The Golden Horseshoe Saloon (referred to as Pecos Bill's Golden Horseshoe Saloon during construction) is a restaurant and attraction at

Disneyland Park Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

in the United States. It opened in 1955 with several other original attractions at Disneyland Park. Over the years the venue has housed multiple stage shows; it currently shows "Showdown at the Golden Horseshoe!" seven days a week. The " saloon" is located in

Frontierland Frontierland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Disneyland-style parks run by Disney around the world. Themed to the American Frontier of the 19th century, Frontierlands are home to cowboys and pioneers, saloons, red rock buttes and gol ...

and has a picturesque view of the Rivers of America,

New Orleans Square New Orleans Square is a themed land found at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. Based on 19th-century New Orleans, Louisiana, the roughly three-acre area was the first land to be added to Disneyland after the park's opening, at a cost of $ ...

and part of

Critter Country Critter Country is one of the "themed lands" at Disneyland Park and Tokyo Disneyland run by The Walt Disney Company and The Oriental Land Company. It was originally designed as Bear Country at Disneyland Park in 1972, with the Country Bear Jam ...

History

The Golden Horseshoe Stage unofficially opened on July 13, 1955, as the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, when Walt and Lillian Disney, along with dozens of guests, celebrated their 30th anniversary with a private party and the premiere showing of the original Golden Horseshoe Revue. On Saturday, July 16, 1955, the Golden Horseshoe opened a day early for a private party of corporate sponsors. This show marked Wally Boag's first official performance as Pecos Bill/Traveling Salesman at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. WallyBoagPecosBill

The first show to open on the stage was ''Slue Foot Sue's Golden Horseshoe Revue'' (mistakenly spelled "Review") on July 17, 1955. The

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

's music was written by Charles LaVere, who served as the show's pianist, and used lyrics by Tom Adair. The script for the production was co-authored by two of its stars,

Donald Novis Donald George Novis (3 March 1906 – 23 July 1966) was an English-born American actor and tenor. Early life Novis was born on 3 March 1906 in Hastings, Sussex to Frederick George Novis and Charlotte Morris.California County Marriages, 1850-19 ...

and

Wally Boag Wallace Vincent Boag (September 13, 1920 – June 3, 2011) was an American performer known for his starring role in Disney's long-running stage show the '' Golden Horseshoe Revue''. Biography Boag was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1920 to Evelyn ...

. This variety show ran a record 39,000 times and is listed in the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing worl ...

as the longest-running musical of all time. One of the features of the show was to have children from the audience sing and dance on stage. "

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of ...

" was a favorite song performed by the guests. In 1962, Ron Miller, son-in-law to Walt Disney, directed a made-for-television movie by the same title. The film starred Disney actress

Annette Funicello Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013) was an American actress and singer. Funicello began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve. She was one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the orig ...

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He was noted for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a d ...

, Betty Taylor,

Gene Sheldon Gene Sheldon (born Eugene Hume; February 1, 1908 – May 1, 1982) was an American actor, mime artist, and musician. He is remembered as the mute servant Bernardo in Walt Disney's live-action Spanish Western series ''Zorro'' (1957-1959). Biograp ...

and

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

himself.

Productions

''Golden Horseshoe Revue''

The ''Golden Horseshoe Revue'' was the original and longest running show at the saloon, playing from July 17, 1955 until October 12, 1986. Over the years it starred Wally Boag, Betty Taylor, Don Novis,

Fulton Burley Fulton Burley (June 12, 1922 – May 7, 2007) was a Canadian performer, most widely known for his work in Disneyland. Born in Toronto, Ontario, and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Fulton came to the United States in 1943 after a telephone a ...

, Dick Hardwick, Frankie Wylie, Jack Watson, Judy Marsh, Burt Henry, Dana Daniels, Jay Meyer, Kirk Wall, Jimmy Adams, Don Payne, Ron Schneider and many others. The stage show featured saloon owner Slue Foot Sue and her dance hall girls who welcomed the audience with "Hello Everybody", followed by a flirtatious interactive song like "A Lady Has to Mind Her P's and Q's" or "Riverboat Blues". The show's MC introduced various skits featuring a traveling salesmen, played by

, and later Dick Hardwick. The show would be interrupted by

Pecos Bill Pecos Bill is a fictional cowboy and folk hero in stories set during American westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona. These narratives were invented as short stories in a book by Tex O'Reill ...

himself, who would sing his self-titled signature song.

''Golden Horseshoe Jamboree Show''

This show ran from November 1, 1986, until December 18, 1994. Over the years it starred Judi Wallace, Shirley Harrison, Judy Bell, Kellie Wright, Heather Paige Kent, John Eaden, Don Payne, Gil Christner, E. E. Bell, David Holmes, Joe Jacoby, Eric Gunhus, Kerry Giese, Amanda Hudson and many others. Members of the live band included Bret Simmons, Eric Brenton, Gary Halopoff, Chris Stephens, and many others.

''Billy Hill and the Hillbillies''

This show began its run on December 22, 1994 and ended on January 6, 2014. In its last approximately year and a half it was performed on the Big Thunder Ranch stage, before the performers were fired, and then re-hired by Knott's Berry Farm. Over the years it has starred Kirk Wall, Dennis Fetchet, John Marshall, Evan Marshall, John Eaden, Duane Michaels, Rick Storey, Anders Swanson, and many others. It features bluegrass and comedy.

''Golden Horseshoe Variety Show''

This show featured the comedy and magic talents of Dana Daniels. It ran from June 13, 1995 until October 8, 2003. It starred Dana Daniels, Richard Allen, Hal Ratliff and many others over the years.

''Woody's Round-up''

This child-friendly show ran from November 21, 1999 until July 17, 2000 and featured characters from the Disney/Pixar movie ''

Toy Story 2 ''Toy Story 2'' is a 1999 American computer-animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The second installment in the ''Toy Story'' franchise and the sequel to '' Toy Story'' (1995), it was directed by John ...

''. The Golden Horseshoe was also where the music video for the Woody's Round-Up Medley music video starring Riders in the Sky was filmed to promote the Toy Story 2 companion album: Woody's Roundup.

''Frontierland: The Little Town That Could''

This comedy/melodrama ran occasionally from 2001 until 2003 and featured a supposed history of the founding of Frontierland. It starred players from Laughing Stock and Company, including John Eaden, Kevin Gregg, Ken Parks, Danny Roque and Cory Rouse.

''A Salute to the Golden Horseshoe Revue''

In late 2012, Disney announced the limited run of a show titled ''A Salute to the Golden Horseshoe Revue'', described as "an homage to those fun-filled, family-friendly musical variety shows of the past". The show was scheduled for a brief run from January 10 to February 4, 2013, every Thursday through Monday. It featured song and dance numbers from the original ''Golden Horseshoe Revue'', such as "Hello, Everybody", "A Good Man Is Hard to Find", "Belly Up to the Bar" and "Can-Can".

Showdown at the Golden Horseshoe

On November 22, 2019 Disney opened a new show called Showdown at the Golden Horseshoe. The show features two dueling piano players.

Other shows

Various other evening entertainments have appeared there over the years, including Alabama, Louis Armstrong, actor Pat O'Brien, various jazz and gospel groups and special events. It was also used during the 1950s as a venue for dancing couples during Disneyland's 'Date Nite' promotion. And finally it was the venue for the Annual Tour Guide's Fashion Show, which raised money for various children's charities over the years. Park Managers were often brought up on stage to perform (as in posing with a beach ball) with the tour guides. This fact helped sell tickets and kept the show going for many years until the expanded park hours/days pushed the show out.

Architecture

The interior of the saloon was designed by

Harper Goff Harper Goff (March 16, 1911 – March 3, 1993), born Ralph Harper Goff, was an American artist, musician, and actor. For many years, he was associated with The Walt Disney Company, in the process of which he contributed to various major film ...

, the same person who designed a saloon set for the movie ''

Calamity Jane Martha Jane Cannary (May 1, 1852 – August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok. Lat ...

'' starring

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

. Goff was already working on designing exteriors for buildings on

Main Street, USA Main Street, U.S.A. is the first "themed land" inside the main entrance of the many theme parks operated or licensed by The Walt Disney Company around the world. Main Street, U.S.A. is themed to resemble American small towns during the early 20t ...

when asked to work on this project.

References

Sources

Citations

External links

Interviews with members of Disneyland's ''Golden Horseshoe Revue''
{{coord, 33.812, N, 117.9202, W, region:US-CA_type:landmark_scale:2000, display=title Walt Disney Parks and Resorts restaurants Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions Western (genre) amusement rides Restaurants at Disneyland Frontierland 1955 establishments in California