Betty Taylor was an American actress, singer, and dancer, who appeared in Disneyland's "Golden Horseshoe Revue" from 1956 to the show's closing in 1986. She also voiced an Audio-Animatronics pig singing "(Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey?" in the Disneyland attraction America Sings, a tune she performed at the revue.
Born on, 1919, in Seattle, Washington, Taylor began performing at age 12 in stage productions and nightclubs both in the U.S. and Canada. By age 18, she led for own 16-piece band which performed regularly at the Trianon Ballroom in Seattle. Taylor continued perform in various areas of entertainment, such the radio show Sons of the Pioneers, as well as traveling with performers, such as Les Brown, Henry Bussey, Red Nichols, and Frank Sinatra. For Hollywood, Taylor appeared in bit parts for films, like Knock on Any Door and Riding High.
In 1956, while living in Los Angeles, Taylor heard about auditions for job at Walt Disney new theme park. When a recast was needed for Slue Foot Sue in the "Golden Horseshoe Revue", Taylor won the role which she performed in for the next 30 years. On occasion, her and the 10-member troupe performed the show outside the park, such as in an episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color commemorating its 10,000th performance, at the White House for then-President Richard Nixon, and a USO tour of Greenland and Newfoundland.
In her later years, she would appear at special events related to the revue and was honored as a Disney Legend along with fellow castmates Wally Boag and Fulton Burley in 1995. Taylor passed away at home on June 4, 2011.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- With nearly 45,000 performances, Taylor was the longest serving cast member of the Golden Horseshoe Revue.
- During one performance, her microphone went out, and rather than trying to hide it from the audience, she made it part of the show. After she pulled it out of her dress and handed it to the stage manager and got a new microphone, she explained, "This is how it works!"
- Her death occurred one day after her fellow Golden Horseshoe alumnus, Wally Boag.