After appearing in Vaudeville and in films while under contract with MGM, Wally Boag came to Disneyland in 1955 to star in the Golden Horseshoe Revue and signed a two-week contract, or as his Horseshoe costar and friend Fulton Burley would quip, “Was it two week or too weak?” Twenty-seven years later, on this day in 1982, Wally took to the Horseshoe stage one last time before his retirement. Following what was the 39,522 performance of show, was a party with an audience of Wally’s friends, family, and celebrities, where he was presented with gifts and honors including his own window on Main Street, which remains at Disneyland to this day. Wally Boag, along with costars Fulton Burley and Betty Taylor, who continued until the show’s final performance in 1986, are all listed with Guinness as holding the world record for the greatest number of performances of any theatrical presentation. Comedian Dick Hardwick took over Wally’s role, and in addition to filling his mouth with beans for teeth he had big shoes to fill as well. “I was working at Disneyland and I’d see the Golden Horseshoe Revue. Wally was onstage doing the show, and I thought that is the coolest thing I’d ever seen. That would be so much fun to do that! I was in a band and doing the Class of ’27 stage show, and I guess Wally liked the way I was interacting with the people and stuff and just thought that I would be a good sub. But I was a musician, so not in my wildest dreams did I expect that I’d be subbing for him. I still remember after auditioning to be his replacement when he retired. The phone rang the next day and it was Sonny Anderson who said, ‘Dick, you’ve got the job.’ I jumped up and down for almost 10 minutes, screaming and yelling. I now had the honor of becoming the only other comic besides Wally Boag to permanently take that position in the Golden Horseshoe Revue! AP put out a worldwide press release and my name immediately went into Guinness Book of World Records next to Wally, Betty Taylor, and Fulton Burley, and my life changed.”
