Ken Curtis (born Curtis Wain Gates; July 2, 1916 – April 28, 1991) was an American actor and singer best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

television series ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

''.

Early years

Born the youngest of three boys in Lamar in Prowers County in southeastern Colorado, Curtis lived his first 10 years on a ranch on Muddy Creek in eastern Bent County. In 1926, the family moved to Las Animas, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Bent County, so that his father, Dan Sullivan Gates, could run for

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

. The campaign was successful, and Gates served from 1926 to 1931 as Bent County sheriff. Curtis was the

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

of his Bent County High School

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team and played clarinet in the school band. He graduated in 1935. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Curtis served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945. He attended

Colorado College Colorado College is a private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory, the college offers over 40 majors a ...

to study medicine, but left after a short time to pursue his musical career.

Career

Music

Curtis was a singer before moving into acting, and combined both careers once he entered films. Curtis was with the

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombone, trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-to ...

band in 1941, and succeeded

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

as vocalist until Dick Haymes contractually replaced Sinatra in 1942. Curtis may have served simply as insurance against Sinatra's likely defection, and Dorsey was who suggested that Gates change his name to Ken Curtis. Curtis then joined Shep Fields and His New Music, an all-reeds band that dispensed with a brass section. Curtis met his first wife, Lorraine Page, who was also under contract at Universal Studios, and they were married in 1942. For much of 1948, Curtis was a featured singer and host of the long-running country music radio program '' WWVA Jamboree''. Ken Curtis joined the Sons of the Pioneers as a lead singer from 1949 to 1953 and again from 1955 to 1957. His big hits with the group included "Room Full of Roses" and " (Ghost) Riders in the Sky".

Film

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

signed Curtis to a contract in 1945. He starred in a series of musical Westerns with the Hoosier Hot Shots, playing singing cowboy romantic leads. By virtue of his second marriage, Curtis was a son-in-law of film director

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

. Curtis teamed with Ford and

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

in ''

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

''. He was a singer in the movie's fictional band, The Regimental Singers, who actually consisted of the Sons of the Pioneers; Curtis is not listed as a member of the principal cast. Possibly, he played a bit part, but Curtis is best remembered as Charlie McCorry in '' The Searchers'', and for his appearances in '' The Quiet Man'', '' The Wings of Eagles'', '' The Horse Soldiers'', '' The Alamo'', and '' How the West Was Won''. Curtis also joined Ford, along with Henry Fonda,

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

, William Powell, and

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, he was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in comedy-drama films. He received num ...

, in the comedy

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

classic '' Mister Roberts''. He was featured in all three of the only films produced by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney's C. V. Whitney Pictures: ''The Searchers'' (1956); '' The Missouri Traveler'' (1958) with

Brandon deWilde Andre Brandon deWilde (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an American theatre, film, and television actor. Born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn, he debuted on Broadway theater, Broadway at the age of seven and became a national phenomenon b ...

and Lee Marvin; and '' The Young Land'' (1959) with Patrick Wayne and Dennis Hopper. In '' 5 Steps to Danger'' (1957 film), he is uncredited as FBI Agent Jim Anderson. Curtis also produced two extremely low-budget monster films in 1959, '' The Killer Shrews'' and '' The Giant Gila Monster''. Curtis guest-starred five times on the Western television series '' Have Gun – Will Travel'' with Richard Boone. In 1959, he appeared as cowhand Phil Jakes on the ''

'' season-four episode, "Jayhawkers". He also guest-starred as circus performer Tim Durant on an episode of '' Perry Mason'', "The Case of the Clumsy Clown", which originally aired on November 5, 1960. Later, he appeared in '' Ripcord'', a first-run syndicated action/adventure series about a company of its namesake providing

skydiving Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

services, along with its leading star Larry Pennell. This series ran from 1961 to 1963 with 76 half-hour episodes in total. Curtis played the role of James (Jim) Buckley and Pennell was his young disciple Theodore (Ted) McKeever. This television show helped generate interest in sport parachuting. In 1964, Curtis appeared as muleskinner Graydon in the episode "Graydon's Charge" of the syndicated

television series, ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American Western (genre), Western anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was ...

'', also guest-starring Denver Pyle and Cathy Lewis.

''Gunsmoke''

Curtis remains best known for his role as Festus Haggen, the scruffy, cantankerous, and illiterate deputy in ''

.'' He joined the regular ''Gunsmoke'' cast in 1964, replacing Chester Goode, played by

Dennis Weaver Billy Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American actor and president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006. Weaver's two most ...

. While Marshal Matt Dillon had a total of five deputies over two decades, Festus held the role the longest (11 years), in 304 episodes. Festus was patterned after "Cedar Jack" (Frederick Munden), a man from Curtis' Las Animas childhood. Cedar Jack, who lived 15 miles south of town, made a living cutting cedar fence posts. Curtis observed many times that Jack came to Las Animas, where he would often end up drunk and in Curtis' father's jail. Festus' character was known, in part, for the nasally, twangy, rural accent which Curtis developed for the role, but which did not reflect Curtis' actual voice. Besides engaging in the usual personal appearances most television stars undertake to promote their program, Curtis also traveled around the country performing at Western-themed stage shows at fairs, rodeos, and other venues when ''Gunsmoke'' was not in production, and even for some years after the show was cancelled. Curtis also campaigned for Ronald Reagan in 1976, during the future President's attempt to secure the Republican nomination from incumbent Gerald Ford. In two episodes of ''Gunsmoke'', Carroll O'Connor was a guest star; years later, Curtis guest-starred as a retired police detective on O'Connor's NBC program '' In the Heat of the Night''. He voiced Nutsy the Vulture in Disney's 1973 animated film ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

''. A decade later, he returned to television in the short-lived Western series '' The Yellow Rose'', in which he performed most of his scenes with Noah Beery, Jr.

Last years

In 1981, Curtis was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, Oklahoma. Curtis' last acting role was as the aging cattle rancher Seaborn Tay in the television production '' Conagher'' (1991), by Western author

Louis L'Amour Louis Dearborn L'Amour (; né LaMoore; March 22, 1908 – June 10, 1988) was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, though he called his work "frontier stories". His most widely known West ...

. Sam Elliott starred in the lead role, and Curtis' ''Gunsmoke'' co-star Buck Taylor (Newly O'Brien) played a bad man in the same film. Buck Taylor's father, Dub Taylor, had a minor role in it. Curtis married Torrie Connelly in 1966. They were married until his death in 1991 and he had two step-children. A statue of Ken Curtis as Festus can be found at 430 Pollasky Avenue in Clovis, California, in Fresno County in front of the Educational Employees Credit Union. In his later years, Curtis resided in Clovis. Curtis was a Republican and supported

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and major general in the United States Air Force, Air Force Reserve who served as a United States senator from 1953 to 1965 and 1969 to 1987, and was the Re ...

in the

1964 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 1964, less than a year following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, who won the previous presidential election. The Democratic Party (U ...

Death

Curtis died on April 28, 1991, in his sleep in

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, after suffering a heart attack. He was 74. He was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

, and his ashes were scattered in the

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

flatlands.

Selected filmography

* ''

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the ...

'' (1940) — Officer singing at celebration (uncredited) * '' Rhythm Round-Up'' (1945) — Jimmy Benson * '' Song of the Prairie'' (1945) — Dan Tyler * '' Out of the Depths'' (1945) — Buck Clayton * '' Throw a Saddle on a Star'' (1946) — Curt Walker * '' That Texas Jamboree'' (1946) — Curt Chambers * '' Cowboy Blues'' (1946) — Curt Durant * '' Singing on the Trail'' (1946) — Curt Stanton * '' Lone Star Moonlight'' (1946) — Curt Norton * '' Over the Santa Fe Trail'' (1947) — Curt Mason * ''Riders of the Pony Express'' (1949) — Tom Blake * '' Stallion Canyon'' (1949) — Curt Benson * '' Call of the Forest'' (1949) — Bob Brand * '' Everybody's Dancing''' (1950) — Ken — Member Sons of the Pioneers * ''

'' (1950) — Donnelly — Regimental Singer (uncredited) * '' Don Daredevil Rides Again'' (1951) — Lee Hadley aka Don Daredevil * '' Fighting Coast Guard'' (1951) — Ken — Member Sons of the Pioneers * '' The Quiet Man'' (1952) — Dermot Fahy (uncredited) * '' The Long Gray Line'' (1955) — Specialty (uncredited) * '' Mr. Roberts'' (1955) — Yeoman 3rd Class Dolan * '' The Searchers'' (1956) — Charlie McCorry * '' 5 Steps to Danger'' (1956) — FBI Agent Jim Anderson (uncredited) * '' The Wings of Eagles'' (1957) — John Dale Price * '' Spring Reunion'' (1957) — Al * '' The Missouri Traveler'' (1958) — Fred Mueller * '' The Last Hurrah'' (1958) — Monsignor Killian * '' Escort West'' (1958) — Trooper Burch * '' The Young Land'' (1959) — Lee Hearn * '' The Horse Soldiers'' (1959) — Cpl. Wilkie * '' The Killer Shrews'' (1959) — Jerry Farrell * '' My Dog, Buddy'' (1960) — Dr. Lusk * '' Freckles'' (1960) — Wessner * '' The Alamo'' (1960) — Capt. Almeron Dickinson * '' Two Rode Together'' (1961) — Greeley Clegg * '' How the West Was Won'' (1962) — Cpl. Ben (uncredited) * '' Cheyenne Autumn'' (1964) — Joe * ''

'' (1973) — Nutsy, the Vulture (voice) * '' Pony Express Rider'' (1976) — Jed Richardson * ''Legend of the Wild'' (1981) * '' Lost'' (1983) * '' Once Upon a Texas Train'' (1988) — Kelly Sutton (John Henry's Gang) * '' Conagher'' (1991, TV Movie) — Seaborn Tay, Cattle Rancher (final film role)

Television

* ''

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'' is the first Western television series written for adults.Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' (1959) — episode — Change of Heart — * ''

'' (1960) — episode — Speak Me Fair — Scout * ''

'' (1959) — episode — Jayhawkers – Jacks * '' Have Gun – Will Travel'' (1959–1960) — Monk * ''

'' (1960) — episode — The Ex-Urbanites — Jesse * ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'' (1960) — episode — The Horace Best Story — Pappy Lightfoot * ''

'' (1960) — episode — The Colter Craven Story — Kyle Cleatus * '' Perry Mason'' (1960) — S4 E7 (102) The Case of the Clumsy Clown- Tim Durant * '' Sea Hunt'' (1961) — episode — The Octopus Story — Professor Dean Austin – Season 4, Episode 20 * '' Ripcord'' (1961–1963) — Skydiver James (Jim) Buckley * '' The Aquanauts'' (1961) — two episodes — Horton/head waiter * '' Rawhide'' (1961) – Vic Slade in S3:E24, "Incident of the Lost Idol" * ''

'' (1962–1975) — Festus (304 episodes) * ''

'' (1963) episode — Lover Boy — Kyle Kelly * ''

'' (1964) — Graydon's Charge — Graydon * ''

The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams ''The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams'' is a 1974 independent feature film produced by Charles E. Sellier Jr. and Raylan D. Jensen for Sunn Classic Pictures. The film's popularity led to an NBC television series of the same name. The title ...

'' (1978) — episode — Once Upon a Starry Night — Uncle Ned * '' Vega$'' (1979) — Digger Dennison * '' How the West Was Won'' (1979) — Sheriff Orville Gant * '' The Yellow Rose'' (1983–1984) — Hoyt Coryell * '' Airwolf'' (1986) — Cecil Carnes Sr. * '' In the Heat of the Night'' (1990) — Tom McCaul * '' Conagher'' (1991) — Seaborn Tay

References

External links

* *
Michael Breid shares memories of being part of Ken Curtis' backup band for his stage show during the 1970s
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Ken 1916 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers American country singers American male film actors California Republicans Colorado College alumni Columbia Pictures contract players Country musicians from California Country musicians from Colorado High school football players in the United States Liberty Records artists Male actors from Colorado Male actors from Fresno, California Male Western (genre) film actors Military personnel from Colorado Musicians from Fresno, California People from Lamar, Colorado People from Las Animas, Colorado Singers from Colorado Singing cowboys Sons of the Pioneers members United States Army personnel of World War II Western (genre) television actors