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Festus was left out of the 1978 Gunsmoke reunion
Ken Curtis was snubbed when CBS turned 50.
A 1978 article in the Indianapolis Star details the difficulties Milburn Stone had with retirement. Fans of classic westerns will likely remember Stone as crusty ol' Doc Adams on Gunsmoke. In the interview, Stone points out his struggles with inactivity, and the ways not working had affected his life. It turns out, not everybody pictures a leisurely later life filled with golf and lounging. While he had plenty of time for fishing trips, the golf was driving him crazy, and the lack of activity was, to Stone, "grating."
However, a more interesting detail included in the article concerns another cast member from Stone's Gunsmoke. In '78, Milburn Stone had just returned from a rare trip to Hollywood where he participated in the CBS-TV 50th anniversary celebration. As the network capped its fifth decade, CBS aired a series of two-hour specials to pay tribute to its 50 years of TV highlights. Of the 120 stars that flocked to Hollywood for the celebratory tapings, there were several actors from Gunsmoke.
Stone's appearance marked a reunion with Gunsmoke's James Arness, who played Marshal Matt Dillon. They were joined by Dennis Weaver, who played Deputy Chester Goode.
"I felt bad because Ken Curtis —who played Festus— wasn't included," Stone told the Indianapolis Star.
No details were given for the snub, but Curtis wasn't alone among Gunsmoke stars who weren't in attendance.
"Amanda Blake (Kitty) was invited, but she couldn't make it," said Stone.
"But Jim and Dennis and I spent the whole day talking about the good times we had together.
"Jim said, 'I guess we didn't know how lucky we were,' And I told him, 'Maybe you didn't, but I sure as h— did!'
For our money, no Gunsmoke reunion could be complete without the patron saint of not washing oneself, Festus. As played by Ken Curtis, Festus was an irreplaceable part of what made Gunsmoke so special in the first place. Excluding Festus is unpatriotic.
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12 Comments
Unpatriotic?
You keep using that word, I don't think it means what you think it means. 🤣🤣🤣
