Picture it… Frontierland… July 17, 1955. Walt and his team of workers are proud of the incredible world they have created together. Tomorrow is the day a large leap of faith will be made, and Disneyland will open to the public for the very first time. But, instead of anxiously tossing and turning the night before, Walt and other folks from the Disney company hold a launch/appreciation night for the corporate sponsors. This party takes place at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon in Frontierland. This is the second time the saloon has guests; the first time being a few days prior for Walt and Lillian’s 30th anniversary. Walt is so proud of this building, and it becomes one of his favourite spots to frequent throughout the rest of his years. He has a private box built to the right of the stage for his viewing pleasure.

On this night, Wally Boag graces the stage of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon and performs the Golden Horseshoe Revue for the first time. It would be the first of almost 40,000 performances of it in his lifetime.

The Golden Horseshoe Saloon

Frontierland was one of Walt Disney’s dreams come true. He was always enamored with the Western lifestyle, especially growing up on the farm. He wanted to bring that old west feel into Frontierland, and what better way to do that then to bring a good old fashioned saloon into the mix. He acquired Harper Goff, a talented artist who attended Chouinard Art Institute and met Walt one day at a toy store looking for model trains. Goff’s first task with Disney was to create the storyboards for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but as he continued to work with Disney, he was given another big duty to design Main Street USA. With his exceptional work with that job, Disney also asked him to design the Golden Horsehoe Saloon. Goff took inspiration from one of his set designs for the film Calamity Jane. Thus, the Golden Horseshoe Saloon was born, and made its debut to the public on the opening day of Disneyland on July 17, 1955.

The Golden Horseshoe in 1962. Image from: https://www.inventingdisneyland.com/2019/04/the-longest-little-bar.html

The Golden Horseshoe Revue Show

What could complete the saloon and tie it all together? Well a show, of course! Disney hired comedian Wally Boag, actor Donald Novis, and original Slue Foot Sue, Judy Marsh, to write and star in a show to entertain guests that would reflect the western theme. It was decided that the show would be based on the story of Pecos Bill, a 1917 story that Disney adapted in the 1940s in the film Melody Time. Pecos Bill (Wally Boag), Slue Foot Sue (Judy Marsh) and friends, would sing, dance the can-can, play the banjo, perform comedy skits, and shoot blanks into the air. Charles LaVere and Tom Adair created the music and lyrics for the show. The show was also sponsored by Pepsi-Cola from the beginning, all the way until 1982, when Eastman Kodak took over as the show’s sponsor. The show premiered on television for the very first time on ABC as a part of Disneyland’s grand opening.

Judy Marsh in the Golden Horseshoe Revue. Image from: http://matterhorn1959.blogspot.com/2007/01/golden-horseshoe-revue-1955.html

The Golden Horseshoe Revue ran 3 times a day, 5 times a week, for 31 very successful years, performing for billions of guests who came in and out of the saloon daily. It officially closed on October 12, 1986. To take its place, The Golden Horseshoe Jamboree opened on November 1, 1986, and ran until December 1994. After the closure of that show, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies transferred from Critter Country into the Golden Horseshoe, and performed until 2012.

Wally Boag

Wally’s Early Life and Julie Andrews

Since he was a child, Wally had great success in the arts and performance field. He was born in 1920 in Portland, Oregon. His mother was a part of vaudeville, and he even joined her on stage one Christmas Eve in 1925. He grew up as a dancer, even opening up his own dance school as a teen, charging $0.25 for group dance lessons. By the time he was 19, he started to move toward comedy. He began touring with Tom Gary, performing a comedy routine around the world. They played Radio City Music Hall, the Palladium in London, and many other highly-regarded venues. In 1945, he began working in film, starring in Without Love and The Thrill of Romance. In 1947, during one of his regular acts in London, every night he would ask a young girl to join him on stage and sing the song “Polonaise”. That young girl was Julie Andrews at 12 years old.

Wally Boag and Julie Andrews. Image from: https://www.disneyhistoryinstitute.com/2011/06/pleasant-buffoonery-remembering-wally.html

Landing the Disney Contract

In 1955, Donald Novis approached Wally about co-creating and starring in the new Disneyland show, but Wally was only offered a 2-week contract. With nothing to lose and experience to gain, he brought his own talents to the stage and knocked the socks off of Walt and the opening week audiences. The contract went out the window, and he was offered a permanent position to play the travelling salesman and Pecos Bill. Wally Boag remained with the Golden Horseshoe year after year from its conception until 1982. While working at the park each day, Wally met young Steve Martin who was working as a magician in the park. Wally quickly became one of Steve’s great comedic heroes.

“My hero, the first comedian I ever saw live, my influence, a man to whom I aspire…”

— Steve Martin on Wally Boag

Disney Films and Other Projects

In 1955 he also guest starred on an episode of the Mickey Mouse Club and performed a song called “Tie a Boagaloon”, a skill he picked up when touring as a comedian.

In 1961 he starred as a TV newsman in Disney’s The Absent Minded Professor, in 1963 he was George in Son of Flubber where he met Ed Wynn, and in 1968 he was a “flabbergasted driver” in The Love Bug. He provided his distinctive voice for Jose Carioca in Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room in 1963.

Wally’s name still graces a window along Main Street USA, specifically the Blue Ribbon Bakery, as a theatrical agency storefront.

“Walt took advantage of people’s talents, tried combinations… knew what his people could do and gave them other chances.”

— Wally Boag

Betty Taylor

Though Judy Marsh was the original Slue Foot Sue, Betty took on the role in 1956 and became the longest running member of the show, for 20 years, finally closing in 1986. She performed up to 45,000 times, always opening the show with a magical number to draw audiences in.

Betty’s Early Life and Singing Career

Betty was born just a year before Wally in 1919 in Seattle, Washington. She had a very similar childhood in show business as Wally did - taking dance lessons, performing on stages as young teen, with her first stage production being in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1931. By 18 years old, she had formed her very own band, “Betty and Her Beaus”, which featured herself and 16 male musicians. Her fame rose quickly, and she began to take on even more ambitious gigs, like performing with Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas for 6 weeks.

The Disney Contract

Like any other entertainer, Betty was always up for an audition. In 1956, she was about to begin another tour when she heard about the auditions for a spot at Walt Disney’s Disneyland, and luckily for her and for billions of people, she decided to go for it. Betty was a professional and a natural, and was a huge star in Walt’s eyes. He trusted that she would put on a stellar performance every night, which she did. She even continued to tour to other places in the world to expand her singing talents, even performing for President Richard Nixon in the White House in 1968. Betty loved her job as Slue Foot Sue, and loved interacting with the audiences.

“I just want to say thank you, and I enjoyed doing the show for you.”

— Betty Taylor

Wally and Betty became Disney Legends in 1995. Wally Boag passed away on June 3, 2011 from Alzheimer’s disease. Just one day later, co-star Betty Taylor passed away on June 4, 2011. From their similar childhoods, extremely fruitful careers, and the decades they spent on stage together, they were truly soulmates.

Betty Taylor and Wally Boag. Image from: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/arts/wally-boag-cowboy-comedian-at-disneyland-dies-at-90.html

The Legacy of the Golden Horseshoe

One of the things the revue show is most famous for is being the world’s longest running musical ever, with up to 39,000 performances within a 31 year run. It was even featured in the Guinness Book of World Records.

On top of that, it is solidified in time with Ron Miller’s 1962 TV movie The Golden Horseshoe Revue, which was a filmed version of the 10,000th performance of Boag and Taylor’s show. It was released as a part of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. Annette Funicello, Gene Sheldon, Ed Wynn, Fulton Burley, and even Walt Disney appeared in this TV movie.

“Now for this special occasion, we call it the augmented Golden Horseshoe Revue, and that’s because in addition to our usual stars, Wally Boag and Betty Taylor, we have some special guest stars. Now we got a real rootin-tootin-shootin show, and I’ve got my table reserved for you.”

— Walt Disney

Today, the Golden Horseshow Saloon still stands proudly in Frontierland, mostly unchanged since it’s opening. The most current show which opened in 2019 is called Showdown at the Golden Horseshoe, which is a dueling piano show.

Reference list:

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Golden_Horseshoe_Saloon

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/en-ca/dining/disneyland/golden-horseshoe-restaurant/

https://d23.com/a-to-z/golden-horseshoe-revue/

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/06/remembering-wally-boag-and-betty-taylor-at-disneyland-park/

https://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn/comments/dlh512/visitors_at_the_golden_horseshoe_saloon_on/

https://jansworld.net/golden-horseshoe-history

https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/harper-goff/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTiWZ56BiV4

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054594/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0090139/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t24

https://celebrationspress.com/2018/01/29/12-facts-about-disney-legend-wally-boag/