Mister Ed

Mister Ed is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways^[1] that first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966.^[2] The show's title character is a talking horse, originally appearing in short stories by Walter R. Brooks.

Mister Ed is one of the few series to debut in syndication and be picked up by a major network for prime time.^[2]

Beginnings

The Mister Ed show concept was derived from a series of short stories by children's author Walter R. Brooks, which began with The Talking Horse in the September 18, 1937, issue of Liberty magazine.^[3] Brooks is otherwise best known for the Freddy the Pig series of children's novels, which likewise featured talking animals that interact with humans. Sonia Chernus, secretary to director Arthur Lubin, introduced Lubin to the Brooks stories and is credited with developing the concept for television.

The show's concept resembles that of the Francis the Talking Mule movies in which an equine title character talks, but only to one person, thus causing a variety of opportunities and frustrations. The first six Francis films (1950–55) were also directed by Lubin.^[4]

Lubin wanted to make a Francis TV series but had been unable to secure the rights. However someone told him about Brooks' series of stories. He optioned these for TV.^[5]

Comedian George Burns financed the original pilot for Mister Ed which was shot at his McCadden Studio in Hollywood at a cost of $70,000.^[5] Scott McKay played Wilbur. Jack Benny was also involved behind the scenes.^[6] Lubin was unable to sell the show to a network. Lubin decided to sell the show into syndication first. He managed to get single sponsor identification for the program on over 100 stations. The show was recast with Alan Young in the lead. Production began in November 1960 although Lubin did not direct early episodes because he was working in Europe on a film. The first 26 episodes were well received enough for the show to be picked up by CBS.^[5][7]

Synopsis

The show in effect had two leads operating as a comedy team. The title role of Mister Ed, a talking palomino, was played by gelding Bamboo Harvester and voiced by former Western film actor Allan Lane. The role of Ed's owner, a genial but somewhat klutzy architect named Wilbur Post, was played by Alan Young. Many of the program's gags follow from Mister Ed's tendency to talk only to Wilbur, his skills as a troublemaker, and his precociously human-like behaviour that far exceeds anything those around Wilbur expect of a horse. A running gag is other characters hearing Wilbur talking to Ed and asking to whom he is talking. Another running gag centers on Wilbur being accident prone and inadvertently causing harm to himself and others. According to Lubin, Young was chosen for the lead role because he "just seemed like the sort of guy a horse would talk to".^[4]

The other main character throughout the series is Wilbur's generally tolerant young wife, Carol (Connie Hines). The Posts also have two sets of neighbors, to whom Ed delights in making Wilbur appear as eccentric as possible. They included the Addisons, Roger (Larry Keating) and his wife Kay (Edna Skinner), who both appeared from the pilot episode until Keating's death in 1963; thereafter, Skinner continued appearing as Kay, without mention of Roger's absence, until the neighbors were recast. During this period, Kay's brother Paul Fenton (Jack Albertson), who had made occasional appearances before, appears. Following the Addisons, the Posts' new neighbors were Col. Gordon Kirkwood, USAF (Ret.), portrayed by Leon Ames, Wilbur's former commanding officer, and his wife Winnie (Florence MacMichael). They appeared on the series from 1963 to 1965.^[2] In the final season, the Kirkwoods were phased out, while Carol's grumpy and uptight father, Mr. Higgins (Barry Kelley), who appeared occasionally throughout the entire series, apparently moved in with Wilbur and Carol during the final episodes. Mr. Higgins loathes Wilbur since Wilbur's quirky eccentricity always clashes with his own emotionless and uptight personality. Carol's father never stops trying to persuade her to divorce Wilbur, whom he often refers to as a "kook" because of Wilbur's clumsiness. Alan Young performed double duty during the final season of the series, also directing nearly all episodes.

Ed's ability to talk was never explained, or ever contemplated much on the show. In the first episode, when Wilbur expresses an inability to understand the situation, Ed offers the show's only remark on the subject: "Don't try. It's bigger than both of us!"

The Posts resided at 17230 Valley Spring in the San Fernando Valley.^[8]

Cast

Main cast

• Allan Lane as Mister Ed (voice only)
• Alan Young as Wilbur Post
• Connie Hines as Carol Post
• Bamboo Harvester as Mister Ed (credited as "Himself", as was standard for non-human characters in Filmways productions)

Supporting cast

• Larry Keating as Roger Addison (1961–63); Seasons 1–3
• Edna Skinner as Kay Addison (1961–63); Seasons 1–4
• Leon Ames as Gordon Kirkwood (1963–65); Seasons 4–5
• Florence MacMichael as Winnie Kirkwood (1963–65); Seasons 4–5
• Jack Albertson as Paul Fenton (occasionally 1961–63); Seasons 2–4
• Barry Kelley as Carol's Father, Mr. Higgins (occasionally 1962–65, recurring 1965-66)

Guest stars

Several celebrity guest stars appeared as themselves during the course of the series:

• Mae West
• Clint Eastwood in "Clint Eastwood Meets Mister Ed"^[9]
• George Burns
• Zsa Zsa Gabor
• Leo Durocher
• Jon Provost
• Sebastian Cabot
• Jack LaLanne appeared in a cameo near the beginning of the "Psychoanalyst Show" episode of season 1, in which Ed is watching the exercise show.^[10][11]

Other known performers appeared in character roles:

• Donna Douglas appeared in three episodes, first as the "Lady Godiva" model in "Busy Wife",^[12][13] then as Blanche in "Ed the Jumper"^[14] and later as Clint Eastwood's girlfriend in "Clint Eastwood Meets Mister Ed"^[9]
• Alan Hale Jr.^[14]
• Neil Hamilton

Episodes

Production notes

The original, unaired pilot for the series was entitled "Wilbur Pope and Mister Ed" and featured an unrelated instrumental big-band theme (with footage of Studebaker Lark automobiles being driven underneath the opening credits). In the pilot, which used a script that was nearly identical to that which would be used on the series premiere, used a totally different cast. Scott McKay played the title part of Wilbur Pope (surname later changed to "Post" prior to the series making it to air) and Sandra White played the role of Wilbur's wife.

The first horse that played Mister Ed for the first, unaired pilot episode was a chestnut gelding.^[15] The horse proved to be unruly and difficult to work with and was replaced with the horse named Bamboo Harvester (1949–70), a crossbred gelding of American Saddlebred, Arabian and grade ancestry.^[16] A second pilot episode was filmed and Bamboo Harvester remained with the series until its cancellation.

Making Ed "talk"

Mister Ed's producers left the talents that performed the title role uncredited. The show's credits listed Mister Ed as being played only by "Himself".

The voice actor for Ed's spoken lines was Allan "Rocky" Lane, a former B-movie cowboy star. Sheldon Allman provided Ed's singing voice in episodes; his solo line ("I am Mister Ed") at the close of the show's theme song was provided by its composer, Jay Livingston. Allan Lane was alluded to by the producers only as "an actor who prefers to remain nameless." After the show became a hit, Lane campaigned the producers for credit but never received it.

The horse Bamboo Harvester portrayed Ed throughout the run. Ed's stablemate, a quarterhorse named Pumpkin, also served as Bamboo Harvester's stunt double for the show. This horse later appeared again in the television series Green Acres.

Bamboo Harvester's trainer was Les Hilton. To create the impression that Ed was having a conversation, Hilton initially used a thread technique he had employed for Lubin's earlier Mule films; in time, though, this became unnecessary. As actor Alan Young recounted: "It was initially done by putting a piece of nylon thread in his mouth. But Ed actually learned to move his lips on cue when the trainer touched his hoof. In fact, he soon learned to do it when I stopped talking during a scene! Ed was very smart."^[17]

Reports circulated during and after the show's run that the talking effect was achieved by crew members applying peanut butter to the horse's gums. Alan Young said in later interviews that he invented the story. "Al Simon and Arthur Lubin, the producers, suggested we keep the method [of making the horse appear to talk] a secret because they thought kids would be disappointed if they found out the technical details of how it was done, so I made up the peanut butter story, and everyone bought it.^[17][18]

Young added that Bamboo Harvester saw trainer Les Hilton as the disciplinarian father figure. When scolded by Hilton for missing a cue, the horse would move to Young for comfort, treating the actor as a mother figure. Hilton told Young this was a positive development.^[19]

Death

There are conflicting stories involving of the death of Bamboo Harvester, the horse that played Mister Ed. By 1968, Bamboo Harvester was suffering from a variety of health problems. In 1970 he was euthanized with no publicity, and buried at Snodgrass Farm, Tahlequah, Oklahoma.^[20] Alan Young told a different story, saying he had frequently visited Harvester in retirement. He states that Bamboo Harvester died from an inadvertent tranquilizer administered while he was in a stable on Sparks Street in Burbank, California where he lived with his trainer Lester Hilton. Young says Hilton was out of town visiting relatives and a temporary care giver might have seen Bamboo Harvester rolling on the ground, struggling to get up. Young said Harvester was a heavy horse and he was not always strong enough to get back on his feet without struggling. The theory is the caregiver thought the horse was in distress and administered a tranquilizer and, for unknown reasons, the horse died within hours. The remains were cremated and scattered by Hilton in the Los Angeles area at a spot known only to him.^[21]

A different horse who died in Oklahoma in February 1979 was widely thought to be Bamboo Harvester, but this horse was in fact a horse that posed for the still pictures of Mister Ed used by the production company for the show's press kits. After Bamboo Harvester's death in 1970 from kidney disease, this horse was unofficially known as "Mister Ed", which led to him being reported as such (including sardonic comments on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update) following his own death.^[22]

Theme song

The theme song, titled "Mister Ed", was written by the songwriting team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and sung by Livingston himself. The melody is derived from that of a German Romantic-era song by Emile Waldteufel. The first seven episodes used only instrumental music to open the show; thereafter the version with lyrics was used. Livingston agreed to sing the song himself until a professional singer could be found; the producers liked the songwriter's vocals and kept them on the broadcast.

The theme song received renewed publicity twenty years after the show went off the air when Jim Brown, a preacher from South Point, Ohio, claimed in May 1986 that it contained "satanic messages" if heard in reverse. Brown and his colleague Greg Hudson claimed that the phrases "Someone sung this song for Satan" and "the source is Satan" would be audible. At their behest teenagers burned over 300 records and cassettes of secular music with alleged satanic messages. The teens did not burn a copy of Television's Greatest Hits but Brown asserted that "Satan can be an influence whether they [the songwriters] know it or not. We don't think they did it on purpose and we're not getting down on Mister Ed."^[23]

Sponsorship

The series was sponsored from 1961-63 by Studebaker-Packard Corporation and Studebaker Corporation.^[24] At first, sponsorship came from Studebaker's dealer association, with corporate sponsorship coming from South Bend once the series had been picked up by CBS. Studebakers were featured prominently in the show during this period. The Posts are shown owning a 1962 Lark convertible, and the company used publicity shots featuring the Posts and Mister Ed with their product (various cast members also appeared in "integrated commercials" for Lark at the end of the program). When another Lark convertible served as the official pace car at the 1962 Indianapolis 500, Connie Hines attended the race as part of the promotion.

Unfortunately, Studebaker's sales dropped dramatically in 1961 and despite their exposure via sponsoring this program, never recovered. Studebaker ended U.S. motor vehicle production on December 20, 1963. Later, Studebaker's sponsorship--and vehicle-supply agreement ended, and The Ford Motor Company provided the vehicles seen on-camera starting at the beginning of 1965. (Studebaker vehicle production ended in March of 1966.)

DVD releases

MGM Home Entertainment released two Best-of collections of Mister Ed on DVD in Region 1. Volume 1 (released January 13, 2004) contains 21 episodes and Volume 2 (released March 8, 2005) contains 20 episodes. Due to poor sales,^[25] further volumes were not released.

MGM also released a single-disc release entitled Mister Ed's Barnyard Favorites on July 26, 2005 which contains the first eight episodes featured on Volume One.

Shout! Factory announced in June 2009 that they had acquired the rights to release Mister Ed on DVD, and subsequently released the six seasons on DVD in Region 1 in the U.S. Notably, Seasons 4 and 5 are not available outside of the continental U.S. The sixth and final season was released on May 12, 2015.^[26]

Syndicated versions of eight episodes were utilized for Season One DVD release. All other DVD releases contain unedited, full-length versions.^[27]

One episode (the second-season episode "Ed the Beneficiary") has lapsed into the public domain. Also in the public domain is a 19-minute production of the United States Department of the Treasury, done in the style of a Mister Ed episode with the show's full cast (but without a laugh track), promoting Savings Bonds, and the original unaired pilot, which was published without a copyright notice.

On December 9, 2014, Shout! Factory released Mister Ed- Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.^[28] The 22-disc set contains all 143 episodes of the series as well as bonus features.

♦- Shout! Factory select title, sold exclusively through Shout's online store

Remakes

In 2004, a remake was planned for the Fox network, with Sherman Hemsley as the voice of Mister Ed, David Alan Basche as Wilbur, and Sherilyn Fenn as Carol.^[32] The pilot was filmed, but was not picked up by Fox. The show's writer and producer, Drake Sather, committed suicide shortly before the pilot's completion.

In 2012, Waterman Entertainment announced they were developing a new feature film based on Mister Ed.^[33]

Legacy

A race horse named after the character in the television show took part in the 1994 Grand National steeplechase at Aintree, England, but did not complete the course.

In 2007, it was reported that a housing developer intended to create a community near Tahlequah, Oklahoma built around the supposed final resting place of Mister Ed (who died in 1970). It is intended to be themed to the style of the show and its period.^[22]

In popular culture

• Histeria! featured a recurring character in the form of a talking horse who spoke like Mister Ed: in the episode "20th Century Presidents", a parody of the theme song is featured.
• The Beastie Boys use a sample of Mister Ed's voice in their song "Time To Get Ill" from the 1987 album Licensed to Ill.
• The song "Mr. Klaw" by They Might Be Giants features lyrics based on those of the show's theme. The song appeared on the album Miscellaneous T.^[34]
• "Now That I Am Dead" by French Frith Kaiser Thompson features a Mister Ed impersonation on the line "I Am Mister Dead."
• British sketch comedy show Harry Enfield's Television Programme featured a Grotesque character called "Mister Dead", a talking human corpse who travels around with his living friend and often helps him get out of troublesome situations, such as in one sketch where he avoids a speeding ticket by pretending to rush Mister Dead to the mortuary.
• In the episode of the same name of Mr. Show, David Cross finds a "talking junkie named Mister Junkie", in a sketch that parodies Mister Ed, including a parody of the theme song.
• A tribute music CD called Mister Ed Unplugged was released, featuring new recordings of the "Theme From Mister Ed" and longer versions of "The Pretty Little Filly" and "Empty Feedbag Blues", which were both written by Sheldon Allman, the original singing voice of Mister Ed.
• Dell Comics published Mister Ed in Four Color #1295^[35]
• In the sitcom Dinosaurs, one of Earl Sinclair's favorite show is "Mister Ugh", a parody of Mister Ed featuring a caveman instead of a horse.
• In the videogame Dragon Quest IV for the Nintendo DS, there is a town where many NPCs with names reminiscent of famous people can be. The town features a talking horse named Mr. Ned.
• In an episode of Green Acres, Mr. Haney tries to sell a talking horse named "Mr. Fred" to Mrs. Douglas.
• In the Back at the Barnyard episode "Saving Mrs. Beady", Mister Ed was the last animal to jump into the hospital Mrs. Beady was in, but then looks at her and says "Wait a minute, you're not Aunt Mabel." He appears again later in the episode as Dr. Furtwangler's 4:00 patient.
• Talking horses are featured in other live action films such as Hot to Trot, Ready to Run and the Monkees' Head.
• In an episode of All in the Family in which Mike and Gloria feed the Bunkers horse meat without telling them, they finally cave in and tell Edith about it and she exclaims "I keep thinking about Mr. Ed!"
• A sketch from Chappelle's Show parodying the documentary series Frontline "profiles" racist Hollywood animals, one of which was Mister Ed, who was shown belittling a black actress with racial slurs.
  • The Mister Ed clip from this sketch was later posted to the Internet without context and claimed to be a legitimate clip from the original series, leading to a brief surge in the mistaken belief that the Mister Ed TV show had been racist.^[36]
• In the 1998 film Dr. Dolittle, while the titular doctor is committed to a mental hospital, he watches an episode of Mister Ed with two of the hospital's orderlies, who discuss their theories of how Mister Ed was trained to move his lips and "talk".

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mister Ed.

• Mister Ed at the Internet Movie Database
• Mister Ed at TV.com
• A film clip "Ed the Beneficiary" is available for free download at the Internet Archive
• A film clip "Wilbur Gets The Message... About Payroll Savings!" is available for free download at the Internet Archive
• A film clip "Mr. Ed and Wilbur Pope- unaired pilot" is available for free download at the Internet Archive
• How did they get Mr. Ed to talk? from the Straight Dope
• Mister Ed at TV Acres
• Interview with Alan Young, October 17, 2007
• DVD review of Complete Season 1 and production history
• "Photo of Mr. Ed and director Arthur Lubin". June 7, 2013. 
• Mister Ed at the Internet Movie Database (2004 remake)