OklahomaHorses Magazine September 2023

18 OklahomaHorses • September / October 2023 J ust off Highway 82 north of Tahle- quah is a large monument with an image of a famous “talking” horse from a classic television show of the early 1960s, Mister Ed. The horse pictured on the marker is Bamboo Harvester, a palomino American saddlebred/Arabian cross born in 1949. He played the part of the talking horse on the 30-minute weekly show, which aired from 1961 to 1966. According to Wikipedia, it was one of the few series to debut in syndication and be picked up by a major network for prime time. The concept was born from a series of short stories by children’s author Walter R. Brooks, which began with a story titled The Talking Horse in a 1937 issue of Liberty magazine. The show also resembled the series of movies about Francis the Talking Mule, filmed from 1950 through 1955. In the TV series, the horse character called Ed talked only to his owner, Wilbur, played by Alan Young. Ed’s antics and humanlike behavior often put Wilbur on the spot because only he could witness them. This often resulted in other characters, including Wilbur’s wife, Carol (played by Connie Hines), questioning his unusual conduct. Bamboo Harvester was trained to move his lips with the use of a simple thin piece of thread under his top lip and run through his halter to his handler. It was said that the horse was so smart it didn’t take him long to learn to move his lips when actor Allan Young finished talking and that he often moved them more than the script specified. Mister Ed’s ability to talk was never explained in the show. In the first episode, when Wilbur learned that his horse could talk and tried to understand the phenomenon, Ed offers the advice, “Don’t try. It’s bigger than both of us!” Confusion Reigns But what horse is actually buried north of Tahlequah? Some people say it is Bamboo Harvester, but others claim it is a horse named Pumpkin (Mister Ed’s stablemate and stunt double in the TV show), who was unofficially called Mister Ed and was used for publicity shots several years later after Bamboo Harvester had died. One version of the story claims that Bamboo Harvester retired to an Oklahoma farm where the marker now stands, became sick, and was euthanized and laid to rest near a cherry tree in 1970. Another story indicates that he died accidentally after a shot of tranquilizer while in California and was cremated, and his ashes were spread by his trainer, Lester Hilton. A different version claims that Bamboo Harvester died in California and was buried in Oklahoma. And some sources say no horse is buried there, and the stone is a monument rather than a gravestone. The grave was originally marked by a simple wooden cross and a horseshoe. However, with funds raised by fans of the show and by Tulsa radio station KMYZ 104.5 FM, an engraved granite memorial was installed in 1990, complete with a dedication ceremony that included a color guard and carrot bouquets. The five-foot- tall marker features an image of Mister Ed at the top. Visiting the Monument Regardless of which horse (if any) is buried beneath the stone, fans still stop to see it. The farm where it is located has had multiple owners over the years, most of whom were very accepting of tourist traffic on the property. The monument is well tended, and the current property owner welcomes visitors. The marker is visible from the highway along the north side of the curve at the intersection of Highways 82 and 82A (to Moodys). Guests should be respectful and obtain permission from the residents before crossing the property to reach the marker, which is behind the house. Insect repellent is advised for visitors during the summer. This monument near Tahlequah honors the famous television talking horse, Mister Ed. Mister ED Monument Near Tahlequah Honors Talking Horse Story and photo by Leigh Ann Matthews