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Friday thru Sunday at 11:00, 11:40 a.m., 12:20, 1:00, 1:40, 2:20, 3:00, 3:40, 4:20, 5:00, 5:40 and 6:20 p.m. Monday thru Thursday at 11:30 a.m., 12:15, 1:00, 1:45, 3:10, 3:50, 4:35 and 5:20 p.m. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2000 |
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Hey Howdy Hey! Come and join the fun with Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl, Bullseye the Horse, Stinky Pete the Prospector, and, of course, Sheriff Woody himself. |
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The show is in the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, a music hall from the days of the Wild West. Today it’s also a TV studio—but not a modern studio. You’ve gone back in time to the early days of television, when children were glued to their big television consoles with tiny black-and-white-screens, watching shows like Howdy Doody and Time for Beany. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2000 |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000 |
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Unlike the old Golden Horseshoe Revue, they don’t take reservations for this show. Get in line. The show is worth the wait. |
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Photo by Chris Bales, 2000 |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000 |
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Photos by Allen Huffman, 2000 |
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You’re just in time for the live broadcast of Woody’s Roundup. Your announcer and stage manager is Wilson Netherspoon, who introduces you to the cast of characters. There’s also Tex Tumbleweed, who provides music and sound effects. Here’s the story: Jessie was chasing evil cattle rustlers, and now finds herself trapped in a cave by an avalanche. Who will rescue Jessie? Sheriff Woody and his trusty horse Bullseye, of course. But it’s not so easy. No matter how hard Woody tries, he can’t clear the boulders that have trapped Jessie. The story needs a happy ending, but time is running out. Pay attention as Mr. Netherspoon instructs you how to respond to the applause sign—you’re supposed to applaud and cheer. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000 |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000 |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000 |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000 |
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A backstage arm—belonging to Buzz Lightyear—hands a jackhammer to Woody. With this useful though incongruous tool, Woody is able to free Jessie. Hey Howdy Hey! Do you want to see more of Woody and Buzz at Yesterland? Then head over to the Toy Story Funhouse. And remember… “Cowboy Crunchies—they’re better than a bale of hay!” |
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In November 1999, The All-New Woody’s Roundup stage show opened at Disneyland’s venerable Golden Horseshoe Saloon. Also in November 1999, the Disney/Pixar release Toy Story 2 opened in movie theaters throughout the United States. |
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Video capture © Disney |
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In Toy Story 2, Woody discovers that he was the star of a 1950s TV show, Woody’s Roundup. The movie included a partial episode from the fictional TV show—and that was the basis for the live show at Disneyland. A particularly clever touch was that the characters on stage were in black and white while performing the black-and-white TV episode. Although there were, of course, no television studios in the real Wild West, the show didn’t seem out-of-place in Frontierland. Sheriff Woody and the other Woody’s Roundup characters were a 1950s interpretation of the Old West—just like Disneyland’s Frontierland. The final performance of The All-New Woody’s Roundup was on July 17, 2000, the 45th anniversary of the televised opening event of Disneyland—and, surprisingly, exactly three months before the scheduled October 17 video and DVD release of Toy Story 2. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006 |
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When The All-New Woody’s Roundup left, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, a highly entertaining bluegrass band returned to the Golden Horseshoe. Billy Hill had been relegated to an outdoor stage at the Big Thunder Barbecue during Woody’s 8-month gig. The Golden Horseshoe Variety Show (not to be confused with the classic Golden Horseshoe Revue) also returned. In comparison to Woody’s short stay at the Golden Horseshoe Saloon, the original Golden Horseshoe Revue ran for over 31 years—1955 until 1986. |
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