Festus Haggen
Festus Haggen is Marshal Matt Dillon's second official deputy on the CBS television series Gunsmoke. (The first official deputy was Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood.) Played by Ken Curtis, he first appeared in 1962 and was a regular cast member from 1964 to 1975. Festus's most recognizable qualities are his simple vocabulary and demeanor (which mask a sharp mind and considerable intelligence), which viewers found endearing, keeping Curtis in the series as a full-time cast member.
Festus comes to Dodge City in "Us Haggens" to avenge the death of his twin brother, Fergus. When Uncle Black Jack's horse becomes lame, he makes Fergus take the lame horse and leaves Fergus for dead. Fergus, however, makes his way back to the Haggen place and tells Festus what happened. Festus rides out after Jack, who has come to the attention of Marshal Matt Dillon when he kills a local farmer and steals his wagon. Festus joins Matt Dillon and they apprehend Jack, who is shot by the marshal during an escape attempt.
Festus decides to stay in Dodge. He is frequently seen arguing with Doc Adams or trying to get someone to buy him a beer at the Long Branch Saloon. Though initially not entirely trustworthy and mistrusted by Matt and the townspeople, Festus is eventually accepted by them and becomes the only full-time official deputy marshal of Dodge City. In episodes such as "Deadman's Law", he effectively acts as marshal in Dillon's absence.
Little is known about his past life except that he was a trapper and a laborer on the Transcontinental Railroad and that he is illiterate. He repeatedly states that he refuses to learn to read, because he has no way of knowing if what he reads is true.
On the phonograph record "Gunsmoke's Festus Haggen Calls Out Ken Curtis," it's revealed that he served in the Confederate States Army, and explains that all his mules (including the johns) are named Ruth in commemoration of the mule shot by the Yankees while carrying Confederate dead. In the episode "Brides and Grooms", he claims to have an uncle named "Lazarus Dinglefoot" (though he doesn't indicate whether he's related by blood or marriage).
Some famous sayings of Festus are "Golly Bill!" and "You ornery ole scudder." He calls Marshal Dillon "MATH-hew".
There is some confusion on how Festus's last name is spelled. While "Haggen" appears to be the most common spelling outside of the show, episode 562 was titled "Alias Festus Haggin". It also appears on at least one occasion spelled "Haggin" (on the side of a wagon). A Western Union telegram sent to "Festus Haggin" is seen at the end of episode 490 (Season 15, Episode 1, "The Devil's Outpost").
Festus was portrayed by Ken Curtis, a prolific supporting actor who had previously played at least five different roles in Gunsmoke. He was a singer and member of the Sons of the Pioneers and son-in-law of John Ford, who had cast him, among other roles, as Jeffrey Hunter's rival for Vera Miles in The Searchers with John Wayne and Natalie Wood.
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