MovieChat Forums > Mister Ed (1961) Discussion > The Addison's or the Kirkwood's?

The Addison's or the Kirkwood's?


Who did you like better between the Addison's or the Kirkwood's?

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I prefer the Addisons and Roger’s reaction to Wilbur’s nuttiness. It is always hard to replace someone. The Kirkwoods were good though.

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I always found it funny when Roger Addison would always react to Wilbur's nuttiness, he was a funny guy, I thought the Kirkwoods were adequate replacements for the Addisons.

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I didn't like the Kirkwoods, I found them annoying. I thought the show really suffered when Roger passed away.

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I thought Gordon Kirkwood was more of a mean grump and a bit full of himself compared to Roger Addison and not nearly as likeable, I definitely agree with you that the show wasn't nearly the same when Roger passed away.

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Actually, "Roger Addison" never "passed away." It was actor Larry Keating who died.

To my recollection, no explanation was ever given as to "Roger Addison's" absence from the show. Edna Skinner as "Kay Addison" appeared for awhile after Keating's death, sometimes with the character of "Kay's" brother, "Paul Fenton," played by Jack Albertson. And actually, there had been at least one episode, when Keating was alive, in which the character of "Paul" appeared but played by another actor.

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Correct. Back then when an actor or actress passed away often times it was never dealt with in the series. They simply vanished with no explanation. Kay was seen for a few episodes (nine I believe) with her brother played by Jack Albertson in some of them then she just disappeared also. I thought Leon Ames did a pretty good job as a neighbor but the lady who played his wife just seemed to be there for a prop. She never added much to an episode like Kay did with Roger. Larry Keating was a fine actor and played his part to pefection and that is difficult to replace. From what I have read he continued acting to the very end. He was on the set for "Ed meets Leo Drucher" but was unable to complete filming and died six days later. This was in a book I have about the series dated from 1991 though so I am not sure how accurate it is.

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Kay's brother was played by the same actor in the earlier episode. He played a song producer. That story about Larry Keating is true. If you notice he was only in one scene early in that episode and when I went back and looked at it, he did not look well.

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Absolutely, the Addisons. A few of the reviewers noticed how great he was, but no one mentions how truly funny SHE was. The Addisons were perfect.

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I thought the Addison's added alot to the show and they were also more likable than the Kirkwood's

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Me too, the Addison's were great. Glad to see some of you mention "Kay" she cracked me up.

"you're seeing a whole team of psychiatrists, aren't you?" Terrence Mann

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oops it was Larry Keating who passed away not Roger, Roger was the character That Larry portrayed.

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I go with the majority because Winnie Kirkwood didn't stand up to her husband like Kay did, besides I LOVED Kay's taste in cloths

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The Addisons are by far better than the Kirkwoods. I didn't watch Mister Ed in the 60s (I'm only 21 and grew up watching it on VHS and TV Land). Its actually hard to watch the episodes with the Kirkwoods because I liked Roger and Kay too much. They were so much funnier, and were enjoyably devilish and selfish. As selfish as the Addisons could be, Keating and Skinner brought a lot of heart to the roles, and had some of the funniest lines after Ed. I honestly just feel no one could fill the Addisons shoes. I don't mind the Kirkwoods, but they're just not the Addisons.



The course of true love never did run smooth~ William Shakespeare

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I agree; Rodger and Kay seemed like an older, well to do couple who cared for and enjoyed each other. She always added a spark to the show whenever she appeared, nicely dressed and I loved how she called Roger "doll".

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The Addison's.

I could take or leave the Kirkwoods.

Kay and Roger were both funny characters. They provided a lot of humour in the show. It was funny how Kay always called Roger Doll.

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like most shows replacing a actor is hard to do because fans get accustomed original actor, take Dennis the Menace,for exsample Gale Gordon replacing Joseph Kearns as neighbor Mr. Wilson due to Joseph Kearns death.

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The Addisons, no question.

Roger and Kay Addison had more personality than did Gordon and Winnie Kirkwood. Moreover, Roger and Kay had a sometimes contentious relationship that added grit to the situations in addition to the way they interacted with the Posts. And I always get a kick out of the way Kay always calls Roger by his last name, even in an endearment--"Addison doll!" By contrast, Winnie seemed a little too obeisant toward Gordon.

The Kirkwoods were not dire, but they had a tough act to follow in the Addisons. At least the show didn't try to make the Kirkwoods into carbon-copies of the Addisons, which would have been dire.

Acting-wise, Larry Keating and Edna Skinner were very entertaining and convincing. However, Leon Ames was no slouch, either, as he had a long and rewarding career as a character actor in films. He played Judy Garland's father in Meet Me in St. Louis, and he had a nice turn as the prosecutor in The Postman Always Rings Twice, a brief indication of his range.

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"All persons, living and dead, are purely coincidental." - Kurt Vonnegut

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Why pull punches? The Kirkwoods sucked! I figure viewers must've complained about them because they just vanished without a word after about a year and a half. Good riddance!

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Kirkwood treated Wilbur as though he was a military underling and I couldn't like Kirkwood at all.

Why ain't you at the garden party you heathen?

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I always wanted Wilbur to beat the crap out of that guy, but it never happened. What a shame...

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Both men were Grade-A jerks, but as for the women, I definitely liked Kay Addison.
Sure, she was a shopaholic who spent her husband's money like water, but at least she was smart, and she really knew her husband.
The polar opposite of the bubble-headed Winnie Kirkwood!

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While I hated both men's attitude towards Mr. Ed, IMO, both couples were funny, although I prefer the intelligent Kay over the scatterbrain Winnie.
Whom I TRULY loathe is Carol's father: a man determined to end his daughter's marriage and make her "Daddy's little girl" all over again!
I wouldn't have been sorry if that character kicked the bucket in the course of the series!

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The Addisons were much better supporting characters in every sense of the word. I love Kay's gentle wisecracking, and how she's not ashamed to admit she doesn't like cooking, etc. She dressed so glamorously and could have been a movie star from the 30s or 40s. Also, Roger is a much more lovable character than Gordon. He was very serious and professional, that's for sure, but Larry Keating brought a warmth to the role that made him very likeable. Roger's character reminds me a lot of Harry Morton from the George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, who Keating played for years (after the role had been played by three other actors who for the most part made Harry a total a-hole; Keating made Harry sophisticated and likeable). The chemistry between Keating and Skinner is very apparent as well.

Like others have mentioned, Winnie Kirkwood was scatterbrained in an annoying way and never said no to her husband. Gordon is always mad at everyone for no reason, and his treating Wilbur like they're still in the Air Force was dumb. It's hard to say what other choices the producer had after Keating passed; it would have been too early to end the show after three years, but there wouldn't have been much for Kay to do all by herself.

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