Sunday, August 07, 2011

Golden Horseshoe & Boag-Alloons, 1963

It's time for "fun with minutae".

We're standing at the bar in the Golden Horseshoe, and decide to take a photo of the painting of that not-very-naked lady that's hanging above those bottles of booze. Signs for Pepsi cola cannot be avoided. Wait a minute, bottles of booze?


I decided to zoom in for a closer look, wondering if these bottles were supposed to hold whiskey, or brandy, or whatever. But then I noticed the packages of what appears to be genuine Wally Boag "Boag-alloons"! You can see the graphic of what looks like Wally standing with a carpet bag, and to the right of that, some examples of the pneumatic fauna you can create. I've never seen this style of package for Boag-alloons...


... this example is the one I am more familiar with.


8 comments:

  1. Orange Co Native12:17 AM

    The painting looks kind of similar to the one hanging in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction (almost wrote ride). The scene where the pirate skeletons are drinking the booze.

    My parents never took us to Golden Horseshoe when I was a wee little youngster. Mr. Toad--yes, but not the Horseshoe.

    Question. Is the Golden Horseshoe open these days? If not. Is Disney planning (if anyone knows) to have another show? Last time I checked in 2009, the door was locked and I never inquired any further.

    Of course they may be planning to have a pirate theme in there sometime soon. You never know.
    Heck, Disney should just pirate theme the whole Disneyland park including Tomorrowland.

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  2. How did you spot that, Maj? Wow! Have you recently had your eyes sharpened?

    Boag-alloons! Love it. I've never seen either version, so that's a double-thanks Sunday to you!

    @ Orange Co: Slue Foot Sue's wonderful theatre is still there, to the credit of the folks at Disneyland, but alas it is also sort of "just there" now. That's why The Golden Horseshoe Revue was on my "most-missed" list a couple posts back. They do open it for serving snacks and have some delightful entertainers but there hasn't been a concerted attraction in it for ages despite the revue having been a busy attraction for decades.

    They are too busy with parades and light shows.

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  3. Personally, I love going into the Golden Horseshoe to relax and laugh my ass off while watching Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. What follows I copied from the Disneyland website:

    Have a rootin', tootin', hip-hollerin' good time at the Golden Horseshoe, where the quick-service frontier-style grub will knock yer boots right off. Belly up to the bar, sit in a private box or take a seat down on the main floor and catch Billy Hill & The Hillbillies performing a must-see mix of bluegrass music and wacky comedy.

    The Menu

    The chuck wagon is chock full of vittles you'll love, including chicken breast tenders, fish and chips, and chili cheese fries. Buckaroos can also dig into a bonanza of desserts including the Mile High chocolate cake, mint chocolate sundae, strawberry sundae, the Golden Horseshoe Ice Cream Float and hot fudge sundae.

    Atmosphere

    Western flair is everywhere with steer horn wall mounts, polished brass banisters and electrified period chandeliers at this 1850's-style saloon restaurant. Disney legend Harper Goff designed the interior using the saloon set he had drawn up for the 1953 Doris Day film Calamity.

    History

    The Golden Horseshoe Saloon is one of the original buildings dating back to the park's opening in 1955. Walt Disney kept a private box (now public) upstairs to the left of the stage so he could watch the show. The original show, Golden Horseshoe Revue, had over 50,000 performances and was, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, "the world's longest-running live stage show."

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  4. Anonymous9:41 AM

    Orange Co - Daveland has a couple of nice photos from the current show at the Horseshoe.

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  5. Nice! I didn't know they sold anything like that. I hope Wally got a percentage of the sales.

    I wish they'd bring back the Golden Horseshoe Revue. Why did they get rid of it anyway? Was that a Pressler decision?

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  6. @ Connie: Thanks I am glad to hear you enjoyed yourself anyways! They're a talented lot.

    @ Maj: Do you know what years the Boag-alloons were around?

    The movie was Calamity Jane *picks nit. Was Walt's private box to the left of the stage from the audience or the stage point of view?

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  7. OC Native, I wonder if that painting was done by a Disney artist, or if it was an existing painting and tasteful drapery was added?

    Chiana, it's the magic of Photoshop. As for when they were available, I really don't know (big surprise!). Maybe someone else can chime in? Like OC Native, I never got to see the Revue, which I regret terribly. As for which side Walt sat in, I'd like to know that too!

    Connie, thanks for the info about Billy Hill! I've heard recordings of the show, and it sounds pretty fun!

    TM!, I remember years ago, Wally sold Boag-alloons through "The E-Ticket" magazine and I was too stupid to buy some. ARG! As for getting rid of the show, I'm sure it was a combination of changing audiences, aging cast members, and yes, budget cuts.

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  8. I saw the revue once, mid-70's with my high school friends. It was a riot. I laughed really hard. I don't see why something like that wouldn't still be a hit. Everybody likes "country-hick" jokes.

    Mom and Dad would never go in because it was a "saloon". Someone they know might have seen them. Sigh. I loved 'em, but they were serious prudes.

    Thanks, Major.

    JG

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