Updated 05-May-2020.
Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about KEN CURTIS!
My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: Ken Curtis was an american singer and actor best known for his role as Festus Haggen on the CBS western television series Gunsmoke . he joined the cast of Gunsmeoke permanently as festus in Gates served from 1927 to 1931 as Bent County sheriff . his mother, Nellie Sneed Gates, cooked for the prisoners . the jail is located for historical preservation purposes . Curtis served in the united states army from 1943 to 1945 . he succeeded Frank Sinatra as vocalist until his replacement in 1942 . Ken Curtis joined the Sons of the Pioneers as a lead singer from 1949 to 1952 . his big hits with the group included “Room Full of Roses” and “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky Curtis teamed with Ford and John Wayne in the film Rio Grande . he was a singer in the movie’s fictional band The Regimental Singers . it is possible he played a bit part, but 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 he guest-starred as circus performer Tim Durant on an episode of Perry Mason, “the Case of the Clumsy Clown” later, he appeared in Ripcord, a first-run syndicated in 1964, Curtis appeared as muleskinner Graydon in the episode “Graydon’s Charge” he held the role the longest (11 years), in 304 episodes . festus was patterned after ” Curtis was known for the nasally, twangy, rural accent he developed for the role . in two episodes of Gunsmoke, Carroll O’Connor was a guest-star . he Curtis’ last acting role was in the television production Conagher (1991) co-star Buck Taylor played a bad man in the same film . he joined the gunsmoke cast in 1967, supersed a statue of Ken Curtis as Festus can be found at 430 Pollasky Avenue in Clovis, California . he was cremated, and his ashes were scattered in the Colorado flatlands . Teresa Murray (August 10, 2008). “Ken Curtis Biography”. Evil Twin. Retrieved December 30, 2008.