- Joined
- Sep 15, 2018
- Location
- South Texas
Did I forget to post the one about Flint McCullough on Wagon Train?
The F-Troop commander, character Captain Wilton Parmenter (Ken Berry) earned a Medal of Honor (by accident) at Appomattox according to the back story.Not exactly in the same category, but Trooper Duffy (Bob Steele) on "F-Troop" was a veteran of the Alamo. LOL
I don't remember that show , but I grew up watching those old westerns . Many don't hold up today , but several are still worth watching .Oops, shows you how "good" my memory is!But it served its purpose , the correct answer is out there for all to see.
Played by Robert Horton (Mead Howard Horton jr.)Did I forget to post the one about Flint McCullough on Wagon Train?
And who could forget the irascible and grumpy but lovable Doc Adams. His interactions with Festus were always good for a laugh.
And a trivia tidbit - Doc mentions in one Gunsmoke episode that he was a US Army surgeon during the Civil War. I think it was the Mannon episode with Steve Forrest as a former member of Quantrill's raiders.
Ken Curtis was also director John Ford's son-in-law. I know he appeared in "The Searchers". He was at one time a member of the western singing group "Sons of the Pioneers."Yep! I think Chester Goode was a Union vet, and his limp came from a war injury.
Though never actually mentioned in the show as far as I know, Festus Haggen was a Confederate veteran. The actor who played Festus was Ken Curtis, a singer as well as an actor. In the late 1960s he released two albums singing & telling stories in character as Festus.
In one of the spoken word tracks, called "Ode to a Mule," Festus tells of being a mule skinner in the Confederate Army starting 1861 and having a favorite mule named Ruth. He goes on to tell of the Battle of Franklin in Tennessee and how he came under heavy fire while trying to recover Confederate dead late into the night after the battle. Festus says he survived only because his faithful mule Ruth carried him through a hail of bullets; after reaching safety, he struck a match to light his pipe and noticed Ruth had been shot many times and eventually she died. In Ruth's honor, he swore to name every mule he owned thereafter "Ruth," no matter the animal's gender.
Loved that showA lot later but "Hell on Wheels" with Anson Mount as former Confederate Cullen Bohannon whose wife had been killed by Union soldiers.
There was a discussion on this forum a while back about who would have made a good General Forrest in the movies. Anson Mount got several "thumbs up". Or is it "thumb ups"?Loved that show
Is it this episode? He finds a Confederate $50 bill and tries to buy a new fishing rod with it.A bit off topic and they probably wouldn't film such a thing nowadays but in an episode of Dennis the Menace, Dennis finds some Confederate Money in the hem of an old coat that his mother let's him play in. I think he's even wearing his great grandpas old kepi.
Ken also sang with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra often replacing Frank Sinatra. He then sang with the Shep Fields orchestra before joining Sons of the Pioneers (after Roy Rogers left as lead vocalist). He also was an infantryman in the US Army in WWII.Ken Curtis was also director John Ford's son-in-law. I know he appeared in "The Searchers". He was at one time a member of the western singing group "Sons of the Pioneers."
Besides "The Searchers" , he was also in Rio Grande , The Horse Soldiers and Cheyenne Autumn. On the downside he was also in The Killer Shrews . He did a great job as Festus .Ken also sang with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra often replacing Frank Sinatra. He then sang with the Shep Fields orchestra before joining Sons of the Pioneers (after Roy Rogers left as lead vocalist). He also was an infantryman in the US Army in WWII.
Don't forget the Alamo tooBesides "The Searchers" , he was also in Rio Grande , The Horse Soldiers and Cheyenne Autumn. On the downside he was also in The Killer Shrews . He did a great job as Festus .
I read where Dorsey kept Ken around to sort of let Old Blue Eyes Sinatra know that he was not irreplaceable. LOLBesides "The Searchers" , he was also in Rio Grande , The Horse Soldiers and Cheyenne Autumn. On the downside he was also in The Killer Shrews . He did a great job as Festus .