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Page 1 of 5 MR. ED What do George Burns, Francis the Talking Mule, and Studebaker have in common? They were all instrumental in bringing the first of the fantasy sitcoms of the ‘60s onto our TV screens. Before Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and My Favorite Martian, Mr. Ed had us suspending our belief, by making us accept a talking horse as a reality. The origins of “Mr. Ed” go back to a series of 26 short stories authored by Walter R. Brooks (best known for the Freddy the Pig children’s book series). They were published in various magazines--The Saturday Evening Post, Liberty Magazine, Argosy--in the 1940s. Brooks wrote of a booze-drinking, ribald talking horse named Ed owned by a lawyer named Wilbur Pope. The stories were brought to the attention of Arthur Lubin (acclaimed director of the Abbott and Costello films and the Francis the Talking Mule movie series). Lubin acquired the rights and received funding through George Burns’ production company, McCadden Productions. Wilbur: "What kind of a name is Ed for a horse?" Ed: "What kind of a name is Wilbur for a man?"A pilot was filmed under the title of “The Wonderful World of Wilbur Pope” starring Scott McKay and Sandra White as Wilbur and Carlotta Pope, and Allan “Rocky” Lane as the voice of Mr. Ed. It was never aired and failed to interest any of the networks. Burns and Lubin however, did not give up. Al Simon of the newly formed Filmways Productions became interested in the project and the three men proceeded by recasting the leads and slightly retooling the premise--Wilbur would now be an architect. Meanwhile, Studebaker was looking for a program to sponsor, so the three men prepared a presentation of “Mr. Ed” for the car dealers convention in Chicago. The presentation was a smash as George Burns, new stars Alan Young and Connie Hines, and Mr. Ed (a different horse from the TV Mr. Ed) convinced the dealers that the show would not only be a hit, but also sell Studebakers. Product placement was assured, as newly-named “Wilbur and Carol Post” would be driving a beautiful Studebaker Lark in the episodes. The individual dealerships bought time in their local markets and “Mr. Ed” would now have the money to proceed into production and syndication. Wilbur: "It's been a long time since I was a boy." Ed (his first words): "It's been a long time since I was a pony." Production commenced in the Fall of 1960 with Alan Young, Connie Hines, and new neighbors, Roger & Kay Addison, played by characters actors Larry Keating and Edna Skinner. Allan Lane would be kept on as the voice of Mr. Ed. Importantly, Les Hilton was hired as the horse trainer. Hilton had apprenticed with Will Rogers and had worked with the mules in the Francis the Talking Mule series. He had also been trainer to TV horses Fury and My Friend Flicka. Hilton found a beautiful and personable 11-year-old Golden Palomino who had been a parade and show horse named Bamboo Harvester. The company bought the horse for $1,500 and set out to transform him into the sassy but loveable Mr. Ed. The horse was a natural--it has been reported that Mr. Ed did many of his scenes in one take. |