Mister Ed (a horse) belonged to Wilbur Post, a young architect who had decided to move out of the city to get a little closer to nature.
Wilbur (Alan Young) and his new wife Carol (Connie Hines) bought a large house in the countryside around Los Angeles – and discovered in the barn an eight-year-old Palomino horse named Mr Ed.
However, this was no ordinary horse. This one could talk. And to prove the point, he introduced every episode with the whinnied words, “Hello, I’m Mr Ed”.
But, Mr Ed didn’t talk to everybody – in fact, he would only talk to Wilbur (who he referred to as “Buddy Boy”) simply because he felt he was the only human being worth talking to.
Predictably this tended to land Wilbur in hot water – particularly when he was overheard talking to the horse – and stories revolved around the situations Ed got Wilbur into – and sometimes out of.
From 1961 to 1966, Alan Young and a palomino called Bamboo Harvester became one of television’s most loved duos.
Despite his initial skittishness, Young came to love his co-star, who was (as his name suggests) a beautiful bamboo colour, and not white as most viewers assumed – since the show was aired in black and white.
Roger (Larry Keating) and Kay (Edna Skinner) Addison were the Post’s next-door neighbours, but actor Larry Keating passed away shortly after the start of the 1963-64 season. Actress Edna Skinner remained on for a while but was soon written out of the show.
New neighbours arrived in December 1963 in the form of Gordon (Leon Ames) and Winnie (Florence MacMichael) Kirkwood.
Mr Ed actually premiered as a syndicated series in January 1961, with the same cast as the network version.
It was one of the few series to begin in syndication and then be picked up by a network for its regular prime-time line-up.
To make Ed move his mouth in sync with the dialogue, the production crew put a little piece of nylon thread under the horses’ mouth, which he, naturally, would try to get rid of.
Bamboo Harvester died in 1970. Alan Young passed away in May 2016.
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
Voice of Mister Ed
Allan “Rocky” Lane
Wilbur Post
Alan Young
Carol Post
Connie Hines
Roger Addison
Larry Keating
Kay Addison
Edna Skinner Paul Fenton
Jack Albertson
Gordon Kirkwood
Leon Ames
Winnie Kirkwood
Florence MacMichael Dr Bruce Gordon Richard Deacon
Agent Slatterly
James Flavin
Mr Higgins
Barry Kelley
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However, this was no ordinary horse. This one could talk. And to prove the point, he introduced every episode with the whinnied words, “Hello, I’m Mr Ed”.
It was one of the few series to begin in syndication and then be picked up by a network for its regular prime-time line-up.
Bamboo Harvester died in 1970. Alan Young passed away in May 2016.
