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 Mr. Ed!
People yakkity 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 'til his voice is hoarse!
You never heard of a talking horse???
Well listen to this:
"I am Mister Ed!"
Got a bag of oats to call with;
Hay, I'd bring her by the bale!
Want to share a double stall with--
My pretty little filly with the pony tail!
Gee! If she would just agree
She'd be mine, today.
But no matter when I ask,
The answer's always Nay! Nay! Nay! Nay! [ neigh, neigh, neigh, neigh?]
If she'd name that day of wedlock
I would be there without fail.
Got a ring made for her fetlock;
My pretty little filly with the pony tail!
The first episode was #1, aired Jan. 4, 1961: "The First Meeting." Mr. Ed was originally a syndicated series, which was later picked up by CBS--one of the very few to do so! The first network episode was #27, aired Oct. 1, 1961: "My Son, My Son" ( After finding a grey hair on his tail, Ed is convinced that he is getting old, and wants a boy of his own, to carry Ed's name. Ed was shocked to realize that the horse he "adopted" turned out be a very old, though short horse! ).
The last episode was #143, aired Feb. 6, 1966: "Ed Goes to College":
Ignoring Wilbur's pleas to stick to being a horse, Ed makes up his mind to go to college to become a doctor.
Mr. Ed, himself, was portrayed by a show horse named "Bamboo Harvester." He was foaled in 1949 in El Monte, California. His sire was The Harvester, a Saddlebred owned by Edna and Jim Fagan. His dam was Zetna, who was sired by Antez, an Arabian imported from Poland.
He'd died, quietly, in 1970. There is also a reference of one "Gold Coast," as a Mr. Ed. Perhaps he is the horse used for publicity photos? This one died in 1979--referenced by "Saturday Night Live," on its "Weekend Update" segment. I know one horse purveyed to be Mr. Ed was much shorter than the one on TV ( I think that one was on Green Acres, in a guest role! ).
Sheldon Allman--who also wrote the above song--did the singing voice for Mr. Ed
The talking voice of Mr.Ed was Allan "Rocky" Lane, a former Western actor who, embarrassed to be playing a horse, kept his name off the credits. Lane later changed his mind, but the producers preferred to keep 'Mister Ed...Himself' in the scrolling text.
Larry Keating and Edna Skinner played Roger and Kay Addison, the next-door neighbors, until Mr. Keating's death ( at 64 ), on August 26, 1963, of leukemia ( he was buried at the Mount Calvery Cemetary, in Multnomah County, Portland, Oregon ). Working even during his final illness, he died shortly after filming began for the 1963 season of Mr. Ed.
( His last episode was noteworthy: In Season 4 (1963-1964)episode #81: Leo Durocher Meets Mister Ed
Original Airdate: September 29, 1963:
Ed's favorite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, aren't doing so hot. Ed, being the baseball expert that he is, calls up Leo Durcocher and gives him tips on how to help his players. Leo doesn't pay much attention to him at first, but realizes Ed's tips are right. Thinking it's Wilbur who had called him, Leo invites Wilbur down to the field to give him some more tips. Unfortunatly, Carol and the Addisons want to go to Palm Springs. Ed fixes that, by giving Carol a phony weather report for Palm Springs. Ed and Wilbur travel to Dodger's stadium to give some tips.
This is often concidered to many fans to be the best Mister Ed episode. )
Actress Edna Skinner remained on as his wife, Kay, but was soon written out of the show.
The Addisons were then replaced by Florence MacMichael and Leon Ames
as Winnie and Colonel Gordon Kirkwood, in episode #88: Home Sweet Trailer, aired Dec 8, 1963 ( Wilbur's old air force commander and his wife parks their trailor in the Post's backyard. Next episode, they buy a house next door ). They disappeared at the beginning of the sixth season, and were replaced by Carol's dad ( Barry Kelley ), who moved in with her and Wilbur.
Episode #104, aired 17-May-1964, there was an episode with a cartoon Martian, which seemed to be a pilot for a new series, which never took off. Moko, a small, round ball of energy being, could enter people's minds, thereby "possessing" them, and make them do whatever he felt like doing.
The show ended in 1966--which was the last TV season for black-and-white shows. Many fine shows of that era likewise ended, prior to the all-color switchover: Dick van Dyke; The Addams Family; The Munsters; etc. Never having been seen on color TV, Mr. Ed was regarded, by many, to be a WHITE horse, instead of the rich golden hue of the palamino that he was ( I know that I was surprised, when I saw my autographed photo of him! Surprising, also, that it was hand-signed! ). On Saturday Night Live, they used a white horse.
Mister Ed episodes
Episode Guide
Mr. Ed site
Mr. Ed
Sheldon Allman obit
Sheldon Allman obit
Sheldon Allman obit
Larry Keating
I'm not sure who exactly THIS Edna Skinner is, as she's MUCH older than the Mr. Ed actress--but they bear a remarkable resemblance to each other, as you can see in the photos. Perhaps an she's an aunt?
79-Wilbur Post, Honorary Horse
Addison has Wilbur working on the design of a new building he proposes to build, but Ed distracts him with ideas for a horse book. 69-The Blessed Event
#78: "The Blessed Event," aired May 12, 1963; but he was still referred to in episode #80, "Wilbur Post, Honorary Horse," aired Oct. 6, 1963.