Gunsmoke (TV Series) The Deadly Innocent (1973) User Reviews

"Festus! You killed Bambi!"

[grizzledgeezer · 8/10 · 15 May 2015]

This is not a "great" episode. But it shows clearly what made "Gunsmoke" a great series -- its dramatic restraint.

"The Deadly Innocent" is obviously "Of Mice and Men". "Bonanza" did it too ("The Ape"), but the gulf is wide. Gene Coon's "adaptation" (ie, ripoff) of Steinbeck's novella hardly changes the story, except to (somewhat) "trashify" it, and to provide a risible ending that sidesteps the "mercy killing" resolution of the original.

Calvin Clements' script alters the story to make it appropriate for "Gunsmoke"'s era and characters. Though Festus is always shown as having good sense and solid judgment, this is perhaps the only episode in which he has nearly the entire running time to demonstrate it. He eventually finds a solution for what to do with Billy (other than dumping him in an asylum). Though sentimental, it makes sense.

Those who dote on Festus (as I do) will enjoy seeing Ken Curtis take center stage and show what an accomplished actor he was.

PS: In an amazing coincidence, I posted this review on Russell Wiggins' birthday.

Caretaker Festus

[wdavidreynolds · 7/10 · 11 October 2021]

Billy is a mentally challenged young man who has lived an isolated existence. He has managed to survive by helping people who live in a place he calls "The Valley" mend fences. However, most people have left The Valley, and Billy is finding mere existence a challenge.

At some point, Billy met and became friends with Festus Haggen. Given the declining opportunities in The Valley, Billy decides to go to visit Festus in Dodge City.

Festus is currently minding the livery stable while Hank is away. He invites Billy to help in exchange for clothing, a pair of boots, and regular meals.

Problems arise when Billy lashes out at a cruel bully for harming a cat and severely injures the man. As viewers, we do not mind so much, because the mean ole cowboy had it coming. Matt and Festus discuss the case with Judge Brooker, and he agrees to put Billy on probation.

However, when Billy and Festus go horseback riding, Festus shoots and kills a deer for food. Billy becomes enraged and attacks Festus. This incident proves to Festus that Billy is not capable of living in the general populace, but how to help Billy and protect him from himself and others is the primary dilemma Festus must face in the story.

Actor Russell Wiggins makes the first of two Gunsmoke appearances in this episode. He convincingly plays the Billy character.

Charles Dierkop often played less-than-admirable characters, as he does here as Barnett, Billy's cruel victim. This represents Dierkop's third and final appearance in the series.

Herb Vigran makes another one of his eleven appearances as Judge Brooker. We get a few short scenes involving the Matt Dillon, Kitty Russell, Doc Adams, and Newly O'Brien characters, but this is truly an episode designed to feature Ken Curtis as Festus. As such, Curtis turns in another impressive, heartwarming performance. The viewer can easily empathize with the tough decisions Festus faces.

The parallel with John Steinbeck's classic short novel Of Mice and Men is obvious in this story. Variations of this theme are used in several television westerns for some reason. Here veteran Gunsmoke writer Calvin Clements, Sr. Simplifies the plot and takes the story in a decidedly less tragic direction than Steinbeck chose.

I have mentioned in other reviews the chameleon-like nature of the Festus Haggen character, which has always intrigued me. When Curtis first joined the cast to play Festus, the character was carefree and aloof. Over time, he was transformed primarily into a wise, dependable, kind-hearted character, as he is here. When the situation suited the writers, Festus could be portrayed as an obnoxious, humorous character who was oblivious to his foolishness. No other regular character in the history of the show goes through these kinds of personality shifts.

Unfortunately, I cannot muster the same enthusiasm for this episode as some of the other reviewers. It isn't a *bad* story, but it is derivative and predictable. It achieves its goals, but they are not set particularly high. Nevertheless, it is worth viewing.

A great episode that will never be easy to watch.

[kfo9494 · 10/10 · 15 August 2012]

In a episode that is just as timely today as when the show was set in rural Kansas, we get to see that some problems are not difficult to solve no matter which era of time the situation is set. This show will be difficult for some people to watch- and others will be taken by surprise as mental illness is present in this different type of western plot.

When a young man named Billy (Russell Wiggins) with the mental ability of a small child believes he has no friends in the entire world. He remembers that he had one friend named Festus that lives in Dodge. Festus gladly accepts the mentally challenged Billy to the town and agrees to help the young man get on his feet.

It will not be long before the child-like tendencies of Billy will come to the surface when a cowboy intentionally hurts a small cat. Billy becomes so upset that he loses control and seriously injures the cowboy. It seems that his innocent is so strong that he cannot control himself when presented with any type of injure to a living animal.

It becomes apparent that Festus will not be able to watch over the young man when he becomes violent a second time. And there is only one place that is able to care and protect Billy from harm. Festus makes a difficult reality check- when he carries Billy to the state-run mental asylum.

Unable to care for Billy, Festus will have to make the decision to leave Billy or make other arrangements. Either way Festus is not in a situation where he can care for Billy.

This is a serious well-played drama for a 'Gunsmoke' episode. Ken Curtis and Russell Wiggins characters had good chemistry that plays well on the screen. Thereby making this episode a gem that could have easily been a boulder.

the deadly innocent

[jhrunion · 10/10 · 30 December 2006]

festus is my favorite character on the show. This episode gives Ken Curtis a great chance to show just how great a character Festus is and what a great character actor Curtis is. Curtis is so related to his character in the minds of the general public it is easy to think of actor and character as one and the same. Outside of the two episodes of the show Russell Wiggins guested in I am not familiar with his work. Here, his character Billy, is not only my favorite of all visitors to Dodge, I think Wiggins turns in not only my favorite performance, but also the most complex and very best of all guests on the show. I wish he had been made a regular on the show. He should have been nominated for an emmy award. I think Wiggins projects the innocence of Sam Bottoms from the motion picture "The Last Picture Show", as well as the isolation of Timothy Bottoms from the same film. Wiggins as Billy turns in one of my all-time favorite performances. If you have seen Gunsmoke episode "A Town in Chains", you have seen another fine performance from actor Wiggins. In that episode he proves he was as good an actor as another of my favorites, Richard Thomas. His two guest appearances on this show are nothing alike proving that even if he did not go on to superstardom, Russell Wiggins was a sensitive, creative, complex, gifted and talented actor. Wiggins is just as great at his projection of being innocent as he is at portraying being deadly. The entire episode is well written, directed, timed and paced. I find something great in it that I have not noticed before every time I view it.

A delema for Festus.

[martinxperry-14868 · 10/10 · 18 June 2018]

This is a very touching episode, and one of the best or the emtire series. Festus has taken a young man with a childs mind under his wing. In his attempts to help the lad it becomes clear that the lad needs a "special" home. They arrive at the home after dark, and the sounds coming from inside the home stop the hand over. The next day while taking some rabbits for food, the lad again shows his need for care beyond what Festus can provde.The next scene sees Festus riding back into Dodge alons. Festus takes Doc and Matt out to show them the solution Festus came up with, and it is a touching and clear win-win.