Don't fence me in

Freddy Quinn und Ken Curtis alias Festus aus rauchende Colts (Smoking Guns)

[@peggynapoli5501]

Still watch Fetus on ME TV Gunsmoke! What a versatile actor singer, and all around Good Cowboy!

[@paulabrown5243]

Yes every day. Gunsmoke comes on on INSP several times a day.

[@deanblanton-fh3gq]

Sure brings back good memories while riding around in my dad’s truck listening to the AM radio and the Sons of the Pioneers are singing . Great music and still is.

[@roseluke7148]

Love Ken's beautiful voice!!❤

[@kennbo1]

Ken Curtis' real name was Curtis Gates. He was my father's school mate. His father was the sheriff of their small town Las Animas. My father would laugh when Gunsmoke came on because Curtis real voice was nothing like his characters.

[@jimwatts4901]

I met him back in 84 I think it was ? One nice and multi talented man 👍

[@jamestucker4115]

😮

[@Bronwyn51]

RIP ken curtis, he was a wonderful actor and singer, hard to believe he has been gone so long

[@sharonboshart4986]

I watch Gunsmoke just to see what Fetus will do! He is really a man to love because he does so many things are just precious! I love to hear him sing!

[@jimlobley8675]

Yes I loved him in gunsmoke but didn't know he could sing like this he is bloody great

[@patriciamilitia]

This song sure brings back memories from a kinder, gentler time in life! Thanks for posting it.

[@ArkRed1]

I worked for four years with Festus on the fair and rodeo circuit. What a great guy to work with. RIP Mr. Ken.

[@ladycharsw]

We remembered him and his wife lived in Clovis Cal. My son and wife lives in Fresno. My son is gone now since 2015, but his wofe and her family lives there. Merry Xmas🙏

[@curtcoltharp3719]

I met him as a 10 year old kid in Vernon, TX, about 1969 or 1970. He performed at our local rodeo sponsored by the Wagoner Ranch. You may have been on that trip. He sang with a group. I can’t remember their name but the female singer was Joanie something. I’ll never forget that experience.

[@mariaschatz9141]

@@curtcoltharp3719 You are so lucky

[@mariaschatz9141]

You are so lucky

[@ArkRed1]

@@curtcoltharp3719 I joined in 1974-78. The female singer you saw was Joannie O'Bryant. She left before I joined. Heidi Nelson took her place for awhile, and then, funny as it seems, Jeannie Bryant (no relation) stayed with the group until Ken retired. Sometimes Ken not thinking would introduce her as Joannie O'Bryant. We'd all get a chuckle out of that. Ken would laugh with the rest of us. He was such a great guy.

[@paulinegulas3565]

He can sing anything!!! I love him 😍👍❤️

[@deadeye-zh9ce]

I’m 13 and gunsmoke is my favorite show

[@danaaugustine2809]

Good for you! Festus and Matt will show you how to treat people with kindness and respect.

[@deadeye-zh9ce]

Thanks I agree

[@deadeye-zh9ce]

God bless you

[@barrybrittain163]

Oh, that just TOTALLY blew me away! This has really made my day! Love Ken Curtis! I get such a big kick out of his Festus Haggen character and his Festusisms, those funny comeback lines really crack me up!😂 He was such a multitalented actor and a really awesome singer, I really miss seeing him on TV!

[@donaldleslie1145]

Festus a man for all seasons. Wonderful man and outstanding performer! They just don't come any better this side of heaven.

[@AlamoYTCGermany]

Ken Curtis, in dieser Freddy Quinn Show damals, war schon ein Highlight. Erinnere mich noch dran. Curtis war der Schwiegersohn des großen John Ford, ein begnadeter Sänger (Son's of the Pioneers) und ein beliebter Schauspieler. Nicht nur als Festus in Rauchende Colts (Gunsmoke), oder als Jim Buckley in "Sprung aus den Wolken" (Ripcord). Vor allem in zahlreichen Western u.a. an der Seite von John Wayne unvergesslich, so zb. Rio Grande, Alamo oder Der schwarze Falke. Danke für diesen "Upload"!

[@cindybuffington2986]

Thanks for posting this gem! He had a incredible voice such as Jim nabors

[@dav1099]

Still watch Gun Smoke everyday at noon on MeTV, great singer and very good actor.

[@rickmay1434]

dav1099 Festus, can also do the tater bug danice. if U can read the wright, or wrote read, that's how he say it.

[@rickmay1434]

dav1099 He made Gunsmoke fun.😅

[@garyatkins7142]

the black and white versions are on INSP ch 364 directv :D

[@Tewrobert49]

yeeehaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[@catherinegabriel760]

So So I, (Only Comcast DOESN'T for some STUPID reason) have Me-Tv anymore. I only watch it when I visit my mom. She has (U-Verse which has Me-Tv)

[@mizkat1014]

Everytime I see Mr Ken Curtis in anything else …, I’m in awww of his acting ! This man was a true ‘actor’ 💯

[@judynichoks8684]

absolutely wonderful. Festus is a great man, voice and acting .Thank you for features of him.

[@jesusnova5329]

What a wonderful man! Loved his Festus character, beautiful voice!

[@pascaldrake8811]

I’m a Festus fan. Ken Curtis was such a special person. Great actor and singer. Son in law of the famous director John Ford, he also replaced Frank Sinatra in the Tommy Dorsey Band. I still watch Gunsmoke and miss him. RIP pard.

[@MrCarlHaynes]

God Bless You Ken Curtis and the Sons Of The Pioneers!

[@raymondutter2616]

Awesome Ken Curtis clip , thank you

[@Jetsonzgirl]

How great is it to see Festus in full cowboy regalia and a Freddy Quinn in tux and tails singing a great cowboy lament!! Thanks for sharing this classic.

[@lorainetaylor2012]

These old songs are absolutely amazing and great I love them Thankyou for sharing them

[@curtcoltharp3719]

Mr Curtis came you our small town for a rodeo appearance back early 70’s and I got to meet him and shake his hand. Several of the local business and social clubs invited him to attend and he turned them down but he did tour all the area hospitals and nursing homes. He was a very nice man and a great singer and performer. It absolutely made my day as a 10 year old kid.

[@margel62]

It's amazing! You'd never think he would sound like that!

[@haroldpayne2527]

Who’s the other guy,my wife is looking for his show, Thanks.

[@margel62]

@@haroldpayne2527 Freddy Quinn but I don't know him.

[@drydesert8036]

Oh yes, please watch his movie w/Wayne. "Riogrande" he's in there and singing and standing tall. With Ben Johnson and fellow cast members some of the greats in the business. Yooo Dogie..

[@gunterangel]

​​@@haroldpayne2527 If you're still interested, this was in a German TV show in 1986, "Die Freddy- Quinn -Show: It's Country Time", where Freddy Quinn hosted international stars of country music. Quinn is Austrian. He was born in 1931 to an Austrian mother, his father was of Irish descent. Thus Quinn grew up bilingual and became fluent im English. This fluency in English as a teenager helped him in getting good connections to American soldiers, when they occupied Austria and Germany after WW2 and he travelled the USA in his early adult years. His good connections to the USA obviously resulted in contacting Ken Curtis and inviting him for his country-music-TV-show in Germany. I still remember this guest-star- appearance of Ken Curtis at the German TV very well and how astonished we all were to learn that he was not only Festus in Gunsmoke ( that was all that we knew him from in Germany ), but also an accomplished singer with a remarkably beautiful and sonor baritone voice. In the German dubbed version of Gunsmoke they had given him the cranky odd voice of German dubbing actor Gert Duwner, and by doing so they hade made Festus' appearance even more eccentric and quirky than in the American original. So you can imagine, what a surprise, yes, what revelation it was for the German TV audience, when they heard him for the first time speaking AND SINGING with his actual and really well-sounding beautiful own voice.

[@haroldpayne2527]

He also was a member of (Sons of the Pioneers ).

[@CommanderKurgan]

Yep, the gentleman in the tux is Freddy Quinn, Austrian-born singer, actor and entertainer who hosted a show "It's Country Time" on German TV back in the...80s, I believe. Damn, I'm getting old, but I still remember taping Ken Curtis' "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" with a cassette recorder in front of the TV. Aaaah, youth...

[@hattiesgrandaughter4463]

Curtis Wain Gates (Ken Curtis) began his singing career with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the 1940s. Made 60+ films between 1941 and 1991 - 50 years - Was a member of The Sons of the Pioneers for many years most notable performances in films with John Wayne. He appeared on Gunsmoke between 1962 and 1975.

[@peterpiperman9542]

Maureen Nolan the emergency backup singer for Frank Sinatra in case he left the band which of course he did them sing with the sons of the Pioneers amazing talent

[@TheShizue777]

Before Tommy Dorsey, Ken was with Shep Fields and his New Music. KZbin has a couple of clips with Ken singing: Shep Fields New Music - Ken Curtis (Vocal)

[@karenmiddleton995]

I have a CD from his younger years. If I wasn't told that was him and probably would have never recognized him. Boy he was young. Gunsmoke ain't good without Festus. Gotta love his character.

[@John-ob7dh]

Charlie in the searchers.No kicking biting or gouging.lol

[@moryan6447]

He was a son in law of John Ford and appeared in a number of his movies often with John Wayne. But I think he got the parts because he could act not just being a relative. And what a voice!

[@elkekuehl6030]

Beautiful Ken curtis and Freddy in germany

[@carolynjones6457]

I absolutely Love this song.

[@kennethpack1963]

Ken Curtis was a great singer a long time before he became a cowboy on the telly...

[@TheShizue777]

I'm 62 and should have known this about Don't Fence Me In. The composers? Music by Cole Porter and lyrics by Robert Fletcher and Cole Porter. So easy to take these wonderful songs for granted and all these years later (I'm 62) realize what a timeless talent is behind it. Cole Porter!

[@DressedForDrowning]

Wow. Goosbumps because of this song and performance.

[@JimTopsecret]

Areat actor, singer and person God Bless you Festus and thanks for the good times

[@patriciaberry8936]

Remember Sons of the Pioneers, when I was very young. My Uncle loved, " Cool Water".

[@patriciaberry8936]

An Ken is a great singer.

[@patriciaberry8936]

I still watch the old stations an of course, Gunsmoke, Rifleman, etc.

[@ArkRed1]

I joined Ken in 1974 replacing Hi Busse. The girl who sang with him was Joanie O'Bryant when you saw him. Who was replaced by Heidi Nelson, who was replaced by Jeannie Bryant (no relation). I left to work a music show in Branson in 1978, Jeannie and the others in the group, guitar and bass, stayed with him until he retired. Funny, the last show I played with Ken was in Vernon, TX. in 1978.

[@dianebowers7103]

Love this song

[@honeywolf1]

love and miss him

[@jimlobley5587]

What a wonderful singer also actor

[@Angel9912221]

I did not know that "Festus" could sing He has a very good voice!!.

[@dorothycoker8830]

Linda Fraser you don't watch many John Wayne movies.

[@StacyAnneH]

Festus AKA Ken Curtis sang with the Sons of The Pioneers at one time. He replaced Bob Nolan when he left the group.

[@lrctrublu621]

Linda, are you aware that Amanda Blake AKS Miss Kitty, could belt out a song too? yep.

[@hermansjo]

Geweldig dat is echt genieten Gr Lies

[@williamlegall2988]

All I can say is "Precious"!!! Doubtful if they'll ever be moments like this, in the media, ever again.

[@dennisb-trains23]

Love FESTUS! Ken Curtis. Actors don't sing like this today.

[@michaelblair6955]

He wrote one of my faveorite songs, Ghost Riders In The Sky, to bad not a lot of people know that this man was such a great singer song writer.

[@shizuehicks7442]

Stan Jones of Douglas, Arizona (1948) wrote Ghost Riders In the Sky. Ken Curtis sang with The Sons of the Pioneers when they made the hit recording of Ghost Riders in the Sky (1949).

[@kennbo1]

Stan Jones and co-writer Eden Ahbez wrote this in 1948. Stan Jones first performed it in 1949.

[@andrearath7782]

Fantastic

[@catherinegabriel760]

GOD, Festus (Ken Curtis) was so fine, & man could he sing!!! RIP, Ken Curtis

[@goodnluckyone4447]

Ken Curtis was lead singer for Sons Of The Pioneers for several years. He later joined Gunsmoke when Dennis Weaver left.

[@billypate2479]

Goodn Luckyone he also played in Glenn Miller's band in the 1940's

[@anniehooker5410]

Festus was the best. He was an EXCELLENT singer.

[@davidlloyd9980]

Underrated, absolute Genius❤❤❤

[@Whatshisname5]

Would love to see, Ken dressed as Festus singing big band songs.

[@greenacres1909]

This made me cry and smile :-)

[@larrymick2445]

+Billy Green -------------Me,too. I could hardy see! It's too short, so I listened to it about ten times, and I had just as much trouble with the tenth one as I did with the first one; ditto for tumbling tumbleweeds.

[@TheShizue777]

See YT clip: Ken Curtis sing "Noah's Dove" Ken's beautiful voice shines again.

[@derkaderka4017]

Billy Green Amen sir!

[@williamlegall2988]

So true! It's so precious!

[@daviddoherty5249]

Ken Curtis was a one of a kind.

[@daningrisham9602]

Wonderful actor and singer loved festus in Gunsmoke and classic song originaly sang by the king of the Cowboys aka Roy Rogers

[@j.sumner6999]

If you want to really hear Ken sing, check out "Call of the Faraway Hills". The music was the theme for "Shane". Beautiful.

[@janicesimmons6764]

Love hearing Ken Curtis sing

[@kevinw9073]

A beautiful classic!

[@m.micola6181]

this man had a voice. .one of the greatest singers ever equal to & probably better than any the only 2 persons that would equal him: Frankie Lane, Glenn Yarbrough

[@bernhardberlage7592]

Freddy ist immer super !!!

[@KRAZZYMF]

LOL! this just blows my mind,I never knew he could sing!!

[@user-tv9de3wu4d]

This song was a favorite of many German soldiers during WW2.

[@FayeWear-hf1vp]

Love Fesus great voice

[@diannehallmancrazybirdlady]

Amazing! No words!!

[@MissKitty-qf7jp]

Love Festus 2019 god bless you thanks love your songs and great on gunsmoke

[@RuthMannshausen]

@mjp2501 Thanks for the Info. This where a Show for Birthday of Freddy Quinn

[@annavanjaarsveld7411]

What a wonderful voice

[@evaheiser4083]

Ken Curtis und Freddy ,herrlich.schöne Erinnerungen ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@carolcole819]

love Ken

[@carmendelrrodriguez1283]

Festus by far the best on Gunsmoke

[@gunterangel]

If you're still interested, this was in a German TV show in 1986, "Die Freddy- Quinn -Show" - It's Country Time", where Freddy Quinn hosted international stars of country music. Quinn is Austrian. He was born in 1931 to an Austrian mother, his father was of Irish descent. Thus Quinn grew up bilingual and became fluent im English. This fluency in English as a teenager helped him in getting good connections to American soldiers, when they occupied Austria and Germany after WW2 and he travelled the USA in his early adult years. His good connections to the USA obviously resulted in contacting Ken Curtis and inviting him for his country-music-TV-show in Germany. I still remember this guest-star- appearance of Ken Curtis at the German TV very well and how astonished we all were to learn that he was not only Festus in Gun Smoke ( that was all that we knew him from in Germany ), but also an accomplished singer with a remarkably beautiful and sonor baritone voice. In the German dubbed version of Gunsmoke they had given him the cranky odd voice of German dubbing actor Gert Duwner, and by doing so they hade made Festus' appearance even more eccentric and quirky than in the American original. So you can imagine, what a surprise, yes, what revelation it was for the German TV audience, when they heard him for the first time speaking AND SINGING with his actual and really well-sounding beautiful own voice.

[@biffarone]

When Frank Sinatra left the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra to go out on his own ... Ken Curtis replaced him! He also sang with the Sons of the Pioneers and was the son in law of legendary western director John Ford

[@laken.bowles]

That was great! Thanks for posting.

[@TheShizue777]

Thank you so much for sharing, Ruth Mannshausen! Great clip of a wonderful star who was a wonderful singer -- Ken Curtis! This is the first time I've heard Freddy Quinn, singing star from Austria. He's great and they both do a wonderful duet with Don't Fence Me In. Nice to hear.

[@karlcolt]

The best ever!!!!!

[@thomasdrozd9471]

Evey time I watch Gunsmoke, I cry a little, because I adored Ken Curtis. He really cold sing and ws a great actor. R.I.P. MR. CURTIS. That was my MOM'S maiden name. Col. P Drozd

[@adrianahinestrosa]

Love you cowboys 😄😄😄😄😄😄♥️♥️♥️♥️👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@archierussell1999]

BEAUTIFUL.

[@archierussell1999]

Beautiful.

[@paulinegulas3565]

It was him!the great singer! I loved him!

[@curlywolfone]

Don't fence me in is my personal philosophy.

[@whitt702]

Ken Curtis never got far in the movies until he showed his acting ability as Festus Hagan where he became a household name. Personally, I like him as a singing cowboy. He sure showed his teeth!!!!!

[@judybest6991]

All I can say is WOW WHAT A VOICE

[@strattuner]

multi talented,excellent vocalist

[@joansmith5870]

So beautiful

[@showaltermicro]

Super Nice !!!!

[@keithbyrd-MysticRuby0117]

Ken Curtis was a great Original member of the "Sons of the Pioneers"

[@terrysampson5759]

He is so cute Festus

[@Igor1947Carolina]

Very good!...

[@TheNLCrane]

beautiful!

[@donnacouch7430]

beautiful voice

[@jivenet]

First saw him with in Roy Roger westerns (Sons of the Pioneers) 1950's. He was also in 2 episods of Have Gun Will Travel (S4 E2).

[@randysalas3453]

love this!!!

[@daddioduce]

What a guy.

[@janicesimmons6764]

Festus as I know him best from Gunsmoke looks so happy when he is singing ❤️❤️🙏🙏..RIP Festus ( Ken Curtis)

[@joanforchrist7272]

I love his voice and Gun Smoke. I have heard him sing before.

[@cma1]

Ken Curtis is/was the greatest!!!

[@greycaddis]

Ken was in Rio Grande/ the Searchers he also starred in the TV series the Yellow Rose of Texas with Sam Elliot and Noah Berry.

[@dixiestine9991]

He sang on some of the very early episodes. I still watch them just about every evening. :)

[@lmdixon3795]

He was my cousin, twice! We were very proud of him.

[@wayneberry8226]

Love ken..

[@MrCarlHaynes]

I don't want to be fenced in neither... Believe that! PLEASE?!!

[@maureenannethompson5031]

I so amazed I didn’t know he could sing and do very good

[@Pedy1968]

Super!!!