Could Wilbur Post Really Afford Mister Ed?

Mister Ed came free with the house, but this classic TV talking horse cost Wilbur Post more than anything else he owned. Here is the 1961 household budget behind the show: an architect paid in lumps, a mortgage, and $25,000 he turned down. Wilbur Post was a newlywed working for himself out of a barn, with no boss and no steady paycheck. Then the horse started asking for things: a telephone, a shower, a heated stall, contact lenses, and a color TV. Spotlight Moments: - A free horse that cost an estimated $500 to $700 a year just to feed, shoe and keep healthy - A phone bill so big that Carol takes a job as a dance instructor to pay it - A $5,000 movie offer, a $25,000 George Burns prize and a $5,000 contest, all walked away from - Studebaker sponsored the show, and the company built its last car about six weeks after the final episode aired - Bamboo Harvester was bought for $1,500, while cowboy star Allan “Rocky” Lane voiced him and kept his name off the credits - The peanut butter story Alan Young told for years, and how Ed really talked Mister Ed is remembered as a silly sitcom about a talking horse. When you put real 1960s prices on it, it becomes a story about freelance money, family budgets and a man who could have gotten rich but chose to keep his friend instead. #MisterEd #ClassicTV #60sTV #WilburPost #AlanYoung #Studebaker #TVHistory 00:00 The Free Horse 01:35 The Original Wilbur 02:49 Wilbur’s Freelance Income 03:46 The House and Barn 04:24 Pricing the Horse 06:02 Ed’s Phone Bill 07:26 Ed’s Wish List 08:41 Ed Earns Money 09:51 Money Wilbur Refused 10:58 The Studebaker Deal 13:10 Bamboo Harvester 14:39 Rocky Lane’s Voice 15:26 How Ed Talked 16:02 The Final Verdict 17:08 Ed’s Final Years If you grew up with classic TV, hit like, subscribe for more “could they afford it” breakdowns, and share this with someone who still remembers the theme song. Tell us in the comments: when you watched Wilbur talking to Ed in the barn, did you ever wonder who was paying for the hay? Before television had color, it had characters we never forgot. TV Life Black & White celebrates classic black-and-white television, from the laughs of I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners to the mysteries of The Twilight Zone and the dusty streets of Gunsmoke. Rediscover your favorite shows through behind-the-scenes stories, memorable moments, and a closer look at the lives those characters lived. Could they really afford those homes? How realistic were those picture-perfect families? And what did we miss when we watched the first time? From sitcoms and Westerns to crime dramas and science fiction, these shows still give us plenty to talk about. Subscribe, settle into your favorite chair, and revisit a world that never needed color to come alive. https://www.youtube.com/@TVLifeBlackWhite?sub_confirmation=1 Subscribe to Our Sister Channel in Color TV Life YT: https://www.youtube.com/@TVLIfeYT?sub_confirmation=1