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[Funnelcake girl]

Just found this site and forum. This is great. I worked at SDC from 1977-1981. I was on the opening crew for Fried Fancies. Bruce Herschend was one of my co-workers. I have always said that working at SDC was the funnest job I have ever had. I planned to go back to work there when I retire.
Anyway I am wondering if anyone has memories of the Toby show that was actually held at a little settlement in Branson I believed called Mutton Hollow? Shad and Molly Heller were in the cast as well as many SDC performers.
I have a scrapbook somewhere os my SDC days. I will try and locate it and add some items.
I know I have the newspaper article from the FIH accident. I was actually working that day.

[Copper]

Creepy about FITH, was the mood weird all over park that day? I have a couple of newspaper articles that I got from the library that talked about the incident.

The Toby Show was originally performed at the Corn Crib Theatre in Shad and Molly Heller's Wilderness Settlement. It originally starred (If I am wrong let me know) Dan Embree and Terry Sanders. The Wilderness Settlement was located across from the current Andy's Frozen Custard on Highway 76.

In 1993 when the opened the Boatworks Theatre the presented the Toby Show starring Terry Sanders. When I was young I loved that show. I would love if they would bring it back.

[History Buff]

I remember walking by the Wilderness Settlement, but it never was open when I was there.  I remember thinking it was strange that it said Shad and Molly Heller, and I always wondered about it.  I must have been too late to see it in operation.  I think that was in the late 70s/early 80s.

[Old Guy]

The Toby Show was born when Shad and Irene Ryan (Granny from Beverly Hillbillies) were reminiscing 
about there memories of traveling vaudeville shows. Shad had been a clown for Ringling Brothers and Irene had her start in vaudeville. In the midwest in the 20's through the early 50's there were once over 200 traveling Toby Shows. There was a set cast of Toby, the simple country boy who always came out on top, the city slicker who was trying to scam him, Toby's girl friend, and others. Shad's version origanaly stared Terry Bloodworth, onetime SDC Entertainent Director, turned glassblower who now owns Springfield Art Glass in Springfield MO, who was later replaced by Dan Embry, Wayne Milnus as Zenus his dumb brother, Ray Jones (now a SDC Glassblower) as the evil Mr. Bates, and Janna Henlayben as his assistent Miss Lillian, (Ma Hatfield, Hatfield Haint Show. ETC). There was a Sweet Sue girlfriend charictor which was occational, Shad as Mr Posie, a clown character  who only spoke to recite the Lord is my Shepheard.,and Molly as the woman chasing him (sometimes with a butterfly net.) Also In the Cast was the Smith Brothers Band, D.A. Calaway on Piano (now SDC Entertainment Manager) and Greg Becker on drums (Front porch pickers bass and dulcimer player at the homested).
Richard Vauldick of the Rver Rats, and Jim Moeskaue (SDC  and Branson Bell Entertainment Manager) were also piano players there.  In the last few years ther was a new scipt and a new cast featuring Terry Sanders and Richard (Tiny)Young (SDC writer, entertainer, onetime Earthquake MaGoon, and Dogpatch Entertaiment Manager, husband to Judy the storyteller) Everyone in the Show also worked at SDC so there is a very close connection.
The show was two hours long with an intermission and peanut pitch by the cast. It was performed on the front porch of the cabin  called the Corn Crib Theatre at the settelment under an open sky. In the last fue years a roof was added but that took away the charm. The settelment was origanaly isolated in the woods, but as Branson expanded and engulfed the complex, the charm was overshadowed.
The basic plot (and a thin one at that) was the cityslicker Bates tried to bilk Toby out of a worthless swamp he thoght had oil under it. Toby finaly sells, only then does Bates discover that's where Toby drains the old oil out of his truck. Lots of Song and Dance, and lots of old jokes (Toby! Toby! Toby or not Toby!)
For SDC employees and invited selects only there was the once a year Blue Show, a send up of their own, SDC's and other area shows with an extended cast and no rateings!
When Shad died Molly's son (Shads step son) sold the propety, most of the buildings were torn down and the countrys last Toby show became history.
There was a one night reunion show in the early 90's featuring all of the old cast members in one show at 76 music hall. They even had the old olio
SDC did a tribute version, but it was only a small part of the original show.

A side note: In the Late 70's SMSU's theater department put on a production of Dracula that I got to see starring SDC and Toby cast members Wayne Milnus, Ray Jones, and John Goodman!

[Funnelcake girl]

That was a great summary, thanks so much. Oh the memories that brought back. My friend and I would go to the Toby show often after we got off work. Then sometimes when it would be raining at the city and lots of folks were hanging out under our awning at Fried Fancies we would sing one of the songs from the Toby show. Trying to remember the song something about "the old .......number nine, number nine".
Didn't Shad play a song on a saw also?

[Old Guy]

If I could be anything I want to be
Anything under the sun
Id like to be the steam coliapie(big Paddle Wheel, Steam Boat Capt.,Big Steam Boiler)
on the old cotton blossom no 1 no1
the old cotton blossom no 1

Mr. Possie and Zenus did Oh Suzanna/Dark Town Stutter Ball on Saw and balloon

[Old Guy]

Here is a link to the last traveling Toby Show from a former cast member
http://www2.volstate.edu/tobyshow

[betamike]

I do believe that one of the original buildings in the complex for the Corn Crib theater still exists as a t-shirt shop of some kind.

[adairmd]

Here is another story about the Toby Show. 
http://www.ozarksmountaineer.com/CornCribTheatre.pdf

[betamike]

I uploaded a few Toby show items onto my Flickr site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skinnytie/2538015921/

[sdcforever]

^Those are great items!  Wow!  Also the SDC postcards are priceless!  I hope Steve can use them on the site! 

[Aunt Mollie]

I know I'm dredging up an old topic, but I'm new here and it's all new to me. 

I love all the great info. of the Toby Show.  I was in the audience at the reunion show at the 76 Country Music Hall.  The thunderous applause and standing ovation Molly got that night still brings tears to my eyes!