Gunsmoke actor Ken Curtis brought Festus Haggen to the television show for more than half of its run. However, the personality of the character came from John Ford’s The Searchers, which remains one of the most iconic Western movies of all time. Festus caught on more than producers initially thought he would, so he became a recurring character on the show.
Curtis was first introduced on Gunsmoke as Festus in a 1982 script called “Us Haggens.” According to an interview with TV Guide, producer Norman Macdonnell said he was only supposed to be for one occasion, but it became a much bigger deal. He had charm,” Macdonnell said. “Later, we had him do another and liked him even better.”
Dennis Weaver left his Gunsmoke role of Chester, which left a void in the show. As a result, Curtis’ Festus was the perfect solution to fill in that gap on the show. The characters share a “basic bumpkin humor” and pattern of speech, but Festus is much “colder” with more of a moral compass to kill. This is exactly what happened when he murdered a man after he attacked Festus’ cousin.
Before Curtis played Festus on Gunsmoke, he starred as Charlie McCorry in The Searchers alongside John Wayne, who went to marry Laurie (Vera Miles). It’s a small role, but it ultimately informed his character in the Western television show. The role was initially supposed to be serious, but his ridiculous antics on the set changed things.
“I was to be kind of a Ralph Bellamy, but I was kidding around on the set, doing the dry-land dialect,” Curtis told TV Guide. “I didn’t even know Mr. Ford was listening. Then, when it came time for me to do my lines, he said, ‘How would you say that in dry-land?’ I did it for him, and he said ‘Play it that way.’”
Curtis intentionally approached his role in Gunsmoke with the same approach. He didn’t take himself or Festus very seriously. He said, “We’re just doing a job, like a bookkeeper in a bank, except people watch us.”
Macdonnell said that Gunsmoke audiences had very strong opinions about Curtis playing Festus. Most of the audience loved his inclusion, but some of them absolutely hated him. As a result, the producers kept track of how viewers felt about the character. Fortunately, the majority of the feedback was glowing.
“The mail on Festus is either absolutely white or absolutely black,” Macdonnell said. “Some people say they can’t stand him. Others say they like him better than Chester. They either love him or they hate him–but 90% say they love him.” Curtis ultimately remained on the show from his initial appearance as Festus in season 8 all way through the rest of its run until season 20. This marks a staggering 296 episodes.