In Once a Haggen (S9, E18), Ken Curtis sang with Slim Pickens "Six Shiny Black Horses" - a haunting composition by Curtis himself. A shiny black carriage All draperied like snow Six shiny black horses Are pulling so slow The road to the graveyard Is lonesome and Long Who passed the last judgment Was he right or wrong | The Legacy of Gunsmoke

🎶😂 Animated Ken Curtis as Festus Haggen From Gunsmoke Singing Tumbling Tumbleweeds #CelebrityToons #KenCurtis #Gunsmoke | Donnie Hazel

Ken Curtis (1916–1991) — the man who brought Festus Haggen to life. Long before Gunsmoke, Curtis was an accomplished singer and songwriter, touring nationwide with the legendary Sons of the Pioneers, where his warm, smooth baritone helped define classic Western harmony. But television history would remember him best as Festus — the scruffy, plainspoken deputy whose loyalty and quiet decency made him unforgettable. Joining Gunsmoke in 1964, Curtis remained with the series until its final episode,