Mister Ed facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mister Ed |
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Colorized Mister Ed title
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Walter R. Brooks |
| Directed by |
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| Starring |
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| Voices of | Allan "Rocky" Lane |
| Theme music composer | |
| Opening theme | "Mister Ed" by Jay Livingston |
| Composer(s) |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 143 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Al Simon |
| Producer(s) | Arthur Lubin |
| Cinematography |
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| Running time | 28 mins. |
| Production company(s) | The Mister Ed Company Filmways |
| Distributor | MGM Television |
| Release | |
| Original network |
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| Original release | January 5, 1961 – February 6, 1966 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Mister Ed (2004) |
Mister Ed was a popular American TV show about a talking horse! This funny sitcom first aired in 1961 and ran until 1966. It was based on short stories by Walter R. Brooks.
The main character, Mister Ed, was a horse who could talk, but only to his owner, Wilbur. This led to many hilarious situations!
It was pretty special because it started on smaller TV channels (syndication) before a big network like CBS picked it up. All 143 episodes were filmed in black and white.
Contents
How the Show Started
The idea for Mister Ed came from short stories by a children's author named Walter R. Brooks. His first story about a talking horse was published in 1937. Brooks was famous for his "Freddy the Pig" books, which also featured talking animals.
A secretary named Sonia Chernus helped Arthur Lubin turn these stories into a TV show. Lubin had also directed movies about a talking mule named Francis the Talking Mule. Like Mister Ed, Francis only talked to one person, which caused lots of funny problems!
Arthur Lubin wanted to make a TV show about Francis the Mule, but he couldn't get the rights. So, he decided to use Brooks's talking horse stories instead.
The first try-out episode for Mister Ed was paid for by famous comedian George Burns. It cost $70,000 to make! At first, Lubin couldn't sell the show to a big TV network. So, he sold it to many smaller TV stations across the country.
The show was a hit! Because it was so popular, CBS decided to pick it up for their main TV schedule.
Meet the Characters
The show was mostly about two main characters who worked together like a comedy team.
- Mister Ed: The talking horse was a palomino gelding named Bamboo Harvester. His voice was provided by former Western movie actor Allan Lane.
- Wilbur Post: Ed's owner was a friendly but sometimes clumsy architect played by Alan Young.
Wilbur and Ed lived in Los Angeles. Many of the show's jokes came from the fact that Mister Ed would only talk to Wilbur. Ed was often a bit of a troublemaker and acted much more human than a horse should!
A common joke was other characters hearing Wilbur talking and asking who he was speaking to. Another running gag was Wilbur being accident-prone and getting into silly situations. The director, Arthur Lubin, said he chose Alan Young because he "just seemed like the sort of guy a horse would talk to."
Other important characters included:
- Carol Post: Wilbur's patient wife, played by Connie Hines.
- The Addisons: Their first neighbors were Roger (Larry Keating) and Kay (Edna Skinner). They appeared until Roger's actor passed away in 1963.
- The Kirkwoods: Later, Wilbur and Carol's neighbors were Colonel Gordon Kirkwood (Leon Ames) and his wife Winnie (Florence MacMichael). Colonel Kirkwood was Wilbur's old boss from the Air Force.
- Mr. Higgins: Carol's grumpy father (Barry Kelley) often visited. He really didn't like Wilbur and always tried to convince Carol to divorce him!
Mister Ed's ability to talk was never really explained on the show. In the very first episode, when Wilbur wondered how it was possible, Mister Ed simply said, "Don't try. It's bigger than both of us!"
Who Was in the Show?
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")
Supporting Cast
- Larry Keating as Roger Addison (Seasons 1–3)
- Edna Skinner as Kay Addison (Seasons 1–3)
- Leon Ames as Gordon Kirkwood (Seasons 3–5)
- Florence MacMichael as Winnie Kirkwood (Seasons 3–5)
- Jack Albertson as Paul Fenton (guest, Seasons 1–3)
- Barry Kelley as Carol's Father, Mr. Higgins (guest, Seasons 2–4; recurring, Seasons 5–6)
Famous Guest Stars
Many famous people appeared as themselves on Mister Ed:
- Mae West
- Clint Eastwood (in an episode called "Clint Eastwood Meets Mister Ed")
- George Burns
- Zsa Zsa Gábor
- Leo Durocher
- Johnny Crawford
- Jon Provost
- Sebastian Cabot
- Jack LaLanne (the fitness guru!)
Other well-known actors also appeared in different roles:
- Donna Douglas (who later starred in The Beverly Hillbillies)
- Irene Ryan
- Raymond Bailey
- Alan Hale Jr.
- Neil Hamilton (who became Commissioner Gordon on Batman)
- Hayden Rorke
- William Bendix
- Sharon Tate
Episodes
There were 143 episodes of Mister Ed! You can find a full list here: List of Mister Ed episodes.
New Versions of Mister Ed
The show was so popular that people tried to bring it back!
- In 2004, the Fox network planned a new version of Mister Ed. It was going to star Sherman Hemsley as the voice of Mister Ed.
- In 2012, there were plans to make a new Mister Ed movie.
Mister Ed's Lasting Impact
Mister Ed left its mark in a few interesting ways:
- A real racehorse was named after Mister Ed! This horse even competed in a famous race in England called the 1994 Grand National in 1994.
- In 2007, there were plans to build a neighborhood in Oklahoma around the spot where Mister Ed (the horse who played him) was supposedly buried. The community was going to be designed to look like the show's setting!
See also
In Spanish: Mister Ed para niños
