Disneyland legend and Muppet Show guest star Wally Boag has passed away at the age of 90. Boag was best known for performing in the “Golden Horseshoe Revue”, for which he holds the world record for the greatest number of performances of any theatrical presentation.
Boag was a talented actor (having appeared in films such as The Love Bug and The Absent Minded Professor), comedian, balloon animal artist, and more. Another claim to fame was his inspiration on fellow Muppet Show guest star Steve Martin, who was mentored by Boag as a young Disneyland performer.
Wally Boag’s Muppet Show episode is not to be missed. His balloon animals, Pecos Bill bit (which contains my favorite example of teeth spitting… you just have to see it), and his general wackiness among the chaos of the Muppets is unforgettable. And if that’s not enough, the episode also contains the bit where Miss Piggy and Foo Foo perform a dog act while Rowlf heckles, as well as everyone’s favorite around mid-March: The Leprechaun Brothers.
From the Muppet Show Fan Club newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 6 (1980): “Wally Boag recorded a Muppet Show recently and was much loved — definitely a performer’s performer and a frog’s performer, too. He’s done over 32,000 performances in the Golden Horseshoe Revue in Disneyland, and is consequently in the Guinness Book of World Records. Jim Henson saw him 15 or 20 years ago and has loved him ever since. It was a great joy to have him on the show.”
And you didn’t hear this from us (and we wouldn’t be saying it if these episodes were on DVD), but you just might be able to watch Wally Boag’s Muppet Show episode online somewhere. Like here (part 1, part 2, part 3), for example.
Click here to help us remember Wally Boag on the ToughPigs forum!
by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
