Who came first Chester or Festus?

Gunsmoke. Curtis remains best known for his role as Festus Haggen, the scruffy, cantankerous, and illiterate deputy in Gunsmoke. He joined the regular Gunsmoke cast in 1964, superseding the previous deputy, Chester Goode, played by Dennis Weaver.
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Why did Festus replace Chester on Gunsmoke?

Long-running television shows frequently have to roll with the punches and figure out ways to keep audiences wanting to tune in. Gunsmoke made Ken Curtis' Festus Haggen a series regular to replace Dennis Weaver's beloved Chester Goode after he left to pursue other acting opportunities.
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How many times did Chester and Festus appear together?

There's only one Gunsmoke episode where Chester, Quint and Festus all appear.
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Why did Chester on Gunsmoke limp?

When Dennis Weaver landed the role of Chester Goode, it was apparent that he was leading man material. To create a more fitting character, Dennis Weaver began portraying Chester Goode with a limp and speaking in a Midwestern twang—a decision that would ultimately help steer his decision to leave the series.
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How did Chester leave Gunsmoke?

What happened to Chester on 'Gunsmoke'? Actor Dennis Weaver (who played TV Chester) decided to exit the series after nine seasons to pursue other opportunities. His last episode, titled "Bently," saw Chester leave Dodge City, Kan. to find a murderer following a suspicious deathbed confession.
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Gunsmoke Matt Dillon Chester meets the soon to be Festus

Did Chester and Festus ever meet?

But the changing of the guard really happened in the Season 9 episode titled "The Prairie Wolfer," where Chester and Festus actually appear together. In fact, this particular episode had appearances from Matt, Kitty, Doc, Chester, Festus, Sam and Quint.
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Did James Arness get along with Dennis Weaver?

' ” Arness, who remained close to Weaver after he left the series, praised him as a “really fine actor.” “We really liked each other a whole lot,” Arness said.
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Who did Matt Dillon marry in Gunsmoke?

A: Matt Dillon (James Arness) and Kitty (Amanda Blake) never married during the series 1955-75 run, although close watchers of the show were convinced they had connected at some time. But in a 1973 episode, Matt had a brief affair with another woman, Mike Yardner (Michael Learned), while he had amnesia.
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Did the cast of Gunsmoke get along?

The cast of Gunsmoke was able to get pretty chummy with each other during the show's twenty-season run, to the point where they felt like a family. Leading this cast of Western stars was James Arness, a man who was— apparently— as tall as he was kind.
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What actor was in every episode of Gunsmoke?

A list of Gunsmoke cast members in order of how many episodes they appeared in would start predictably enough. James Arness, who lead the series as Marshall Matt Dillon, was in all 635 episodes.
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Did Festus ever have a girlfriend?

Multiple appearances on series

MacRae was also cast multiple times on the long-running Gunsmoke, appearing once in the role of Fanny in the 1962 episode "Half-Straight" and then, between 1962 and 1965, appearing four times as April, the girlfriend of Festus Haggen, one of the series' main characters.
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What was the relationship between James Arness and Peter Graves?

James Arness and his family were Methodists. Arness' younger brother was actor Peter Graves. Peter used the stage name "Graves", a maternal family name. Arness attended John Burroughs Grade School, Washburn High School, and West High School in Minneapolis.
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When and why did Festus leave Gunsmoke?

Festus didn't leave Gunsmoke. The show ended. continued on the program if it hadn't ended. called the “Prairie Wolfer.”
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Why did Matt Dillon never kiss Kitty?

They knew that if he kissed her, the next time he better kiss her twice, show a little more passion.” As James Arness told the Archive of American Television, “I think they felt that… you could only go so far with it and then you'd have to change the character and nature of the show, so they kept it in that groove.
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Did Kitty ever kiss Matt on Gunsmoke?

Did Matt Dillon and Miss Kitty from Gunsmoke like each other? They never kissed or held hands. He never walked her home after work.
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Who did Matt Dillon have a baby with on Gunsmoke?

Matt is now a cattle rancher in the Dragoon Mountains northeast of Tombstone along with his daughter Beth (Amy Stock-Poynton), whose mother "Mike" has just died (from season 19, episode three, wherein Michael Learned portrayed a widowed rancher named Mike Yardner).
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Did Ben Cartwright and Matt Dillon ride the same horse?

They've had many horses over the years, but the horse they've both ridden is named Buck.
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Who is the best horseback rider in western movies?

Tom Mix: Considered one of the first Western movie stars, Tom Mix was renowned for his horseback riding abilities [2]. He began his career as a Wild West show performer and showcased his expertise in horse training and trick riding in films like "The Great K & A Train Robbery."
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Where was Gunsmoke filmed?

The television series of Gunsmoke ran from 1955 to 1975 and is said to be one of the longest running prime-time shows on television. There were 635 episodes and many of the outdoor scenes for this show were shot in Johnson Canyon near Kanab, Utah.
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Did James Arness ever miss an episode of Gunsmoke?

He was the only actor to appear in all 635 episodes of Gunsmoke (1955). In 1968, he donated his 1,400-acre ranch in northern Los Angeles County to the Brandis Institute.
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Was James Arness like Matt Dillon?

Unlike many television stars, Arness never took on too many characteristics of his most famous role, nor did Dillon become more like the actor. "As for the issue of the onscreen personality and the real person, there's no comparison, no way.
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What was the cause of death of Dennis Weaver?

Dennis Weaver, whose portrayal of Deputy Chester Goode in the classic television western "Gunsmoke" made him the favorite sidekick of the early television era, died on Friday at his home in Ridgway, Colo. He was 81. The cause was complications of cancer, said Julian Myers, his publicist.
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