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

Gibbsville

Starring: Biff McGuire, Gig Young, Johnny Savage, Peggy McCay
First Aired: November 11, 1976
Number of Seasons: 1
Estimated Production Cost: $140,000 per episode*

Despite the fact that Gibbsville is a small town in Wisconsin, the television show Gibbsville was set in a small Pennsylvania town during the 1940s. Two newspaper reporters played by Gig Young and John Savage were the stars of the drama. It was broadcast on television for about a month and a half in 1976. There were thirteen episodes in total, but only seven of them were shown. There was also a pilot for a movie that was never produced. Columbia Television produced the show, which featured Biff McGuire, Peggy McCay, and Bert Remsen as well as other notable actors. Columbia Television produced the show. It was the story of a senior reporter who is recovering from alcoholism while working alongside a young, idealistic journalist in the fictional town of Gibbsville.

Gibbsville