Mister Ed Trivia Facts

Mister Ed

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The character Mr. Ed originated in a series of magazine stories. Not only did the horse talk, he got drunk.
The real name of the horse that played Mr. Ed was Bamboo Harvester.
The horse that played Mr. Ed is said to have died in 1979 at the age of 30, 33 or 34 (depending on the source). Other, equally reputable, sources give the horse's date of death as 1968, 1973 and 1974.
Bamboo Harvester (as Mister Ed) had a stable mate horse named Pumpkin, who filled in as his stunt double on more rigorous shots. Pumpkin also appeared on the television series "Green Acres" (1965).
Mr. Ed only talked to Wilbur because (in his judgment) he was the only person worth talking to.
Larry Keating (I) (Roger Addison) died during the third season, and was replaced by Leon Ames (Col. Gordon Kirkwood).
Ed's stunt double Pumpkin was a quarter horse but looked very much like Ed, except for a gold spot in the middle of his white blaze. This spot was covered with white makeup when he worked as Ed's replacement.
The house used on the series was the childhood home of singer Katy Rose many years after the show ended.
"Mister Ed" was produced, initially, by George Burns McCadden Productions. Burns later said that he hired Alan Young (I) for the part of Wilbur Post because he "just seemed like the sort of guy a horse would talk to."
This was one of the few TV series to start in syndication, then be picked up by a major network.
The original sponsor was Studebaker Corp., which supplied the cars and trucks for the show.
Long after the show had ceased production but was still being seen in syndicated reruns, a fundamentalist religious group in Ohio claimed that the show's famous theme song was "satanic".
AP News item, 4/22/63: Television's talking horse Mister Ed and Walt Disney's canine film star Big Red won Patsy awards as top animal performers of 1962. The awards were presented Saturday by the American Humane Society.
Alan Young (I) refused to have the show named after him; he didn't want to take the fall if it bombed. Hence the name, Mr. Ed.
CBS refused to put the production on their network in its initial premiere in 1960, so the Studebaker Company purchased Mr. Ed and put it into syndication. It was an instant hit, and CBS bought it a year later.
The horse wouldn't respond to any of his co-stars, just his trainer, Les Hilton. This meant that Hilton had to be on the set at all times, calling out commands or giving them with hand signals.
Mr. Ed was a golden Palomino.
Mr. Ed's daily diet was twenty pounds of hay, washed down with a gallon of sweet tea.
When Mr. Ed was tired of working, he'd just walk off the set.
The Mr. Ed theme song was originally recorded in Italy and sung by an opera singer.
Mr. Ed could really open the barn door.
Mr. Ed really could answer the telephone. He just couldn't talk.
Mr. Ed's voice was a closely guarded secret, but it was actually Allan Lane (I), a former cowboy star.
Wilbur Pope lived at 1046 Hollybrook Lane, Encino, California in this original pilot.
Lyrics are not sung in the theme as in later episodes.
This episode served as the pilot for a possible spin-off series, but the idea didn't sell.
Per the title, a stool pigeon is an informant, informer or snitch who provides details about the activities of others and who was previously deemed trustworthy.
Per the title, a tout is an American term for a race track handicapper or tipster.
The title comes from the Aesop fable about the Shepard boy who cried wolf too many times.
The title refers to actress Zsa Zsa Gabor who is more famous for her many marriages than her extensive acting resume.

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