All language subtitles for 靈馬艾德Mister Ed - The Strange History of Mr. Ed the Talking Horse (720p).English

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Fans of classic
television will recognize

one of pop culture's most
famous talking animals, Mr. Ed.

But the story of the real live
horse behind the iconic sitcom

is even stranger than a show
about a man and his talking

pet.

Today, we're talking about
everyone's favorite talking

horse, Mr. Ed.

But before we get started, be
sure to subscribe to the Weird

History channel, then feel free
to leave a comment, and let

us know what other
unusual TV shows

you would like to hear about.

OK, let's chat.

For six hilarious-- or is
that heylarious seasons,

Mr. Ed and his friend
Wilbur captivated audiences

nationwide.

The show ran for
a staggering 143

black-and-white episodes
starting in syndication only

to be picked up by CBS
as its popularity soared.

And it all started
with an unusual phrase.

When you hear the
words bamboo harvester,

you might immediately picture an
adorable, tree-climbing mammal

or fuzz bear.

But in this case,
bamboo harvester

isn't a koala or a panda--

or an obscure working
title for a Star Wars.

It's actually the name of the
horse who played Mr. Ed on TV,

and he has a
prestigious pedigree.

Born in 1949 to two
purebred horses,

including prized show
horse, Harvester,

the young palomino
would eventually

be owned by Les Hilton, protege
of iconic entertainer Will

Rogers, who owned a house and
stable in North Hollywood,

working on animal shows
like My Friend Flicka

and Frances the Talking Mule.

It was a real Brat Pack
of four-legged TV stars.

Hilton's training style was
the true secret of his success.

He was gentle, never
striking a horse.

He only used his
whip as an extension

to guide them during training.

In a time when many animal
actors were mistreated

or drugged to perform, Hilton's
horses were something special.

I think we've all had a
couple managers who could

learn something from this guy.

Bamboo Harvester was a
beautiful and energetic creature

who galloped,
among other places,

through the prestigious Pasadena
Rose Parade, winning plenty

of awards as a show horse.

However, Bamboo Harvester was
not the originally intended

star of Mr. Ed.

The original show pilot,
titled, The Wonderful World

of Wilbur Pope, was
produced in the late 1950s,

but it never aired.

Why?

It simply didn't work.

The cast was all wrong,
and the original chestnut

gelding taking on
the starring role

had a breakdown on the set.

It was all a steaming
pile of horse--

well, you know.

But it was probably still
better than that caveman show.

The show would later be retooled
with Alan Young as Wilbur

Post and Bamboo
Harvester as Mr. Ed,

and its title was changed
to the cleaner Mr. Ed--

like when Justin Timberlake
told Mark Zuckerberg to drop

the The from Facebook.

And the rest is classic
television history.

Being the star of a
beloved television show

certainly comes with
its perks, one of which

is a sense of entitlement.

Although the real
Mr. Ed couldn't talk,

Bamboo Harvester figured
out how to communicate.

Growing up in Hollywood,
the horse's attitude

matched that of
his human co-stars.

He was known to stop in
the middle of a scene.

And sometimes, he
decided a shoot

was finished by leaving the
stage and not returning.

Bet he had a better trailer
than his co-stars, too.

If that wasn't enough, he had
some celebrity-sized demands.

Nothing near the level of Van
Halen's legendary no brown M&Ms

clause, but still pretty big.

He loved drinking sweet
tea by the gallon.

And he ate 20 pounds
of hay every day.

Then again, what else would
you expect a horse to eat after

a long day on set, M&M's?

In a 1962 article for
Western Horseman, which

was a magazine that people
allegedly read and you could

apparently subscribe
to, the show's producers

But that's a duck
tale for another time.

It's also been said
the horse only missed

one day of shooting
throughout his entire career

and rarely needed
his stunt double,

Pumpkin, during the show.

But Pumpkin did
become just as famous,

eventually playing roles in
Green Acres and several pudding

commercials.

Wonder if they fed him 20
pounds of pudding per day.

That sounds like a
better gig, but once you

eat 20 pounds of it,
everything is kind of hay.

many of which are B-grade
Westerns before dying

in 1973 from lung cancer.

He notably played the
popular character, Red Ryder,

known for the namesake of the
infamous BB0 gun in A Christmas

Story and in a number
of different films

before going on to voice
America's favorite talking

horse.

Taking on the uncredited
role of Mr. Ed's voice

may have seemed unremarkable
for the journeyman actor

at the time.

But it was his voice
and performance that

gave the horse his personality.

And for that, he continues
to delight viewers who stream

or watch the show to this day.

The Golden Globes, the
Emmys, the Razzies--

it seems like there's an
award for everything in show

business, including animals.

The performing animal top star
of the year or PATSY Awards,

honored exceptional animal
actors in movies and television

despite sounding more like an
awards ceremony for people who

do jail time for mob bosses.

For a while, during the reign
of animal stars like Benji,

Lassie, and Rin Tin Tin, the
PATSY Awards were a big deal.

Even future President
Ronald Reagan

was a presenter at one
of the early ceremonies,

presumably because there
were jellybeans at crafty,

and everyone else was
ignoring them for hay.

And Bamboo Harvester
received plenty of awards

for Mr. Ed including
four PATSYs in a row.

The awards were
discontinued in 1986

presumably because Reagan had
other commitments that year

and couldn't return to host.

But their meaning lives on as
film and television history.

Elvis, JFK, Andy Kaufman--

conspiracy theories
about their deaths

persisted for a
long time after they

passed, a phenomenon that
happens with many celebrities

and historical figures.

Now, we can add another name
to the list, Bamboo Harvester.

After the show's
conclusion, one theory

states he was euthanized
due to poor health

in a stable in Oklahoma.

Another, more
optimistic, theory stated

that he was running
free on a farm

until he succumbed to old age.

But Allan Young, Wilbur
himself, stated otherwise

in his autobiography.

He wrote that Bamboo
Harvester lived longer

than other reports
had stated and claimed

he'd even visited the
horse in his retirement

at a stable in
Burbank, California.

And if you've never
been to Burbank,

it's the perfect place for a
horse to retire in the 1970s--

Johnny Carson, warm
weather, ample parking.

What's not to love?

Most bizarrely, Bamboo
Harvester's eventual passing

did not spell the
end for the show.

Hey, you never leave
talking-horse money

on the table.

For at least nine years,
an entirely different horse

was used for Mr. Ed's
still shots and press kits.

And when that horse clopped off
to the big hay bale in the sky,

the public believed it
was the original Mr. Ed.

Young knew about
the switch but kept

it a secret to avoid
spoiling people's memories.

If you're like
most people, you've

probably had the show's
theme song stuck in your head

for at least the
past few minutes.

It's a jaunty tune that
stood the test of time,

even though Ohio preacher
Jim Brown accused it

of hiding secret satanic
messages back in 1986.

He claimed that if you play
the horse song backwards,

you'd hear the phrase, "Someone
sung this song for Satan."

Obviously, that
only made the song

seem vaguely dangerous
and, therefore, cool,

even though it does not actually
contain any hidden messages.

Go ahead and check.

But the most bizarre part
of the song's history

might be a cover that emerged
from an unlikely source, Tiny

Tim, a falsetto-wielding oddity
who played ukulele and crooned

his way through
Tin Pan Alley tunes

like a ghost haunting
your memories.

And filmmaker James Wan agreed.

Tiny Tim's biggest hit,
"Tiptoe Through the Tulips,"

is a recurring trope in Wan's
insidious horror franchise.

Tiny Tim's take on
the Mr. Ed theme

was released in 1984,
well past Tiny Tim's time

in the spotlight.

In his inimitable style--

or irritating style
depending on your tastes--

Tim takes us through a typically
ukulele-driven rendition

complete with
imitation horse sounds.

So if they ever need to set an
insidious sequel at a stable,

they know what recording to use.

So what do you think?

Were you a fan of Mr.
Ed back in the day?

What other famous animals
would you like to hear about?

Let us know in the
comments below.

And while you're at it, check
out some of these other videos