How Many ‘Gunsmoke’ Characters Did Ken Curtis Play Besides Festus?
No question about it, Ken Curtis landed himself a prime spot on television when he stepped into the grubby duds of Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke‘s hillbilly doofus turned deputy, in Season 8. But viewers had actually seen Curtis in and around Dodge City as several other characters before — and even a few times after — Festus made his Gunsmoke debut. In fact, he played seven different characters in total.
Wondering who else the talented Curtis played on Gunsmoke besides signature role? Let’s break it down.
Season 4: A cowhand and a con
Phil Jacks, “Jayhawkers” — Season 4 Episode 21
Curtis first stepped onto the Gunsmoke set in this 1959 episode, which sees Marshal Dillon (James Arness) help his friend, trail boss Dolph Quince (Jack Elam), fend off a pack of Kansas cattle rustlers before Quince’s men sour on everyone from the Sunflower State.
Curtis plays Phil Jacks, one of Quince’s Texas-based men who spars a bit with Chester (Dennis Weaver).
Brisco Cass, “Change of Heart” — Season 4 Episode 32
“Change of Heart” sees young Jerry Cass (James Drury) inherit his dad’s Dodge City ranch, and fall for the town’s glamorous new saloon girl Bella Grant (Lucy Marlow). Everything looks rosy and the pair plans to marry, but then Bella suddenly tries to convince her fiancé that they should move back East, at least for a bit.
Turns out that Bella could be in cahoots with Jerry’s bad-guy brother, Brisco Cass (Curtis), who is newly arrived in town. Marshal Dillon realizes that if Jerry ditches the ranch for more than 6 months, Brisco can lay claim to it, and Bella could be just the gal to get the job done. It’s up to Marshal Dillon to figure out the truth and protect his young friend, which leads to heartbreak neither saw coming.
Season 5: A “prairie wolfer” and a Kiowa spy
Jesse Turnbull, “The Ex-Urbanites” — Season 5, Episode 30
Milburn Stone, Dennis Weaver. Everett Collection
Curtis plays another bad guy in this 1960 episode. Doc (Milburn Stone) and Chester visit far-flung patients when they’re set upon by “prairie wolfers” Pitt Gillen (Robert Wilke) and Jesse Turbull (Curtis). The trigger happy pair hunt wolves to sell their hides and have zero tolerance for competition.
Pitt puts a bullet in poor Doc, forcing Chester to attempt surgery to save his friend’s life before Marshal Dillon can get to the scene and exact justice on the bad guys.
Scout, “Speak Me Fair” — Season 5, Episode 34
Matt is on his way to the Traych ranch to investigate some cattle rustling when he comes across a bound and badly wounded Native American boy and takes him back to town for treatment. It’s food gathering time for the Kiowa tribe, so the marshal, Doc and Chester suspect the two situations are likely connected. While he sorts out what went down, Marshal Dillon encounters a Kiowa cavalryman (Curtis) and has to figure out the fellow’s intentions.
Though the episode is now considered cringy for its portrayal of Native American characters, fans do appreciate Curtis’ performance — a far cry from his soon-to-come days as Festus.
Season 9: A “Lover Boy” then back to Festus
Kyle Kelly, “Lover Boy” — Season 9, Episode 2
Before he returned to playing Festus Haggen for the rest of Gunsmoke‘s run, Curtis enjoyed a memorable turn as Kyle Kelly, a love ’em and leave ’em cowboy who finds more than he bargained for when he arrives in Dodge City. Kelly seduces Avis Fisher (Sheree North), the neglected wife of local homesteader Ab Fisher (Alan Baxter), and the two start plotting Ab’s demise. But more trouble is brewing downtown.
Turns out, Kelly’s last conquest before Avis was Terry Lee (Carol Byron), a young gal from a nearby town who’s now working in the Long Branch. And she’s far from over Kelly’s broken promises.
Season 17: Festus or Frank? Haggen or Haggin?
Festus Haggen/Frank Eaton in “Alias Festus Haggin” — Season 17, Episode 23
After briefly playing both Festus and his twin brother Fergus when the Haggen family made their debut in Season 8’s “Us Haggens,” Curtis pulled double duty again. This time he played both the faithful deputy and a killer named Frank Eaton, who happens to look just like him.
When another US Marshal, believing Festus is Eaton, hauls the wrong guy in for murder, Marshal Dillon — and Festus himself — scramble to correct the mistake before the law and the townsfolk take matters into their own hands.
Though Festus’ family name is indeed Haggen, this episode was released with the misspelling “Haggin.”
Curtis continued to act right up until his 1991 death at age 74, but he always proclaimed his appreciation for Gunsmoke. “Any actor who leaves a show that has a part that’s made for him is foolish,” Curtis told The Macon News. In Curtis’s case, he found one that made seven of them.
What was your favorite Ken Curtis role on Gunsmoke — Festus or one of the others? Let us know in the comments below.
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