At first I liked his character but over the years he got and more like a cartoon character shouting "Doncha see" at the drop of a hat over and over again. 2. May 18, 2016 - Explore Mrs. Roachitis's board "Festus and Gunsmoke items", followed by 157 people on Pinterest. (AP Photo) Originally a … During World War II, Curtis served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945. Article continues below advertisement. Festus Haggen was Marshal Matt Dillon's only official deputy on the CBS television series Gunsmoke. You can unsubscribe at any time. Why did Amanda Blake leave Gunsmoke? False. Rate. Answer Save. Chester Goode was never 'officially' written out of the Gunsmoke series. Curtis married Torrie Connelly in 1966. On their way out of town, some cousins of Festus come across a badly injured man whom they assume is dead, so they flee, pursued by Festus, who believes his cousins attacked the man. It was a big deal with him quitting. Curtis is survived by his wife and two children. Set in Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1890s, it centered on the character of Matt Dillon, a U.S. marshal charged with maintaining law and order in a frontier town. 8. Other movies he appeared included ″The Alamo,″ ″How the West Was Won,″ ″Mr. Rate. This series ran from 1961 to 1963 with 76 half-hour episodes in total. Although he appeared on Gunsmoke earlier in other roles, he was first cast as Festus in season 8 episode 13, December 8, 1962 "Us Haggens". 8.0 (87) 0. Often, Festus would squint with the right eye partially closed as well. 6. Gunsmoke: The Great american Western. The television series ran for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975, and lasted for 635 episodes. Many know that Ken Curtis, who played Festus, was a singer. FRESNO, Calif. (AP) _ Ken Curtis, a singer and actor who starred as Marshal Matt Dillon’s sidekick on the long-running television western ″Gunsmoke,″ has died at age 74. 7. [9] He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the Colorado flatlands. Roberts″ and ″Cheyenne Autumn.″ He also had roles in TV’s ″Rawhide,″ ″Perry Mason″ and ″Have Gun, Will Travel.″. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television. "Gunsmoke" generally tells dark stories, and though Matt has a sense of humor, it's not a major part of his personality. See more ideas about Gunsmoke, Festus, Ken curtis. Doncha seeeee! In 1959, he appeared as cowhand Phil Jakes on the Gunsmoke season four episode, "Jayhawkers". The show was far more popular when Chester was on. Good gosh, 5/13! At first I liked his character but over the years he got and more like a cartoon character shouting "Doncha see" at the drop of a hat over and over again. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. He replaced Dennis Weaver, who played … Later, he appeared in Ripcord, a first-run syndicated action/adventure show about a company of its namesake providing skydiving services, along with its leading star Larry Pennell. Curtis joined the cast of Gunsmoke permanently as Festus in "Prairie Wolfer", seaso… This music video is a very brief view of the antics of everyone's favorite deputy U.S. marshal Festus Haggen. When he goes to arrest Halligan he opens fire on Festus. The show's comic-relief character, Chester, was actually one of the first to be cast in the show, coming even before Matt Dillon was cast. Festus was patterned after "Cedar Jack" (Frederick Munden), a man from Curtis' Las Animas childhood. 2012-07-18 14:16:16 2012-07-18 14:16:16. Relevance. Rising. He's a deputy in the B/W "Hostage" episode with Thad, but not after that. Add Image. He won the coveted Emmy in 1959. Chester had the bum leg, not Festus. He was a singer in the movie's fictional band The Regimental Singers that actually consisted of the Sons of the Pioneers; Curtis is not listed as a member of the principal cast. I knew a lot of people that loved westerns that stopped watching Gunsmoke when Festus became the main sidekick. Curtis replaced Frank Sinatra on Tommy Dorsey’s band after Sinatra left to become a solo artist. Short Biography. Curtis teamed with Ford and John Wayne in Rio Grande. Festus Haggen was Marshal Matt Dillon's only official deputy on the CBS television series Gunsmoke. [1] The family lived below the jail, since the jail was the whole second floor and his mother, Nellie Sneed Gates, cooked for the prisoners. Curtis, whose real name was Curtis Gates, was born in Lamar, Colo. Add. Believe it or not, Festus wins this one… scruffy as he was on a normal day (and when he was prairie-wolfin’ he was even scruffier), Festus had something Chester did not. With James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Ken Curtis. Rate. As they ride up to the jail Matt tells Festus that Dave didn't die, but couldn't remember exactly what happened the night before. … 16 Dec. 1974 The Colonel. See more ideas about ken curtis, tv westerns, gunsmoke. Festus takes off after the trappers and brings them back to Dodge. His big hits with the group included "Room Full of Roses" and "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky". Curtis branched out 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 scruffy, cantankerous deputy in the long-running TV series Gunsmoke (1955). For much of 1948, Curtis was a featured singer and host of the long-running country music radio program WWVA Jamboree. Based on the legendary series "Gunsmoke". He enjoys the interplay between Festus and Doc, who tangle regularly. I can't bear to watch those later episodes. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts . With James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Ken Curtis. Gunsmoke Festus was first openly gay character on TV - YouTube Curtis' last acting role was as the aging cattle rancher "Seaborn Tay" in the television production Conagher (1991), by western author Louis L'Amour. The TV show Gunsmoke was a classic and it ran for 20 years on CBS. He joined the Gunsmoke cast in 1967, superseding the previous deputy, Thaddeus "Thad" Greenwood, played by Roger Ewing. Add more and vote on your favourites! Join. His next appearance was Season 9, episode 2, October 5, 1963 as Kyle Kelly, in "Lover Boy". Email. This television program helped generate interest in sport parachuting. Festus takes off after the trappers and brings them back to Dodge. Speak English, Festus! He was the son of a sheriff and worked on a jail farm as a boy. Curtis also produced two extremely low-budget monster films in 1959, The Killer Shrews and The Giant Gila Monster. In '64, Curtis' Festus Haggen character debuted during the eighth season of Gunsmoke. Ken Curtis (July 2, 1916 – April 28, 1991) was an American actor and singer, best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the CBS television series of the western genre. Why did he leave the show? Kitty 2. Although he appeared on Gunsmoke earlier in other roles, he was first cast as Festus in season 8 episode 13, December 8, 1962 "Us Haggens". 5. When he goes to arrest Halligan he opens fire on Festus. Through his second marriage, Curtis was a son-in-law of film director John Ford. Running from 1955 to 1975, this old-time western classic can still be watched on CBS's streaming service. Based on the legendary series "Gunsmoke". Top Answer. Columbia Pictures signed Curtis to a contract in 1945. In 1964, Curtis appeared as muleskinner Graydon in the episode "Graydon's Charge" of the syndicated Western television series, Death Valley Days, also guest-starring Denver Pyle and Cathy Lewis. Although his character, Festus Haggen, was introduced to Gunsmoke (1955) in Some of his songs included ″Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses,″ ″This Is Worth Fighting For″ and ″Breathless.″, After serving in the Army during World War II, Curtis resumed a singing career on Johnny Mercer’s radio show and recorded the popular ″Tumbling Tumbleweeds.″. But on “Gunsmoke,” his character was no sophisticate. Curtis appeared on Gunsmoke in other roles before joining the cast as the Festus Haggen character. 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.. He simply 'went away' without mention of where he had gone. User account menu. You're question is a good one kfo9494. Chester by a mile IMO. He then joined the group Sons of the Pioneers, of which celebrity Roy Rogers was a member. [7], Curtis was a Republican and supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.[8]. 4: While appearing in John Ford westerns, Ken Curtis initially utilized his musical talents before turning to straight acting. He made his Hollywood debut in 1938 as a singer with swing bands. 10/1963. 3. Besides engaging in the usual personal appearances most television stars undertake to promote their program, Curtis also traveled around the country performing a Western-themed stage show at fairs, rodeos, and other venues when Gunsmoke was not in production, and even for some years after the show was cancelled. Actor Dennis Weaver played the part of Chester Goode for the first ten years of the GUNSMOKE TV show and he was nominated for an Emmy in 1958 and in 1959 for his fine work on GUNSMOKE. 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