Mister Ed is an American television sitcom produced by Filmways[1] that aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961, and then on CBS from October 1, 1961, to February 6, 1966.

[2] The Mister Ed show concept was derived from a series of short stories by author Walter R. Brooks which began with The Talking Horse in the September 18, 1937, issue of Liberty magazine.

Arthur Lubin's secretary Sonia Chernus introduced him to the Brooks stories and is credited with developing the concept for television.

[6] Comedian George Burns financed the pilot for Mister Ed, which was shot at his McCadden Studio in Hollywood at a cost of $70,000.

The title role of Mister Ed, a talking palomino, was played by gelding Bamboo Harvester and voiced by former Western film actor Allan Lane.

The role of Ed's owner, a genial but somewhat klutzy architect named Wilbur Post, was played by Alan Young.

In the first episode, when Wilbur expresses an inability to understand the situation, Mister Ed offers the show's only remark on the subject: "Don't try.

ä Several celebrity guest stars appeared as themselves during the course of the series: Other known performers appeared in character roles: The original, unaired pilot for the series was titled "Wilbur Pope and Mister Ed" and featured an unrelated instrumental big-band theme (with footage of Studebaker Hawk automobiles being driven underneath the opening credits).

[citation needed] The first horse that played Mister Ed for the first, unaired pilot episode was a chestnut gelding.

[citation needed] Mister Ed's producers left the talents that performed the title role uncredited.

Ed's stablemate, a quarter horse named Pumpkin, also served as Bamboo Harvester's stunt double for the show.

To create the impression that Ed was having a conversation, Hilton initially used a thread technique he had employed for Lubin's earlier Mule films; in time, though, this became unnecessary.

"[18] Reports circulated during and after the show's run that the talking effect was achieved by crew members applying peanut butter to the horse's gums.

"Al Simon and Arthur Lubin, the producers, suggested we keep the method [of making the horse appear to talk] a secret because they thought kids would be disappointed if they found out the technical details of how it was done, so I made up the peanut butter story, and everyone bought it.

When scolded by Hilton for missing a cue, the horse would move to Young for comfort, treating the actor as a mother figure.

The theme song received renewed publicity twenty years after the show went off the air when Jim Brown, a preacher from South Point, Ohio, claimed in May 1986 that it contained "satanic messages" if heard in reverse.

When another Lark convertible served as the official pace car at the 1962 Indianapolis 500, Connie Hines attended the race as part of the promotion.

Later, Studebaker's sponsorship and vehicle-supply agreement ended, and The Ford Motor Company provided the vehicles seen on-camera starting at the beginning of 1965.

Also in the public domain is a 19-minute production of the United States Department of the Treasury, done in the style of a Mister Ed episode with the show's full cast (but without a laugh track), promoting Savings Bonds, and the original unaired pilot, which was published without a copyright notice.

[30] The remake starred Sherman Hemsley as the voice of Mister Ed, David Alan Basche as Wilbur, and Sherilyn Fenn as Carol.

[32] A race horse named after the character in the television show took part in the 1994 Grand National steeplechase at Aintree, England, but did not complete the course.

In 2007, it was reported that a housing developer intended to create a community near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, built around the supposed final resting place of Mister Ed (who died in 1970).