"Cowboys" in the Military

Here is a list of western actors who served in the military—most of them in WWII or the Korean War. This is just a foundation list, and I'm working on adding more details. If you notice any names missing, please let me know by commenting!

Some of these men gave more than just a few years of their life in service; Gunner's Mate Ernest Borgnine; Brigadier General James Stewart. Actor Audie Murphy is, to this day, one of the most highly decorated U.S. soldiers.




Arness, James

Autry, Gene

Blocker, Dan

Boone, Richard

Borgnine, Ernest

Brady, Pat

Brand, Neville

Brennan, Walter

Bronson, Charles

Carey Jr., Harry

Connors, Chuck

Curtis, Ken

Eastwood, Clint

Ebsen, Buddy

Evans, Gene

Fonda, Henry

Ford, Glenn

Ford, John

Garner, James

Graves, Peter

Greene, Lorne

Keith, Brian

Marvin, Lee

McQueen, Steve

Morris, Wayne

Murphy, Audie

O'Brian, Hugh

Palance, Jack

Parker, Fess

Perryman, Lloyd

Roberts, Pernell

Robertson, Dale

Stewart, James

Storch, Larry

Taylor, Buck

Van Cleef, Lee

Weaver, Dennis

Whitman, Stuart

Ken Curtis Song List

Ken Curtis started his career as a songwriter and singer, and although he is best known for his role as Festus on Gunsmoke, he has quite a few songs to his credit. Here are at least some of them:


- Adios Amigo

- Are You

- As I Place This Ring Upon Your Finger

- The Ballad of Hawg Haggen

- Be Brave My Heart

- Be What You Want to Be

- Buffalo (w. Curtis, Stan Jones, m. Curtis)

- Butterfly

- Catfish

- Cheyenne

- Cornbread and Buttermilk

- Dakota Polka

- Dodge City

- Don't Count On Me

- Empty Arms*

- Festus in Vegas

- Giddy Yip Yip Yip Yi Addy

- Git Along Old Mule

- Golly Bill

- Great to Be Back (w/ Dink Rogers)

- Guess I Was Born To Be a Cowboy

- Gunsmoke BG cues

- Hawk He's In the Pine Tree

- Headin' Home

- Heart of Stone*

- Hills of Utah

- Hi Yo Hi Yo Wyomin'

- Horizon Fever

- Idaho Ho

- Lemme Outta Here (w/ Lee Penny)

- Little Cowgirl

- Lonestar Moonlight (w/ Dink Rogers)

- Lonely Old Cowboy

- Loreen

- A Lot of Elbow Room

- Love and Joy*

- Maybe There's a Chance

- Mohave (w/ Lee Penny)

- My Home Town

- Never Tangle With Old John Law

- Nothing But An It

- Ode to a Mule (w/ --- Vaughn)

- An Old Attic Trunk

- Old Music Box

- Prairie Serenade (w/ Lee Penny)

- Ridin' Ropin' Rarin'

- Rooty Toot Galoot

- Ship Me Out By Saddle (To Cheyenne)

- Singing My Song On the Trail (w/ Fleming Allen)

- Six Shiny Black Horses

- Soft Breeze (w/ Dink Rogers)

- Streets of Dodge City

- Too Good To Be True

- When the Prairie Flowers Are in Bloom

- Wranglin' Blues





* These are songs Ken wrote for college productions while he was attending Colorado College in the late 1930s.



Thanks to Charles Mann, Sharon Marie, and Frances Stewart Stevens, and all the others who helped with this list!


Note: This list is a work in progress, so if you know of any ways to update it, especially if you see any errors, please let me know. If you have the titles to more songs written by Ken, please let me know the source as well.