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If you’ve ever been in the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, you may have seen these two characters depicted on the windows in front of you as you walked in. But who are they?
If you grew up watching Walt Disney Animated Features, or if you’ve got a special love for the 1940’s films, they may look familiar to you. The 1948 animated feature Melody Time is one of the “package films”. These movies are a collection of two or more shorter features into a single release. Other examples you may recognize are Make Mine Music, Fun and Fancy Free, and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (the movie we have to thank for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride).
The segment I personally remember most from Melody Time is “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed”, but close behind it, and the last segment in the movie is “Pecos Bill”. This is a telling of the American folktale about a fictional Texas cowboy by the same name and his horse, Widowmaker.
As the story goes, Pecos Bill was travelling as an infant with his family in a covered wagon, when he fell out. No one noticed, and the wagon train continued on its way, but he was found and raised by a pack of coyotes. The baby grew up to be a cowboy, and rode Widowmaker, named this because no other man on earth could ride him and live.
Pecos Bill wasn’t alone, though. He had a special lady in his life named Slue Foot Sue. Sue rode a giant catfish down the Rio Grande, so clearly she and Bill were perfect for each other. During their courtship, Pecos Bill shot all the stars from the sky except for one, the Lone Star, among other things. Slue Foot Sue insisted on riding Widowmaker but the horse was jealous of her, so he bounced Sue off. She landed on her bustle, but kept bouncing higher and higher. Pecos Bill tried to lasso her, but failed.
What does this have to do with the Golden Horseshoe? Well, according to the backstory of the theater and the show, the Golden Horseshoe Revue, best known for starring Wally Boag and Betty Taylor, the saloon was owned by Slue Foot Sue herself. She and her dance hall girls performed several songs, along with other humorous sketches (including Wally Boag’s most famous role as the traveling salesman). One of the most popular parts of that original show featured the theme song from Pecos Bill, sung by these two stellar performers.
For you to discover: This was one of Walt Disney’s favorite shows, and he had a personal reserved viewing area (which guests can now sit in). Where was it?
You can read more from Randy on his blog, Faith and the Magic Kingdom. Find him on Twitter (@Belgarion42) and on Facebook. Randy is also an independent Travel Consultant affiliated with CruisingCo.com and MouseEarVacations.com and would love to help you with any of your travel needs, for Disney destinations and beyond!
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There are two boxes on the second floor of the Horseshoe; one to the immediate left of the stage, and one to the immediate right. I get them mixed up, but as I recall, one belonged to Walt Disney, & the other belonged to Ed Wynn.