SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Last week we mentioned the Antenna TV Saturday Summer-thons that begins June 4 (Saturdays from 1-10pm), but now we have the full Antenna TV summer 2016 schedule. And it includes Webster, as we hinted. All of the schedule changes will happen on Sundays beginning June 5, with most Saturday shows being shifted to Sundays due to the Saturday summer marathons. The Monkees will move to Sundays from 11am-12pm, replacing Jeannie. Then from 12-1pm, it is the new timeslot for The Partridge Family, replacing Bewitched. Then from 1pm-2pm Small Wonder moves to Sundays, replacing an hour of Green Acres. From 2-3pm, Sabrina the Teenage Witch is also moving to Sundays, replacing an hour of The Monkees. From 3-4pm, Doogie Howser M.D. moves up a few hours replacing The Partridge Family. Then Mr. Belvedere is also moving to Sundays, airing 4-5pm replacing The Ropers/Three's a Crowd hour, as those two shows will go off the lineup for the summer. From 5-6pm, Dear John moves up a few hours replacing Doogie Howser. At 6pm, an hour of Evening Shade will remain, but from 7-8pm we have the new addition to the schedule...Webster! It replaces Dear John in the hour. Everything else will remain the same.

Emmy-winning actor Alan Young, who was best known for his role as Wilbur Post in Mister Ed, has died. He died on May 19 of natural causes at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. Mr. Young was 96.

Young's American radio career began in 1944. His first radio appearances were on the Philco Radio Hall of Fame. The Alan Young Show began on NBC Radio as a summer replacement situation comedy in 1944. It moved to ABC Radio two years later before returning to NBC in 1946.

The Alan Young Show began as a variety/sketch comedy show on television on CBS in 1950. It won an Emmy Award for Best Variety Show in 1951. Alan Young won an Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1951. The show switched to a more conventional sitcom in the final season in 1953. Young played a bank teller. His girlfriend was played by Dawn Addams.

Young starred as Wilbur Post, the owner of Mr. Ed, a talking horse that would talk to no one but him, in Mister Ed. The popular series ran for six seasons 1961-1966. It began in first-run syndication before moving to CBS. The series starred Connie Hines, Larry Keating, Edna Skinner, Leon Ames, Florence MacMichael and Allan "Rocky" Lane as the voice of Mr. Ed. Mr. Ed was played by a Palomino horse named Bamboo Harvester. Young also directed episodes in the final season of the series.

Some of his other television guest appearances in the 1950s and 1960s included General Electric Theater, Studio One, Chevron Hall of Stars, Studio 57, The Steve Allen Show, Five Fingers, Encounter, Startime and Mr. Terrific (unaired pilot version).

He starred as Ed Pepper in the 1988-1989 CBS sitcom Coming of Age. His wife on the series was played by Glynis Johns. They were the neighbors of Dick and Ginny Hale (Paul Dooley and Phyllis Newman).

His other sitcom guest appearances included Down to Earth, City, Doogie Howser, M.D., Coach, Maybe This Time, The Wayans Bros., Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, USA High, Kelly Kelly, The Tony Danza Show, Hang Time and Maybe It's Me.

Young was also known for his voice work. He provided the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney films, the DuckTales TV series (1987-1990) and video games. Some of his other voice credits included Battle of the Planets, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The Incredible Hulk, The Smurfs, Alvin and the Chipmunks, TaleSpin, Batman: The Animated Series, The Ren & Stimpy Show and Duckman.

The Archive of American Television conducted an extensive interview with him on February 6, 2001.

Mr. Young was wonderful in Mister Ed. He had a very long and successful career. His voice work had kept him active in recent years. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Mister Ed message board. View photos in our galleries.