1 ‘Gunsmoke’ Actor Impressed Jon Voight Above All the Rest on His Final Episode
Actor Jon Voight starred in Gunsmoke a few times before he achieved fame in feature films. He made his big break with his Oscar-nominated performance in 1969’s Midnight Cowboy as Joe Buck. The actor would continue to pick up notable roles in pictures, such as Deliverance, Coming Home, and The Champ. However, Voight looked back on his Gunsmoke appearances with fondness, with one actor standing out from the rest.
Jon Voight starred in 3 ‘Gunsmoke’ episodes
Voight first starred in Gunsmoke in 1966 as Petter Karlgren in season 12 episode 11 titled “The Newcomers.” Petter is a Swedish immigrant, who arrives in Dodge City with his father. However, he’s baited into a brawl that gets out of hand.
The actor returned to the Western television show the following year in 1967 as Cory in season 13 episode 10 called “Praire Wolfer.” The story follows two fur trappers who plan to commit a robbery after their precious furs are worthless. They wish to travel westward to California, but nothing goes as planned.
Voight’s final Gunsmoke episode was in 1969 as Steven Downing in season 14 episode 25 called “The Prisoner.” It follows a prisoner making his way to town, where a likely unfair trial awaits. However, Miss Kitty (Amanda Blake) intervenes until the marshal returns.
‘Gunsmoke’ actor Ken Curtis impressed Jon Voight above all the rest
According to Ben Costello’s Gunsmoke: An American Institution, Celebrating 50 Years of Television’s Best Western, Voight wrote about his experience on the show. He honored both the production itself and the legendary cast that he had the chance to work with. However, Voight pointed out that Festus Haggen actor Ken Curtis was a step above the rest.
“I was especially impressed with Kenny Curtis,” Voight wrote. “In my heart, I am a character actor and, this guy just seemed to be something out of the pages of a book about the time. He seemed very authentic. The craziness of his outfit, his hat, even his accent was so extraordinary.”
Voight continued: “Kenny is refined and a very intelligent guy, and he played this crazy rube–just a delightful character. I always tried to see the Kenny Curtis scenes because I knew he’d come up with something in each scene. I wanted to see how he’d play it. I’d read what was on the page and then go see what Kenny would do with it. Terrific!”
Ken Curtis stuck with the show for the remainder of its run
Curtis first appeared in Gunsmoke as Festus in the season 8 episode titled “Us Haggens.” He was originally written to be a man bent on revenge to kill his uncle for killing his brother. However, Festus ultimately became Matt Dillon’s (James Arness) deputy and one of his close friends.
Voight wasn’t the only person taken by Curtis’ Festus. The character became a fan favorite for many Gunsmoke audiences around the world. Fortunately for them, Curtis stuck with the show for the remainder of the television show’s run through its 20th season.
