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Topic: Festus (Ken Curtis) sings "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds |
Darryl Hattenhauer
From:
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 5:21 pm |
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"Curtis was a singer before moving into acting, and combined both careers once he entered movies, performing with the popular Sons of the Pioneers from 1949 to 1953 as well as singing with the iconic Tommy Dorsey band. Curtis replaced Frank Sinatra as vocalist for the Dorsey band, but details of Curtis's relationship with the band are unclear. He was with the Dorsey band in 1941, prior to Sinatra's departure, and may have served simply as insurance against Sinatra's likely defection. Dick Haymes contractually replaced Sinatra, in 1942. Curtis then joined Shep Fields and His New Music, an all-reeds band that dispensed with a brass section".  |
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Darryl Hattenhauer
From:
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 6:57 pm
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Andy,
This is even more surprising than Jim Nabors.
_________________
Steel crazy after all these years.
$100 reward for info leading to the purchase of a fender D8 white, yellow, or butterscotch. |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 7:38 pm
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| Ken Curtis also sang for a while with Spade Cooley at the Santa Monica Ballroom. I beleive he also sang on some records with Spade. Also saw him in the old John Wayne movie on T.V called "The Searchers". He did a little bit of singing but primarily had one of the lesser lead parts where he was in a little bit of a "Festus" mode. |
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Andy Sandoval
From:
Bakersfield, California, USA
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 10:26 pm
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Every now and then he'd sing on "Gunsmoke" too. Curtis had a wonderful singin voice.  |
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Darryl Hattenhauer
From:
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 10:44 pm
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I'm sorry I missed those shows. I do remember when Burt Reynolds was on Gunsmoke when he was just starting out. He was almost as handsome as I am.
It's really nice to find all of this out. And where else would you get it but the SGF?
Jackie Gleason also had a clownish guy on his show who would suddenly floor you with his wonderful singing.
_________________
Steel crazy after all these years.
$100 reward for info leading to the purchase of a fender D8 white, yellow, or butterscotch. |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 11:26 pm
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That rubber faced fellow on the Jackie Gleason show played the character of "Crazy Guggunheim"; who was actually. He had a beautiful baritone voice.
Last edited by Les Anderson on 28 Jul 2010 10:14 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Darryl Hattenhauer
From:
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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Posted 26 Jul 2010 11:40 pm
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Yes, very smooth.
Makes me wonder how many other great singers there are who never get famous because they don't look like Dean Martin. And if you want to get an idea of how many fine players there are who will never hit it big, all you have to do is go to some nightclubs in town.
_________________
Steel crazy after all these years.
$100 reward for info leading to the purchase of a fender D8 white, yellow, or butterscotch. |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Les Green
From:
Jefferson City, MO, R.I.P.
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Posted 29 Jul 2010 7:57 am
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I saw Curtis a couple of nights ago singing one on Gunsmoke. I got a kick out of the rhythm guitar player who was using the ol' thumb G chord. Also the bartender, can't think of his name was playing fiddle.
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Les Green
73 MSA D10 8&4, 74 MSA S10 3&5, Legrande II 8&9, Fender Squier 6 string, Genesis III, Peavey 1000 |
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Darryl Hattenhauer
From:
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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Posted 29 Jul 2010 10:32 am
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I'm glad Frank got on the Gleason show. It was probably the most attention and money he ever got.
Way back, the bartender was called "Sam." A big rough looking guy. But maybe somebody different came later.
_________________
Steel crazy after all these years.
$100 reward for info leading to the purchase of a fender D8 white, yellow, or butterscotch. |
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Morgan Scoggins
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 2 Aug 2010 3:38 am
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When I was a young teenager, back in the early 60's, Ken Curtis starred in a TV show called "Ripchord". I am not sure how long the show ran, but a few years at least. It was an adventure series about two "firejumpers" who parachuted from a light plane to fight forrest fires. Ken played one of them. the two characters names were Chuck and P.T.( I think)
By the way, Ken got the part of "Festus" on "Gunsmoke" because another actor, Dennis Weaver ,quit the series. He played "Chester", a simple minded,gimpy legged deputy who's character was much parodied by comedians and jokesters of that day.
The move turned out to be the best decision Dennis Weaver ever made. He went on to other TV roles, including "McCloud", a popular series about a western cowboy police detective misplaced in New York City.
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"Shoot low boys, the're ridin' Shetlands" |
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Darryl Hattenhauer
From:
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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Posted 2 Aug 2010 1:27 pm
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I didn't see curtis's other one, but McCloud was hit for a long time.
_________________
Steel crazy after all these years.
$100 reward for info leading to the purchase of a fender D8 white, yellow, or butterscotch. |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 2 Aug 2010 2:45 pm
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| I believe the Bartender on Gunsmoke was Glen Strange who played in a lot Cowboy Movies in his earlier years. He was usually one of the Bad Guys. I got to meet him once at a family get together when I was friends with his nephew "Billy Strange". |
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Darryl Hattenhauer
From:
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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Posted 2 Aug 2010 3:08 pm
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I remember Billy Strange. When I first saw Glen Campbell, I mistook him for Billy Strange.
_________________
Steel crazy after all these years.
$100 reward for info leading to the purchase of a fender D8 white, yellow, or butterscotch. |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 2 Aug 2010 6:36 pm
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Darrell:
Look up Billy Strange on the Internet. He had a very varied and sucessful career in Music starting out with Cliffie Stone and moving on to working with and arranging for many of the Pop Superstars in his era. He was a terrific Guitar player and all around Musician. |
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Darryl Hattenhauer
From:
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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Posted 2 Aug 2010 6:54 pm
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Yes, he was one of those guitarists who got a lot of work but not a lot of fame. And that might be better than being a celebrity.
_________________
Steel crazy after all these years.
$100 reward for info leading to the purchase of a fender D8 white, yellow, or butterscotch. |
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Morgan Scoggins
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 4 Aug 2010 11:45 am
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I have seen someone on this forum with the signature line "Never argue with an idiot. They bring you down to thier level and win with experience".
That is a great line and was never more illustrated than when Fuetus, (Ken Curtis) and Doc ( Milborn Stone) would get into one of their barbs on "Gunsmoke", It seems like old Festus always got Doc's goat. You might remember Festus telling Doc, "A lot is not a little, and a little is not a lot". Now that was a funny scene.
_________________
"Shoot low boys, the're ridin' Shetlands" |
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Darryl Hattenhauer
From:
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
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Posted 4 Aug 2010 9:10 pm
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| Quote: |
| "Never argue with an idiot. They bring you down to thier level and win with experience". |
I'm going to remember that one!
_________________
Steel crazy after all these years.
$100 reward for info leading to the purchase of a fender D8 white, yellow, or butterscotch. |
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Charles Davidson
From:
Phenix City Alabama, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2010 9:50 pm
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ttt
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Hard headed, opinionated old geezer. BAMA CHARLIE. GOD BLESS AMERICA. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC ! |
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Steve Hitsman
From:
Waterloo, IL
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Posted 22 Aug 2010 3:48 am
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From "The Quiet Man":
In the pub, Sean samples one of the "black beers," and offers to buy a round of drinks for everyone. But his generous offer of kinship is met with cold silence and suspicious stares - until the 'tall man' is befriended by long white-bearded old-timer Dan Tobin (Francis Ford, director John Ford's estranged brother). The bartender removes his hat in an awed response to a recitation of Thornton's lineage. The patriarch remembers his father Michael and grand-father Sean: "Bless his memory. So it's himself you're named after. Well now, that being the case, it is a pleasant evening and we will have a drink." He pounds his walking stick on the bar, as Dermot Fahy (Ken Curtis) starts playing an Irish ballad - "The Wild Colonial Boy" on his accordion for all to sing.
There was a wild colonial boy, Jack Dugan was his name.
He was born and bred in Ireland, in a town called Castlemagne
He was his father's only son, his mother's pride and joy
And dearly did his parents love this wild colonial boy. |
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Charles Davidson
From:
Phenix City Alabama, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2010 8:48 pm
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ttt
_________________
Hard headed, opinionated old geezer. BAMA CHARLIE. GOD BLESS AMERICA. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC ! |
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