Posts from ethanedwards in thread „Ken Curtis“

  • Ken Curtis

    Quote from oliver13

    I have just finished reading "Dobe" Carey's book, In the Company of Heroes and in it he states that he and Ken Curtis were very good friends. He doesn't mention whether Duke and Kenny were good friends. If you have the chance read this book. Very fast reading and very informative.


    It is a great book, I am one of the lucky ones to
    have a personally signed copy.
    As far as Ken and Duke were concerned, take a look at this earlier discussion
    Did Duke And Ken Curtis Become Alienated?

  • Ken Curtis

    Quote from Hawkswill

    Well, let's see if I learned how. Sue just fixed this one on the Video Forum. I am going to try to put it here. I think Ken had a couple of fire waters. And boy, is this other fellah good. KPKEITH Well, so far so good.


    Well Keith, now I am impressed, wow you did it.
    Thanks for the posts, and Ken is a lovely singer.
    Not forgetting his wonderful time
    with the Sons of the Pioneers (1949-1953)

  • Ken Curtis

    Quote from Hawkswill

    OK, my first attempt at this. Try to learn a new JWMB thing every day. I LOVE these. Hope yall do. I tried to search to see if anyone had posted them. Hope I didn't blow my first try, LOL. Make sure you listen all the way through....if it works! KP KEITH Thanks Mrs. C.
    Forgot to preview first, sorry. Well, there is a white block there, but no U TUBE. Anybody out there with help? You can PM me or call me at 336 2444342...I have unlimited LD and will call right back. Thanks, DARN, KP KEITH


    All done for you, my new found friend!


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  • Ken Curtis

    We all know Ken 'Festus' Curtis, as a regular, John Ford/John Wayne Stock Company
    character actor.


    He appeared in many 7 Movies, and 1 TV film with Duke:-


    How the West Was Won (1962) (uncredited) .... Cpl. Ben(not the same scene)
    "Wagon Train"- The Colter Craven Story (1960) TV Episode .... Kyle(not in the same scenes)
    The Alamo (1960) .... Capt. Almeron Dickinson
    The Horse Soldiers (1959) .... Cpl. Wilkie
    The Wings of Eagles (1957) .... John Dale Price
    The Searchers (1956) .... Charlie McCorry
    The Quiet Man (1952) (uncredited) .... Dermot Fahy
    Rio Grande (1950) (uncredited) .... Donnelly (regimental singer)


    The Alamo John Wayne and Ken2.jpg


    Ken, who had a fine baritone voice was a singer, with the Tommy Dorsey band,
    and The Sons of the Pioneers, before entering the movie business in the 1940's.
    His roles of dumb hillbillies, were totally opposite to his real persona.
    I am sure, being the son-in-law, of John Ford, may have come in useful!
    However, his comments during the making of The Alamo ,
    caused friction between himself and Duke, and ironically, Duke was not to use, him again.


    He said at the time,

    Quote

    Duke was great at action... But directing actors, I was not that pleased with him, so all he told you to do, was his mannerisms.


    This subject was brought up recently, and here is a link to that discussion:-


    Did Duke and Ken Curtis Become Alienated?

  • Ken Curtis

    6691389_123137760420.jpgKEN CURTIS


    INFORMATION FROM IMDb


    Date of birth
    2 July 1916
    Lamar, Colorado, USA


    Date of death
    29 April 1991
    Fresno, California, USA. (in his sleep of natural causes)


    Birth name
    Curtis Wain Gates


    Height
    6' (1.83 m)


    Spouse
    Torrie Connelly (1966 - ?)
    Barbara Ford (31 May 1952 - 23 July 1964) (divorced)


    Trivia
    Grew up in Las Animas, Colorado where his father, Dan Gates, was sheriff. As was the custom at the time, they lived above the jail and his mother, Nellie (Sneed) Gates, cooked for the prisoners. He once said he patterened "Festus" after a local character known as Cedar Jack, who lived about 40 miles out in the cedar hills and made a living cutting cedar fenceposts for farmers and ranchers. When he came to Las Animas he usually ended up drunk and in jail. This gave Curtis plenty of opportunity to observe him.


    Introduced the western standard, "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" to movie audiences.


    Before acting career, sang with Tommy Dorsey's band and the Sons of the Pioneers.


    Son-in-law of director John Ford.


    Inducted (as a cast member of "Gunsmoke" (1955)) into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 1981.


    Early in his career he sang with Shep Fields' Orchestra.


    Although his character, Festus Haggen, was introduced to "Gunsmoke" (1955) in an episode called "Us Haggens," in which he arrived in Dodge City to avenge the death of his twin brother, the fact that Festus had a twin was never again mentioned on the show.


    Personal quotes
    "I'm really proud of _"Gunsmoke" (1955)_ (av). We put on a good show every week, one that families could all watch together without offending anyone."


    Mini Biography
    Considering the kind of scruffy, backwoods, uneducated, Deep-South hillbillly types he played, many people would not find it hard to believe that Ken Curtis was born and raised in Las Animas Colorado, the son of a deputy sheriff. What they would find hard to believe is that he began his show business career as a singer in the big-band era, and was a vocalist in the legendary Tommy Dorsey orchestra. He entered films in the late 1940s at the tail end of the singing cowboy phase in a series of low-budget Columbia westerns. When that genre died out he turned to straight dramatic and comedy parts, and became a regular in the films of director John Ford. He ventured into film production in the 1950s with two extremely low-budget monster films, The Killer Shrews (1959) and The Giant Gila Monster (1959), but he is best known for his long-running role as Festus Hagen, the scrofulous, cantankerous deputy in the TV series "Gunsmoke" (1955).
    frankfob


    Filmography
    Actor
    1. Conagher (1991) (TV) .... Seaborn Tay, Cattle Rancher
    ... aka Louis L'Amour's Conagher
    2. "In the Heat of the Night"
    - December Days (1990) TV Episode .... Tom McCauley
    3. Once Upon a Texas Train (1988) (TV) .... Kelly Sutton
    ... aka Texas Guns
    4. "Airwolf"
    ... aka Lobo del aire (USA: Spanish title)
    - Wildfire (1986) TV Episode .... Cecil Carnes Sr.
    5. All American Cowboy (1985) (TV)
    6. "The Yellow Rose" (1983) TV Series .... Hoyt Coryell
    7. Lost (1983)
    8. Legend of the Wild (1981)
    9. California Gold Rush (1981) (TV) .... Kentucke
    10. "How the West Was Won"
    - Hillary (1979) TV Episode .... Sheriff Orville Gant
    11. "Vega$"
    - Death Mountain (1979) TV Episode .... Digger Dennison
    12. "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams"
    - Once Upon a Starry Night (1978) TV Episode
    13. "Black Beauty" (1978/I) (mini) TV Series .... Howard Jakes
    14. Once Upon a Starry Night (1978) (TV)
    15. Pony Express Rider (1976) .... Jed
    16. "Petrocelli"
    - The Falling Star (1976) TV Episode
    17. "Gunsmoke" .... Festus Haggen (1964-1975)
    ... aka Gun Law (UK)
    ... aka Marshal Dillon (USA: rerun title)
    - The Fourth Victim (1974) TV Episode .... Festus Haggen
    - The Guns of Cibola Blanca: Part 2 (1974) TV Episode .... Festus Haggen
    - The Guns of Cibola Blanca: Part 1 (1974) TV Episode .... Festus Haggen
    - Disciple (1974) TV Episode .... Festus Haggen
    - Trail of Bloodshed (1974) TV Episode .... Festus Haggen
    (81 more)
    18. Robin Hood (1973) (voice) .... Nutsy
    19. Cheyenne Autumn (1964) .... Joe
    ... aka John Ford's Cheyenne Autumn (USA: complete title)
    20. "Death Valley Days"
    ... aka Call of the West (USA: syndication title)
    ... aka The Pioneers (USA: syndication title)
    ... aka Trails West (USA: syndication title)
    ... aka Western Star Theater (USA: syndication title)
    - Graydon's Charge (1964) TV Episode .... Graydon
    21. "Ripcord" (1962) TV Series .... Jim Buckley (1962)
    22. How the West Was Won (1962) (uncredited) .... Cpl. Ben
    23. "Have Gun - Will Travel"
    - Pandora's Box (1962) TV Episode .... Laski
    - Soledad Crossing (1961) TV Episode .... Tom Strickland
    - Love's Young Dream (1960) TV Episode .... Monk
    - Naked Gun (1959) TV Episode .... Monk
    - The Posse (1959) TV Episode .... Curley
    24. Two Rode Together (1961) .... Greeley Clegg
    25. "The Aquanauts"
    ... aka Malibu Run
    - The Diana Adventure (1961) TV Episode .... Head Waiter
    - The Stakeout Adventure (1961) TV Episode .... Horton
    26. "Sea Hunt"
    - The Octopus Story (1961) TV Episode .... Dean Austin
    27. "The Case of the Dangerous Robin"
    - Design for Death (1961) TV Episode
    28. "Rawhide"
    - Incident of the Lost Idol (1961) TV Episode .... Vic Slade
    29. "Wagon Train"
    ... aka Major Adams, Trail Master
    - The Colter Craven Story (1960) TV Episode .... Kyle
    - The Horace Best Story (1960) TV Episode .... Pappy Lightfoot
    30. "Perry Mason"
    - The Case of the Clumsy Clown (1960) TV Episode .... Tim Durant
    31. The Alamo (1960) .... Capt. Almeron Dickinson
    32. Freckles (1960) .... Wessner
    33. My Dog, Buddy (1960) .... Dr. Lusk


    34. The Killer Shrews (1959) .... Jerry Farrell
    ... aka The Attack of the Killer Shrews
    35. The Horse Soldiers (1959) .... Cpl. Wilkie
    36. The Young Land (1959) .... Lee Hearn
    37. Escort West (1958) .... Burch
    38. The Last Hurrah (1958) .... Monsignor Killian
    39. The Missouri Traveler (1958) .... Fred Mueller
    40. Spring Reunion (1957) .... Al
    41. The Wings of Eagles (1957) .... John Dale Price
    42. 5 Steps to Danger (1957) (uncredited) .... FBI Agent Jim Anderson
    43. The Searchers (1956) .... Charlie McCorry
    44. Mister Roberts (1955) .... Yeoman 3rd Class Dolan
    45. The Long Gray Line (1955) (uncredited) .... Specialty
    46. The Quiet Man (1952) (uncredited) .... Dermot Fahy
    47. Fighting Coast Guard (1951)
    ... aka Fighting U.S. Coast Guard
    48. Don Daredevil Rides Again (1951) .... Lee Hadley/Don Daredevil
    49. Rio Grande (1950) (uncredited) .... Donnelly (regimental singer)
    ... aka John Ford and Merian C. Cooper's Rio Grande (USA: complete title)
    50. Call of the Forest (1949) .... Bob Brand
    51. Stallion Canyon (1949) .... Curt Benson
    52. Riders of the Pony Express (1949) .... Tom Blake
    53. Over the Santa Fe Trail (1947) .... Curt Mason
    ... aka No Escape (UK)
    54. Lone Star Moonlight (1946) .... Curt Norton
    ... aka Amongst the Thieves (UK)
    55. Singing on the Trail (1946) .... Curt Stanton
    ... aka Lookin' for Someone (UK)
    56. Cowboy Blues (1946) .... Curt Durant
    ... aka Beneath the Starry Skies (UK)
    57. That Texas Jamboree (1946) .... Curt Chambers
    ... aka Medicine Man (UK)
    58. Throw a Saddle on a Star (1946) .... Curt Walker
    59. Out of the Depths (1945) .... Buck Clayton
    60. Song of the Prairie (1945) .... Dan Tyler
    ... aka Sentiment and Song (UK)
    61. Rhythm Round-Up (1945) .... Jimmy Benson
    ... aka Honest John (UK)


    Producer
    1. John Wycliffe: The Morning Star (1984) (producer)
    2. My Dog, Buddy (1960) (producer)
    3. The Giant Gila Monster (1959) (producer)
    4. The Killer Shrews (1959) (producer)
    ... aka The Attack of the Killer Shrews


    Miscellaneous Crew
    1. Hannah Lee (1953) (singer: title song)
    ... aka Outlaw Territory (USA: reissue title)
    2. The Quiet Man (1952) (singer) (uncredited)


    Himself
    1. "This Is Your Life"
    - Ken Curtis (1972) TV Episode .... Himself
    2. The World of Sport Fishing (1972)
    3. Screen Snapshots: My Pal, Ringeye (1947) .... Himself


    Archive Footage
    1. John Wayne's 'The Alamo' (2001) (V) .... Himself
    2. Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987) (TV) .... Festus Haggen (flashback sequence)


    Watch Ken Curtis Full Movie, Clips and Trailers here:-


    Ken's Video Gallery


    Here is one:-

    The Killer Shrews


    The Killer Shrews



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