Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side, was a big fan of pop culture, often referencing numerous movies and TV shows in his work. One show that clearly held a special place in Larson’s heart featured a talking horse as its lead, Mister Ed.
Airing on CBS during its original run, Mister Ed followed a cultured Palomino horse who displayed human-like behavior and an insatiable curiosity, but would only talk to his owner, Wilbur. The show was a hit, offering a whimsical and lighthearted addition to audiences’ nightly routines. While Mister Ed was a wholesome and endearing show, The Far Side gave it a cynical, absurdist twist, transforming it in a way only Larson’s beloved comic strip could. However, to avoid potential copyright issues, Larson seemingly uses the spelling “Mr. Ed” instead “Mister Ed.”
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“Get The Theme From Mr. Ed Out Of Your System Or…”
Originally Published: February 27, 1988
Marooned on a deserted island, two men are stuck together, waiting for rescue. It would be frustrating to be around just one person all the time with no chance to escape. To make matters worse, if that person is annoying, it only intensifies the situation. In The Far Side, one of the stranded men tells his fellow survivor, Norton, that he’d better get the Mr. Ed theme song out of his system or else he vows to kill him while he sleeps. For anyone who’s heard the Mr. Ed theme song, it’s impossible to deny how incredibly catchy it is.
However, it’s easy to understand how hearing that song repeatedly, with no break, could become maddening. The constant rhyming of “horse” with other words becomes especially grating. While the repetition of horse-related rhymes might work in short bursts, hearing it over and over would test even the most devoted Mr. Ed fan. A horse may be a horse, of course, but no one can talk to a horse, of course, as the song says, but that does not mean that someone wants to be reminded about it endlessly.
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“Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Ed”
Originally Published: April 5, 1993
An imagined reboot of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde meets Mr. Ed in The Far Side. A trio of people open the door to find a horse mad scientist mixing different chemicals. Based on the look on the horse’s face and the accusatory pointing at the horse, it seems like the horse has definitely been caught in the act. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a classic horror story by Robert Louis Stevenson, recounting how an upstanding doctor transforms into a murderous criminal after ingesting a serum he had created.
Rather than turning into Mr. Hyde, this Far Side version of Dr. Jekyll turns into Mr. Ed, a talking horse with his own TV show. Infusing the heinous acts of Mr. Hyde from the renowned novel into the character of Mr. Ed is utterly ridiculous, a level of absurdity that The Far Side excels at. The absurdity of this comic strip is a signature Gary Larson move, one that still references classic literature. Blending what some might label as high culture and low culture, problematic distinctions though they may be, The Far Side combines The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with the Mr. Ed TV show to create a truly absurd scenario that’s impossible not to laugh at.
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“How Mr. Ed Was Made To Talk”
Originally Published: October 23, 1991
In Hollywood, animal handlers employ a range of techniques to coax animals into performing as required for a scene. Sometimes, they apply peanut butter to the roof of a dog’s mouth to make it look like the dog is talking. Other times, as The Far Side humorously suggests, they take a more extreme approach by placing a highly dangerous apex predator just feet away and threatening to release it unless the animal actor cooperates. According to the comic, that’s exactly how they got Mr. Ed to talk. A lion is shown menacingly close to the set, implying that Mr. Ed had better start speaking, or the lion will become very well acquainted with him.
Mr. Ed may have been shy on set, but the crew certainly found a way to get him talking, even if it was highly traumatic for the famous horse. While Mr. Ed’s talking ability makes him one-of-a-kind, his motivation isn’t so unique: like anyone trying to avoid becoming a lion’s dinner. You don’t need PETA to tell that, in The Far Side, this is not exactly an animal-friendly set.
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“Mr. Ed Spills His Guts”
Originally Published: April 9, 1987
Sharing his testimony with the court, Mr. Ed recounts the story of how he witnessed Wilbur engaging in some seriously suspicious activities. Explaining that he saw Wilbur with a shovel, a wild look in his eyes, and a nervous disposition, Mr. Ed explains that he saw Wilbur carrying a big plastic bag. At first, he figured that the big plastic bag was filled with the usual horse manure, but then, after he thought for a second, he started to reconsider what was actually in the big plastic bag in question.
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Wilbur was Mr. Ed’s clumsy but kind-hearted owner, the only person with whom Mr. Ed spoke in the TV show. In The Far Side, however, Wilbur is not the genial man that he was in the show, with him being up to no good at all, as Mr. Ed is a witness to. On the stand against Wilbur, Mr. Ed has faced quite an ordeal, having to recount to the jury what he saw on that fateful night. What drove Wilbur off the edge and just what he did is anyone’s guess. Considering that Mr. Ed is having to testify in court against Wilbur, the answer cannot be all that great. Putting a dark twist on the wholesome character of Mr. Ed is par for the course in The Far Side.
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“Jimmy Meets Mr. Ed”
Originally Published: January 25, 1990
Glue used to be made from animal byproducts, with horses being the primary source. Due to their large size and hooves, which are rich in a substance called collagen, horses were once the animal of choice for glue production. This fact provided Gary Larson with perfect material for The Far Side. In one comic, a young boy assembles a model airplane using glue to hold the pieces together. The twist is that the glue is actually made from one very famous horse: Mr. Ed.
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Jimmy, the boy in the comic, is using a particularly unique glue, one that talks. The audience quickly realizes it is Mr. Ed himself, as the glue calls out for Wilbur, his owner from the classic TV show. While Mr. Ed is clearly not thrilled about his new life as model airplane glue, Jimmy seems completely unfazed that his adhesive is speaking to him. The Far Side has always enjoyed taking familiar pop culture figures like Mr. Ed and giving them a dark, absurd twist. In this case, the once-charming talking horse is no longer alive or talking by choice. He has been reduced to a pot of glue, far removed from the beloved character fans remember.
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“Speaking Out Of Turn”
Originally Published: December 14, 1987″
For kids who misbehave, it is common practice for teachers to send them out into the hall as punishment. This form of reprimanding applies to kids but also to talking horses, apparently, as noted by The Far Side. As a young colt, Mr. Ed was not the best pupil. Actually, Mr. Ed, who went by Eddie back then, would get sent out to the hall because he would speak when he was not supposed to. Mr. Ed is no stranger to talking, making a whole living out of it in his adult days, but his motor mouth was not a gift to him during his schoolyard days.
It’s always interesting to learn about the lives of actors before they became famous. As proven by The Far Side, Mr. Ed was always a big talker, even getting in trouble at school because of it. The Far Side often presented an alternate version of events, especially for historical figures or pop culture icons. Showing Mr. Ed as a loquacious young colt before his eponymous TV show is just one example of this Far Side occurrence.
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“Mr. Ed Vs Francis The Talking Mule”
Originally Published: April 11, 1988
While it has been established that Mr. Ed was the talking horse character from the TV show of the same name, Francis the Talking Mule may not be as well known to many readers, especially those in a younger age group. Francis was another talking equine who starred in his own movie franchise, which spanned seven films from 1950 to 1956. One might assume, even within The Far Side, that two talking animals would find some comfort in each other’s company, given how rare they are. However, this does not turn out to be the case, as the comic strip makes clear.
Locked in what appears to be a very serious debate, Mr. Ed and Francis the Talking Mule go head-to-head over an issue that is never revealed. While the comic implies that the two do not see eye to eye, it never explains the subject of their argument. Is it about equestrian matters, or something completely unexpected like local policy decisions? The reader is left to wonder, as the true topic remains a mystery. This ambiguity only adds to the absurd humor that The Far Side is known for.
