Comanches Is Soft

This comedy episode came out just after Dennis Weaver (as the long-running, highly successful Chester character) was phased out of the series, and the show gave the character of Festus (Ken Curtis) a fulsome "introduction" with all the trimmings including a silly song he made up about himself and continued through this episode as a narrative. In contrast to Dennis Weaver's multi-shaded interpretation of the recently departed Chester, this is pure slapstick -- and Burt Reynolds is better at it here. Burt, with Kathy Nolan (recently of the highly successful "The Real McCoys" and on the way to "Broadside", the producers' fem answer to "McHale's Navy") and hilarious James Nusser as town-drunk-with-dignity Louie Pheeters, are the highlights of this one. To improve Festus's appeal the producers would soon have to make him a lot more like Chester, dropping the slapstick approach entirely and instead featuring the constant bantering relationship with Doc Adams (Milburn Stone) -- though, again, without the previous subtlety. With everything said, it was still about 300% better than the hopeless slapstick "comedies" the "Bonanza" series was putting out through the Sixties.

The character of Festus changed a bit from this, one of his early appearances. He is more obnoxious here and I prefer what he became, more courageous, a bit less obnoxious, yet still a pain in the gluteus maximus to Doc. The humor is pretty broad here but Quint opens up a bit more than usual and the interplay with Festus works. If this had been real life, Festus would either be dead or in the hospital, but it says a lot about both actors that they succeeds here as a mild comedy duo. There are a few things said in fun near the end of the episode that could be offensive to women's groups, especially what a woman herself says regarding physical abuse. Some native Americans might be offended at times throughout, but it was still the era of the traditional Western and pretty much traditional everything, so wisecracks should be laughed off, given the relationship of the characters involved. Kathleen Nolan is here as the object of both men's affections, playing a more outgoing version of her character Kate McCoy from ABC's The Real McCoys show, which Nolan had left in 1962 after a contract dispute with Desilu Productions. Loved her on the McCoys and I like her here. Overall, a good episode that leans on the humorous side and shows some of Burt's flair for comedy.

Festus and Quint play off each other perfectly in this episode. The light hearted theme is a welcome break from the often Debbie-Downer stories/writing.

Of the last six episodes broadcast in Season 9, four of them have prominently featured Festus Haggen -- the newest regular character on Gunsmoke. This is another Festus story, although this one is a "buddy story" with Quint Asper and Festus.

When the episode opens, Festus is feeling "full of beans," meaning he is in an unusually goofy, rambunctious, mischievous mood. He eventually makes his way to Quint's blacksmith shop where he accidentally breaks Quint's bellows during a playful scuffle with Quint.

This sets up the premise of the story, as Quint has to travel to Wichita to get a new bellows, and Festus tags along, much to Quint's detriment.

Festus and Quint engage in a little drunken revelry in a Wichita saloon where they meet a saloon girl named Liz. Liz wants to get away from Wichita, and Quint and Festus agree to allow her to travel back to Dodge City with them.

Of course, the situation is not as straightforward as it seems on the surface. Liz flirts with both men -- as well as anyone else they encounter on the trail. There is something Quint and Festus don't know about Liz, and the revelation turns out to be a bit painful for the pair.

For better or worse -- depending on one's perspective -- the addition of the Festus Haggen character to Gunsmoke provided more opportunities for episodes that were comedic in nature. Although there were a few episodes that featured lighter fare prior to the introduction of Festus, nothing would approach some of the comedy content that would follow. This is the first of what would be many comedy-oriented stories featuring Festus in the seasons to come.

Kathleen "Kathy" Nolan plays the Liz character in this episode. Prior to her appearance here, she had starred in the comedy series The Real McCoys, although she left that series prior to the final season. Don Megowan appears here as the character Big Hardy. Megowan appeared in many television shows over the years, usually as a tough guy. Harry Dean Stanton and Rex Holman, both veteran actors, appear in this episode briefly.

I think how one feels about this episode is linked directly to how much one appreciates the Festus Haggen character. Fans of Festus generally love this story, while the Festus haters are likely to dislike this one.

This episode with Quint (Burt Reynolds) and Festus (Ken Curtis) is one of my favorites, due to the interaction between the two. Light on drama but perfect on comedy. Quint plays the perfect straight-man to Festus's "golly Bill," hillbilly timing. The classic line/title comes at a perfect time.