Inconsistencies in Alan Young's "Mister Ed" Stories - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Adamantium · 06-25-2022, 01:56 AM

I just watched the 1958 unaired pilot titled "Wilbur Pope and Mister Ed" (which is always listed online as "The Wonderful World of Wilbur Pope"). Then, I watched the DVD bonus feature for the first season of Mister Ed with Alan Young and Connie Hines. Some things don't add up.

Alan Young states that (and I've heard this story before) while he was taking promotional pictures for the show, "Rocky" Lane came out asking for some coffee. It was then that they all knew they had found Mister Ed's voice. Young's telling of the story made it seem as if he was there, making this occur in 1960 (since the show debuted in January of '61). However, when watching the 1958 pilot with Scott Mckay in the role of Wilbur, Allan "Rocky" Lane is clearly the voice of Ed. So, maybe that story did happen, but Alan Young wouldn't have been there to witness it. It would have been before his involvement in the project.

Another story Alan Young told was in naming his character. He suggested his real name, Angus, but they didn't like that. The name Wilbur was suggested and he liked it. I suppose someone could have said "He's named Wilbur in the pilot we shot. How about we stick with that?", but the way Alan told the story was as if they suggested a fresh name for the new series.

Lastly, and this one, I can credit to old age and just lumping things together in his memories, is that he claimed Mister Ed was cancelled as part of the Rural Purge, along with Petticoat Junction, but we all know that was false. Mister Ed ended in 1966, and the Rural Purge was in 1971. An honest mistake on Young's part.

I'm not saying Alan Young was lying during any of this. Perhaps he just misremembered certain events or was simply confusing in his way of telling the stories.

Any information on the points I brought up are highly appreciated.

06-25-2022, 01:56 AM	#1
Adamantium TVAdam No More Forum Veteran Join Date: Sep 11, 2002 Location: Springfield, Ohio Posts: 7,820	Inconsistencies in Alan Young's "Mister Ed" Stories I just watched the 1958 unaired pilot titled "Wilbur Pope and Mister Ed" (which is always listed online as "The Wonderful World of Wilbur Pope"). Then, I watched the DVD bonus feature for the first season of Mister Ed with Alan Young and Connie Hines. Some things don't add up. Alan Young states that (and I've heard this story before) while he was taking promotional pictures for the show, "Rocky" Lane came out asking for some coffee. It was then that they all knew they had found Mister Ed's voice. Young's telling of the story made it seem as if he was there, making this occur in 1960 (since the show debuted in January of '61). However, when watching the 1958 pilot with Scott Mckay in the role of Wilbur, Allan "Rocky" Lane is clearly the voice of Ed. So, maybe that story did happen, but Alan Young wouldn't have been there to witness it. It would have been before his involvement in the project. Another story Alan Young told was in naming his character. He suggested his real name, Angus, but they didn't like that. The name Wilbur was suggested and he liked it. I suppose someone could have said "He's named Wilbur in the pilot we shot. How about we stick with that?", but the way Alan told the story was as if they suggested a fresh name for the new series. Lastly, and this one, I can credit to old age and just lumping things together in his memories, is that he claimed Mister Ed was cancelled as part of the Rural Purge, along with Petticoat Junction, but we all know that was false. Mister Ed ended in 1966, and the Rural Purge was in 1971. An honest mistake on Young's part. I'm not saying Alan Young was lying during any of this. Perhaps he just misremembered certain events or was simply confusing in his way of telling the stories. Any information on the points I brought up are highly appreciated.