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A MOUSE
CLUBHOUSE EXCLUSIVE
WALLY BOAG
in the Pirates of the Caribbean opening day festivities
by Scott Wolf
 Avast
there! Ye come seeking information on the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean?
Well, there be a big event that day, there be. At Disneyland, the press was
aboard the Sailing Ship Columbia when a rowdy band of pirates on a rowboat
arrived, shooting cannons.
They climbed up the side of the ship and ambushed the Columbia, breaking
open barrels of rum and getting into a major brawl, with many “pirates”
falling overboard.
They raised the Jolly Roger flag, made a man walk the plank, kidnapped
women and carried them off and created quite a ruckus as they ransacked
the ship.
They then made their way to the entrance of the all new Pirates of the
Caribbean attraction where they had to steal the rifles from the guards
and kill them before using a battering ram to burst open the “prop"
doors to the attraction, allowing the press in.
 Aye, but
no fear have ye, it all be done in fun... just like the
attraction. The "pirates"
were laughing and truly having a great time. Wally Boag can testify to
this, because he was the leader of the pack that day.
Wally is best known for performing in over 40,000 performances of
Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe Revue, and spitting out his “teeth” at the
end of each performance, as well as providing the voice of Jose in Walt
Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room.
Walt Disney often used Wally for promotions and special events and with
this one, he already had the right experience.
When he was 21 years old, Wally worked at a nightclub called the Pirates
Den, dressed in full pirate garb, and that’s where he learned to use the
"cutlass.” So he was well-qualified when he taught the new band of
pirates how to fight.
At the top of this story, you can see Wally at the event in his blue
Captain’s robe on the opening day of Pirates of the Caribbean at
Disneyland in 1967, and if that jacket looks familiar, it's because it
was made by Alice Davis for the Auctioneer in the attraction. She made
several of each costume and Wally had to be careful not to have the velcro down the back open, which was there so easy maintenance could be
done to the Auctioneer figure in the ride. According to Wally, "Alice was
quite nervous about that jacket the whole time... it was the backup
costume!"
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Wally Boag and others
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