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Horse ActorsBamboo Harvester/Mister Ed Buttermilk and Dale Evans Cancara Cass Ole Docs Keepin Time in Black Beauty Flicka Popcorn Deelites Rex Texas Dandy The Black Stallion The Lone Ranger and Silver Thunder
Tonto and Scout Trigger Mister EdW Bamboo Harvester/Mr. Ed
1968, two years after the cancellation of Mr. Ed, at the age of 19, Bamboo began to suffer from a variety of age related ailments, including kidney problems and arthritis. He was quietly put down in 1970. A second palomino horse, which had posed for still pictures used in press kits for the show, survived until 1979. After Bamboo Harvester's death in 1970, the second horse was unofficially known as Mr. Ed. The Main Characters of the Show
Genre Sitcom Mister Ed is an American television situation comedy produced by Filmways that first aired in syndication from January 5 to July 2, 1961 and then on CBS from October 1, 1961 to February 6, 1966. Mister Ed was the first series ever to debut as a midseason replacement. The stars of the show are Mister Ed, an intelligent palomino American Saddlebred who could talk ("played" by gelding Bamboo Harvester and voiced by Allan Lane), and his owner, architect Wilbur Post (portrayed by Alan Young). Much of the program's humor stemmed from the fact Mister Ed would speak only to Wilbur, as well as Ed's notoriety as a troublemaker. According to the show's producer, Arthur Lubin, Young was chosen because he "just seemed like the sort of guy a horse would talk to." Lubin, a friend of Mae West, scored a coup by persuading the screen icon to guest star in one episode. The show was derived from short stories by Walter R. Brooks, including Ed Takes the Pledge. Brooks is otherwise known for the Freddy the Pig series of children's novels, which likewise feature talking animals who interact with humans. The concept of the show was similar to Francis the Talking Mule, with the equine normally talking only to one person (Wilbur), and thus both helping and frustrating its owner.
The horse that played Mister Ed for the pilot episode was a chestnut gelding. Ed was voice-trained for the show by Les Hilton. Lane remained anonymous as the voice coach of Mister Ed, and the show's producers referred to him only as "an actor who prefers to remain nameless," though once the show became a hit, Lane campaigned the producers for credit, which he never received. The credits listed Mister Ed as playing "Himself;" however, his real name was Bamboo Harvester. Ed's stablemate, a quarter horse named Pumpkin, who was later to appear in the television series Green Acres, was also Ed's stunt double in the show. Death By 1968 the horse playing Mister Ed was suffering from a variety of health problems. In 1970 he was euthanized with no publicity, and buried at Snodgrass Farm in Oklahoma. However, in an interview on Los Angeles station KCET's program "Life and Times," Alan Young stated that Mr. Ed died from an inadvertent tranquilizer administered while he was "in retirement" in a stable in Burbank, California. A horse that died in Oklahoma in 1979 who was widely thought to be Mister Ed, was in fact another horse that posed for the still pictures used by the production company for the sho's press kits. After Bamboo Harvester's death in 1970 this horse was unofficially known as Mister Ed which led to him being reported as such (including sardonic comments on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update) following his own death. Other Characters The other main characters in the show were Wilbur's tolerant wife, Carol, (Connie Hines) and their neighbors the Addisons (Larry Keating and Edna Skinner) until 1963 (upon Larry Keating's death that year) and then the Kirkwoods (Leon Ames and Florence MacMichael). In 1963, the child actor Darby Hinton, cast thereafter as Israel Boone on NBC's Daniel Boone, guest starred as Rocky in the episode "Getting Ed's Goat." For the final season, the show focused strictly on the home life of the Posts, which was made more interesting with Carol's father moving in at the beginning of the season. Although Connie Hines retired from acting a few years after the show's original run, she and Alan Young still make public appearances together. Theme Song The theme song was written by the songwriting team of Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and sung, for the show, by Livingston. Sponsorship The series was sponsored from 1961 to 1963 by Studebaker-Packard Corporation/Studebaker Corporation, a now-defunct American car manufacturer. Studebakers were featured prominently in the show during this period. The Posts are shown owning a 1962 Lark convertible, and the company used publicity shots featuring the Posts and Mister Ed with their product. The Addisons are shown owning a 1963 Avanti. Ford Motor Company provided the vehicles starting at the beginning of 1965. It is also interesting to note that, in the first episode ever aired, the Posts were driving a 1961 Studebaker Lark. Remake In 2004, a remake was planned for the Fox network, with Sherman Hemsley as the voice of Mister Ed, David Alan Basche as Wilbur, Sherilyn Fenn as Carol, and Sara Paxton. The pilot was filmed, but was not picked up by Fox. The show's writer and producer, Drake Sather, committed suicide shortly before the pilot's completion. The Peanut Butter Legend It is often said the crew was able to get Mister Ed to move his mouth by applying peanut butter to his gums in order for him to try to remove it by moving his lips. However, Alan Young admitted in 2004 that he had started that story himself, and explaining the actual method used. Young, in an interview 7 April 2007 on radio station 3AW, Melbourne, Australia, again admitted that a loose piece of Nylon was inserted under Mr. Ed's lip which the horse attempted to remove on his trainer's cue. Mr. Ed was so well trained that the insert would be ignored until the required cue. Examination of Mister Ed footage shows that the "marionette theory" (i.e., Ed's handler pulled strings to make him talk) was at work at least some of the time. Excerpts exist from a few episodes where the lighting and camera angle reveal a visible nylon "bit" being pulled for each word Ed spoke. Young denied this occurred in the radio interview mentioned in the above paragraph. Some may claim a nylon bit was needed in order to have Ed turn his head or perform some other movement without his trainer having to be in the camera shot, but the evidence is that the bit was also used when Ed was standing still and merely had to talk. Young finally admitted during his interview for the Archive of American Television that a string was pulled to make Ed talk, noting that "this is for the Archive, right?" before explaining that he had used the peanut butter fable for years in radio interviews instead of telling the truth. Cast
Main cast:
Supporting Cast:
Trigger
Trigger
Roy Rogers
Palomino (Trigger's color)
Tonto Neither a racehorse nor the mount of a famous general, Trigger, owned by movie star cowboy Roy Rogers, brought pleasure and excitement to countless motion picture patrons. The golden palomino stallion appeared in all of Rogers' 90 feature films and 101 television shows. According to his owner, "He had great rein and could spin on a dime." Inheriting the best characteristics of his sire, a thoroughbred racehorse, and his dam, a golden palomino, Trigger had stamina, beauty, intelligence, and a remarkably gentle disposition. On July 3, 1965, at the Rogers ranch in Hidden Valley, California, Trigger, 33, succumbed to old age. Reluctant to "put him in the ground," Rogers had the horse mounted in a rearing position by Bishoff's Taxidermy of California. Trigger, in full regalia - bridle, saddle, and martingale - is presently on exhibit at the Roy Rogers - Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Missouri, the repository for the Rogers memorabilia.
The Black Stallion
The Black Stallion
The Black Stallion, known as "the Black" or "Shêtân," is the title character from author Walter Farley's bestselling series about the wild stallion and his young friend Alec Ramsay. The series chronicles the story of the prize stallion of an Arab sheik, although it is the later books that furnish the background story of the Black. The first book of the series was published in 1941, titled The Black Stallion. The subsequent novels tell of the stallion's three main offspring - his firstborn son, Satan; his second son Bonfire, and his firstborn daughter, Black Minx - as well as of the Black himself and his history. Along with the Black, the series has a second stallion who is considered the Black's only real equal - The Island Stallion, Flame, who has a separate storyline until he and the Black meet in two books of the series - "The Black Stallion and Flame" and "The Black Stallion Challenged."
The Black Stallion Books
These are a list of the books written by Walter Farley himself, although The Young Black Stallion was partially written by Walter Farley's son Steven Farley. Steven Farley continued The Young Black Stallion series - about the Black's colthood - and wrote one or two Black Stallion novels, but they are not included here.
Characters
Alexander "Alec" Ramsay - the red-headed young man is a main character to Walter Farley's books. Alec loves horses and has a close bond with the Black that no other human can explain or understand, even Alec himself. Henry Dailey - the trainer and close friend to Alec. He is a forgotten jockey legend and is widowed. Henry is trainer of many of Hopeful Farm's racehorses. Tony - the Italian man who owns Napoleon and works as a grain-seller with a cart in the smaller streets of New York. He forges a friendship with the Black and a close friendship constantly remains between him and Alec and Henry. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay - the supportive parents of Alec Ramsay. Mr. Ramsay has a more prominent role in the books than his wife, and is described as tall and good-featured. Mrs. Ramsay is described as plump and kind. In the film adaption, Mr. Ramsay goes with Alec on the ship but is killed, and Mrs. Ramsay is slender and slightly rougher. Steve Duncan - the young man who finds Flame on an island and turns out to race the red stallion. He and Alec meet in The Black Stallion Challenged, but his friendship with Alec is complex, as there is the obvious competition between the two and Steve's jealousy towards Alec. He is shown as a slightly unhappy, easily annoyed character who Alec strives to befriend but cannot get past Steve's rather strange character. Pitch - Steve's old friend, a worker for scientists. He is comparable to Henry in several ways, but Alec describes him as looking more tired and less happy. Shiekh Abu Kub Ben Ishak - the breeder of the Black. Abu was killed when the Black, after being returned to him, threw him and was instantly smashed. Tabari told Alec in a letter that she had planned on shooting the wild creature but that Abu had willed the Black to Alec. Tabari - the daughter of Abu, whose friendship with Alec is complicated and is not always present. Pam Athena - a girl who proved to be an excellent jockey and good worker to Hopeful Farm. She was romantically involved with Alec up until her death in a car-accident. Walter Farley based the character after his own daughter and wrote the book that features Pam's death, The Black Stallion Legend in grief of his daughter's actual death.
Horses
The Black - the black stallion who is the main character of the Black Stallion series. He is strong, tempramental, and has a strong bond with Alec. He was originally bred in Arabia, the property of Abu Kub Ben Ishak, but becomes wild after an accident and is captured and taken to America by thieves later on. Napoleon --the old, gentle gelding who belongs to Tony and is often fondly called "Nappy." He plays a larger role in the fist several books. Napoleon is the Black's close friend, but he and Satan were never on good terms, because of Satan's original wild nature. He drives Tony's grain-selling cart through the smaller parts of New York. Satan - the first son of the Black, a black colt with a single white diamond on his forehead. He is at first a dangerous, brutal colt, he nearly kills Alec. Henry manages to tame Satan, becoming a calm, gentle stallion and the popular racing legend. He and Henry come to be close friends. Black Minx - the first daughter of the Black, a black, stubborn filly who Henry comes to treat as his princess. She starts out a racehorse and even goes to win the Kentucky Derby. She is slightly lazy and does not care for racing, the reason why Henry retired her to be Wintertime's mate. Walter Farley felt that the Black's first daughter needed the perfect name, and so he turned to his readers with the prize of a filly if their name for Black Minx was selected. Flame - the red wild stallion found on the island Azul by Steve Duncan, and who nearly beats the Black Stallion in racing. Wintertime - a little, quick brown racehorse stallion who comes to be Black Minx's mate. Eclipse - a gray colt who is one of the most dangerous racers against the Black's fame and speed. Sunraider and Cyclone - the first two stallions that the Black is up against and ultimently beats in "the race of the century." Bonfire - one of the Black stallion's sons, a flame-colored sulky-racing colt. The Ghost - one of the Black's mates, who is a beautiful light grey mare. Featured in The Black Stallion's Ghost Movie and TV Adaptations
The Black Stallion (1979), based on the first novel FuryFury was born "Highland Dale" on March 4, 1943 in Missouri. He was a registered American Saddlebred. Fury was just 18 months old when he was discovered and purchased by Ralph McCutcheon, a famous Hollywood trainer.
Tom Mix and Tony
The Lone Ranger and SilverThe Lone Ranger and Horse Silver
Tonto and ScoutTonto and Scout (White Fella/Fellah)
Buttermilk and Dale Evans
Buttermilk and Dale Evans
Cass Ole
About Cass Ole
Docs Keepin Time in Black BeautyDocs Keepin Time Starred in Black Beauty Docs Keepin Time is a black American Quarter Horse most famous for starring as Black Beauty in the 1994 film adaptation of Anna Sewell's novel. He went from having an unsuccessful racing career to being one of Hollywood's most sought after equine performers. Docs Keepin Time also played the part of the rearing horse in the Busch Beer commercials, portrayed The Black in the American television series Adventures of the Black Stallion and Gulliver in the film adaptation of The Horse Whisperer. Two of his sons are Samsons Keepin Time and Starrin Doctor Sunny. CancaraPopcorn DeelitesPopcorn Deelites starred in the title role of the 2003 Oscar-nominated Seabiscuit film. As Seabiscuit, he played alongside Jeff Bridges as Seabiscuit's owner Charles S. Howard, Tobey Maguire as the jockey Red Pollard, Chris Cooper as his trainer, Tom Smith, Hall of Fame jockey, Gary Stevens as the "Ice Man" George Woolf, and Hall of Famer Chris McCarron as Charles Kurtsinger, another Hall of Fame jockey. Like Seabiscuit, a blood bay with dark points, Popcorn Deelites was trained by Phoenix, Arizona based Priscilla Leon and owned by David Hoffmans of Henderson, Nevada. In the movie, Popcorn's speciality was to play Seabiscuit breaking from the gate. And because of his natural speed as a sprinter (most of his races were 6 furlong events), he also played Seabiscuit in his races. Five other horses also played the Biscuit, each one chosen for their ability to do something the Biscuit did. One was cast especially to lie flat out and sleep. Sleeping was one of Seabiscuit's favorite "activities."
Rex
Texas Dandy
Texas Dandy ...Texas Dandy was an early ambassador for the Quarter Horse breed when he co-starred in Boy From Indiana a 1950 film. The movie's story involved a farmboy from Indiana who started working for a Quarter Horse trainer in Arizona and ended up as the trainer's main jockey. The real problem in the movie was getting the finish filmed, as it called for the Quarter Horse, played by Texas Dandy, to beat a Thoroughbred race horse by a nose in a match race. It was to be filmed up close, by filming from a truck on the racetrack. However, Texas Dandy ran past the truck at least three times before he was finally tired enough to allow the Thoroughbred to come close to finishing with him... ThunderThunder was a television series which aired on Saturday Mornings on NBC during the 1977-1978 television season. The show centered around the adventures of Cindy Prescott (Melora Hardin) and her friend, Willie Williams (Justin Randi) and featured Thunder, a black stallion who ran wild near the ranch owned by the Prescott family: The cast also featured Cindy's parents: Bill (Clint Ritchie), a rancher, and Anne (Melissa Converse), a veterinarian. Thunder was always there to rescue Cindy and/or Willie in times of trouble "caused by others' misdeeds and thoughtlessness," including a forest fire caused by a practical joker, and Willie being hit by a stray bullet fired by teens in a no-shooting area. Also playing a part in the adventures was Willie's stubborn mule, Cupcake, who was trained to "urp" on camera. For about a month, in an effort to improve ratings, the producers of Thunder re-titled the show "Super Horse, Starring Thunder." Thunder was created by the creators of Fury, another show featuring a stallion. This show also aired on NBC, from 1955 to 1960. Thunder was part of a 90-minute block of three live action shows to debut on NBC during the 1977 season, along with Search and Rescue: the Alpha Team and The Red Hand Gang. It was the only one of the three run for a full season in the United States, with all episodes aired. (Search and Rescue: the Alpha Team was shown in prime time in Canada, where it was filmed and simply titled Search and Rescue, and stayed on the air for a full season.) Flicka
Flicka My Friend Flicka is a 39-episode western television series set at the fictitious Goose Bar Ranch in Wyoming at the turn of the 20th century. The program was filmed in color but initially aired in black and white on CBS at 7:30 p.m. Fridays from February 10, 1956, to February 1, 1957. It was a mid-season replacement for Gene Autry's The Adventures of Champion. Both series, however failed in the ratings against ABC's The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. After the initial Friday airing, viewers could still find the series on CBS Saturdays at 7 p.m. Eastern during March 1957, on Sundays at 6 p.m. from April to May 1957, and on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. from June to August 1957. NBC carried the program in color at 6:30 p.m. Sunday from September to December 1957 and at 7 p.m. Sunday from January to May 1958. In subsequent years, the series aired mostly on Saturday mornings on all networks. The Disney Channel ran it on Monday evenings in the mid-1980s. Over the years many viewers were unaware that the series produced episodes for only a single season. My Friend Flicka starred native Canadian Johnny Washbrook as Ken McLaughlin, a boy devoted to his horse Flicka, Swedish for "little girl," but actually an Arabian sorrel named Wahana. Gene Evans played the authoritarian father Rob McLaughlin, a former U.S. Army cavalry officer. Anita Louise was cast as the gentle-spirited mother, Nell. Frank Ferguson portrayed Gus Broeberg, the loyal ranch hand. Flicka is based on a novel by Mary O'Hara, written at the Remount Ranch, located between Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Some Internet sites say that the series is set in Montana, where some of the filming was done. The majority of the filming, however, was at Fox Movie Ranch. My Friend Flicka holds the distinction of having been the first television series filmed by 20th Century Fox. A 1943 film, My Friend Flicka, starred Roddy McDowall as Ken. Sydney Mason appeared on My Friend Flicka seven times as Sheriff Downey. Robert Adler appeared five times in different roles; Claude Akins, three times, and Hugh Beaumont, Tiger Fafara and Denver Pyle, twice. Pamela Baird appeared in ten episodes as Hildy Broeberg. Beaumont, Fafara, and Baird later had roles on the sitcom Leave It to Beaver. Episodes and Guest Stars
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