Posted on 06/03/2011 10:35:24 AM PDT by Wilum
Yep! RIP to both of the brothers.
Burt Reynolds started out on Gunsmoke.
You have a FReepmail.
What I’d like to know is, how did Festus make his eyes look so crazy? Sometimes, he looked like he had a glass eye. One eye would fix itself straight ahead, while the other roamed skyward.
I was watching the “Baker’s Dozen” episode where Doc is fighting to locate a home for orphaned triplets. Festus had another really weird eye thing going on in one scene. His right eye looked transluscent, staring straight ahead, while the left eye did the usual traveling around. I think they lit his right eye differently, and it really made him look fevered-up and nut-brained. It was great!
He was a genius. He even had genius corneas.
That’s a good question. He had this squint thing but the eye that was open rolled around a lot, while the closed eye sort of flickered. Must be a Haggen genetic trait.
One classic episode has a relative show up and try to shoot of “the little hangy down part” of his ear. The back and forth with Milburn Stone had to be ad-libbed a lot I reckon.
Like you said, Genius. I mean, the male mule he rode was named Ruth. I don’t think they ever explained it, beyond a general “that’s a Haggen thing”.
Freegards
Yes that is right. Dad was with the 45th Infantry Division 180th Regiment.He was also under Patton at North Africa and Sicily
I’m not sure he explains the origin of the name “Ruth”, but in his own words, here’s his “ode to” and the history of “Ruth”. There’s quite a lot about the Civil War and ol’ Festus and Ruth fighting together in it. It’ll make you kinda teary-eyed.
It’s on youtube, and the person who put it together combined Ken’s record album selection with photographs from the war, and possibly the old Borax mule trains.
Here’s to old Ruth, and Ruth, and Ruth, and Ruth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo696R-yrn8
Holy cow, er... mule! As far as I’m concerned that is now canon as far as gunsmoke and mules go. Just awesome. I’m trying to think whether Festus ever mentioned anything about being in the war. Very cool stuff.
Freegards
Isn’t it though? It gives an even richer dimension to the character of Festus, whom we love.
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