Mister Ed: Why The Spin-offs Failed

Mister Ed was a long-running sitcom and there were three attempts at a spin-off, including one with an alien. Why didn't these shows go to series? Who would've starred in them? And how did one episode change the face of aliens in American pop culture? Find out with this new installment of BEHIND THE BACKDOOR PILOT.
See more episodes of Behind the Backdoor Pilot: • Behind the Backdoor Pilot
written and narrated by Kevin Maher
edited by Scott Rosann
produced by Kevin Maher and Nick Nadel for Atomic Abe Productions
executive producer: Tim Finn
Thumbnail by Colton Ogburn ( / coltonogburn )
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[@C_M_R]

(5:33) The sight gag of Mister Ed sliding into home base is amazing. 😄

[@atomicabe]

Right? I keep rewatching it. The catcher's jump really sells it.

[@pettykittyfam]

I agree 💯🤣 Something about it is so hilariously charming 😂 I loved this show growing up.

[@bat_on_my_face]

Mister Ed is brilliant. He's essentially a trickster imp who has every power and all knowledge imaginable. He always tries to mess with Wilbur, but Wilbur turns the tables every time because he's secretly a moral rock. It's a devil vs god motif but played in the most absurd fashion. All the devil's tricks can't beat a man with morals and principles.

[@coyoteartist]

This is what I'm trying to say!

[@killyshoot9161]

My pops loved Mr. Ed said it was brilliant television! He would watch it in the den with his funny cigarettes and be laughing his ass off. He said that horse shoulda been in senate. Good memories.

[@ronniechoate3086]

Hey, I'm pops myself nowadays. 😀

[@pogue972]

As a person who owns the entire Green Acres box set I can tell you: it's a little bit of both 😉

[@haljordan777]

Green Acres was brilliant.

[@Regreviews]

Yessss Green Acres was satire, surreal and importantly funny

[@dwaynegobin1193]

I own the box set also

[@Filmation77]

It's very rare that I don't know a piece of TV history, so this is dope

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!

[@giovanniorellana2200]

I hope you talk about ALF at some point!

[@COMPFUNK2]

Mister Ed was the kind of fantasy show that worked in the 60s but would be way too corny to try to pull off today.

[@atomicabe]

Yeah, I really can't see how it would work today. The closest thing we've had to a 21st century talking horse show is BOJACK HORSEMAN.

[@nonyabusiness3619]

I disagree. Mr. Ed, and a lot of these other fantasy 60s shows would be perfect for a children's sitcom show today. I'm mean look at shows like "Dog with a Blog."

[@knelle1114]

I think the corniness was part of its appeal, but a lot of shows were like that.

[@BobLee-df4zh]

​​@@knelle1114Yeah, or of people look back on that ridiculous campy stuff and think it was meant to be serious entertainment. It was campy goofy nonsense and everyone knew it. That was the appeal. There are still people that don't realize Adam West Batman was supposed to be silly, not just something that looks silly through a modern lense.

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@atomicabe Mr. Ed almost cameback to tv in 2004! FOX never aired the pilot~🐴🐎🏇🍯

[@kodiekulp]

I loved mister Ed as a child. Hot to Trot 😂 I'd love to hear you do an episode on old TV and animals. There's a lot of em !

[@ronniechoate3086]

I was fried like a damn potato when I first discovered Mr Ed in the 80's. It became a weekend staple after that. One of my favorites!

[@christianlarson2933]

Drake Sather wrote for SNL, the Larry Sanders Show, and NewsRadio, and co-wrote Zoolander with Ben Stiller. Apparently he was one of those "comedians' comedians" who never got famous but was beloved by everyone in the community. He committed suicide shortly after his Mr. Ed reboot wasn't picked up - I don't think the two events are related, but it certainly couldn't have helped that he viewed it as a soulless cash grab which failed anyway.

[@atomicabe]

Drake Sather wrote one of my favorite NewsRadio episodes -- the one where Bill and Dave are stranded at the airport. Lots of sharp jokes that reflected his sensibility. One of the strangest things I saw Drake Sather do was an appearance on THE PEOPLE'S COURT. Not included in his imdb credits. Not a bit. But he does wear the leather jacket to court: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gn3WnHp8ibeclZosi=Ir1qyDCVWI8NnWwq

[@matthewjones12181]

William Bendix had a radio show that ran for years called "The Life of Riley". It would later be turned unto its own tv show. He also was nominated for an Oscar for Wake Island.

[@FrenkTheJoy]

So Moko was gonna be like Quantum Leap but kind of hornier?

[@aaf709]

Mister Ed is based on a series of short stories written for the Saturday Evening Post back in the 30s and 40s. The author was Walther Brooks, and in his stories, Ed swore and drank. The sponsor of the series was Studebaker, which you can see in the episodes.

[@Iduhwurst]

I really enjoy the side tangents into who the actors are and where we've seen them before...I do that to my wife when we are watching TV...I want to read that Spinning Laughter book. Thanks!

[@CannonKnight]

I would say Green Acres is more clever than campy. That breaking of the fourth wall has to be one of the firsts for a sitcom.

[@leocook5377]

Great and interesting as always!

[@atomicabe]

Thanks!

[@marcsarfati3291]

11:00 Mr. Ed ran awhile a total of 143 , well Webster did 150 shows

[@jhhone]

Hi Atomic Abe, I love your videos! Very detailed and informative as well as entertaining! Was Season 4 episode 26 of "The Love Boat" a backdoor pilot? Titled "Aunt Hilly" guest starred Olivia deHavillaind who ran a girls boarding school in Paris and almost talked Capt. Stubbing's daughter Vicki into going with her. I remember watching with my Mom and she said they're probably going to spin-off this into a series for Vicki. I just watched the episode again and it does fit all the spaces of a backdoor pilot. Maybe you can make an episode about it? 😊

[@gabster92]

I love Mister Ed!! I watched it early in the mornings before school when it was on reruns. I actually had a horse named Bamboo after the horse's name that looked nearly identical to him.

[@teddyfurstman1997]

Mister Ed was ahead of its time in 60’s pop culture. Like the cartoon Alien Moko.

[@atomicabe]

Yeah, I really dig that style of animation. A friend pointed out that it's reminiscent of the artwork used in old Hawaiian Punch commercials. Simple and full of character, really compelling.

[@teddyfurstman1997]

@@atomicabe Nice. I drank Hawaiian Punch as a treat.

[@coyoteartist]

The best episode of Mr Ed is Leo Durocher Meets Mister Ed. The show is brilliant by the way. I suppose it could be an acquired taste to some. And yes some of the jokes are a tad adult. By the way, Locoweed is an actual plant which is toxic to horses. Horses who have eaten enough will suffer incoordination, confusion, depression and appetite loss among other things.

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

Mr. Ed started off in black and white and Wilbur was an architect? My inner '90's kid is in shock right now! 🤯

[@MsDisneylandlover]

Alf making that noise lol 😂 i can't 😂

[@Kerorofan1990]

My grandpa claimed he got to meet the horse who played Mr. Ed once. He said he tried to bite him.

[@atomicabe]

Why would your Grandpa try to bite Mister Ed?!? (kidding)

[@lisaanderson5267]

Nobody talks about the Francis the Talking Mule, a show I enjoyed watching the reruns more than Mr. Ed. I remember those episodes in syndication running more often.

[@kenhutchings4790]

Francis was movies not a tv series

[@atomicabe]

And let's not forget GUS the football playing mule.

[@lisaanderson5267]

Wasn't Gus Francis' Cousin?@@atomicabe

[@aaf709]

Interestingly, the director of Francis wanted to do a TV series like that, so he helped created Mr. Ed. While you could say Francis predated Mr. Ed, Francis was inspired by the Mr. Ed stories that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post.

[@haljordan777]

3:10 Definitely satirical. They were mocking Batman (1966).

[@atomicabe]

yes, most definitely. The Monkees were hip.

[@Finnador]

'Mr. Ed' proved the old adage 'blondes have more fun'. A Chestnut stallion would most likely been cancelled after the third episode. Mr. Ed was basically a glib and fast-talking Trigger (Roy Rogers Palomino).

[@mikemayberry7121]

Mr Ed was a great show. Loved it as a kid watching on Nick At Nite, and I think it holds up pretty well today. This was an excellent episode of Backdoor Pilots. Probably my favorite so far. Great editing and writing!

[@atomicabe]

Thanks very much. It was a lot of fun spending time in the world of Mister Ed. I'm only sorry that the episodes I watched closely were the backdoor pilots. We've got a bunch more videos coming in this series, so hopefully they'll continue to please.

[@fobwatchful]

Mr. Ed started out as a series of short stories in magazines. (Liberty, Esquire, Saturday Evening Post, and Argosy)

[@dwaynegobin1193]

It’s the television version of Francis the Talking Mule movie series

[@henrymockingbird9645]

Mister ed is one my favorite shows from 1960s along my favorite Martin I dream of jeanie bewitched those have a lot more creative and imagine than a lot of shows now days who with me

[@atomicabe]

It's funny how so many shows of that era had counterparts. Bewitched/ I Dream of Jeannie. The Munster/ Addams Family. There must be other examples.

[@livejay9062]

Mr. Ed was a badass!

[@joshuacritchfield3564]

Back in the era of the show, Swinger Had nothing to do with sex. A Swinger was a person who partyed all the time all the time. This is another example of how language has changed over the years. Additionally, Mister Ed was actually based on a series of movies called Francis the Talking Mule. I imagine the original studio didn't want to sell their IP away, so the creators of the show came up with a new title and they did a horse.

[@atomicabe]

Yes, we were knowingly mis-reading the use of Swingers. The show wasn't that hep.

[@tuckapenguin681]

Facinating

[@mantenna1077]

I love mister Ed mister Ed is great and the writing was great how they always had something going on

[@atomicabe]

Agreed. Ed is a great character

[@paulsarnik8506]

12:29 Don't forget Deacon's turn on Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy? 🤓😎✌🏼

[@leet7489]

Mr Ed was one of the shows I was allowed to watch on TV Land in the 90s haha

[@godzoookie]

Howard Stern played the Mr. Ed theme backward in mid-2000s, and you can definitely hear "the source is the devil" in it.

[@atomicabe]

oh wow. I need to find that.

[@TerrickTerran]

The latter two actually sounded good. I like Mr. Ed though just in terms of silly fun even if it is supposed to be deeper.

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

📼How about the 2004 unsold Mr. Ed reboot pilot with the late Sherman Hemsley as the voice of Mr. Ed LOL! 🐴🐎🏇📺

[@atomicabe]

Yes, we get to that. The pilot was written by Drake Sather!

[@anthonyperdue3557]

😎"Mr Ed " was horse sensory perception , a covert classic that conditioned viewers for the culture changes coming. As a comic strip fan I definitely would loved to have seen "Emmy Lou" , one of my top favorite strips , also remembered as a classic sitcom of the 1960s. "Moko" too would have been a covert conditioning classic for cold war consumption! What might have been a crossover celebration for fans would be to see on certain occasions "Moko" appearing on "Emmy Lou" , "EmmyLou" appearing on "Mr Ed" .... I for one would be reading the licensed Dell / Gold Key comix books featuring each TV series. ☝🤓 Not forgetting "Pine Lake Lodge" , the possibilities as a regular series might have become such that "Green Acres" and the 2nd " Bob Newhart Show" would have been identified with it. William Bendix was no stranger to sitcom surrealism as evidenced by his tenure on both the radio and TV versions of "The Life of Riley" where a grave digger by name of Digby O'Dell was a consultant for Riley. PLL might have gone in that direction once series approval was acquired , thus being a third covert creation to cradle the consciousness of current culture viewers! Have you delved into the subversive side of my favorite sitcom , Leave It To Beaver?

[@kyliethelittlespider-mangirl94]

Film/TV has a thing for talking animals, when not making them animal sidekicks etc.

[@chanceotter8121]

So, Moko would have been “Quantum Leap” thirty years ahead of time.

[@charliesargent6225]

bohner-pasta-fasool lmao

[@Water_Rabbit]

Clint Eastwood in series 2 was pretty weird.

[@atomicabe]

yes, we didn't get to work that in -- but the show had some weird cameos. Clint Eastwood and Mae West.

[@paulsarnik8506]

11:00 What about Frasier and Niles' parties? 🤷🏼‍♂️🤓😎✌🏼

[@johnfronczek2658]

I never really go into “Mr.Ed”, but I love “Green Acres”, “Bewitched”, and “Gilligan’s Island”.

[@curiositykilledthecat5118]

The greatest tragedy from that era is "My mother the car". It started out as a clear satire of sitcoms of that day before studio meddling took the plot seriously and made it the thing it was satirizing.

[@atomicabe]

From what I understand a similar thing happened to THE MAN SHOW. It was initially intended to be a parody of male culture, but then became less of a parody.

[@zEropoint68]

i used to watch reruns of this show all the time when i was a kid and i don't remember a _damn_ thing about it other than that there was a horse.

[@atomicabe]

I have a few shows like that where, for the life of me, I could not recall a specific episode, but I watched the shows regularly.

[@pamelamays4186]

Sherman Hemsley must have really needed a paycheck in 2004.

[@atomicabe]

Yeah, I guess so. VO is the right kind work if you can get it.

[@David-yw2lv]

I saw the Emmy Lou episode.

[@redbeard36]

I loved Mr Ed as a kid. But now I can't get through 2 minutes of an episode. That Willia Bendix episode smells like someone owed him a favor. He was a relatively big star back in the day.

[@rodh1404]

You know, I can think of a "strange visitor from another planet" who graced the television (and movie) screens even earlier than Moko. This particular alien didn't represent Communism, he was more about "truth, justice and the American Way". Not as popular as Moko though, I'm not sure if anyone knows about him today. Admittedly, he was a bit weird, apparently he liked to leap tall buildings in a single bound even though he could fly.

[@atomicabe]

I know who you're talking about -- very good point! And you're right, he didn't represent Communism. He was more of a Socialist. (I'm only half-kidding. You ever see the issue where he forces a landlord to live in his slum? Or when he freed a bunch of kids from the police wagon because they were starving and shouldn't be jailed for stealing food? Best of all, in an early issue there's an auto-manufacturer who knowingly releases a line of cars that are faulty -- so he uses his laser-vision to burn the factory down!)

[@theadaptationstationmaster]

I can't necessarily say that Mister Ed was a good show. (Well, I couldn't make an argument that would convince someone who finds it dumb anyway.) But I can attest that it's very addicting to watch. Maybe the creators really did make a deal with the Devil. 😉

[@zvimur]

Well, Alan Young danced with a (yes, fake) lion in "Androcles and the lion". So, talking to a horse....

[@atomicabe]

I've never seen that. One thing that's clear in these episodes is that Alan Young is terrific. He reminds me of Steve from Blue's Clues, excellent focus and timing. He really makes the show work.

[@zvimur]

@@atomicabe kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZoTNdWB6g7mgfcksi=qdp0iHQ7tlt6E0Jr

[@zvimur]

@@atomicabe Full movie available on tube.

[@StarlightEater]

Call mr. Hands

[@amywilson3593]

gerry wilson mister ed's voice is provided by western star allen (rocky) lane

[@dwaynegobin1193]

I don’t see Ed saying he wants to have sex with the actress or any reference to marijuana. Also, Mister Ed is a really great show.

[@kc0lif]

wasn't William bendix played babe ruth in a movie.

[@atomicabe]

if yes, that is great casting!

[@stillaboveground2470]

Should showed Carol's bare chest instead.

[@scotthillman9134]

My Defense of Mr. Ed, would be the episode where they sleep together (not sexually-Wilbur just sleeps in the barn)-cause Alan Young As Wilbur is doing good work selling that this horse is his friend, he finds amusing. There are a lot of good sight gags-but i do think the real charms where the scenes where they where just hanging out together,-cause young at his best really can sell that kinda of laid back comedy of being with people he enjoys --just in this case you get the metatextual level its a horse (Though to Give Mr. Ed Credit-Good animal actor,)

[@ganglabesh]

they probably rubbed cocaine on the horses teeth

[@fjccommish]

Constant bad background music isn't needed.

[@atomicabe]

thanks for your feedback

[@mcrobielord1503]

this crap as a rerun as a kid in the 1980s and part of the 90s I just wonder what crash drugs they were smoking come up with the idea of a talking horse

[@jeffthekillercriticremixer5968]

Mr ed was funny.

[@youtubestopmakingmechangem8035]

Mr ed wasn't a horse? Whattt?

[@kevynhansyn2902]

Completely wrong, "Hot to Trot" was hilarious and a lovable movie.

[@COMPFUNK2]

The worst alien show I have ever seen, which is also one of the worst television shows PERIOD, is Aliens in the Family. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that the creators of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air created THAT.

[@atomicabe]

Good call! A very weird forgotten TGIF show.

[@walterbowman3883]

I think Mr Ed was one of the dumbest it comes ever and Wilbur was one of the dumbest characters ever to let her talking horse get him in trouble

[@MsDisneylandlover]

#DisneyDiva ❤

[@erikthewriter]

Ive always hated Mr. Ed, its a dumb mean spirited show, but the talking horse makes your forget just awful all the characters are

[@whimsicalhamster88]

Wilbur was hot. I said it.

[@DaisyPusher]

I came here because I love Mr Ed.. so the slander is very off putting.

[@ironjade]

Mr. Ed was even worse than My Mother, the Car. High concept? Seriously?

[@DaisyPusher]

Mr Ed is hilarious. Yes. Very high.

[@antlerking69]

Oh Wilber...