My Mother the Car

Starring: Jerry Van Dyke, Ann Sothern, Cindy Eilbacher, Maggie Pierce
First Aired: September 14, 1965
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $50,000 per episode*
Those who have seen Arrested Development may be familiar with this title, as one of the episodes of the contemporary sitcom spoofs the television show My Mother the Car. My Mother the Car was a show that was a little far-fetched. Undoubtedly, it had an original premise. The plot of the play revolved around a 1928 Porter vehicle, which turns out to be the reincarnation of the purchaser’s mother. A radio broadcast featuring the voice of the deceased mother (Ann Sothern) leads the purchaser, played by Jerry Van Dyke, to believe that it is his deceased mother who is being sold. When she speaks, the lights in the room flicker on and off. The zany show only lasted one season, but it was a memorable one.

My Mother The Car

Mister Ed

Starring: Alan Young, Connie Hines, Allan Lane, Bamboo Harvester
First Aired: January 5, 1961
Number of Seasons: 6
Estimated Production Cost: $70,000 pilot*

Another bizarre program on this list (though there aren’t many that can compete with My Mother the Car) is Mister Ed, which followed the antics of a talking horse, voiced by Allan Lane, and was one of the most popular series on television. The show was syndicated and consisted of 143 episodes, all of which were shot in black and white (though later remastered in color). Mister Ed was based on a series of short books written by Walter Brooks, which were adapted for the screen. The horse on the show was a gelding whose real name was Bamboo Harvester, and he appeared to be a gelding. It has been reported that comedian George Burns read the script first, before anyone else. He was so taken with the concept that he self-funded the $70,000 test project.

Mister Ed