How Did Festus Leave Gunsmoke - crm.catalystglobal.com 264372
Webfestus haggen (played by ken curtis) is matt dillon's deputy marshal and one of the main characters of gunsmoke who would first appear in the season 8 episode us haggens. However, in 1975, ken curtis made the decision to. Webone primary motivation for festus’ replacement was simply keeping gunsmoke fresh;
After eight seasons, producers felt it required change for relevance;