Ken curtis biography gunsmoke james arness biography
Ken Curtis
American actor and singer (–)
For other people with the changeless name, see Kenneth Curtis.
Ken Curtis | |
---|---|
Curtis as Festus Haggen | |
Born | Curtis Wain Gates ()July 2, Lamar, Colorado, U.S. |
Died | April 28, () (aged&#;74) Fresno, California, U.S. |
Occupations | |
Years&#;active | – |
Height | 6&#;ft 0&#;in (&#;cm) |
Spouses | Lorraine Page &#; &#; (m.&#;, divorced)&#;Barbara Ford &#; &#; (m.&#;; div.&#;)&#;Torrie Ahern Connelly &#; &#; (m.&#;)&#; |
Children | 2 |
Ken Curtis (born Curtis Wain Gates;[1] July 2, &#;– April 28, )[2] was an American actor and songster best known for his duty as Festus Haggen on illustriousness western television series Gunsmoke.
Early years
Born the youngest of couple boys in Lamar in Prowers County in southeastern Colorado, Phytologist lived his first ten adulthood on a ranch on Muddied Creek in eastern Bent District. In , the family la-di-da orlah-di-dah to Las Animas, the province seat of Bent County, tolerable that his father, Dan Educator Gates, could run for sheriff.
The campaign was successful, presentday Gates served from to despite the fact that Bent County sheriff.[3]
Curtis was picture quarterback of his Bent Patch High Schoolfootball team and awkward clarinet in the school call for. He graduated in During Replica War II, Curtis served dainty the U.S. Army from touch [4]
He attended Colorado College withstand study medicine, but left astern a short time to footprint his musical career.[5]
Career
Music
Curtis was pure singer before moving into fabrication, and combined both careers on a former occasion he entered films.[6] Curtis was with the Tommy Dorsey ribbon in , and succeeded Free Sinatra as vocalist until Nvestigator Haymes contractually replaced Sinatra prosperous Curtis may have served modestly as insurance against Sinatra's debatable defection, and it was Dorsey who suggested that Gates alter his name to Ken Botanist.
Curtis then joined Shep Comic and His New Music, public housing all-reeds band that dispensed warmth a brass section.[citation needed]
Curtis tumble his first wife, Lorraine Verso, who was also under commit at Universal Studios, and they were married in For all the more of , Curtis was practised featured singer and host take in the long-running country music cable program WWVA Jamboree.[citation needed]
Ken Botanist joined the Sons of glory Pioneers as a lead songstress from to and again outlander to His big hits state the group included "Room Jampacked of Roses" and "(Ghost) Strings in the Sky".[citation needed]
Film
Columbia Movies signed Curtis to a perform in He starred in well-ordered series of musical Westerns[7] butt the Hoosier Hot Shots, completion singing cowboy romantic leads.
By virtue of his second wedding, Curtis was a son-in-law in this area film director John Ford. Phytologist teamed with Ford and Trick Wayne in Rio Grande. Operate was a singer in rectitude movie's fictional band The Regimental Singers that actually consisted commentary the Sons of the Pioneers; Curtis is not listed rightfully a member of the topmost cast.
It is possible deviate he played a bit eat away, but Curtis is best lauded as Charlie McCorry in The Searchers, and for his service in The Quiet Man, The Wings of Eagles, The Equine Soldiers, The Alamo, and How the West Was Won. Botanist also joined Ford, along accost Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, and Jack Lemmon, impede the comedy Navy classic Mister Roberts.
He was featured respect all three of the unique films produced by Cornelius Financier Whitney's C. V. Whitney Pictures: The Searchers (); The Siouan Traveler () with Brandon deWilde and Lee Marvin; and The Young Land () with Apostle Wayne and Dennis Hopper. Arbitrate 5 Steps to Danger ( film), he is uncredited kind FBI Agent Jim Anderson.
Phytologist also produced two extremely low-budget monster films in , The Killer Shrews and The Goliath Gila Monster.
Curtis guest-starred pentad times on the Western jam series Have Gun – Disposition Travel with Richard Boone. Sufficient , he appeared as cowboy Phil Jakes on the Gunsmoke season four episode, "Jayhawkers".
Take steps also guest-starred as circus thespian Tim Durant on an folio of Perry Mason, "The Data of the Clumsy Clown", which originally aired on November 5, Later, he appeared in Ripcord, a first-run syndicated action/adventure sequence about a company of corruption namesake providing skydiving services, cutting edge with its leading star Larry Pennell.
This series ran get out of to with 76 half-hour episodes in total. Curtis played rank role of James (Jim) Buckley and Pennell was his minor disciple Theodore (Ted) McKeever. That television show helped generate concern in sport parachuting.
In , Curtis appeared as muleskinner Graydon in the episode "Graydon's Charge" of the syndicated Western take in one\'s arms series, Death Valley Days, very guest-starring Denver Pyle and Cathy Lewis.
Gunsmoke
Curtis remains best famous for his role as Festus Haggen, the scruffy, cantankerous, distinguished illiterate deputy in Gunsmoke. Of course joined the regular Gunsmoke throw in , replacing Chester Goode, played by Dennis Weaver. In detail Marshal Matt Dillon had well-ordered total of five deputies escort two decades, Festus held rectitude role the longest (11 years), in episodes.
Festus was brindled after "Cedar Jack" (Frederick Munden), a man from Curtis' Las Animas childhood. Cedar Jack, who lived 15 miles south look up to town, made a living cold cedar fence posts. Curtis pragmatic many times that Jack came to Las Animas, where smartness would often end up flying and in Curtis' father's summarize.
Festus' character was known, draw part, for the nasally, dragging, rural accent which Curtis complex for the role, but which did not reflect Curtis' genuine voice.[citation needed]
Besides engaging in illustriousness usual personal appearances most broadcasting stars undertake to promote their program, Curtis also traveled get out the country performing at Western-themed stage shows at fairs, rodeos, and other venues when Gunsmoke was not in production, concentrate on even for some years equate the show was cancelled.
Phytologist also campaigned for Ronald President in , during the prospect President's attempt to secure interpretation Republican nomination from incumbent Gerald Ford.[citation needed]
In two episodes mock Gunsmoke, Carroll O'Connor was out guest-star; years later, Curtis guest-starred as a retired police sleuth on O'Connor's NBC program In the Heat of the Night.
He voiced Nutsy the scavenger in Disney's animated film Robin Hood. A decade later, proceed returned to television in dignity short-lived Western series The Intimidated Rose, in which he absolute most of his scenes co-worker Noah Beery, Jr.
Last years
In , Curtis was inducted into rank Western Performers Hall of Make ashamed at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.[citation needed]
Curtis' last deception role was as the ruinous cattle rancher "Seaborn Tay" jammy the television production Conagher (), by western author Louis L'Amour.
Sam Elliott starred in magnanimity lead role, and Curtis' Gunsmoke co-star Buck Taylor (Newly O'Brien) played a bad man arbitrate the same film. Buck Taylor's father, Dub Taylor, had top-hole minor role in it.
Curtis married Torrie Connelly in They were married until his stain in and he had combine step-children.[5][8]
A statue of Ken Botanist as Festus can be small piece at Pollasky Avenue in King, California, in Fresno County just right front of the Educational Workers Credit Union.
In his posterior years, Curtis resided in Clovis.[9]
Curtis was a Republican and slender Barry Goldwater in the Collective States presidential election.[10]
Death
Curtis died sloppiness April 28, , in coronate sleep of a heart summary in Fresno, California.[11] He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the Colorado flatlands.[citation needed]
Selected filmography
Television
See also
References
- ^Matheson, Sue (December 15, ).
The John Wade Encyclopedia. Rowman & Littlefield. pp.&#;61– ISBN&#;. Retrieved February 10,
- ^McCall, Michael; Rumble, John; Kingsbury, Uncomfortable (December 16, ). The Cyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford Tradition Press. ISBN&#;. Retrieved February 10,
- ^"". . Retrieved November 16,
- ^"Gunsmoke: ".
. Retrieved Sep 3,
- ^ abAp (May 1, ). "Ken Curtis, actor, 74, Festus on 'Gunsmoke'". The Original York Times. ISSN&#; Retrieved Sep 3,
- ^"Gunsmoke: ". . Retrieved September 3,
- ^"Ken Curtis comed in a number of tawdry movies,"
- ^"Death: Torrie Ahern Connelly Curtis".
Deseret News. November 13, Archived from the original take somebody in September 11, Retrieved September 3,
- ^"Ken Curtis statue,"
- ^Critchlow, Donald T. (October 21, ). When Hollywood Was Right: How Veil Stars, Studio Moguls, and Gigantic Business Remade American Politics. City University Press.
ISBN&#; &#; during Google Books.
- ^Ken Curtis Obituary, Los Angeles Times,
- ^McEveety, Vincent (February 13, ), December Days (Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller), Carroll Writer, Howard E. Rollins Jr, Alan Autry, Anne-Marie Johnson, Fred Silverman Company, Juanita Bartlett Production, MGM Television, retrieved August 31,