Wally Boag
Wally Boag | |
|---|---|
 Wally Boag constructing one of his signature "Boagaloons" at the Golden Horseshoe Revue in the early 1970s. | |
| Born | Wallace Vincent Boag September 13, 1920 Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | June 3, 2011 (aged 90) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1945–1982 |
| Spouse |
Frances Ellen Morgan
(m. 1943) |
| Children | 2 |
Wallace Vincent Boag (September 13, 1920 – June 3, 2011) was an American performer known for his starring role in
Biography
Boag was born in
In the early 1950s, while appearing in revues in Australia, he met tenor
Boag's Pecos Bill/Traveling Salesman character was a fast-paced comedy routine featuring slapstick humor, squirt guns, a seemingly endless supply of broken teeth which he would spit out throughout the routine, and his signature balloon animals which he called Boagaloons.
In 1963, Julie Andrews once again performed with Boag on the Golden Horseshoe stage along with the
While Walt Disney was alive, he did everything he could to further Boag's career. Boag voiced Jose in "Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room" and also wrote much of the script for the attraction, participating also in the development of "Haunted Mansion" in Disneyland.
Disney had small roles written for Boag in
In 1971, Boag took his Pecos Bill character to the newly opened Walt Disney World and re-crafted the saloon show into a faster, funnier Diamond Horseshoe Revue. Three years later he returned to Disneyland and finished his career there, entertaining adoring crowds at the Golden Horseshoe, retiring in 1982. (He had in the meantime performed his act as the human guest on the fifth season of The Muppet Show.) The Golden Horseshoe Revue closed in 1986. In 1995, Boag was inducted into the ranks of the Disney Legends and has his own window on Main Street in Disneyland above the Carnation Company. The inscription reads "Theatrical Agency - Golden Vaudeville Routines - Wally Boag, Prop."
Boag lived in California with his wife, Ellen Morgan Boag. He died on June 3, 2011, in Santa Monica, California from Alzheimer's disease.[1]
Legacy
His autobiography, entitled Wally Boag, Clown Prince of Disneyland, was published in August 2009.[4]
Boag's performances have influenced many later performers and comedians, most notable of whom is
On June 3, 2011, it was announced by Steve Martin on Twitter "My hero, the first comedian I ever saw live, my influence, a man to whom I aspired, has passed on. Wally Boag."[5][6] The following day, June 4, 2011, Boag's longtime partner at the Golden Horseshoe Revue, Betty Taylor, also died.[7] Boag's wife Ellen died in July 2014.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Without Love | Soldier | Uncredited |
| 1945 | Thrill of a Romance | Canadian Flier | Uncredited |
| 1947 | The Borden Show | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1949-1961 | Toast of the Town |
Himself / Comedian | 2 episodes |
| 1955 | The Mickey Mouse Club | Himself | Uncredited, 1 episode |
| 1961 | The Absent-Minded Professor | T.V. Newsman | |
| 1963 | Son of Flubber | George, Father in Commercial | |
| 1968 | The Love Bug | Flabbergasted Driver | (final film role) |
| 1969 | The Good Old Days |
Himself - Performer | 1 episode |
| 1981 | The Muppet Show | Himself - Special Guest Star | 1 episode |
| 2011 | Gnomeo & Juliet | using archival sound of Boag as José in Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room |
References
- ^ New York Times.
- ^ "Remembering Wally Boag". Official Disney Fan Club. June 3, 2011.
- ^ a b Jim Hill: From the Archives - April 3, 2001.
- ^ wallyboag.net
- ^ Martin, Steve (3 June 2011). "My hero, the first comedian I ever saw live, my influence, a man to whom I aspired, has passed on. Wally Boag". @SteveMartinToGo. Twitter. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ^ Mark Eades (June 3, 2011). "Disney legend Wally Boag dies". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Disney legend Betty Taylor dies at 91"
External links
- Official site (an archive from 2016 via Wayback Machine)
- Wally Boag at IMDb
- Disney Legends: Wally Boag
- Audio interview with Wally Boag
- Wally Boag: The Clown Prince of Disneyland
- The History of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon
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