Festus Haggen
Festus Haggen is Matt Dillon’s second deputy, and one of the most beloved characters on the show. Festus brings a unique personality (and vocabulary) to the scenes he is a part of. The role is played by the late singer and actor, Ken Curtis.
Curtis grew up on a ranch in Colorado and played quarterback on his high school football team. After college, he started his career in entertainment by signing on as a vocalist with the Tommy Dorsey Band.
Polly Bond
Polly Bond was offered the role of Kitty before it was filled but she turned it down. Have you ever heard of anyone turning down a job because they were offered too much money? Yeah, neither have we, but that’s exactly what happened in this scenario.
At the time she was offered the role, Polly was married to fellow actor Tommy Bond, who played Butch on 'The Little Rascals'. Had she accepted the role of Kitty, she would have been the breadwinner in the marriage, which she apparently had no desire to do.
Memorable Lines
When a show is on the air for 20 years, it’s bound to leave its mark on the world. In the case of "Gunsmoke", this happened in several ways, one of which is through the show’s catchphrases. “You ain’t never going to find out, Curly,” is perhaps one of the most well-known ones.
Another phrase you may remember from the show is, of course, “get out of Dodge.” In fact, it’s actually been added to the online slang terminology site, Urban Dictionary, since it’s heard so often.
Gunsmoke Killed Gilligan’s Island
In 1967, "Gunsmoke" was nearly canceled, and its spot was given to someone else. But when President Lyndon B. Johnson reportedly told CBS he was a fan, they had to reevaluate. Around this time, "Gilligan’s Island" was enjoying its prime-time slot on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. Unfortunately for fans of that show, "Gunsmoke" needed somewhere else to go – and just like that, it replaced Gilligan and his crew.
Luckily, it worked like a charm, and the show's ratings skyrocketed. It became the 4th most watched show in the U.S.
Committed to the Role
If you have a job for two decades, you’re bound to miss at least a few workdays over the years. Things happen. People get sick, there are family emergencies, weather issues, etc. But James Arness was wholly committed to his role as Matt Dillon. In 20 years of filming, he was the only actor to appear in each and every episode of the show.
It is possible that, because he was the star of the show, producers and the rest of the cast worked around his sick days. But, it’s also possible that he simply pushed through and showed up no matter what the circumstances were.