Today I watched the first ten minutes of the 1958 Mister Ed pilot film Wilbur Pope and Mister Ed and compared it to the first ten minutes of The First Meeting, the 1961 premiere episode. I have to say that the same basic material seemed much funnier and more spontaneous with Alan Young and Connie Hines doing it compared to Scott McKay and Sandra White in the original film. What do you think?

There are two important differences between the two pilots. The first is the addition of Kay and Roger Addison as the neighbors who sell the house and barn to the Posts (not the Popes). This leads to the second difference, which is the resolution of the plot. Scott McKay's Wilbur proves to his neighbors that he is not crazy, he is just such a kind and sympathetic man who relates to animals so much that he imagines he can hear them talk, and they respond in kind (mainly because he's hiding treats for them in his pockets). Alan Young's Wilbur instead convinces Addison that he was acting crazy to get him to renege on the purchasing of the house at a price above market value. Addison then compromises on the price and accepts the fact that Wilbur isn't crazy, he's shrewd.

I'd also mention that the horse in the Scott McKay/Sandra White pilot (Mr. Ed and Wilbur Pope) was NOT Bamboo Harvester nor was it a zebra. It was another who who I have read, was not quite as easily trained and was replaced--but his voice, provided by Rocky Lane, remained the same.