The Golden Horseshoe Experiment

Though I haven't confirmed it from any official Disney source, there is a rumor that the Golden Horseshoe Saloon in Frontierland will revert back to a version of it's original stage show that ran for many years following the park's opening. The revival show will be part of Disneyland's  2013 Limited Time Magic promotion and will only run from January 10 - February 4. It's a grand show complete with dance hall girls and cowboy comedians and as a young boy, I remember seeing the good time fun entertainment with my parents... way back when.

But as a young boy, I was all about rides back then so the Golden Horseshoe stage show never really triggered any real sense of romance or nostalgia in me (unlike the Tiki Room or Lincoln). Many Disneyland veterans wax poetically about the thousands of performances of comedian Wally Boag as Pecos Bill and Betty Taylor's Slue Foot Sue. As often mentioned, Wally Boag performing at the Golden Horseshoe was one of comedian Steve Martin's primary influences (Steve worked at Disneyland for a period of time).

So while this revamped show is eagerly anticipated for many Disneyland fans, I could easily give it a pass. At this stage of my life, for me, the Golden Horseshoe belongs to Billy Hill and the Hillbillies and the show they brought to the Golden Horseshoe. Since last summer, Billy has been relegated to performing outdoors at the Festival Arena and while I have not seen outdoor Billy, there is a part of me that wants them back inside the Golden Horseshoe, where they belong, where I have seen them countless times over the last 10 or 12 years.

Someone on MiceChat is already soliciting people to go down to Disneyland's City Hall and fill out an official suggestion request to make the vintage Golden Horseshoe show a permanent fixture once its temporary run begins. That's kind of like voting that Iron Man is the greatest attraction in Disneyland before the ride is even built. Besides, in my many Billy Hill viewings, I have yet to see and empty seat in the house. Billy Hill and the Hillbillies appearing 5 times daily at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon in Disneyland - that's the way it should be.