does anybody know how mr ed talked?, i heard they put peanut butter in the horses mouth,

in the mr ed book, they said it was a secret.

anybody want to offer there opinion?

That's a good question. I've wondered that myself.

According to an Alan Young interview:

Q: The way his lips moved, that was something he was taught to do?

A: I started a lie saying that they used peanut butter under his lip. That wasn't true. The trainer put a piece of nylon thread under his lip, and he'd try to get rid of it, but on cue. He stopped on cue, and he started on cue. That was the trick.

The rest of the interview is here on the message board under the title "Working with Mr. Ed a bit tricky, says co-star".

According to an Alan Young interview:

Q: The way his lips moved, that was something he was taught to do?

A: I started a lie saying that they used peanut butter under his lip. That wasn't true. The trainer put a piece of nylon thread under his lip, and he'd try to get rid of it, but on cue. He stopped on cue, and he started on cue. That was the trick.

The rest of the interview is here on the message board under the title "Working with Mr. Ed a bit tricky, says co-star".


I always wondered how they did that. I always thought it was peanut butter myself, but that nylon thread seems much more practical.

On a related "talking" side note. I had a chance to speak with Alan Young several years ago. I asked if Allan "Rocky" Lane's voice was dubbed in after the show was shot. I was surprised to learn that Mr. Lane actually was standing just out of camera range and delivered his lines on set, along with the other actors.

In his book, MISTER ED AND ME, Alan Young relates this amusing anecdote:

The only time I saw Ed stiffen with emotion was when a crowd of children
came on the set, saw Ed, and surrounded him. They were oohing, aahing,
touching, loving him.
Their sounds confused him, but he recognized their love for him. He was
frozen in place, but not from fright. It was obvious that he didn't want to
move and possibly step on one of these little feet. He remained motionless
until the children were led away. Then he relaxed and began to stamp around.
One day a group of children surrounded me as I signed autographs for them,
ignoring Ed for a few moments. Rocky Lane (Ed's voice) walked over quietly
and stood behind the horse's head.
"Hey, Wilbur," he yelled, "Why don't the kids want my autograph?"