Can you name all 7 characters Ken Curtis played on Gunsmoke?

He was much more than a certain ornery Deputy Marshal.

 CBS Television Distribution

Coming off his early career as both a big band and country singer, Ken Curtis guest starred in many Westerns when he first came to TV, often playing numerous roles in multiple episodes of shows like Have Gun – Will Travel and Wagon Train.  

The show he kept coming back to the most? Gunsmoke. Curtis played six different characters on the iconic Western between 1959-1963. When his skydiving series Ripcord was canceled after two seasons, Curtis joined Gunsmoke as a regular cast member in 1964. You know is most famous character, Festus, but do you recall the name of the twin Haggen brother mentioned in Festus’ first appearance?

Curtis also played cattlemen, good guys, bad guys, a Casanova cowboy and a Native American – a common if regrettable practice at the time. 

How well do you remember each of his many Gunsmoke characters? Try to name them all!

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  1. In his first Gunsmoke episode “Jay Hawkers” Curtis played a cattle drover named…
     CBS Television Distribution
  2. In “Change of Heart” Curtis played a man named…
     CBS Television Distribution
  3. In “Ex-Urbanites” Curtis played a villain named…
     CBS Television Distribution
  4. In “Speak Me Fair” Curtis played a Kiowa Cavalry…
     CBS Television Distribution
  5. In “Lover Boy” Curtis played a Casanova cowboy named…
     CBS Television Distribution
  6. In “Alias Festus Haggen” Curtis played Festus and his outlaw doppelganger named…
     CBS Television Distribution
  7. “Us Haggens” was Curtis’ first appearance as Festus, and we learn he had a twin brother named…
     CBS Television Distribution

Can you name all 7 characters Ken Curtis played on Gunsmoke?

Your Result...

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59 Comments

BuckeyeBeth7 33 months ago
5/7 I guessed at half of them. What helped me out was the episode in question #3 just happens to be playing right now as I was taking this quiz 😆
AprilShinnTaylor 34 months ago
5/7 I love Gunsmoke! Every night and if it's not on I watch episodes I recorded!

iluvwesterns 34 months ago
4/7 man I thought i'd do better than that.
Jamesatkinson 34 months ago
7 of 7 : I watch to much Gunsmoke.😬😏
iluvwesterns Jamesatkinson 34 months ago
You can never watch too much Gunsmoke pardner.
RichLorn 34 months ago
My score reads 5/7 but I'm giving myself a 6/8.
Fact Check: In season 1 episode 8 Ken Curtis also played Kitty Russel's pregnant aunt Sadie from Cincinnati. If you recall, Sadie claimed to be carrying Chester's love child. But it was discovered by Doc Adams (to his great regret) that Sadie wasn't pregnant at all. She simply ate too many baked beans on the trail to Dodge.
LarryLeGros 34 months ago
7/7. Tried to match the picture/character with the name. I guessed at all 7 questions.
FrankCollins 34 months ago
The more they let Festus talk, in that intolerable accent, the worse the show got. I guess they thought the weird twang was somehow something people wanted to hear, despite the fact that he was talking absolute ignorant nonsense.
iluvwesterns FrankCollins 34 months ago
That absolute ignorant nonsense was part of the comedy of the show especially when he argued with Doc. Festus was a popular character so I guess they thought that weird twang was alright.
BuckeyeBeth7 FrankCollins 33 months ago
I absolutely agree with you! I really enjoy early Festus before he became a regular and was turned into a silly caricature. Originally he lacked a formal education but had common sense and was trail smart. Unfortunately whoever it was decided to up the silly twang and turned him more into a fool. It seems after he became a regular his trail smarts and common sense became fewer and far between. I was also not a fan of that weird squint he started. To be honest I never could stand Festus at all (from the few re-runs I saw growing up) until I saw the early episodes MeTV played. I understand people enjoy silly Festus but I definitely like original Festus better. I’ve always wondered if the studio told Ken what changes were being made to the character or if Ken did it himself to try to make Festus stand out from other western characters.
olddogg 34 months ago
5/7 That's a might tolerablesome.
Hope 34 months ago
Him playing a native American isn't any big deal.
The majority of people complaining aren't Native American.
I am and it isn't any big deal.
REGBOW60 34 months ago
Just wondering if you can get me TV on your cell phone?
Moody 34 months ago
4/7. That's actually better than I thought I'd do.
CaptainDunsel 34 months ago
5/7
Surprised I guessed that many correct answers.
vinman63 34 months ago
I tried looking for answer that sounded ime a cowboy name.
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