During the early 1960s a very popular TV sitcom was, “Mr. Ed” who was a talking horse. However, he only talked to his owner, Wilbur. It took a while for Wilbur to stop telling people Ed could talk because they obviously thought he was crazy.
Many times Wilbur and Ed would discuss situations that came about in Wilbur’s life and Ed was quick to give his advice.
Ed retired from stardom in 1966 and moved to a very cozy ranch in the Simi Valley area of California. Ronald and Nancy Reagan were his neighbors and would visit Ed frequently, but the President never admitted to getting any advice from Ed during these visits.
Ed was very protective of his privacy and it took many attempts for me to secure an interview, but even though that was many years ago, I still think it’s worth revisiting.
It was a gorgeous, sunny California morning. I was taken by golf cart to a barn where the interview would take place. Ed kept me waiting about forty minutes but eventually he sauntered up to the barn door.
Here is my exclusive interview, unedited:
Casual Observer: “Mr. Ed, I cannot tell you what a pleasure it is to meet you, I loved your show.”
Mr. Ed:
CO: “Well … anyway how about if we if we just get warmed up with a few background questions?”
Ed:
CO: “Some people think that you can’t really talk. They think the director had peanut butter rubbed on your gums, and when you moved your mouth around they dubbed in someone’s voice.”
Ed:
CO: “Is that true, Ed?”
Ed:
CO: “ You really can’t talk, can you?”
Ed:
It’s certainly clear that Ed does speak when he has something to say