of the story," Auto Focus: The Life of Bob Crane." You know? What is that? I understand that the Cohen brothers had interest in developing a script, as did David Lynch. I would have given those guys anything they needed if we could have worked together. I've read the Auto Focus script, and a lot of it is based on nothing but rumor and innuendo. It's not the true story of Bob Crane! It not only depicts my father in a way that is highly sensationalized, but it is also way off base as far as my mother who is still alive and well is concerned. The script even goes so far as to suggest that I may not be Bob Crane's son. (See letter from Bob Crane's doctor confirming Bob's post-vasectomy sperm count. Link opens in new window.) Jack: You look exactly like Bob Crane! (See photo. Link opens in new window.) RSC: That's what they tell me! So anyway, once the word was out that Propaganda was producing their own version of the story, we couldn’t get anyone to consider or even read our script. And the producers of Auto Focus - were not interested in hearing what we had to say. Jack: But isn't Sony Pictures putting out the movie? RSC: Yeah, since this thing started, Propaganda went under and Sony picked it up. When it seemed clear that our script wasn't going to get picked up, I rushed to put bobcrane.com up to combat the rumors about my dad. Jack: I think I know, but what are the rumors? RSC: Oh, that he photographed women without their knowledge. Jack: Well, I checked out the photos and the video -- it seems clear that everyone knew that they were on camera, some of the girls are really mugging for the lens. RSC: Not to mention that equipment back then was huge. The camera was the size of a toaster oven. You couldn't hide it if you wanted to! As you can see in the crime scene photos there is an entire WALL of technology in his room. (See photos. Link opens in new window.) It’s not like today where you can hide a camera anywhere. Jack: What are the other rumors? RSC: That he was into S&M and had dungeons all around the country. My dad was kind of a baby when it came to pain and remember, Bob Crane photographed everything, including traffic jams. We definitely would have seen pictures of that. It's actually Paul Schrader who was into S&M. It's documented in the book Easy Riders and Raging Bulls. So Paul basically injected his own fetish into my fathers story. Jack: Do you have just tons of photos and video? RSC: There is quite a lot - but I have it in storage . . . locked away. Someday I'll have a bon fire. Jack: What about reports that Bob Crane was an “All-American, church-going, Pat Boonesqe” character until he met your mother in the mid 1960s? RSC: Well, for starters my father had been having extramarital affairs and photographing hundreds of nude women engaged in sexual activity since the 1940s. He did not suddenly become a “sex addict” when he met my mother. We have amateur home erotic movies of his that date back to 1956, and I can assure you that the women in those movies were not his wife at the time. Jack: What about the rumor that your dad might have been gay? RSC: Not true at all. I think that rumor got started when people were trying to pin the murder on John Carpenter who was reportedly bi-sexual. Some people thought John might have killed Bob in some kind of a jealous rage. As you can see in the photos, Bob was pretty consistent in his taste for women with huge breasts! A real Russ Meyers fan. Jack: And the penile implant rumor? RSC: Yeah, I love that one. It's so stupid and so easily proven false. First off, they didn't even have penile implants in the 60s and 70s. In fact, silicone penile implants were not used before 1982 -- four years after Bob's death. And fat injection penile implants weren't used until the early 1990s. Secondly, if he had had penile implants or injections, this would have been noted in his autopsy report, which you can view on bobcrane.com. (See Bob Crane's Autopsy Report. Link opens in new window.) You'll see that the coroner states that Bob's genitals are perfectly normal. Sorry if this all sounds weird, but unfortunately I’ve become a bit of an expert on this penile implant stuff because they promote this rumor in Auto Focus. I guess they did it to try and titillate a modern audience. Anyway, why would Bob Crane need implants? Maybe this is another case of Schrader forcing his life on Bob Crane's ? Jack: Paul Schrader who wrote Raging Bull and Taxi Driver is the director of Auto Focus. What are your thoughts? RSC: Those are two great movies. Of course, Martin Scorsese directed those, and Robert De Niro was the star, so how can you go wrong? Anyway, there is a lot of controversy in film right now regarding the portrayal of a real person in film. I followed the John Nash - "A Beautiful Mind" controversy which seemed to be a case of information being left out, where I believe that Auto Focus is more like a case of fictional information being added to a story that is being sold as a true to life account. Trying to right the wrongs has been a hurtful and endlessly frustrating effort for my family, and it's compounded by the fact that my dad's real life story is easily more compelling than the lies. Trust me, the truth doesn't need to be fictionalized. Schrader also fictionalized Jesus's life in "Passion," as if that needed any dressing up! Jack: And what do you think about Greg Kinnear as Bob Crane? RSC: I don't have anything against Kinnear. But I met with Kinnear on the set of Auto Focus and was disappointed to see that that he hadn't done anything physically other than dying his hair black to get into the role. He didn't even part it on the right side! The day that I met him he was playing Bob Crane toward the end of his life when he had really gained some weight and wasn't looking so great. Kinnear had just the TINIEST amount of padding under his shirt. Meanwhile, Willem Dafoe, who I think is a fantastic actor, had gone nuts! Changed the color of his eyes, hair and skin to appear more like John Carpenter. The thing is, Dafoe is so good, he could get by without all of those physical changes and still be convincing. The whole thing is a mess. The film looks like an SNL skit. The woman playing my mother didn’t even pad her bra. My mother (stage name Sigrid Valdis) was a ringer for the Jayne Mansfield type. Schrader should have worked with us. It was very irresponsible for him not to. Jack: I recently read an interview with Greg Kinnear, where he was asked about how he was preparing himself to play Bob Crane. He said that he had spent some time with you and that you were very helpful and showed him some early tapes and films of your father. Did you actually help Greg prepare for the role? RSC: No, I didn’t. Auto Focus, started filming on December 12th, 2001. The first and last time I ever met or spoke with Greg Kinnear was when I visited the set of Auto Focus on January 16th, 2002. They only had nine days left to shoot, and our meeting lasted no more than 20 minutes. I don't see how I could have “been helpful” with anything at that point. The shoot was basically over. But, I did try and show Greg that what he was doing was not the real Bob Crane story. I let him watch the video of the last Father's Day I spent with my dad. He told me he had already seen it -- but when I told him that what he had seen was an edited version -- and that this was the real tape -- unedited -- he became interested. The tape of Father’s Day that was given to Schrader (supplied by Dawson - according to Schrader) who then showed it to Kinnear - had been mysteriously edited to remove any of the loving moments between my mother and my father who through out the tape were seen hugging, kissing and generally showing affection for one another. It also shows my Dad looking very touched and somewhat remorseful about our time apart. Kinnear, Willem Dafoe, Trevor Macy and Kinnear's agent all sat and watched the unedited video with me. I also showed them The Faces of Bob Crane photo book -- and we talked about Bob's Last Will and Testament, Bob’s autopsy report and Bob's lack of penile implants. (A scene scheduled for shooting on January 18th, 2002, two days after this meeting, had Kinnear as Crane showing off his penile implant to Dafoe as Carpenter.) But, at this point, the film shoot was basically over. They certainly weren’t re-writing scenes after my visit. I think that whole meeting was designed to look good on paper for their legal department. They were just blowing smoke up my ass and I knew it at the time. (Note: The implant scene shot two days after this meeting, made the cut and was left in the film.) Jack: What do you think about the director Paul Schrader? RSC: I love most of his films. The thing that I hold against him is the fact that he didn't contact my family to learn the whole story before he re-wrote Auto Focus. Bob was married to my mother at time of his murder, and in spite of my young age at the time, I do have a lot of memories and impressions about what was going on when he was alive and afterward. I feel it is irresponsible and lazy to do a film about a real person without doing all of the research. I actually tried to contact the producers at Propaganda, before Schrader was even signed on to the project. Not one of my calls were returned. I began calling Paul Schrader as soon as I heard he was working on the re-write of the script. Paul didn't respond to my calls either. We didn't really actually speak until the film was already safely in production. Jack: A case of the big machine at work huh? RSC: Yeah, it's a drag because here I am, wanting to have some input on a story about my family and no one producing the movie will listen. As you know by now, it's not as if I am trying to hide anything, and the only thing I am trying to protect is the truth. Eventually, about two weeks before the film wrapped shooting I met with Paul and Trevor the producer. They heard me out and have apparently opted to ignore almost everything we discussed. During our meetings, they offered me both money ($20K) and a role in the film (w/ a SAG card), in return for my signature on a legal release. I didn't take the money, or the role, or the SAG card, and I didn't sign a release. I understand, according to Paul and Trevor, that Bobby had already accepted this same offer. This is not about money of fame for me. Jack: What was it like being on the set of a film about your father that you don't approve of? RSC: It was surreal to be surrounded by a crew of people working on a movie about my mother and father and realize that no one knows who I am or why I’m there. It felt really cold. I am not the bad person here. My father was murdered and I care about how his story is told. Jack: Russell Crowe is slated to star as “Hogan” in a big screen, Brian Grazer- produced re-make of Hogan's Heroes. Are you ready for that? RSC: I'm actually pretty excited about that project. I am a big fan of Brian Grazer's films. And Russell Crowe is a really strong actor. Personally, I think Charlie Sheen would be the best fit at playing Bob Crane. He has the look, the humor, the like-ability, and he could bring his own experiences to the role. Jack: So Robert, do you love or hate your father? RSC: I love him very much and I will always be saddened by his murder. He was a loving father and we had a great relationship. I have a lot of fond memories, and as I’ve said before, he has greatly inspired me professionally. My dad had an intense drive for perfection, and he was a work-a-holic. I am the same way. Through out my life at whatever age I happen to be at the time, I always reflect on what my Dad had achieved at the same point in his life and it drives me. I doubt that I would have won radio awards for production and writing or had my radio show nominated for two Peabody's ("Shaken, Not Stirred"), if I hadn’t inherited that same drive. My dad was a rare animal. Who else would find the time to do everything that he was into? He wore his lifestyle and his conquests like a badge of honor and anyone who knew him knows that. On one level, the way he needed sex for validation was unfortunate, but don’t we all get some kind of validation from sex? Bob Crane was a kid in a candy store and he wanted everyone to know it. This also brought him validation. He was very ahead of his time as far as his openness about it. I just watched an episode of the game show Password that he was on. Bob was asked a question that had just the smallest window for sexual innuendo and all he did was give the crowd a look. They erupted into laughter. They knew what he was all about. The host of the show, Allen Ludden took any chance he could get to give Bob room for a sexual quip. Nothing sexual was ever actually said but everyone got the joke. It was hilarious! My Dad was a complex man and in answer to your question, yes. I love my father. Very much. Jack: Tell me a personal story about him. RSC: There are so many. . . .Here's a funny one: When I was four years old I broke my arm and was wearing a cast. My dad and I went to the grocery store together and women were coming up to him and saying things like, “Oh! Is this your son? Isn't he cute!” etc. etc. Of course my dad is like, “Yes ladies this is my son Scotty! Would you like to sign his cast?” Naturally I came home from the store with my cast covered with women's phone numbers. Man! I wish we kept that thing! (See photos of Scotty in cast. Link opens new window.) Jack: That brings me to asking you about your mom Patricia Crane. What did she think of Bob's sexual indiscretions? I assume they had an open marriage. RSC: Well, it was open on his side. My parents were friends for quite awhile before they got married so she knew what he was up to and he didn't try to hide it. She even had a studio built for him downstairs in our house. It was a Christmas gift. The studio had a video room, a recording room, a projection booth, a drum room, and a photographers dark room. Sometimes it seems as if he was more into the technology of the camera equipment he was using than he was the actual sex. He was always into the latest technology. Anyway, she knew what he did. She always says, “Bob didn't lose his First Amendment rights when he married me.” I don't really know what Free Speech has to do with this - but hey . . . it's her quote. My mom was completely devoted to him. She didn't sleep with other men. My mom just likes the people in her life to be happy. The Great Enabler. Jack: Tell me about your upbringing. How did Bob directly influence you? RSC: My dad started out on radio. He was the “#1 in the morning” guy on CBS radio in L.A. for close to ten years. They called him “The King of L.A. Airwaves.” He broke a lot of rules and is considered one of talk radio's innovators. He's actually in the Museum of Broadcasting -- credited for inventing the use of sampling on the radio which is a staple of modern-day radio production and I think, very cool. It was not uncommon for him to be playing a drum kit with Fred J. Muggs the chimpanzee while interviewing a major celebrity, and he made some hilarious parody commercials. He shared that hobby with me. I remember when I was about four or five, my dad set me up with a tape recorder, a turntable and a microphone – and let me play DJ. Basically I'd just introduce KISS songs, talk to myself, and sing along. (Hear a sample of Bob on the radio. Real Player) Jack: As a young child, were you ever exposed to his erotic photos or movies? RSC: Somethings were around the house, and could of been hidden better. But he didn't hide anything. For me it's almost like looking at baseball cards. I am sure he didn't show me this stuff intentionally. He was naïve. It was the 1970's. I remember that I stole from the mailbox an issue of Playboy magazine, and I hid it in my room. He gave me a pretty stern talking too, and told me that that was his magazine and it was not meant for me. But then again, I remember seeing Playboy magazines on his studio coffee table. I recently read that the Frank Zappa household was the same way. The other day, my wife found this folded piece of paper with my writing on it from when I was about 6 years old. It said in red ink, “love, love, love, love” with hearts all over it. She opened it and there was a letter that I had scrawled out, “Dear Miss August . . . 36, 24, 36.” We thought it was pretty funny. I am sure that as a child I had some weird, immature heightened sexual awareness, but I can honestly say that I was never sexually abused in anyway. Jack: So instead of following in your father’s footsteps in every way you decided to stick with acting and radio? RSC: Yes. I host a nationally syndicated radio show, Shaken, Not Stirred. It's a comedy show often compared to the old National Lampoon Radio Hour. I have also acted in a few films ( Link opens a new window.) Acting feels very natural to me, and I love it. I haven’t heard from Steven Soderbergh yet, but I’m sure it’s because he has been busy. I doubt that I would be involved in radio, music or acting at all were it not for my dad's influence. Another weird thing about his influence on me is that my handwriting is exactly like his and he was obviously a nut for electronics and I have been a sound engineer and record producer for close to ten years now. I’ve worked on a lot of great projects . . . David Byrne, Dave Matthews, David Sylvian, Soundgarden, Love & Rockets, Skinny Puppy, Robert Fripp, KMFDM. I wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for my dad’s influence. Jack: It seems as though Bob was pretty pleased with his exploits. So he just shared this stuff with anyone? RSC: Pretty much. My father was was a performer in every aspect of his life; his sex life included. During the trial for his murder, CNN broadcast a segment of the trial that included videotape of my father having sex. My mom just looked at me and said, “If your father could see that so many years later, people are still talking about him and that his sex life is world-wide news, he would be thrilled.” Another story -- Carroll O'Connor (“Archie Bunker”) came over to our house one day. This wasn't a normal occurrence; he was just being a friendly neighbor stopping by to say hello. My father did what he always did when guests came over, and introduced Carroll to the family, gave him a tour of the house and then took him downstairs to the projection room, and showed him a blue films he had. Try and picture that scene, “Archie Bunker” and “Col. Hogan” sitting around watching Nudie-Cuties! John and Patty Duke Austin were neighbors who got the very same tour! My father showed his erotic photos and videos to everyone, including the press. Jack: Didn't that fact play a role in his dismissal from Disney? RSC: You've done your homework! It's such a harsh story but it shows how my Dad couldn't relate to sexual conservatism. After a six year run, Hogan's Heroes was canceled in 1971, and in 1973 Disney hired Bob Crane to star in the movie Superdad. I think my dad had high hopes of this being just the first in a long run of movies for Disney. Sometime between 1973 and 1976, a reporter from the LA Free Press, called my dad up and said that he would like to do a story featuring “A Day in the Life of Bob Crane.” My dad was never one to turn down publicity so he invited him over to the house and gave him the same tour our neighbors received. He went a step further. My father then took this reporter to the Classic Cat Strip Club on the Sunset Strip, where he happily and innocently posed for photos with his favorite stripper, Angel Carter. She was topless. The story and the photos ran in the paper, and of course, Disney stopped calling. This was not what my father had intended. He had no idea that Disney or the rest of the country, for that matter, would take offense. My father was not unlike most performers; he needed public adulation, attention and validation. He needed to be loved and wanted, and it really hurt his self-esteem when Hollywood started to turn its back on ‘Bob Crane.’ After the Disney fiasco and toward the end of his life he'd take gigs like ribbon cutting ceremonies for a new Safeway in El Segundo. He'd do anything to be in the public eye. But at the same time he was always a strong willed and determined man, and I think he kind of thought, “Well screw everyone else, this is who I am.” Jack: Your father was a Republican, and beyond that it has been rumored that he regularly attended church. Do you think he suffered from any moral dilemmas, or internal conflict between good and evil? RSC: Who said sex was evil? I mean besides Ken Starr and Paul Schrader? I don't think my dad thought that sex was evil. This was all happening way before people understood much about addictive behavior though. "Sex Addict" was not a well known term. I guess you could say that my dad was a fiscal Republican, and a social Democrat. Obviously he was very liberal where personal rights and freedoms were concerned, but he voted Republican. My dad was Pro-Choice long before Roe vs. Wade and long before abortion was a campaign issue. My father did attend church -- when people died. He wasn't religious and he didn't raise me to be religious. The whole mythology about him being this church-going saint that was brought down and corrupted by the evils of Hollywood -- is really just a dramatic way to dress up a story. But it's totally untrue for Bob Crane. In the twelve years that my mom knew my father, he went to church three times: my baptism, his father's funeral and his own funeral. He never had a family priest for a ‘buddy’ as Auto Focus depicts. Here again Paul Schrader is injecting his own life onto my fathers. Paul was brought up in a very conservative - fanatically religious family. You can see the damage in all his films. Jack: Do you think that your dad may have been abused or exposed to sexual things as a child? RSC: I really don't know. But, I don't think so. It’s an interesting angle . . . but we don’t know of anything to that effect. I do know that my grandfather kept a collection of ‘adult’ comic books. I guess that's about all you could get in the 1930s. Jack: What do you think of the way that the media portrays Bob Crane? RSC: I remember watching the A&E Biography of Bob Crane and noticing that they were really playing up the ‘good boy gone bad’ mythology. They were painting a dark and almost sinister portrait of a deviant man possessed by his obsession with photographing naked women, and the evils of pornography. Then at the commercial breaks A&E would run commercials for their upcoming Hugh Heffner bio. . . .Celebrating the Heffner empire, and making Hugh out to be some sort of an All-American hero. The entire tone of the Heffner bio was so completely different from that of my fathers bio, and that struck me as being very hypocritical. Hugh Heffner makes a ton of money off of essentially being the world's biggest pimp. My dad was just enjoying himself. He proudly told people that he “Never paid for it.” The only difference between the two, and they did know each other, is that my dad didn't do it for profit. Welcome to Capitalism -- where sins are easily forgiven if they show a profit. It's weird . . . Hugh Heffner - Tommy and Pam Lee - Paris Hilton - Kid Rock - . . . they get the bios with fun party music . . . my Dad, he gets the Robert Stack v.o. with dark haunting keyboard effects. Jack: The A&E Bio and the E Entertainment: Bob Crane True Hollywood Story both heavily feature Bob Crane Jr. Do you talk to him? RSC: First let me say that there is no “Bob Crane Jr.” My father was born Robert Edward Crane and his first wife gave birth to Robert David. I was born Robert Scott Crane. “Bobby” didn't start calling himself “Jr.” until my father died. I haven't seen Bobby since the funeral. And last I heard, Bobby was telling anyone who would listen that I wasn't Bob Crane's son! (CLICK HERE for photos of Bob, Bobby and Robert Scott Crane. Link opens in new window) Jack: When news about you and the web site appeared in the New York Post, Bobby was quoted as saying that what you are doing is terrible. What do you think of his statement? RSC: He's a hypocrite. Bobby has been a constant source of pain and frustration for my mother and I since my father's death. He has been front and center in the media regarding my father since the beginning. My mother has never spoken about it and I have been building my own career. Yet suddenly now I’m “terrible.” If you want to see something truly terrible, check out the article Bobby wrote for a hardcore porno rag called Partner Magazine titled, “Bob Crane: A Hero, a Sex Fiend, a Corpse. . .” It's ridiculous to read this thing and then watch how “Norman Rockwell” he tries to paint everything in the main stream media. My web site celebrates Bob Crane. I don't know what Bobby was trying to accomplish with this article. (Read Bobby's article. Link opens in new window.) Jack: So you don't talk to any of your half-siblings? RSC: Actually, I have one half-sister from my mother's first marriage, and my parents adopted another daughter. I am close with them. I also have two half-sisters from my dad's first marriage. I haven't heard from that side of the family since the funeral. My Dad's Last Will and Testament heavily weighed in favor of my mother and me. She is the executor the of Bob Crane estate. Within a year of my father’s death, his ex-wife Anne filed several lawsuits against the estate of Bob Crane. I can understand them being angry, but all I can say is that if they have a problem, it's with Bob, not with me, or my mother. These were his wishes. Bob’s divorce from Anne cleaned him out financially. I am sure this had everything to do with the way his Will was written. Jack: Divorce sucks, doesn't it? I had heard that your parents were divorced. RSC: Not true. Actually, my parents had gone through a very brief separation period but they had reconciled and stopped divorce proceedings. They were back together at the time of his murder. He had made arrangements to move back in with my mother and me when his play closed in Scottsdale. (Bob was the star of the play Beginner’s Luck) During their reconciliation, my dad acknowledged his "hobby" with women and erotica had become a problem. He had also begun seeing a psychiatrist. I know my father cared for me and for life with my mom and me. Jack: Did your mother ever re-marry? RSC: No, and she still wears his ring. Jack: Wow. . . RSC: Yeah. She's been a great mother to me; it was crazy in Hollywood after the murder. Reporters going through our garbage and everything. We left Los Angeles and moved to Seattle. My mom wanted me to get away from Hollywood and have a chance at a normal life. We moved to a place called Bainbridge Island. My parent’s vacationed there in the 1970’s. It’s literally a very small island. When I was growing up on Bainbridge it was a place for artistic hippy liberal types. The antithesis of Hollywood. Back then the Seattle “scene” was really small. Incidentally, my first real friend on Bainbridge was my neighbor - Andy Wood who was the singer of Mother Love Bone who turned into Pearl Jam when Andy died. Soundgarden dedicated their album Temple of the Dog to him. I dedicated my recording studio “Soundhouse” to him. Also, I went to high school with Chris Kattan from SNL. I just remember him as being really, really shy, but the girls all thought he was funny. Chris Kattan does a really great impression of me, I've actually seen him do it on SNL. I also went to High School with Chad Channing, the drummer for Nirvana and Ben Shepherd, the bass player for Soundgarden. Chad was actually in my band and Nirvana at the same time. Bainbridge was a real ‘Rock & Roll High School.’ Alice in Chains practiced in my wife’s aunt and uncle’s basement, and Layne Staley lived in her other aunt’s closet. These days the people and the price tags have changed in Seattle. Basically every person retired from a 1970 or 80’s sitcom lives there. Love Boat, Gilligan’s Island, Cheers, etc. “The Island” offered a good, artistic environment for me to grow up in. I am surprisingly “well- adjusted” for what I’ve been through. . . (*laughs manically*) Jack: Have you gained any life lessons from your Father's life? RSC: I have. One of the other ways that my father influenced me is in what I believe to be the unfortunate consequences of his life style. I really crave the sanctity of an exclusive monogamous. relationship. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a libidinal guy, but I like to know where I stand in a relationship. Jack: What an intense lesson to learn. John Carpenter was the main suspect in your father’s murder. What can you tell me about John Carpenter and your dad's friendship with him? RSC: Richard Dawson introduced John to my dad, on the set of Hogan's Heroes. At the time, John worked for Sony Video - I believe in the parts department or a warehouse - and he could befriend celebrities with hard to obtain professional video equipment and supplies. According to my dad, Sony eventually fired John for stealing parts. Up until 1975 my dad just used John for cheap parts. John really didn't start hanging around Bob until 1975. But near the end of Bob's life, he started to view John as a “hanger on,” and evidentially told John that he was moving on. According to the police, this angered John so much that he murdered Bob Crane. My father had a very rare blood type, and blood that matched his was found in John Carpenter’s car. John and Bob were also seen arguing in public the night of the murder. Jack: Can you tell us a little more about the murder? And more specifically, do you think John Henry Carpenter killed him? (In 1994 Carpenter was arrested and later acquitted for the murder of Bob Crane) RSC: In June of 1978 my father was staying in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was starring in a dinner theater play called Beginners Luck. My mother and I went to Scottsdale to see him on Father's Day and there is a film he made of us celebrating together. Anyway, about ten days later my mother and I were vacationing on Bainbridge Island in Washington State -- when we received the call. Carpenter was accused of murdering my father in a Scottsdale Apartment - Hotel room, in June of 1978. The police told us that in the middle of the night, John crept into my father's room, picked up one of my fathers own camera tripods, and bludgeoned my father to death. The police said that my father was asleep when he died, and that the impact was so forceful, that he died instantly. I believe that John Henry Carpenter was a dark, seedy, and deeply disturbed character, perfectly capable of murder. In 1992 John Carpenter pleaded no contest to one of three charges of sexual battery and sexual misconduct with two girls under the age of thirteen. He was sentenced to three years' probation. John Carpenter was a convicted child molester, the “King of the Creeps.” In 1994, John Carpenter was brought to trial for the murder of Bob Crane. The police had very little hard evidence, and the jury acquitted him of all charges. I have always gone back and forth about who murdered my father. There are plenty of suspects, as my Dad didn’t practice discrimination when it came to married women or girlfriends of cops and mob bosses. In the 1970’s Scottsdale was overrun with mobsters in the witness relocation program. The cops there will tell you that. The hard fact is that all of the roads with hard, tangible evidence lead to John Carpenter. Carpenter had made a life out of being Bob Crane’s associate, posing as his manager and getting nothing more than his sexual cast-offs. My dad treated John like a second class citizen and when John found out that their friendship had come to an end because my dad had made plans to move home and resume a life with my mother and I, he was mad. That’s a motive. But there are a few other good suspects. Really good suspects. But he police focused on Carpenter. Jack: Did you attend the Carpenter trial? RSC: No, I didn't. By that time my recording studio was booming. The trial coincided with the “grunge” music explosion in Seattle. I was producing two records at once; one of which was for Sony music. That trial was more about John Carpenter than my father who was already gone. Most people act as if knowing who killed my father will bring some kind of closure to me. The thing is, it won’t. It won’t bring my father back. It won’t change the history of my life and I don’t care to relive the murder through another trial. My dad is gone and nothing will change that. I prefer to think of the happier times and leave it at that. Jack: Any quick last minute stories about your dad - maybe something we have never heard before ? RSC: Three quick ones. . . My dad turned down the role of Howard Beale in Network - for the DJ / Sportcaster role in the Disney movie Gus. He thought Network wasn't "believable" enough. Yeah. But the movie about a field kicking donkey . . . now that's . . . Jesus. And from what I understand, he passed on hosting Family Feud and recommended Richard. Survey says . . . . dumb move. Dawson made a killing with that. You'd think out of gratitude Richard would of at least attended my Dad's funeral. Richard was the only living member of Hogan's that didn't attend. Even Carpenter attended. John had flown directly from Scottdale to LA, and stayed at Dawson's after my father was murdered. Anyway ... My Dad also was set to take over and host The Tonight Show - - but blabbed the news and when Johnny heard about it, he bought a controlling share of stock in the program and never let my Dad guest host for him again. We heard that Johnny actually burned the master films of the dates my Dad did guest host. Weird and wild stuff. Jack: Wow. I did not know that. Speaking of weird and wacky stuff, what was it like doing The Howard Stern Show ? RSC: It was great! I have been a huge fan of Howard's for a long time. I'm in radio and he is one of my idols. I was really excited to finally meet him. I also thought he did a great job acting in Private Parts. He is a great comedic actor. He really is “The King of All Media.” It’s amazing the power and reach his show has, within a week of my appearance on his show, 6.5 million people visited bobcrane.com. Jack: Are there any X-rated sex tapes of Scotty available? RSC: God, I hope not! I might have a son someday . . . (2004 Editor's note: Robert is now a proud parent of a happy and healthy boy. Bob's first Grandchild!) * WEB SITE UPDATE NOTE* In
1956, nine years before Patricia Crane, Hogan's Heroes, and John
Carpenter . . . Bob Crane was making erotic "home" movies, outside of
his marriage. In June of 2001 - Bobcrane.com made available to the adult public, for the first and only time, one of Bob's
earliest erotic films, made in 1956. WHY ? Auto Focus. Paul Schrader, Robert David Crane, Robert Graysmith and Michael Gerbosi - Now a year after the box office and home video release of Auto Focus . . . . the movie If you feel compelled to do more reading . . . here are some links Salon . . . (2002) The Stranger . . . (2002) USA Today . . . (2002) *** For more information on Robert Scott Crane:Myspace - "Shaken, Not Stirred" - with some great audio clips . . .
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