Ken Curtis

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1. #001

   In 1935, Ken Curtis went to a university in Colorado Springs, CO, to study medicine. While there, his love of singing grew, and he took part in various college music activities.

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2. #002

   Ken Curtis grew up in Las Animas, CO, where his father, Dan Gates, was the sheriff. As was customary at the time, the family lived above the jail, and his mother, Nellie (Sneed) Gates, cooked for the prisoners. Curtis once said he modeled "Festus" on a local character known as Cedar Jack, who lived about 64 kilometers away in the cedar hills and made his living cutting cedar fence posts for farmers and ranchers. When Cedar Jack came to Las Animas he was usually drunk and would end up in jail, which gave Curtis the chance to observe him.

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3. #003

   Ken Curtis came from a musical family: his father played the fiddle, his mother the pump organ, his brother Chester the banjo, and his other brother Carl sang.

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4. #004

   In 1981, Ken Curtis was inducted into the Great Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum as a member of the Gunsmoke (1955) cast.

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5. #005

   In 1941, when he temporarily replaced Frank Sinatra in Tommy Dorsey's band, his stage name was changed to the more easily remembered "Ken Curtis."

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6. #006

   While appearing in John Ford westerns, Ken Curtis initially used his musical talents before moving into straight acting. In Rio Grande (1950) he was the guitar-playing, lead-singing tenor in the "Regimental Singers." In The Quiet Man (1952) he played accordion and sang tenor in the bar.

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7. #007

   On Gunsmoke (1955), as Festus Haggen, Ken Curtis always drew and fired a handgun with his right hand, but whenever he had to use a rifle he raised it to his left shoulder and pulled the trigger with his left hand, aiming with his left eye and squinting with his right. Often Festus would also squint with his right eye partly closed. This means he was right-handed but left-eye dominant. Other actors have done this as well: Clint Eastwood does it on Rawhide, and Steve McQueen, Sidney Poitier and David Caruso are also known to have done it.

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8. #008

   While appearing on a radio program with Johnny Mercer, Ken Curtis met the singer Jo Stafford. Mercer invited him on as a guest, and, praising Jo's latest record, Curtis sang "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." As a result of this appearance, Columbia Pictures signed him for a series of musical westerns.

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9. #009

   Ken Curtis was the son-in-law of director John Ford.

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10. #010

    Ken Curtis turned down an offer to appear as Festus Haggen in Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge (1987), which reunited James Arness, Amanda Blake, Buck Taylor and Fran Ryan from the original series. The issue was money. In an interview with TV Guide when the film was released, producer John Mantley said Curtis had demanded twice what Blake was paid; other sources say Mantley was at fault for offering Curtis a humiliatingly low salary (the amount is unspecified in both accounts).

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11. #011

    Ken Curtis introduced the western standard "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" to movie audiences.

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12. #012

    Ken Curtis's maternal great-grandfather, Sebron (Seaborn) Graham Sneed (1828-72), was a senior second lieutenant in Company A of Harrelson's Battalion, Arkansas Cavalry (Confederate), during the American Civil War. Sebron's brothers Samuel and William R. were privates in the same unit.

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13. #013

    Early in his career, Ken Curtis sang with the Shep Fields Orchestra.

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14. #014

    Ken Curtis is best remembered by the public for his role as Festus Haggen on Gunsmoke (1955).

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15. #015

    Ken Curtis's long association with John Ford ended in 1964, the year Ford divorced his daughter Barbara. Ford later accused him in interviews of being a wife-beater.

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16. #016

    Ken Curtis's body was cremated and his ashes were scattered, specifically over the Colorado plains.

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17. #017

    Before taking on the role of Festus Haggen, Ken Curtis appeared as 6 other guest characters: a half-Kiowa Cavalry Scout (unnamed), Brisco Cass, Phil Jacks, Kyle Kelly, Frank Eaton and Jesse Turnbull.

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