R.I.P. Betty Taylor and Wall Boag

[Reza]

6/5/11- Huffington Post

Betty Taylor and Wall Boag, Disney Legends, Die Within A Day Of Each Other

CHRISTOPHER WEBER


ANAHEIM, Calif. They shared a stage at
Disneyland five days a week for nearly three
decades and died within a day of each other.

Betty Taylor, who played Slue Foot Sue in
Disney's long-running Golden Horseshoe Revue,
passed away Saturday one day after the death of
Wally Boag, who played her character's sweetheart, Pecos Bill.

The 91-year-old Taylor died at her home in
Washington state, Disneyland announced on its web
site. Boag, who was 90, died Friday. He was a resident of Santa Monica, Calif.

The causes of death were not announced and
attempts to contact relatives for comment were not immediately successful.

"Betty's role as leading lady in Disneyland's
Golden Horseshoe Revue helped turn it into the
longest-running stage show in entertainment
history," George Kalogridis, the president of
Disneyland Resort, said in a statement. `'It is a
tragic coincidence that her passing comes just
one day after the death of longtime co-star Wally Boag."

Boag, a former vaudeville performer, signed a
two-week contract with Walt Disney in 1955. He
originated the role of Pecos Bill in the revue,
taking the stage three times a day and logging
nearly 40,000 performances before retiring in 1982.

Most of those shows were alongside Taylor, who
joined the revue a year after Hoag. Her run on
the show which closed in 1986 lasted nearly 45,000 performances.

The Golden Horseshoe Revue is listed in the
Guinness Book of World Records as the longest
running stage production in show business history.

"Wally was instrumental in the development of
live entertainment during the early years of both
Disneyland Park and Walt Disney World Resort,"
Kalogridis said. "His characters will continue to
live in the hearts of our guests, while his
larger-than-life personality will forever make
him the true Clown Prince of Disneyland."