Who is Festus Haggen?
Festus Haggen was Marshal Matt Dillon’s only official deputy on the CBS television series Gunsmoke. He came to Dodge City in an episode titled “Us Haggens” to avenge the death of his twin brother, Fergus. Played by Ken Curtis, he first appeared in 1962 and was showcased full-time from 1964 until 1975. One of Festus’s most well-known attributes was his simple vocabulary and demeanor (by extension a perceived lack of intelligence), which ended up being interpreted by viewers as “lovable,” and kept Curtis on the series as a full-time cast member. Fergus joined their outlaw uncle – Black Jack Haggen – and was wounded trying to escape a posse. When Jack’s horse came up lame, he made Fergus take the lame horse and left Fergus for dead. Fergus, however, made it back to the Haggen place and told Festus what happened. Festus rode out after Jack, who had come to the attention of Marshal Matt Dillon when he killed a local farmer and stole his wagon. Festus joined Matt Dillon and they apprehended
