GUNSMOKE -- Us Haggens ( 8th Season ) Audio commentary by director Andrew McLaglen

This is the episode that introduced Ken Curtis in the role of Festus Haggen in 1962. Ken had played other guest roles on GUNSMOKE going back to the half-hour episodes in the 1950s.

Festus was only seen occasionally in a few episodes during the 8th and 9th Seasons, as Dennis Weaver left and came back to the show a few times (while he was trying to get a pilot sold for his own series). Then Festus eventually became a regular character.

Also in the guest cast of this episode is Denver Pyle as Uncle Black Jack Haggen and Elizabeth MacRae as his young girlfriend April. Liz would return as April a year later and she became Festus' on and off again girlfriend, but she was phased out of the series as quietly as Chester was.

Be sure to check out Andrew McLaglen's commentary on Track 2 about this episode. He directed 95 episodes of GUNSMOKE -- more than any other director.