Diamond Horseshoe Revue Show Formats

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Diamond Horseshoe Revue Show Formats

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Diamond Horseshoe Sign Walt Disney World

"Mighty Glad to See You!": The Original Show

This saloon show featuring old west entertainment was one of the original shows when the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971. A ticket was never required for admission but reservations needed to be made on the porch of the saloon on a first-come, first-serve basis. Before the show, waitresses served items such sandwiches,chips, pie, soft drinks and fruit punch. Del Monte began being listed as the sponsor to the show in the early 1980s.

The first version of the show was based on Disneyland's Golden Horseshow show featuring Slue Foot Sue. It opened with the a modified version of the Golden Horseshoe's song:

Can-can girls:

Hello everybody! We're mighty glad to see you! Here at the Diamond Horseshoe.

Hello everybody! We're mighty glad to greet you! Here at the Diamond Horseshoe.

If you are a stranger, just say "Howdy stranger". We will soon be friends that way.

The welcome mat is out today. At the Diamond Horseshoe Cafe.

Hello everybody! From Maine to California! (Orchestra plays the "At the Diamond Horseshoe Cafe" line.)

The show is mighty spicy; we thought we oughta warn you.

If you are a stranger, just say "Howdy stranger". We will soon be friends that way.

The welcome mat is out today. At the Diamond Horseshoe Cafe.

Wally Boag, who played the traveling salesman/Pecos Bill character at Disneyland, moved from California to get the new show running. He later returned to Disneyland's show in 1974. Walt Disney World was also the place where Golden Horseshoe cast member Dick Hardwick was sent in order to be trained by show director Bev Bergeron. Hardwick later replaced Boag at the Golden Horseshoe when he retired from the show. The Diamond Horseshoe show was occasionally modified for special occasions, such as for the Bicentennial in 1976. The original show format ran until 1986.

Diamond Horseshoe Jamboree

The Diamond Horseshoe Jamboree premiered on October 1, 1986 and continued until 1995. Reservations for the show could now be made at Hospitality House (later at Disneyana Collectibles) on Main Street. Table service was still available but pie was replaced on the menu with cookies later in the show's run. The show format featured Sam the Bartender and his three cowboys and Miss Lily and her three dancers. Entertainment included:

A fiddler out among the audience.

Sam performing a one-man band type performance for Miss Lily, only to show underwear on his washboard.

Miss Lily and the cast singing "Belly Up to the Bar, Boys" from "The Unsinkable Molly Brown".

Miss Lily singing Bessie Smith's "A Good Man is Hard to Find".

An audience participation sketch featuring the story of Old MacDonald.

Miss Lily's girls performing the can-can while Sam's cowboys did stunts on a saw horse. Sam would appear at the end of the number in drag.

Diamond Horseshoe Saloon Revue and Medicine Show

The Diamond Horseshoe Saloon Revue premiered on April 7, 1995. Reservations were no longer required for the hour-long show (later changed to a half hour) and guests could come and go at anytime during the performance. Even though the food was now counter service instead of a sit-down menu, options still included sandwiches, chips and cookies. One reason for the change from table to counter service was that The Diamond Horseshoe shared a kitchen with the Adventureland Verandah and the latter eatery closed in 1994. The menu at the Horseshoe later was expanded to include salads, ice cream and dill pickles in addition to the other offerings. Continental breakfast was also served starting a few years into the show's run. The show ended in January of 2003.

Various acts would perform and were often overseen by "Dr. Bill". Acts included:

A guitarist that would perform songs such as "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "Oh, Susanna!" as he strolled among the audience.

A performer that did magic tricks and utilized Wally Boag's balloon animal act.

Singers/dancers "Miss Lucille L'Amour and Her Lovely Ladies" singing songs such as Homer and Jethro's "The Charms of the City Ain't For Me" and Tex William's "That's What I Like About the West".

Other Shows and Uses

The Revue was replaced by Goofy's Country Dancin' Jamboree on July 1, 2003, It was an 18 minute show that featured singer/dancer "Miss Sarah Jo". She would perform "Boot Scootin' Boogie " with Goofy. Chip and Dale would lead the audience in doing the Electric Slide. Woody, Jessie and Bullseye would then come out to lead everyone in an audience participation dance and the song "Cotton-Eye Joe". Goofy then did a "Rhinestone Cowboy" routine. The show lasted until September 4, 2004. The venue was later used as a character meet and greet with Woody and friends. In 2016, the Diamond Horseshoe became a seasonal restaurant serving family style and a la carte items. The only entertainment on the stage was provided by a player piano.

Tributes and Merchandise

The Diamond Horseshoe is a tribute itself due to the fact that it was inspired by Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe. Tokyo Disneyland has its own version of the Diamond Horseshoe and their staging was based on the first version of the show and played until at least the mid 1990s. Some of the show was in English but the traveling salesman/Pecos Bill character spoke Japanese. Later show versions in Tokyo included more characters but still incorporated elements from the original show, such as Slue Foot Sue singing.

The only vintage items featuring the Walt Disney World version of the show that were for sale in the park were postcards and a Pana-vue slide. A pin was produced many years later. Occasionally reservation stubs or fliers for the second version of the show can be found for sale on the second hand market.

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See ya real soon!