Gunsmoke (TV Series) Hard-Luck Henry (1967) User Reviews

We learn Festus is the brains of the Hagan clan.

[kfo9494 · 7/10 · 13 August 2012]

Festus Hagan's relatives come to Dodge City in an effort to get Festus to return with them on an important detail. And when we find out that Festus is the brains of the bunch we know we are in for a show featuring almost cartoon like humor.

When Festus returns to the Hagan farm land, he finds that the Hagans have found a chest full of confederate gold coins. Festus had been brought back in order to divide the money equally among his clan. However Festus talks his relatives on returning the money to Dodge instead of keeping the coins.

When their neighbors, The Dooley's, find out about the chest, they know that something is up with the Hagan clan. So as the Hagan's set on the trip back to Dodge more than one mishap will follow. In one of the funniest scenes, Festus has been arrested in a local town and placed in the jail. The Hagan clan comes to Festus's rescue in form of a nighttime jail break that leads to Festus being dragged down the streets of this local town., And so the show goes as one problem follows the Hagan clan on their way to Dodge. With the Dooley's close on the trail it will only be a matter of time before both clans are up to their necks in problems.

The episode had some funny moments but much of the time was playing like a cartoon-short without the animation. The only thing missing from the buffoon country stereotype was a beard-pulling and a square dance.

Overall the episode was different and to a point entertaining. Perhaps not the best comic show ever written but it does give relief to usual serious series.

A Flawed Comedy

[wdavidreynolds · 6/10 · 14 April 2021]

This story begins with the arrival of another member of Festus Haggen's family in Dodge City. "Hard Luck" Henry Haggen has come to Dodge to seek the wisdom of his cousin, Festus with a "showin' problem," as opposed to a "tellin' problem." Henry Haggen has earned the nickname Hard Luck Henry because everyone he likes meets with some measure of disaster.

Festus reluctantly agrees to go with Hard Luck Henry to help resolve the problem. (The Haggens consider Festus the Haggen with the greatest intellect and wisdom.) We soon learn that a group of Haggens -- including Homer, Harper, and Heathcliff, along with Henry -- have found a box of Confederate gold coins.

Festus manages to convince the others to transport the gold to Dodge City so Matt Dillon can advise them as to the proper disposition of the treasure. The situation is complicated by the fact another family known as the Dooleys -- Jefferson, Reb, and Truly -- consider themselves enemies of the Haggens and take a great interest in what the Haggens are doing.

The primary focus of this episode is on the challenges the Haggens face in their ultimate goal of taking the gold to Dodge.

This is supposed to be a comedy episode, and it certainly has its moments. The opening scenes in the Long Branch Saloon as Hard Luck Henry meets Doc Adams, Kitty Russell, and Matt Dillon are fun as Henry introduces himself and reveals some of his personal knowledge of Festus and his closest friends. There are reference to the Season 10 episode "Eliab's Aim," where Eliab Haggen makes his way to Dodge to shoot off "the hangy-down part" of Festus's ear. Apparently Doc Adams earned legendary status among the Haggen clan by treating Eliab's injured foot. We also learn the Haggens think "Matthew" is Festus's deputy.

Unfortunately, much of the rest of the story is tedious. The Haggens and the Dooleys are as annoying as they are funny. Most of the story consists of a series of silly incidents that mostly serve to fill time until we get to the head-scratchingly ridiculous conclusion. (Without giving too much away, I will only say quicksand and, in this case, "bogs" do not operate as they are often portrayed in classic movies and television.)

John Astin's portrayal of Hard Luck Henry Haggen comes across more as an actor portraying a backwoods person than an authentic person. Contrast Astin's performance with James Hampton's Eliab Haggen, Lauri Peters's Mayblossom Haggen, or Denver Pyle's Black Jack Haggen. There was authenticity to those performances, but it is missing with Astin. Furthermore, the other Haggens portrayed here -- Heathcliff, Homer, and Harper -- are more like cartoon characters played for yucks than real people. Even Festus prefers to keep his distance from this group of Haggens.

The Dooley's & The Hagan's

[blowbama · 10/10 · 1 December 2019]

The one scene two young boys sneak into the wagon that holds the confederate booty of gold coins. They fill their pockets so heavy their pants start to fall down. They take the booty back home with them only to get caught by Festus and have to give it back. It's a really funny part of this funny episode of Gunsmoke. There's hardly any of Marshall Matt Dillon in this episode. This is a very good episode for sure. Very funny!

Gunsmoke lands on Gilligan's Island

[grizzledgeezer · 4/10 · 6 August 2015]

"Gunsmoke"'s attempts at humor were generally bombs. You can count the comic episodes that worked on one hand, and still have fingers left over.

This one has Festus coming to the aid of four cousins, to give advice on how to properly divide a chest of Confederate gold coins. Festus declares that they should schlep it to Dodge, and let Matthew decide. (The obvious solution -- to deposit the coins in the bank, and perhaps collect interest -- apparently doesn't occur to Festus. Of course, the FDIC didn't exist back then, and people commonly lost their money when banks failed.)

The rest of the show is a humorless farce, with the Haggens chased by the Dooleys, who are trying to discover what it is the Haggens are hiding. It ends with the chest falling in a "bog" (that appears to be filled with watery oatmeal) and presumably being lost (even though it could easily be recovered).

The most interesting moment occurs when Henry, trying to get back in Festus' good graces, offers him some fine pipe tobacco. He declines, saying "You know I don't use tobacco a any kind." I dote on Festus, and would like to think this was Ken Curtis's anti-smoking message. (The percentage of actors who smoked -- and still smoke -- is startlingly high.)

Festus doesn't have any good moments, and the great Royal Dano isn't given a chance to show off his acting chops (as he did in "Vengeance!". A waste of time.

Worst Episode so far!

[daveiulee · 1/10 · 14 April 2021]

Not watchable. Season 13 started extremely well then this episode. The writers should have been fired.

Festus, his clan and gold

[streetlight2 · 4/10 · 27 October 2020]

Others here have given good reviews of this episode involving Festus and his relatives.

I'm not sure exactly where Festus hails from - the Ozarks, or some other hill country, but were I from southern US, I'd be embarrassed at Gunsmoke's depiction. Only once can I remember someone suggesting Festus learn to read and it was Doc who made the suggestion. Festus indicated somehow that it would be a waste of time. No one ever told him that if six year olds could learn to read he could too. Then there was the episode "Aunt Thede" thinking incorrectly that the good book "Little Women" was THE GOOD BOOK, and used it to solemnize a marriage. Matt went along with that! Maybe he considered it like a civil ceremony, but there was no marriage license, or an open marriage. There was another episode in which a young boy was denied by his father from school because he needed the boy's two hands at the farm. The farmer felt he was successful without schooling, so why should his kid need to go to school. Maybe there was no Department of Agriculture producing newsletters and other useful documents, or the necessity to calculate gains, losses and profits with the need to do calculations. There was a discussion about requiring mandatory education.