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Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: 2/2/2010
Director: Various
Cast: Alan Young, Connie Hines, Allan Lane
Year: 1960
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The Movie:
Premiering in on televisions across America in 1960, Mister Ed, a series about a talking horse, became an unlikely hit and has since gone on to become something of a pop culture institution. When the series begins, a newly married couple named Wilber (Alan Young) and Carol (Connie Hines), are moving in to their newly purchased home out in the middle of the quaint countryside. The house seems perfect at first - it's got lots of space and it's very well kept. And then they realize that it comes with a surprise in the form of a goofy old horse living out in the barn. Initially Carol wants to sell the guy, but he's smart enough to fain injury when the horse buyer comes around and before you know it (and much to Wilbur's delight) they've got themselves a new pet.
Later that same day, while doing some soul searching and talking out loud to himself in the barn, the horse speaks. Wilbur at first thinks he's losing his mind but soon enough he finds himself having an actual conversation with the critter. The catch? The horse, named Mister Ed (and voiced by an uncredited Allan Lane) won't talk to anybody else but Wilbur. Not unexpectedly, Carol and the neighbor, Roger Addison (Larry Keating), suspect Wilbur might be nuts…
Brought to television by producer Arthur Lubin, best known for the many Abbott And Costello films he directed decades prior, Mister Ed is a much funnier show than it really should have been. It's not a secret that Lubin based the series on the Francis The Talking Mule films he'd helped rake in during his stint at Universal. The very idea of a talking horse doesn't at first seem like one ripe with a multitude of possibilities but the writing team actually manage to make it all work surprisingly well. Ed's given a real personality and Lane, who sounds surprisingly like you would expect a horse to sound could a horse actually talk, really helps flesh out the character. While Ed isn't all that deep, he's at least got enough of a personality that his wise cracks are funny and his interplay with Wilbur is both charming in a nostalgic sense and often times quite hilarious. This does, however, demand that Wilbur and Ed are the anchors of the show, so whenever the focus shifts towards neighborly relations or domestic issues between husband and wife, it's a little too easy to lose interest.
The complete listing of the episodes that make up the second season of Mister Ed is as follows:
Disc One:
My Son, My Son / The Horsetronaut / Ed's Ancestors / Ed The Redecorator / Ed The Jumper / Ed The Voter / Ed The Hunter / Mister Ed's Blues
Disc Two:
Ed The Hero / Ed The Salesman / Ed And The Elephant / The Wrestler / Ed's Bed / Ed The Beneficiary / Zsa Zsa / Horse Wash
Disc Three:
Ed The Horse Doctor / George Burn's Meets Mister Ed / Ed's Word Of Honor / No Horses Allowed / Bald Horse / Ed's New Neighbors / Ed The Beachcomber / The Lie Detector
Disc Four:
Clint Eastwood Meets Mister Ed / Ed The Matchmaker
This second seasons is pretty much more of the same type of comedy that was established by the first season's episodes. This time around, however, we get some interesting guest stars. In the Zsa Zsa episode the lovely Ms. Gabor moves into the neighborhood and proves to be nosier than most would like. If that weren't enough, both George Burns and a young Clint Eastwood appear in the series and play themselves. It's interesting to see not only their 'interaction' with the world's most famous talking horse but also how the writing team works them into the story and the way that they handle the series' own unique type of humor.
Aside from the novelty of the guest stars, the writers have also managed to come up with some situations so completely ridiculous that you can't help but be amused by them, even if they're groaningly bad in their hokiness. In the series opener, Mister Ed wants to become a father while he still can and tries to talk Wilbur into adapting him a new son they name Snuffy. This episode is followed by one in which Mister Ed volunteers for the space program. He also works as a redecorator, a steeplechase race horse, a hunter, a blues singer, a non-travelling salesman, a doctor and at one point he decides to make himself more attractive to the fillies by going on a diet. Oh and he also joins up with an artist's colony at one point.
There are plenty of odd moments aside from those mentioned and a few quirky subplots, an interesting example being one where Wilbur's beautiful wife becomes ridiculously jealous of the horse, but for the most part it's business as usual for Ed and company. That's not a bad thing, the series delivers some welcome wholesome charm and plenty of laughs as well.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Mr. Ed is presented in its original 1.33.1 fullframe aspect ratio in glorious black and white. Aside from the fact that this material is all interlaced, the image is pretty good. There's some mild print damage but given the show's age that's forgivable and really, unless you're looking for it you're probably not even going to notice it. The contrast levels look good, detail is stronger than you'd probably expect, and while there's a little bit of shimmer, this is otherwise a nice looking set.
The English language Dolby Digital Mono track is obviously limited in range but the dialogue is easy to understand and the levels are properly balanced. There aren't any recurring problems with hiss to complain about even if there are occasional instances of audible distortion and as far as older TV shows go, this one sounds just fine.
There aren't a ton of supplements in this set but there are a couple worth mentioning starting with an audio interview segment on the first disc with stars Alan Young and Connie Hines. This interview was originally conducted for Shokus Internet Radio 's Stu's Show and it's an amusing enough overview of the work that the pair did on the series. It won't dish up much that fans don't already know but it's a nice primer, and a fun nostalgic look back at this era. The fourth disc includes a collection of Studebaker car commercials that tie in to the show and which are amusing enough.
Aside from that, look for some nifty menu screens, episode selection, and trailers for a few other unrelated Shout! Factory properties. Inside the keepcase is an insert booklet containing episode synopsis and credits.
The Final Word:
Interlaced transfer aside, Shout! Factory has done as nice a job on this second season as they did on the first. If you weren't won over the first time around this second collection wont 'change your mind but fans of the series don't need me to tell them they need this. The bonus features are a bit light but otherwise Mister Ed: The Complete Second Season is a pretty great release all around.