Ken Curtis

Ken Curtis

Born: July 2, 1916
Died: April 28, 1991
in Lamar, Colorado, USA

Movies for Ken Curtis...

Title: Battleground
Character: Captain Howard W. Gilmore (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 2004
Type: TV
Features historic films from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and more.
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John Wayne's 'The Alamo'
Title: John Wayne's 'The Alamo'
Character: Self
Released: June 6, 1992
Type: Movie
Documentary about the making of the John Wayne film The Alamo (1960). Included are behind-the-scenes photos and footage of the actual production of the film, clips from it and interviews with members of the cast, crew and local residents in Brackettville, TX, where it was filmed.
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Conagher
Title: Conagher
Character: Seaborn Tay, Cattle Rancher
Released: July 1, 1991
Type: Movie
Mrs. Evie Teale is struggling to stay alive while raising her two children alone on a remote homestead. Conn Conagher is a honest, hardworking cowboy. Their lives are intertwined as they fight the elements, indians, outlaws, and loneliness.
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Once Upon a Texas Train
Title: Once Upon a Texas Train
Character: Kelly Sutton
Released: October 12, 1988
Type: Movie
Captain Hayes of the mighty law enforcement squad named the Texas Rangers reached the pinnacle of his career when he captured the notorious John Henry, an outlaw cowboy, and put him behind bars. Twenty years later, upon his release, Henry is older but unrepentant. Within six hours after leaving his jail cell, he evens the score with Hayes by holding up the Bank of Texas for $20,000 in gold. Hayes, in his fury, gets himself out of retirement to take up the chase once more.
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Title: Airwolf
Character: Cecil Carnes Sr.
Released: January 22, 1984
Type: TV
As part of a deal with an intelligence agency to look for his missing brother, a renegade pilot goes on missions with an advanced battle helicopter.
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Lost
Title: Lost
Character: Wyatt Cosgrove
Released: October 22, 1983
Type: Movie
A little girl gets lost in the wilds of Utah.
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Title: The Yellow Rose
Character: Hoyt Coryell
Released: October 2, 1983
Type: TV
The Yellow Rose is an American television series. It was broadcast on the NBC network during the 1983-1984 season. It was produced by Paul Freeman. The series was at least partly inspired by the more coltish elements of the soap opera Dallas, and dealt with the intrigues of the Texas-based ranch-owning Champion family. The show's cast included Sam Elliott, David Soul, Edward Albert, Cybill Shepherd, Chuck Connors, Noah Beery, Jr., Ken Curtis, Robin Wright and Jane Russell. The Yellow Rose was canceled after one season of twenty-two episodes. In the summer of 1990, the series was rerun again on NBC along with the short-lived Bret Maverick starring James Garner.
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Legend of the Wild
Title: Legend of the Wild
Released: November 1, 1981
Type: Movie
Patchwork movie edited from episodes from the TV series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1977).
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Title: Code Red
Released: September 20, 1981
Type: TV
Code Red is an American drama series that ran from 1981 to 1982 on ABC and was produced by Irwin Allen. The series revolves around the family and crew of L.A. Battalion Fire Chief Joe Rorchek.
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California Gold Rush
Title: California Gold Rush
Character: Kentuck
Released: July 30, 1981
Type: Movie
Author Bret Harte relates the story of the discovery of gold in California at Sutter's Mill, and how that discovery changed the history of the west forever.
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When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
Title: When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion
Character: Self
Released: June 5, 1979
Type: Movie
Some of TV and film's popular western actors reunite in this tribute special hosted by Glenn Ford.
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Once Upon a Starry Night
Title: Once Upon a Starry Night
Character: Uncle Ned
Released: December 19, 1978
Type: Movie
Frontier woodsman Grizzly Adams happens upon a young boy and girl, traveling to meet their parents. Lost and cold in unfamiliar territory, Adams guides them to the warmth and safety of his cabin, but will he be a able to do the same for the children's parents? Grizzly must use all of his abilities and instincts in order to save the day and allow them to join in the celebration.
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Title: Vega$
Released: September 20, 1978
Type: TV
Vega$ is an American detective television drama series that aired on ABC between 1978 and 1981. It was produced by Aaron Spelling. The series was filmed in its entirety in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is believed to be the first television series produced entirely in Las Vegas. The show stars Robert Urich as private detective Dan Tanna, who drove around the streets of Las Vegas in a red 1957 Ford Thunderbird solving crimes and making Las Vegas a better place for residents and tourists alike.
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Title: Black Beauty
Character: Howard Jakes
Released: January 31, 1978
Type: TV
Born free in the American West, Black Beauty is a horse rounded up and brought to Birtwick Stables, where she meets spirited teenager Jo Green. The two forge a bond that carries Beauty through the different chapters, challenges and adventures.
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Title: How the West Was Won
Character: Orville Gant
Released: February 6, 1977
Type: TV
The Macahans, a family from Virginia headed by Zeb Macahan, travel across the country to pioneer a new land and a new home in the American West.
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Title: How the West Was Won
Released: February 6, 1977
Type: TV
The Macahans, a family from Virginia headed by Zeb Macahan, travel across the country to pioneer a new land and a new home in the American West.
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Pony Express Rider
Title: Pony Express Rider
Character: Jed Richardson
Released: November 1, 1976
Type: Movie
A young Texas Man who saw his father get killed by a group of bandits, decides years later to go to work for the Pony Express. But he is not just working around the country to deliver mail, he is actually finding the bandits who murdered his father.
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Title: Musik ist Trumpf
Character: Self
Released: January 2, 1975
Type: TV
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Title: Petrocelli
Released: September 11, 1974
Type: TV
Petrocelli is an American legal drama which ran for two seasons on NBC from September 11, 1974 to March 31, 1976. Tony Petrocelli is an Italian-American Harvard-educated lawyer who gave up the big money and frenetic pace of major-metropolitan life to practice in a sleepy city in the American Southwest. He and wife Maggie live in a trailer in the country while waiting for their new house to be built, and travel around in a beat-up old pickup truck. For a quiet rural area, Petrocelli seems to have no trouble running into his share of murderers to defend.
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Robin Hood
Title: Robin Hood
Character: Nutsy - A Vulture (voice)
Released: November 8, 1973
Type: Movie
With King Richard off to the Crusades, Prince John and his slithering minion, Sir Hiss, set about taxing Nottingham's citizens with support from the corrupt sheriff - and staunch opposition by the wily Robin Hood and his band of merry men.
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Title: The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour
Character: Self
Released: January 22, 1969
Type: TV
The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour is an American network television music and comedy variety show hosted by singer Glen Campbell from January 1969 through June 1972 on CBS. He was offered the show after he hosted a 1968 summer replacement for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Campbell used "Gentle on My Mind" as the theme song of the show. The show was one of the few rural-oriented shows to survive CBS's rural purge of 1971.
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Cheyenne Autumn
Title: Cheyenne Autumn
Character: Joe
Released: October 15, 1964
Type: Movie
A reluctant cavalry Captain must track a defiant tribe of migrating Cheyenne.
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How the West Was Won
Title: How the West Was Won
Character: Cpl. Ben (uncredited)
Released: November 2, 1962
Type: Movie
The epic tale of the development of the American West from the 1830s through the Civil War to the end of the century, as seen through the eyes of one pioneer family.
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Title: Ripcord
Character: Jim Buckley
Released: September 28, 1961
Type: TV
Ripcord is an American syndicated television series that ran for 76 episodes from 1961 to 1963 about the exploits of a skydiving operation by the same name.
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Two Rode Together
Title: Two Rode Together
Character: Greeley Clegg
Released: July 26, 1961
Type: Movie
Two tough westerners bring home a group of settlers who have spent years as Comanche hostages.
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The Alamo
Title: The Alamo
Character: Capt. Almeron Dickinson
Released: October 23, 1960
Type: Movie
The legendary true story of a small band of soldiers who sacrificed their lives in hopeless combat against a massive army in order to prevent a tyrant from smashing the new Republic of Texas.
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Freckles
Title: Freckles
Character: Wessner
Released: October 19, 1960
Type: Movie
A young man with only one hand gets a job at a timber camp and falls for his boss's daughter.
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The Killer Shrews
Title: The Killer Shrews
Character: Jerry Farrell
Released: June 25, 1959
Type: Movie
Trapped on a remote island by a hurricane, a group discover a doctor has been experimenting on creating half sized humans. Unfortunately, his experiments have also created giant shrews, who when they have run out of small animals to eat, turn on the humans.
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The Horse Soldiers
Title: The Horse Soldiers
Character: Cpl. Wilkie
Released: June 11, 1959
Type: Movie
A Union Cavalry outfit is sent behind confederate lines in strength to destroy a rail supply center. Along with them is sent a doctor who causes instant antipathy between him and the commander. The secret plan for the mission is overheard by a southern belle who must be taken along to assure her silence.
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The Young Land
Title: The Young Land
Character: Lee Hearn
Released: May 1, 1959
Type: Movie
An American gunslinger kills a Mexican man in California immediately after the Mexican-American war. The killer is arrested and put on trial for murder with the Hispanic population waiting to learn of American justice.
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Escort West
Title: Escort West
Character: Trooper Burch
Released: January 23, 1959
Type: Movie
Seeking a new place to call home, former Confederate soldier Ben Lassiter (Victor Mature) and his daughter meet Beth (Elaine Stewart), whose fiancé is a Union soldier. Lassiter falls for Beth, and when Indians attack, they head to a cavalry camp where Lassiter must battle the Indians as well as Beth's fiancé.
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Title: Rawhide
Character: Vic Slade
Released: January 9, 1959
Type: TV
The tale of trail boss Gil Favor and his trusty foreman Rowdy Yates as they drives cattle across the old west. Along the way they meet up with adventure and drama.
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The Last Hurrah
Title: The Last Hurrah
Character: Monsignor Killian
Released: December 31, 1958
Type: Movie
In a changing world where television has become the main source of information, Adam Caulfield, a young sports journalist, witnesses how his uncle, Frank Skeffington, a veteran and honest politician, mayor of a New England town, tries to be reelected while bankers and captains of industry conspire in the shadows to place a weak and manageable candidate in the city hall.
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The Missouri Traveler
Title: The Missouri Traveler
Character: Fred Mueller
Released: January 21, 1958
Type: Movie
Byron Turner, a 15-year-old runaway from the Eatondale Orphan Asylum, receives a ride into the rural Missouri town of Delphi with rich land-owner Tobias Brown.
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Title: Sea Hunt
Released: January 4, 1958
Type: TV
Sea Hunt is an American adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular in syndication for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges as ex-Navy frogman Mike Nelson, and was produced by Ivan Tors.
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Title: Perry Mason
Character: Tim Durant
Released: September 21, 1957
Type: TV
The cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most difficult of cases in the aid of the innocent.
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Title: Wagon Train
Character: Kyle Cleatus
Released: September 18, 1957
Type: TV
The series initially starred veteran movie supporting actor Ward Bond as the wagon master, later replaced upon his death by John McIntire, and Robert Horton as the scout, subsequently replaced by lookalike Robert Fuller a year after Horton had decided to leave the series. The series was inspired by the 1950 film Wagon Master directed by John Ford and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. and Ward Bond, and harkens back to the early widescreen wagon train epic The Big Trail starring John Wayne and featuring Bond in his first major screen appearance playing a supporting role. Horton's buckskin outfit as the scout in the first season of the television series resembles Wayne's, who also played the wagon train's scout in the earlier film.
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Title: Wagon Train
Character: Pappy Lightfoot
Released: September 18, 1957
Type: TV
The series initially starred veteran movie supporting actor Ward Bond as the wagon master, later replaced upon his death by John McIntire, and Robert Horton as the scout, subsequently replaced by lookalike Robert Fuller a year after Horton had decided to leave the series. The series was inspired by the 1950 film Wagon Master directed by John Ford and starring Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. and Ward Bond, and harkens back to the early widescreen wagon train epic The Big Trail starring John Wayne and featuring Bond in his first major screen appearance playing a supporting role. Horton's buckskin outfit as the scout in the first season of the television series resembles Wayne's, who also played the wagon train's scout in the earlier film.
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Title: Have Gun, Will Travel
Character: Monk
Released: September 14, 1957
Type: TV
Have Gun – Will Travel is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from 1957 through 1963. It was rated number three or number four in the Nielsen ratings every year of its first four seasons. It was one of the few television shows to spawn a successful radio version. The radio series debuted November 23, 1958. The television show is presently shown on the Encore-Western channel. Have Gun – Will Travel was created by Sam Rolfe and Herb Meadow and produced by Frank Pierson, Don Ingalls, Robert Sparks, and Julian Claman. There were 225 episodes of the TV series, 24 written by Gene Roddenberry. Other contributors included Bruce Geller, Harry Julian Fink, Don Brinkley and Irving Wallace. Andrew McLaglen directed 101 episodes and 19 were directed by series star Richard Boone.
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Title: Have Gun, Will Travel
Released: September 14, 1957
Type: TV
Have Gun – Will Travel is an American Western television series that aired on CBS from 1957 through 1963. It was rated number three or number four in the Nielsen ratings every year of its first four seasons. It was one of the few television shows to spawn a successful radio version. The radio series debuted November 23, 1958. The television show is presently shown on the Encore-Western channel. Have Gun – Will Travel was created by Sam Rolfe and Herb Meadow and produced by Frank Pierson, Don Ingalls, Robert Sparks, and Julian Claman. There were 225 episodes of the TV series, 24 written by Gene Roddenberry. Other contributors included Bruce Geller, Harry Julian Fink, Don Brinkley and Irving Wallace. Andrew McLaglen directed 101 episodes and 19 were directed by series star Richard Boone.
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Spring Reunion
Title: Spring Reunion
Character: Al
Released: March 1, 1957
Type: Movie
A spinster finally finds the right man when she returns to her alma mater after 15 years for a class reunion.
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The Wings of Eagles
Title: The Wings of Eagles
Character: John Dale Price
Released: January 31, 1957
Type: Movie
The story of Frank W. "Spig" Wead - a Navy-flyer turned screenwriter.
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The Growler Story
Title: The Growler Story
Character: Captain Howard W. Gilmore
Released: January 1, 1957
Type: Movie
True story of Lt.Cdr. Howard W.Gilmore who was awarded the Medal of Honor for sacrificing himself to save his submarine, February 1943.
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Five Steps to Danger
Title: Five Steps to Danger
Character: FBI Agent Jim Anderson (uncredited)
Released: November 5, 1956
Type: Movie
Can a couple keep important secrets from Communist spies?
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The Searchers
Title: The Searchers
Character: Charlie McCorry
Released: May 16, 1956
Type: Movie
As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.
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Title: Gunsmoke
Character: Festus
Released: September 10, 1955
Type: TV
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.
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Mister Roberts
Title: Mister Roberts
Character: Dolan
Released: July 10, 1955
Type: Movie
Mr. Roberts is as an officer who's yearning for battle but is stuck in the backwaters of World War II on a non-commissioned Navy ship run by the bullying Captain Morton.
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The Long Gray Line
Title: The Long Gray Line
Character: Specialty (uncredited)
Released: February 9, 1955
Type: Movie
The life story of a salt-of-the-earth Irish immigrant, who becomes an Army Noncommissioned Officer and spends his 50 year career at the United States Military Academy at West Point. This includes his job-related experiences as well as his family life and the relationships he develops with young cadets with whom he befriends. Based on the life of a real person.
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The Quiet Man
Title: The Quiet Man
Character: Dermot Fahy (uncredited)
Released: July 21, 1952
Type: Movie
An American man returns to the village of his birth in Ireland, where he finds love and conflict.
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Fighting Coast Guard
Title: Fighting Coast Guard
Character: Ken - Member Sons of the Pioneers
Released: May 31, 1951
Type: Movie
Story of how the Coast Guard trained to help win World War II.
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Don Daredevil Rides Again
Title: Don Daredevil Rides Again
Character: Lee Hadley / Don Daredevil
Released: April 10, 1951
Type: Movie
Stock-footage from Republic Pictures' earlier Zorro serials was served up once again in this 12 chapter cliffhanger, this time without the financially strapped studio having to credit Zorro creator Johnston McCulley or pay any royalties. Zorro simply became "Don Daredevil" (Ken Curtis), a foppish Easterner by day turned masked avenger by night. Like his not too distant relative, Don wore his disguise in order to battle nasty Roy Barcroft who, under a forged Spanish land grant, attempts to take over the surrounding ranch land.
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Rio Grande
Title: Rio Grande
Character: Donnelly - Regimental Singer
Released: November 15, 1950
Type: Movie
Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke is posted on the Texas frontier to defend settlers against depredations of marauding Apaches. Col. Yorke is under considerable stress by a serious shortage of troops of his command. Tension is added when Yorke's son (whom he hasn't seen in fifteen years), Trooper Jeff Yorke, is one of 18 recruits sent to the regiment.
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Call of the Forest
Title: Call of the Forest
Character: Bob Brand
Released: November 18, 1949
Type: Movie
A prospector is looking for a lost gold mine and finds aid in his search through the efforts of his friend, Stormcloud, whom he has aided in the past. Stormcloud gives the prospector's son a map leading to the mine in repayment for his past kindness. When a claim jumper learns about the map, he targets the prospector and his son in order to get the treasure.
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Stallion Canyon
Title: Stallion Canyon
Character: Curt Benson
Released: June 15, 1949
Type: Movie
It took a lot of courage to set up a new production company devoted to "B" westerns in 1949, a year when the genre was showing signs of winding down. Filmed in Trucolor, Stallion Canyon was the maiden effort from Kanab Productions, a Utah-based organization. Former Sons of the Pioneers vocalist Ken Curtis made his starring debut in this one, playing a ranch foreman who does his best to track down a rogue stallion. The rest of the cast is comprised of unknowns, save for villains Ted Adams and Forrest Taylor. Cheaply produced, Stallion Canyon has the twin advantages of a relatively new leading man and excellent location photography.
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Riders of the Pony Express
Title: Riders of the Pony Express
Character: Tom Blake
Released: May 13, 1949
Type: Movie
In a rigged gunfight Tom Blake is forced to shoot a man in self defense and is then hunted for murder. After a long trip fleeing the posse he uses a false name and joins the Pony Express which is just about to commence operatons. Relegated to the most dangerous section of the route, he finds himself fighting the District Manager's scheme to sabotage the inital run. But just then a wanted poster with his picture on it arrives.
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Over the Santa Fe Trail
Title: Over the Santa Fe Trail
Character: Curt Mason
Released: February 13, 1947
Type: Movie
Curt Mason saves Doc Henderson's Medicine Show from being robbed by the Morrell gang but later earns the enmity of Carolyn when he blames the troupe for polluting a local watering hole. Arriving in town, the medicine show, which consists of Doc Henderson, Taffy, the singing group the Hoosier Hot Shots and Carolyn, begin their performance while Curt is unsuccessfully attempting to stop the Morrell gang from robbing the bank. The sheriff mistakes Curt for one of the gang, and to save their friend, Curt's buddies Biscuit and Big Boy stampede their cattle through town. In order to clear his good name, Curt and his friends go in search of the real bank robbers, who as it turns out are working under orders from Doc Henderson.
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Lone Star Moonlight
Title: Lone Star Moonlight
Character: Curt Norton
Released: December 12, 1946
Type: Movie
Returning G.I. Curt Norton (Ken Curtis), owner of a radio station, finds his father Amos (Guy Kibbee) has allowed the station to run down and has squandered Curt's money in bad investments in war-surplus material. Eddie Jackson (Robert Kellard), who owns the rival station, is also attracted to Curt's sweetheart Jean White (Joan Barton). When Curt and the Hoosier Hotshots successfully stage an auction to raise money, Eddie hires Mimi Carston (Claudia Drake) to claim that Curt married her in France.
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Singing on the Trail
Title: Singing on the Trail
Character: Curt Stanton
Released: September 1, 1946
Type: Movie
In this Western, Ken Curtis, Columbia Pictures' low-budget answer to Gene Autry, romanced one of the studio's most beautiful starlets, Rita Hayworth-lookalike Dusty Anderson. She played Helen Wyatt, whose father (the rotund Guy Kibbee) loses his ranch to the hayseed singing group the Hoosier Hot Shots. Unbeknownst to Wyatt, the Hot Shots have been swindled by a couple of Eastern crooks (Ian Keith and Matt Willis) and consider themselves the lawful owners. Chased by the irascible Wyatt, the band members seek protection from aspiring singer Curt Stanton (Curtis), who they mistake for a gunslinger.
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Cowboy Blues
Title: Cowboy Blues
Character: Curt Durant
Released: July 18, 1946
Type: Movie
Starring Ken Curtis and the hayseed singing group the Hoosier Hot Shots, this musical Western is really Lady for a Day with a switch in gender. Rotund Guy Kibbee is Dusty Nelson, the handyman at the Bar B dude ranch, whose daughter Susan is arriving with her socialite fiancee, Jerome Winston. Susan believes her father owns the ranch, and to spare Dusty any embarrassment, the Hot Shots, ranch manager Curt Durant and sidekick Big Boy Stover agree to continue the deception.
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That Texas Jamboree
Title: That Texas Jamboree
Character: Curt Chambers
Released: May 16, 1946
Type: Movie
With the backing of the Mayor, Brady is running a crooked gambling operation. When Sheriff Curt shuts him down, he reopens when the Mayor charters his place as a private club. When Curt decides to run for Mayor, he is made to shut down the popular Warren medicine show. With Curt now out of favor the Warrens decide to run their daughter for Mayor and Brady has a plan to stop her also.
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Throw a Saddle on a Star
Title: Throw a Saddle on a Star
Character: Curt Walker
Released: March 14, 1946
Type: Movie
The "star" in the title of this low-budget singing Western was Dynamite, a wild stallion captured by cowboy Curt Walker to ride in the Big Rodeo. Unscrupulous John Burton has bet against Curt and does his best to sabotage the event. When lovely Barbara Allen, Curt's new girlfriend, leaves town because of Burton's schemes, Curt loses the first couple of events. The big Bronco Busting contest is coming up, and Pop Walker stalls the proceedings with a series of singing acts while the girl's brothers attempt to locate her. Barbara arrives just in time to spur Curt on to victory.
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Out of the Depths
Title: Out of the Depths
Character: Buck Clayton
Released: December 27, 1945
Type: Movie
Told in flashback, Out of the Depths strives to explain why its four male protagonists are bobbing around the Pacific in a lifeboat. The story proper begins as Captain Faversham (Jim Bannon) and his crew embark upon a secret mission which takes them into Japanese waters. The plan is to prevent a kamikaze attack against the American invading forces. Compelling in itself, the plotline isn't improved by arbitrary doses of misfire pathos and comedy relief. One of the sailors is played by Ken Curtis, later to gain TV fame as Festus on Gunsmoke.
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Song of the Prairie
Title: Song of the Prairie
Character: Dan Tyler
Released: September 27, 1945
Type: Movie
Joan Wingate's wealthy father doesn't want his daughter to go into show business. As they vacation in the west she gets a job with Dan Tyler's show and uses Wingate money to keep him afloat. Sandwiched in between the numerous musical numbers they try to keep her father away from the show. But he eventually finds out and decides they will return east
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Rhythm Round-Up
Title: Rhythm Round-Up
Character: Jimmy Benson
Released: September 6, 1945
Type: Movie
Arriving in Arizona, the band members discover that the hotel is haunted and that it properly belongs to young Jimmy Benson (Curtis), the nephew of the previous owner. The "ghosts," however, turns out to be a trio of confidence men, Zeke Winslow (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams), Noah Jones (Raymond Hatton) and Slim Jensen Victor Potel, who are hoping to buy the place themselves.