The popular 1960s American TV comedy, Mister Ed, features a mischievous talking horse. Mister Ed first appeared on US television screens on 1 October 1961 and ran for 143 episodes over six years. The series proved a massive hit with viewers. A palomino gelding called Bamboo Harvester was the original Mister Ed. Foaled in 1949, he was a Saddlebred/Polish Arab and was trained by Les Hilton. The horse's voice belonged to Allan “Rocky” Lane, a well-known cowboy star. In order to make Mr Ed look as if he was “talking”, peanut butter was said to have been smeared around the horse’s lips, encouraging him to lick his lips. The series still attracts fans and the debate on exactly how the horse was encouraged to talk is still much discussed on internet sites.

Source: Horse and Hound