The famous Mister Ed

"Hello, I'm MISTER ED"

These words were uttered by the series star in the opening credits of the popular television show about a horse who could talk. Jay Livingston would then sing the following lyrics.

"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!"

After an episode ended the following lyrics were sung after the initial one shown above during the closing credits.

"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'll talk 'til his voice is hoarse.

You've never heard of a talking horse?

Well, listen to this...

"I am Mister Ed!"

During the good old days of television children and parents would gather around one black and white TV set to enjoy favorite programming. One of the most beloved shows from the 1960s was MISTER.ED. The series first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and was one of only a few television shows to begin in syndication and later to be picked up by a major network for prime time. From October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966, MISTER ED was on CBS.

The main character was a talking horse who originally appeared in short stories that were written by Walter R. Brooks. It all began with The Talking Horse which was published in the September 18, 1937 issue of LIBERTY magazine. There were 143 episodes of MISTER ED and they all were in black and white. Sonia Chernus, a secretary presented the idea of a television series about the talking horse to her boss Arthur Lubin who was a television producer. Lubin liked the idea and Brook's story became a TVseries.

If you are old enough to remember FRANCIS THE TALKING MULE and wondered who came first, MISTER ED was loosely based on the movies where only one person could hear Francis talking. This is why Wilbur was the only person who communicated with Ed. Arthur Rubin was behind the first 6 Francis films in the 1950s. He was unable to obtain rights to have the mule on a television series so he went with MISTER ED.

Initially, Arthur Rubin could not find a network willing to air his program so he sold it into syndication on more than 100 television stations. The first 26 episodes went over so well with the viewing audience that CBS decided to air the series. Allan Lane was the voice of the talking horse, Alan Young portrayed Wilbur Post and Connie Hines was his wife Carol Post.

There were rumors that the famous talking horse was really a zebra but they were not true. MISTER ED was portrayed by Bamboo Harvester who was a part Arabian/ American Saddlebred horse who lived from 1949–1970. The horse was trained by Les Hilton who was a Will Rogers' protégé. When Bamboo began suffering from age-related ailments, which included arthritis and kidney problems He was euthanized in 1970.

A second palomino horse named Pumpkin or Punkin was used in press kits and still pictures for MISTER ED. He became the official talking horse after Bamboo Harvester's death and Pumpkin passed away in 1979. Alan Young, (November 19, 1919 – May 19, 2016) was a Scottish-American radio host, comedian, actor, and television host. TV Guide dubbed him "the Charlie Chaplin of television Young was also the voice of DISNEY'S Scrooge McDuck for more than 30 years. In addition to MISTER ED Carol Hines, (March 24, 1931 – December 18, 2009) also appeared on episodes of JOHNNY RINGO and BACHELOR FATHER.

According to Alan Young Ed was initially able to move his lips because a piece of nylon thread was placed in his mouth. This was obviously pulled whenever the horse was supposed to be speaking. Young added that Ed was smart and actually learned to move his lips on cue whenever the trainer touched his hoof. After a while, Ed began moving his lips each time Wilbur stopped talking. What a smart horse indeed.

No one, except Wilbur and not even Carol ever heard MISTER ED speak. The fun of the series was that Ed often gave Wilbur bad advice that led to some of the funnier moments on the show. This beloved series can be seen on HULU and PRIME streaming services. Please check your local television listings to find out if MISTER ED is airing in your neck of the woods.