Mister Ed
A talking horse sitcom that moved from syndication to network prime time.
Mister Ed was a black-and-white American television sitcom produced by Filmways. It first aired in syndication from January 2 to July 2, 1961, before moving to CBS, where it ran from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966. The series is notable as one of the few shows to start in syndication and later get picked up by a major network for prime time. All 143 episodes were filmed without color.
The show’s central character, a talking horse, originated in short stories by Walter R. Brooks, beginning with "The Talking Horse" in the September 4, 1937, issue of *Liberty* magazine. Brooks is also known for his Freddy the Pig children’s novels, which feature talking animals interacting with humans. Arthur Lubin’s secretary, Sonia Chernus, introduced him to the Brooks stories and is credited with developing the television concept. The premise resembles the Francis the Talking Mule movies, where an equine character speaks only to one person, creating both opportunities and frustrations. Lubin had directed the first six Francis films (1950–55) and wanted to make a Francis TV series but couldn’t secure the rights, so he optioned Brooks’ stories instead. Comedian George Burns financed the pilot, shot at his McCadden Studio in Hollywood for $70,000, with Scott McKay playing Wilbur. Jack Benny was also involved behind the scenes. Unable to sell the show to a network, Lubin sold it into syndication, securing single-sponsor deals on over 100 stations. The show was recast with Alan Young in the lead, and production began in November 1960. Lubin didn’t direct early episodes because he was working on a film in Europe. The first 26 episodes were well-received, leading CBS to pick up the series.
The show effectively had two leads working as a comedy team. The title role, Mister Ed, a talking palomino, was played by the gelding Bamboo Harvester and voiced by former Western actor Allan Lane. Ed’s owner, Wilbur Post, played by Alan Young, was a genial but clumsy architect. The Posts lived at 17230 Valley Spring Road in the San Fernando Valley. Many gags stem from Ed talking only to Wilbur, his cultured demeanor, his mischievous nature, and his human-like behavior that surprises everyone else. A running joke involves others hearing Wilbur talk to Ed and asking who he’s speaking to. Another gag centers on Wilbur’s accident-prone nature, causing harm to himself and others. Lubin said
- field
- Television sitcom
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Talking horse character Mister Ed
- original_network
- Syndication (1961), CBS (1961–1966)
- episodes
- 143
- format
- Black and white
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Creator
- Walter R. Brooks
- Starring
- Alan Young · Connie Hines · Bamboo Harvester · Larry Keating · Edna Skinner · Leon Ames
- Voices
- Allan "Rocky" Lane
- Theme Music Composer
- Ray Evans · Jay Livingston
- Open Theme
- "Mister Ed" by Jay Livingston
- Composer
- Raoul Krushaar · Jack Cookerly · Marlin Skiles · Dave Kahn
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 6
- Num Episodes
- 143
- List Episodes
- List of Mister Ed episodes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Mister Ed show concept was derived from a series of short stories by author Walter R. Brooks which began with 'The Talking Horse' in the September 4, 1937, issue of Liberty magazine. Arthur Lubin's secretary Sonia Chernus introduced him 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 character talks to only one person. Comedian George Burns financed the pilot for Mister Ed, which was shot at his McCadden Studio in Hollywood at a cost of $70,000. Scott McKay played Wilbur in the pilot. The pilot had no distinct title or was simply called 'The Talking Horse'. Lubin was unable to sell the show to a network, so he decided to sell it into syndication first. The show was recast with Alan Young in the lead. Production began in November 1960. The first 26 episodes were received well enough
Reader's Guide
Mister Ed remains notable as a rare example of a series that began in syndication and later aired on a major network. The show's title role, 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. The show's ability to talk was never explained and rarely contemplated. Mister Ed's producers left the talents that performed the title role uncredited. The voice actor for Ed's spoken lines was Allan 'Rocky' Lane. After the show became a hit, Lane campaigned the producers for screen credit but accepted a raise in salary instead. The horse Bamboo Harvester portrayed Ed throughout the run. Ed's stablemate, a quarter horse named Pumpkin, also served as Bamboo Harvester's stunt double for the show.
Did You Know?
- The show's concept was derived from short stories by Walter R. Brooks, beginning with 'The Talking Horse' in 1937.
- The original unaired pilot was titled 'Wilbur Pope and Mister Ed' and featured Scott McKay as Wilbur.
- Allan Lane provided Ed's speaking voice, while Sheldon Allman provided Ed's singing voice.
- The horse Bamboo Harvester was a crossbred gelding of American Saddlebred, Arabian and grade ancestry.
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