07-20-2022, 03:24 PM
I wanna understand what changes were made to Festus. I wanna understand Festus's evolution.
So these were the very first ever Festus appearances.
The first one was an entire season apart from the second one.
In "Us Haggens", Festus was recognizably himself, but a lot more subdued... they were trying to endear Festus to the audience in that very first appearance because they probably knew they were gonna bring him on full time at that point.
In "Prairie Wolfer", Festus became part of the show for the rest of its run... but he still wasn't full Festus.
I think the height of "The Festus We Know And Love" was season 10-11. Those were the days of OG Festus... a character that would sometimes take the reins in the show while the Marshal was off doing whatever in another town. A character who would share the weight of the plot with the other mains like Doc/Kitty/Thad.
In the later seasons, when James Arness had less on-screen time (was trying to live life instead of just living Gunsmoke), the guest stars were supposedly carrying most of the plot weight in each episode. But it's too dangerous to just let it all ride on the guest stars... the audience wants to see a main character, they want that classic Gunsmoke foundation. I believe they made Festus the main character who would pick up the slack in the absence of the other main characters.
The changes to Festus in season 12 are like the difference between Clark Kent/Superman, or Peter Parker/Spiderman. If you think about it, Festus had only been part of the show for ~3 seasons before season 12 ushered in huge changes. The show went on for 8 more seasons after that point. We've been seeing the Festus character in its infancy, to be fair.
What changed? Well, his lines seemed to become even more intricate... frankly, to me, it's agonizing to think about having to deliver those lines. In order to successfully deliver, you would have to REALLY get into that mode. You'd have to be able to TRULY BECOME that character. You'd have to develop that character by seeing (and hearing) the world through that character. It would take serious devotion. It would take next level understanding of the character, and next level talent.
I think there was a moment when Ken Curtis was like, okay fuck you know what, this is my life now. It's Gunsmoke, this is my life, I'm Festus... I have to just let it into my soul, let it change my DNA, and let it go ahead and just take me over.
At the end of ~11 years of portraying that character, you'd be fused with it. This isn't some toned down, super serious character like Matt Dillon who's pretty much quiet all the time. It's not a Miss Kitty situation where your role is 60% looking glamorous and 40% saying things. It's more like a Chester kinda situation where you feign a limp that starts causing you actual physical problems down the line, but is intrinsically tied to your character so you can't stop unless you simply leave.
Only, with the character of Festus, the necessary feigning is taking place across so many facets. It's the way Ken Curtis has to hold his mouth, how he has to hold his eye(s), how he has to walk/move in general and pose his body, the way he talks, the way he has to get all up in peoples' business and deliver those insane lines...
This show was a challenge for Ken Curtis far more than it was for anyone else. He had to change his natural ways, FAR more than anyone else. He had to have more serious and genuine abilities than any of the other actors.
(06-06-2022, 10:57 PM)Chatwoman Wrote: S8 E13 - "Us Haggens"
(06-14-2022, 04:03 AM)Chatwoman Wrote: S9 E16 - "Prairie Wolfer"
So these were the very first ever Festus appearances.
The first one was an entire season apart from the second one.
In "Us Haggens", Festus was recognizably himself, but a lot more subdued... they were trying to endear Festus to the audience in that very first appearance because they probably knew they were gonna bring him on full time at that point.
In "Prairie Wolfer", Festus became part of the show for the rest of its run... but he still wasn't full Festus.
I think the height of "The Festus We Know And Love" was season 10-11. Those were the days of OG Festus... a character that would sometimes take the reins in the show while the Marshal was off doing whatever in another town. A character who would share the weight of the plot with the other mains like Doc/Kitty/Thad.
In the later seasons, when James Arness had less on-screen time (was trying to live life instead of just living Gunsmoke), the guest stars were supposedly carrying most of the plot weight in each episode. But it's too dangerous to just let it all ride on the guest stars... the audience wants to see a main character, they want that classic Gunsmoke foundation. I believe they made Festus the main character who would pick up the slack in the absence of the other main characters.
The changes to Festus in season 12 are like the difference between Clark Kent/Superman, or Peter Parker/Spiderman. If you think about it, Festus had only been part of the show for ~3 seasons before season 12 ushered in huge changes. The show went on for 8 more seasons after that point. We've been seeing the Festus character in its infancy, to be fair.
What changed? Well, his lines seemed to become even more intricate... frankly, to me, it's agonizing to think about having to deliver those lines. In order to successfully deliver, you would have to REALLY get into that mode. You'd have to be able to TRULY BECOME that character. You'd have to develop that character by seeing (and hearing) the world through that character. It would take serious devotion. It would take next level understanding of the character, and next level talent.
I think there was a moment when Ken Curtis was like, okay fuck you know what, this is my life now. It's Gunsmoke, this is my life, I'm Festus... I have to just let it into my soul, let it change my DNA, and let it go ahead and just take me over.
At the end of ~11 years of portraying that character, you'd be fused with it. This isn't some toned down, super serious character like Matt Dillon who's pretty much quiet all the time. It's not a Miss Kitty situation where your role is 60% looking glamorous and 40% saying things. It's more like a Chester kinda situation where you feign a limp that starts causing you actual physical problems down the line, but is intrinsically tied to your character so you can't stop unless you simply leave.
Only, with the character of Festus, the necessary feigning is taking place across so many facets. It's the way Ken Curtis has to hold his mouth, how he has to hold his eye(s), how he has to walk/move in general and pose his body, the way he talks, the way he has to get all up in peoples' business and deliver those insane lines...
This show was a challenge for Ken Curtis far more than it was for anyone else. He had to change his natural ways, FAR more than anyone else. He had to have more serious and genuine abilities than any of the other actors.
