Only a day after losing Wally Boag, it seemed impossible to believe that his longtime Disneyland co-star, Betty Taylor, was also gone.
On Saturday, Disneyland Resort President George A. Kalogridis said, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of a second Disney Legend in just two days – Betty Taylor. Betty’s role as leading lady in Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue helped turn it into the longest-running stage show in entertainment history. It is a tragic coincidence that her passing comes just one day after the death of longtime co-star Wally Boag.”
Betty played Slue Foot Sue to Wally Boag’s Pecos Bill five days a week for nearly three decades at Disneyland park. She joined the Golden Horseshoe Revue just a year after it began in 1955 and continued in the role of the vivacious saloon owner until 1987, racking up an astounding estimated 45,000 performances. Even after that many shows, Betty’s devotion to Disneyland audiences kept them fresh and fun.
It had been a little while since I’d been there, so this morning I walked over to the Golden Horseshoe. Although there is some maintenance going on outside the saloon for the next week or so, it is open, and the magic these two legends created can still be felt there.
The next time you’re at Disneyland park, I encourage you to stop in and sit a spell. The Golden Horseshoe remains a very unique and special place, forever linked to two all-time Disney greats: Betty Taylor and Wally Boag.
If you would like to learn more about Betty Taylor, our friends at D23 have posted a really nice story about her life and show business career.
Comments
The Golden Horseshoe will forever be linked to THREE all-time Disney greats: Betty Taylor and Wally Boag, and Fulton Burley, who passed away in 2007.
I always felt that Disneyland missed a really great opportunity to revive the traditional Golden Horseshoe Revue script for the park’s Golden 50th Anniversary. While it would be near impossible to top the likes of Betty, Wally and Fulton’s show in casting, I think it would have been a great tribute to a park original and one of Walt’s personal favorites — of course, the original show and its casting was probably perceived as too costly in 2005 and today.
Used to go to the Golden Horseshoe Review with my parents in the early 70’s, I missed it later in life when they replaced the show. One of the nice things about Disneyland is it can stick with “retro” type shows and they work there. Hope they keep up the tradition.
Maybe they should give her, her own window in Fronteirland. Or her own drink name at the Golden Horseshoe
I cannot agree more, Jason. I enjoy the “hillbillies” show ok, but it’s not called “Hillbilly-land” or “hick-land”. It’s called “Frontierland” and a frontier kind of vaudeville show is what should be held there.
I don’t think a more fitting tribute to the lives of these two inveterate performers could be established than to return The Golden Horseshoe to it’s roots (as established by Walt himself).
As much as I enjoy Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, it would be great to see another Golden Horseshoe Revue show like Wally and Betty put on.
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