The Real Story of Why Ken Curtis’ Festus Joined ‘Gunsmoke’
When Gunsmoke fans first laid eyes on scruffy, bumpkin-voiced Festus Haggan during the beloved Western’s Season 8 episode “Us Haggens,” they didn’t know how much the character would soon impact the show. Played by Ken Curtis, a former vocalist with Big Band icon Tommy Dorsey and an early lead singer of country music legends the Sons of the Pioneers, Festus was a backwoods guy seeking vengeance when his twin brother Fergus (also played by Curtis) is killed in a family feud. Festus teams up with Marshal Matt Dillon to see justice done, and the pairing was so successful — both for the storyline and with the show’s delighted audience — that Festus would turn out to be the perfect replacement for Dennis Weaver‘s Chester Goode, as Weaver was eyeing an exit from the show.
“I figure to stay with Gunsmoke as long as I can,” Curtis said in an interview with The Macon News. “Any actor who leaves a show that has a part that’s made for him is foolish.”
So how did Festus first set foot in Dodge City? Here’s how it all went down.
The Only Honest Haggen
The Gunsmoke episode “Us Haggens” debuted December 8, 1962, around the same time Dennis Weaver began to plot his departure from the show in order to further his film career. Fans met Festus when he came through Dodge on the trail of his uncle Black Jack (Western icon Denver Pyle), an outlaw who’d left Fergus for dead on the heels of a failed bank robbery. Fergus lived just long enough to find his twin and let him know what happened before he expired.
After Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) flushes Festus out of his hiding place, he quickly figures out that the fellow might be not only “the only honest Haggen,” but also a handy guy to have around when tracking down elusive bad guys. Festus explains that he knows the land around Dodge like he knows his “own ma’s cookin'” and the two team up to find Fergus’s killer.
Dillon and Festus finally locate Uncle Black Jack, who’s got Festus’s gal April (Elizabeth MacRae) in tow as a shield and insurance policy in case he encounters his vengeful nephew. Black Jack shoots the marshal in the arm, which calls for a night of truce at their farmhouse hideaway during which Jack tries to talk Festus into remaining loyal to the Haggens. Come morning, Festus chooses justice for his brother (whom he “loved like a June morning,”) and a shoot-out ensues. Festus and Dillon take down their man.
Come episode’s end, Festus — with his uncle’s “milksop” insults still ringing in his ears — realizes the Haggen way of life isn’t for him, and he decides to stick around Dodge City.
Festus be Goode
GUNSMOKE. Dennis Weaver, Glen Alden (makeup artist), Ken Curtis, on set. Bob Vose/TV Guide/Courtesy Everett Collection
As Curtis stepped into the Festus role, Gunsmoke was a show in transition. After ten years, Weaver’s departure left a gaping hole in the cast. Given that he and Arness also made for a highly watchable pair, producers knew a mere Chester clone was sure to fail, so they needed somebody who could quickly capture the audience’s attention and maybe give Gunsmoke a little boost, too. It just so happened that person was already there.
At the time, down-home shows like The Andy Griffith Show and The Beverly Hillbillies were becoming popular. Twangy, jokey Festus allowed producers to add a little Goober and Gomer to Gunsmoke, while giving Dillon a new sidekick, too. They retooled storylines to spotlight Festus’s admiration for the marshal and his do-gooding ways, and let Festus do the rest.
In Ken Curtis, who was 46 when he first appeared on the show, producers also had a good-looking guy (his were not hillbilly teeth) who, like Weaver, could appeal to multiple generations of ladies. Because of his musical background, Curtis also knew how to tailor Festus’s distinctive voice to cement the character’s roots and give audiences a giggle without undermining the fellow’s morality, and his commitment to justice, the marshal and the townsfolk who took him in.
Festus didn’t officially become a Dillon deputy until the show’s tenth season, though Dillon deputized him now and then. But, thanks to Curtis’ appeal and some very good timing, the hillbilly-turned-deputy quickly became one of the most beloved sidekicks in the history of TV Westerns. By the mid 1960s, Festus was no longer just a backwoods feller seeking revenge on his kin; he added to the heart of Gunsmoke, helping to keep it on the air for another 11 years and turning it into one of television’s most timeless classics.
Were you a Festus fan? Or did his cornfed twang drive you cuckoo? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
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