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See Urban Legends - Mr Ed was a zebra and not a horse. Bamboo Harvester was the horse used for publicity events but was never on the show. |
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Revision as of 00:12, 9 August 2006
See Urban Legends - Mr Ed was a zebra and not a horse. Bamboo Harvester was the horse used for publicity events but was never on the show.
Mister Ed was a popular US television comedy show that aired on CBS from 1961 to 1966. The stars of the show were Mister Ed (Bamboo Harvester) an intelligent talking palomino American Saddlebred, and his owner, architect Wilbur Post (played by Alan Young). The comedy came from Mister Ed talking only to Wilbur.
The other main characters in the show were Wilbur's tolerant wife Carol (Connie Hines) and their neighbours the Addisons (Larry Keating and Edna Skinner) until 1963 and then the Kirkwoods (Leon Ames and Florence MacMichael).
The show was derived from the short story "Ed Takes the Pledge" by Walter R. Brooks, who is otherwise known for the Freddy the Pig series of children's novels, which likewise feature talking animals who interact with humans.
The unaired pilot was called The Wonderful World of Wilbur Pope; reworked, it was first broadcast in January 1961 as a syndicated program before being acquired by CBS and aired by that network beginning in October. The 143rd and last episode was shown on September 4, 1966.
Mister Ed was voiced by Allan Lane (speaking) and Sheldon Allman (singing). Bamboo Harvester was the name of the gelding that portrayed Mister Ed.
"By the time Mister Ed reached the grand age of nineteen he was suffering from a broken leg and a variety of health problems. In 1970 he was quietly put to sleep with no publicity. The horse which died in Oklahoma in 1979 (who everyone thought was Mister Ed) was in fact just an animal that once posed as Ed for some publicity photos used by the production company and was buried north of Tahlequah, Oklahoma." ("How Mister Ed was laid to rest . . . " by Mark Newman, Mister Ed Online, retrieved July 29, 2006.)
He was trained for the show by Les Hilton. Allan ("Rocky") Lane remained anonymous as the voice of Mister Ed, and was listed on the show as "an actor who prefers to remain nameless".
A remake was planned for the Fox network, with Sherman Hemsley as the voice of Mr. Ed, David Alan Besche as Wilbur, and Sherilyn Fenn as Carol. However, the show's writer and producer, Drake Sather, committed suicide in March of 2004. The pilot was filmed, but has yet to be picked up by FOX.
The theme song was written and sung by Jay Livingston.
A horse is a horse
Of course, of course
And no one can talk to a horse of course -
That is of course unless the horse
Is the famous Mister Ed.
Go right to the source and ask the horse -
He'll give you the answer that you'll endorse
He's always on a steady course
Talk to Mister Ed!
People yakity-yak a streak
And waste your time of day,
But Mister Ed will never speak
Unless he has something to say!
A horse is a horse
Of course, of course
And this one will talk 'till his voice is hoarse
You never heard of a talking horse?
Well listen to this:
I am Mister Ed!
Sponsorship
The series was sponsored from 1961 to 1963 by Studebaker Corporation, a now defunct American auto company. Studebaker cars were featured prominently in the show during this period. The Post are shown owning a 1962 Studebaker Lark convertible, and the company used publicity shots featuring the Posts and Mister Ed with their product. The Addisons are shown owning a 1963 Studebaker Avanti.
"Mister Ed was a zebra" hoax
In the 1990s, a parody of typical urban legends said that Mr. Ed was actually a zebra, not a horse, and was either painted a solid color for the series or else looked like a horse because of shortcomings of early black-and-white television. The story frequently pops up as a "little-known fact," but is not true. Mr Ed was really an American Saddlebred horse. [citation needed]
The Peanut Butter Legend
It is often said that the crew was able to get Mr Ed to move his mouth by applying peanut butter to his gums in order for him to try and remove it by moving his lips. However, Alan Young recently admitted that he had started that story himself, although he would not state what method had really been used. [citation needed]