Gunsmoke actor Ken Curtis enthusiastically played Festus Haggen ever since the show introduced him to audiences. He ultimately became a fan favorite for many viewers around the world. Nevertheless, the comparisons to Dennis Weaver’s Chester Goode were inevitable. Curtis once explained why he thought Festus was always a better character than Chester on Gunsmoke.
‘Gunsmoke’ used Ken Curtis’ Festus to replace Dennis Weaver’s Chester
U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness) originally had Chester as his royal right-hand man. However, Weaver ultimately thought that he took the character as far as he could take him. As a result, the actor decided to step away from the Western television series to explore other roles in different types of projects. Therefore, the creatives behind the scenes had to figure out what to do with the void left by Chester’s departure.
Curtis had his initial debut in Gunsmoke as Festus in season 8, but he became the obvious choice to fill the void of Matt’s loyal ally. Additionally, he became the new character to bounce off Milburn Stone’s Doc Adams. He stuck around until CBS canceled the show in 1975 after its 20th season aired. However, the cast was just as surprised as the rest of the world to hear the news that they wouldn’t return for season 21.
‘Gunsmoke’ actor Ken Curtis said Festus had more autonomy than Chester
According to MeTV, a 1971 Daily Advertiser article interviewed Curtis about playing Festus on Gunsmoke. The actor initially feared that he wouldn’t be able to fill the large shoes that Weaver once brought to the show. After all, the character and the actor both brought something truly singular to the show. As a result, Curtis initially thought that Festus could potentially be a poor replacement.
Gunsmoke Season 13 Episode 7 was named “Hard Luck Henry,” which was one of the episodes that helped Curtis think otherwise. In fact, the actor thought that Festus brought something to the show that was rather different than what Chester offered. As a result, he believed that, unlike Chester, Festus could actually carry an entire episode on his own.
“He does things on his own, while Chester was always whining along behind Matt,” Curtis said. He felt a certain comfort level playing Festus because he was “the same character” as Monk, who he played on Have Gun – Will Travel. Curtis inspired his perspective on both characters thanks to Cedar Jack – a real-life town local from his youth who cut down cedar trees for fence posts.
Newly O’Brien replaced Festus
Gunsmoke made good use of Curtis and Festus over the course of its run. After the surprise cancelation, the actor managed to find work in other projects. However, none of them reached the height of popularity of his time on the Western television show.
CBS returned to Dodge City with five made-for-TV movies, but Curtis didn’t see eye-to-eye with them regarding the pay rate. Therefore, he decided not to reprise his role. Naturally, the network simply decided to once again fill that void with another character. Buck Taylor’s Newly O’Brien was the perfect fit.