Us Haggens

Where later episodes presented Festus with an IQ of 60 and an exaggerated accent,this one is less in that vein. Dennis Weaver's Chester was about as irritating as Festus,but the stories were good enough that I could ignore those fingernails on a chalkboard.

There were some great character actors back in the day and Denver Pyle was right up there. Too bad those guys have become extinct in today's tv and movies.

Eight stars.

Black Jack Haggen is another of those Gunsmoke villains that are lacking any redeeming qualities. Killing another person means nothing more to him than someone stepping on a bug. When he kills one of the farmers that lives close to Dodge City, Matt Dillon sets out in pursuit.

Matt isn't alone this time, though. He runs across Festus Haggen, who is also after his uncle for personal reasons. Matt agrees to allow Festus to tag along in the pursuit of Black Jack.

And so, we meet the one-and-only Festus Haggen for the first time.

Decades later, I am not sure when the Gunsmoke producers decided to add Festus as a regular character on the show. Although we first meet Festus here, we don't see him again until the next season in the "Prairie Wolfer" episode. However, this episode sure seems like it is as much to introduce us to Festus as anything.

There is a lot of Festus storytelling, especially as he tells Matt about his very unique family, many who have no qualms about breaking the law when it suits them, and maybe that even includes Festus. A big part of the tension in this episode is built around Matt not being sure if he can trust Festus or not.

Denver Pyle is good, as always, as Black Jack Haggen. We also get to meet April as played by Elizabeth MacRae, perhaps better known as Lou Ann Poovie on Gomer Pyle USMC. April would make additional appearances as Festus's girlfriend in the next season of Gunsmoke. Billy Hughes, a frequent guest on many westerns at the time, also appears early in this episode.

It is difficult to judge this episode on its own merits, because we now know the profound impact the Festus character would have on Gunsmoke. But a large part of this episode is an early version of Festus being Festus. The resolution to the episode is not especially surprising.

This episode is our introduction to Festus Haggen, who will eventually replace Chester Goode as Matt's sidekick and "comic relief".

As episodes go, it's an uninspired story of Matt having to bring in a man wanted for murder, with its various clichéd reversals of "who's on top".

But these don't matter, because its purpose is to introduce us to Festus. And that it does exceptionally well. Matt runs into Festus at a farm where Festus' murderous uncle Blackjack has killed a man. Festus says he's after Blackjack, too, for having left his twin brother Fergus to die. Matt isn't sure he can trust Festus, and their discomfort with each other is convincingly dramatized.

Festus is not yet the character we know and love (or are annoyed by). Ken Curtis has not yet "squinched up" his face, or folded his right ear under the brim of his hat. Nor has he settled on the "squealier" voice we immediately recognize (his vocal delivery is more like that of Andy Griffith), or pushed Festus's bow-legged walk to its limit. He's also slier and wilier than the later Festus.

Oddly, no one can decide how his name is pronounced. Both Arness and Curtis pronounce it /both ways/, with a long A and a short A. You'd think the director would have caught this and enforced a single pronunciation. (According to the rules of English pronunciation, Haggen is pronounced with a short A. I prefer the /sound/ of the long A, as it's firmer and more "masculine".)

Ken Curtis gives a typically nuanced performance. He was a fine character actor, and throughout the series showed his versatility, convincingly playing a mixed-ethnicity Indian scout; a ladies' man; a plains hunter. Among the cast, only Dennis Weaver was a "better" actor. The final version of Festus was not his most-subtle performance, but it showed how an actor can be "over the top" without looking campy or stupid.

For those who feel Festus should have remained the way he originally was... It would have upset the show's balance. "Gunsmoke" generally tells dark stories, and though Matt has a sense of humor, it's not a major part of his personality. Matt is a laconic, no-nonsense person, and a sometimes-silly sidekick is needed to balance it. A always-"serious" Festus would be too much like Matt, breaking a basic screen writing rule ("Thou must not have two characters with the same point of view.").

And there's another reason. In this episode, Festus has several well-written scenes -- and Curtis walks all over Arness in them. He's the better actor, and at "serious" moments, it's all too-obvious.

What a great episode, introducing the viewing audiences and public to one of the all-time memorable Western characters - Festus Haggen. Matt finds him hiding in a barn and the long-time relationship is established. Curtis was a skilled actor with the ability to play clean cut, all the way to the rough hill country man that we all got to know and love. Festus' use of his unique vernacular is consistent and colorful - as we all grew to expect over the years.

Uncle Jack plays a wonderful character as well. He could always be counted on to deliver a top notch performance, as he does in this memorable episode.

All in all one of the best episodes in the long run of Gunsmoke.

I really wanted to like this episode. The first time Festus Haggen is introduced to the 'Gunsmoke' family is a date that you want to remember. However after viewing the entire show I was less than impressed with the outcome of the program. I have to remember that at the time (1962) it was just a written show with no idea that Festus would become a regular on the show at a later date. That reference helps with the review.

At the beginning of the episode, Black Jack Haggen has just killed the grandfather of a young boy named Timmy. Timmy is able to get to Dodge and alert Matt who rides out to the house. While there they run up on Festus Haggen who is also tracking Black Jack due to the fact that he got his twin brother killed. Marshal Dillon makes a strange pact with Festus as they both track down the wanted Haggen family member.

It will be difficult for Festus but with the resolve of making Black Jack pay for getting his brother killed will make the pact hold till the end. They capture Jack with the intention of taking him back to Dodge for trial.

But this will be more difficult than believed. Jack keeps putting pressure on Festus about being blood of a Haggen and we are not sure they Festus will keep his pact about returning Jack for trial. But in this case blood may not be as thick as water.

The episode had some fine acting but the story was lacking. The introduction of Festus will always be the bright spot of this episode. Most will forget about the story that was really an uninteresting tale of county hillbillies.