Hi Everyone - and Welcome!
First off, thank you all for your kind response over the past few years to the updated "Mister Ed and Me and More!" book. Fans continue to write, letting me know how much they have enjoyed reading it. It's been wonderful to see that Since MISTER ED began more than 50 years ago, it's been wonderful to see that the show continues to attract new generations of fans. Children who watched the show when Mister Ed first aired, are now watching the show with their grandchildren! Mister Ed, the horse, would be thrilled.
I continue to receive questions about Connie Hines, my co-star and friend until she passed away in 2009. I remember when Connie first walked into the production office to audition for the role of "Carol Post". It was like a ray of light had come into the room We finally had a wife for "Wilbur"! Connie and I did many autograph conventions over the years. At every show, young kids, fathers, and even grandfathers, would tell Connie about the crushes they had on her when they watched the show. She would brightly smile and laugh, very flattered and grateful for their enthusiasm after so many years. Connie and I shared a love for animals and always found time to reminisce about our magical years together with our beloved star - Mister Ed. To the day she left us, Connie was a light in all our lives.
It was very gratifying to discover how many of you are interested in Mister Ed, The Time Machine, and many of the movies and shows I was privileged to be a part of. It has been difficult to respond to all the questions about myself by letter. Now a website makes it so easy and, I hope, gives answers to your kind inquiries.
I don’t particularly like looking back. However, it’s sometimes fun to review the past so I’ll try. I was born in Northern England, and named Angus Young. My Scots father moved us to Edinburgh, and when I was about 6 years old, moved us to Canada where I began in radio at thirteen. By 17, I was writing and performing in my CBC show which was heard in the United States, and I was soon invited to New York. I learned to play the bagpipes so I would have a finish to my stand-up act. It also woke up anybody who had fallen asleep. I wasn't a good player but I was loud!
The moment I landed in the USA, I was cast as "the All-American Boy," even though I had diligently, but not altogether successfully practiced to get rid of my Scottish-Canadian accent!
My first picture was a "High School" movie called Margie, then another "All-American Boy" in Chicken Every Sunday. Next I was cast with Shirley Temple and Clifton Webb in Mr. Belvedere Goes To College. I was slowly growing up! My next picture with Dinah Shore was Aaron Slick from Punkin’ Crick. How All-American can you get?
Then, in Androcles and the Lion, I played Androcles, a Greek!
Now back to my American "heritage" to be with Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain in Gentlemen Marry Brunettes. By this time I had become a naturalized American citizen so I felt quite worthy of my Midwest roles!
In the fairy tale tom thumb with Russ Tamblyn and Peter Sellers, I was dialectically in limbo, but, later, how comfortable I felt playing the Scots friend of Rod Taylor in The Time Machine.
In reviewing my life in this wonderful business, I mustn’t ignore television which really gave my career a boost. Big time radio was fizzling out and my show fizzled first. I dragged out my bagpipes, put a monologue together (now called "stand-up") and hit the theatre circuit.
Playing such houses as the Chicago Theatre, the Fox in Detroit, and the Strand on Broadway, gave me enough confidence (chutzpah) to put together a television pilot for CBS in Hollywood. It was a live revue, which we called The Alan Young Show because all the good names were taken.
The show was well received. It got a couple of Emmys. I got a star on the "Walk of Fame" and a pat on the back from William Paley, head of CBS. However, writing and performing every week, plus doing movies was draining. After three years the quality of the show was slipping and Mr. Paley’s pats on the back were getting lower.
I quit the show and decided that writing and starring in a weekly television program was too strenuous. I’d rather wait for a real star to show up, get on his back and go for the ride. Guess who galloped in?!
These days, I continue to do voice work for various projects. It's still enjoyable to create a voice for a fresh character. Of course Scrooge McDuck will always be my favorite.
The photographs in the following pages cover a lot of my show business history. Some of the photos, and the mini-poster, can only be obtained on this website. And everything you purchase will have been personally signed by me..
You may also visit Kliph Nesteroff's page on Classic Television Showbiz to read the transcript of another interview I did which focuses on my radio career. It brought back a lot of memories for me. Kliph had done his homework!
July, 2011: I also did an interview with Greg Bell, the host of Sirius/XM Radio Classics. The interview was not live and segments can be heard on the station from time to time. For information on Greg and the Sirius/XM programming schedule for Radio Classics, visit: Greg Bell Media.
I continue to receive questions about Connie Hines, my co-star and friend until she passed away in 2009. I remember when Connie first walked into the production office to audition for the role of "Carol Post". It was like a ray of light had come into the room We finally had a wife for "Wilbur"! Connie and I did many autograph conventions over the years. At every show, young kids, fathers, and even grandfathers, would tell Connie about the crushes they had on her when they watched the show. She would brightly smile and laugh, very flattered and grateful for their enthusiasm after so many years. Connie and I shared a love for animals and always found time to reminisce about our magical years together with our beloved star - Mister Ed. To the day she left us, Connie was a light in all our lives.
It was very gratifying to discover how many of you are interested in Mister Ed, The Time Machine, and many of the movies and shows I was privileged to be a part of. It has been difficult to respond to all the questions about myself by letter. Now a website makes it so easy and, I hope, gives answers to your kind inquiries.
I don’t particularly like looking back. However, it’s sometimes fun to review the past so I’ll try. I was born in Northern England, and named Angus Young. My Scots father moved us to Edinburgh, and when I was about 6 years old, moved us to Canada where I began in radio at thirteen. By 17, I was writing and performing in my CBC show which was heard in the United States, and I was soon invited to New York. I learned to play the bagpipes so I would have a finish to my stand-up act. It also woke up anybody who had fallen asleep. I wasn't a good player but I was loud!
The moment I landed in the USA, I was cast as "the All-American Boy," even though I had diligently, but not altogether successfully practiced to get rid of my Scottish-Canadian accent!
My first picture was a "High School" movie called Margie, then another "All-American Boy" in Chicken Every Sunday. Next I was cast with Shirley Temple and Clifton Webb in Mr. Belvedere Goes To College. I was slowly growing up! My next picture with Dinah Shore was Aaron Slick from Punkin’ Crick. How All-American can you get?
Then, in Androcles and the Lion, I played Androcles, a Greek!
Now back to my American "heritage" to be with Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain in Gentlemen Marry Brunettes. By this time I had become a naturalized American citizen so I felt quite worthy of my Midwest roles!
In the fairy tale tom thumb with Russ Tamblyn and Peter Sellers, I was dialectically in limbo, but, later, how comfortable I felt playing the Scots friend of Rod Taylor in The Time Machine.
In reviewing my life in this wonderful business, I mustn’t ignore television which really gave my career a boost. Big time radio was fizzling out and my show fizzled first. I dragged out my bagpipes, put a monologue together (now called "stand-up") and hit the theatre circuit.
Playing such houses as the Chicago Theatre, the Fox in Detroit, and the Strand on Broadway, gave me enough confidence (chutzpah) to put together a television pilot for CBS in Hollywood. It was a live revue, which we called The Alan Young Show because all the good names were taken.
The show was well received. It got a couple of Emmys. I got a star on the "Walk of Fame" and a pat on the back from William Paley, head of CBS. However, writing and performing every week, plus doing movies was draining. After three years the quality of the show was slipping and Mr. Paley’s pats on the back were getting lower.
I quit the show and decided that writing and starring in a weekly television program was too strenuous. I’d rather wait for a real star to show up, get on his back and go for the ride. Guess who galloped in?!
These days, I continue to do voice work for various projects. It's still enjoyable to create a voice for a fresh character. Of course Scrooge McDuck will always be my favorite.
The photographs in the following pages cover a lot of my show business history. Some of the photos, and the mini-poster, can only be obtained on this website. And everything you purchase will have been personally signed by me..
You may also visit Kliph Nesteroff's page on Classic Television Showbiz to read the transcript of another interview I did which focuses on my radio career. It brought back a lot of memories for me. Kliph had done his homework!
July, 2011: I also did an interview with Greg Bell, the host of Sirius/XM Radio Classics. The interview was not live and segments can be heard on the station from time to time. For information on Greg and the Sirius/XM programming schedule for Radio Classics, visit: Greg Bell Media.
Have a cup of tea and take a look around the site.
I hope you enjoy it!
I hope you enjoy it!