Known for his family friendly entertainment, Dana is a popular headliner in Las Vegas and has performed with the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, and Tony Orlando.
Comedian and magician Dana Daniels will entertain and meet D23 Members at the historic Smoke Tree Ranch during the first-ever Disney sponsored event at Walt Disney’s favorite vacation destination, named one of the world’s 10 “exclusive hideaways” by Robb Report magazine.
An alumnus of the legendary Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland, Dana is also a multiple award-winning entertainer with top honors in magic, including Comedy Magician of the Year and Stage Magician of the Year. Known for his family-friendly entertainment, Dana is a popular headliner in Las Vegas and has performed with the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, and Tony Orlando.
During his exclusive appearance at the Smoke Tree Ranch Roundup, Dana will be teamed with his Psychic Parrot Luigi, (yes, a Psychic Parrot). Dana will set out to prove his little green friend is truly clairvoyant by performing incredible magic blended with rapid-fire comedy and audience participation that is sure to delight D23 Members. He will also regale members with humorous tales of working at the renowned Golden Horseshoe Saloon.
When Disney Legend Wally Boag retired from the Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland in 1982 Dana began to fill in for Wally's replacement, comedian Dick Hardwick.
“Like the D23 Members who will be in Palm Springs in January, I’m really excited to check out Smoke Tree Ranch,” Dana says. “It’s going to be really fun to walk in Walt’s footsteps and to be there in the presence of so many other Disney fans.”
Dana’s Disney credentials go back more than 30 years, beginning in 1979 when he joined Disneyland Entertainment as a gangly teenager on the eve of the park’s 25th anniversary celebration. While working at Disneyland Dana saw a performance of the Golden Horseshoe Revue and was instantly hooked, not just by the classic show itself but primarily the star comic, Disney Legend Wally Boag.
“I found his dressing room above the River Belle Terrace, knocked on the door, and told him I wanted to do what he was doing,” Dana recalls. “Wally was very encouraging and urged me to go to the annual auditions for the show but my age (only 19 at the time) kept me from winning the role of the wacky Traveling Salesman.”
"Wally would frequently visit the park after his retirement and would come by the stage and check out the new show," Dana remembers. "He loved it and would give notes on occasion."
Wally Boag retired from the Golden Horseshoe Revue in 1982 and about a year later Dana began to fill in for Wally’s replacement, comedian Dick Hardwick. “I stepped onto the stage of the Golden Horseshoe for the first time, as a performer, in 1983 and it was one of the greatest thrills of my life!” Dana says. “It was a dream come true. I don’t usually have stage fright but my shirt was soaking wet and once I got onstage the experience was better than I ever could have imagined it.”
Dana performed in the show from 1983 until it closed in 1986 (after a record 39,000 performances beginning with the opening of Disneyland on July 17, 1955). In 1995 a little bit of the magic of the original Golden Horseshoe Revue was revived with a new stage production, starring Dana, called The Golden Horseshoe Variety Show, which ran until 2003.
“Wally would frequently visit the park after his retirement and would come by the stage and check out the new show,” Dana remembers. “He loved it and would give notes on occasion. It was during these visits that we became friends—a friendship that lasted until his passing this past summer.”
"I'm a huge Disney fan and can't believe that I am a part of the incredible entertainment legacy at Disneyland," Dana says.
It’s Dana’s unique twist on magic that separates him from other comic magicians—and separates Luigi from other poultry. But it’s also his long history with Disney and his incredible experiences as a Disneyland performer that bring him to join D23 Members at Smoke Tree Ranch.
“I’m a huge Disney fan and can’t believe that I am a part of the incredible entertainment legacy at Disneyland,” Dana says. “When I look back on my career I feel incredibly humbled to be mentioned in the same sentence as Wally Boag and many others who worked with Walt Disney to create the wholly unique experience we call Disneyland.”
