Customer Reviews

Mister Ed and Me

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Alan Young, who played Wilbur in the TV series, recounts his years alongside Mister Ed with such passion and light hearted humour that this is my all-time favourite book. It's a wonderful read that brings tears to your eyes. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoyed this fabulous 60s TV show.

I loved every minute of Mister Ed and Me. It was wonderful to learn about the people who were involved in the Mister Ed series, and Mr. Young tells his story about how he came to know Mister Ed in a very charming way.

I read the review by A. A. Cucolo and felt I had to write a rebuttal. I first read this book after checking it out of the library and I so enjoyed the story of Alan Young and Mister Ed that I purchased a personalized copy and later bought someone else a copy.

We both feel the book is true to the title explaining how Alan Young came to work with the horse, of course! It is a thoughtful and insightful look behind the scenes with the people who brought us such a delightful TV show.

Instead of steering you away from the book we suggest you gallop right out, buy a copy and enjoy the ride.

My 9 y.o daughter is a horse fanatic and I always talked about Mr Ed from my childhood days.She seemed half interested but when I got the DVD vol 1 of the series her eyes lit up.I have never seen her so captivated. Even myself with adult wisdom(and the benefits of pause and rewind buttons) marvel at how well that show was done without the aid of animatronics.Being curious about the behind the scenes we purchased Alan Youngs book.It is an easy read covering Alan's life in radio and television and some personal insights (did you know he had a date with Marilyn Munroe)Although I never saw any of Alan's other work he was obviosly a gifted comedian and his syle of writing reflects this. About half the book is devoted to his time with Ed and I guess for most people this is what they are after.There are plenty of photos and information on Ed's life, the cast and trainer and the secrets of his ability to "talk". For the baby boomer generation with its insatiable appetite for the old TV shows this is a must read for all Mister Ed fans.

I loved this BOOK! I remember watching "Mr. Ed" as a young child when it first came out in the 60's & now in reruns on "TV Land". I oftened wondered how the horse was treated while on the set but after reading this book all of my worries were put to rest. He truely was treated like the star he was. I would recommend this book to anyone who love the show or is just a horse lover in general. I am also glad to see that Alan Young was able to do the things he loved even after the show had ended.

I really loved this book! Having read it 6 or 7 times now, it doesn't lose its' charm or wit. Mr. Young retraces his career from his early days in radio, through the Mister Ed "hay days" and touches briefly on his cartoon voiceovers, most notably that of Scrooge McDuck. His writing style is quite entertaining, and the narrative is hilarious, and touching.

Mr. Ed was played by Bamboo Harvester. He was a highly trained show horse. There is much information online about the horse that is not true. Mr. Alan Young's book separates the facts from the rumors.
There are two stories in the book; the story of Mr. Ed & his show & the story Alan Young's career as an comedian, writer, & actor. Even though show business has changed there is much to be learned from the way Mr. Young developed his talent. The stories about other celebrities & behind the scenes people are delightful.

There's a recent updated version of this book but for the sake of chronology I thought I would begin with the 1994 "classic" edition originally written with the assistance of Bill Burt. As the recent obituaries of Charlton Heston mentioned, he was not only a great friend of Alan Young's bnut also provided a snappy blurb for the first edition of the book. Did you know that he often flirted with the idea of appearing on Alan Young's golden age TV sitcom MISTER ED, but his agent would not allow him to do it? Even though such big stars as Mae West were appearing, Heston's agents believed it would be beneath his client's dignity to lend his name and considerable reputation to such a foolish, one-joke show. Well, the laugh was on him since, as we all know, MISTER ED has gone on to be regarded as an American classic every bit as much as TOUCH OF EVIL, PLANET OF THE APES, TEN COMMANDMENTS, or that one with the ants invading South America. Young, a native of Canada, tells a good number of stories about himself.

In one, he tries to learn how to ride a horse in preparation for taking on the role of Wilbur Post (in MISTER ED). He shows up at a trainer's houser in blue jeans, and the trainer gives him such a workout that the next day, he writes, "I was in agony, the flesh of my buttocks and on the inside of my legs was scraped raw." The trainer says, you should have worn long johns. You never told me that, he cries. The trainer laconically replies, You never asked. Nowadays, Young jokes, he puts on long underwear even when he sits at a bar stool. His tales of working with Dinah Shore and Robert Newton are touching, as well as his portrait of the humble, generous and much missed comic Jimmy Durante.

But he is not all sweetness and light and he can fire a zinger when he has to. His account of working with Howard Hughes during the making of ANDROCLES AND THE LION is outstanding--they should have scrapped the stupid Hughes cliches of THE AVIATOR and instead filmed pages 135-144 of Young's book! Hughes insisted that previously filmed footage involving Woody Strode be dropped and that a real lion be brought in to play the title role opposite Young. When the lion developed an alarming crush on Alan Young's crotch ("there may not have been much of it there, but it was all mine") and bites on it, all hell breaks loose and he still has a scar, he says, which he will show to close friends and charitable organizations.

This book has a better cover, also, then the re-written version of recent times. Too bad I can't show it here, it's super Wilbur.