The Big Valley is an American Western television series that originally aired from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969, on ABC. The series is set on the fictional Barkley Ranch near Stockton, California. The one-hour episodes follow the lives of the Barkley family, one of the wealthiest and largest ranch-owning families in Stockton, led by matriarch Victoria Barkley (Barbara Stanwyck), her sons Jarrod (Richard Long) and Nick (Peter Breck), daughter Audra (Linda Evans), and their half-brother Heath (Lee Majors). The series was created by A. I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman and produced by Levy-Gardner-Laven for Four Star Television.
Plot synopsis The series begins about 6 years after the death of the family patriarch, Thomas Barkley. Although he is never shown in the series (other than a painting and a statue), the character of Thomas Barkley is referred to as a major plot point many times. The character of Heath Barkley is introduced in episode one as the illegitimate son of Tom Barkley. His presence and claim to the Barkley name is the focus of many of the dramatic plots in season one.
Cast and characters Main
Victoria Barkley, portrayed by Barbara Stanwyck, the widow of Thomas Barkley, is the head of the wealthy, influential Barkley family, who live in 19th-century Stockton in California's Central Valley. She is the main character of the series. Victoria Barkley is the owner and head of the Barkley ranch. In fact, Stanwyck's refusal to portray Barkley as fragile was controversial at the time. Barkley's husband Tom had been killed 6 years before the beginning of the series. Victoria Barkley loves and is proud of all her children, including her late husband's illegitimate son Heath, to whom she would refer as "my son". Stanwyck, who went from the refined, elegant lady of the manor to a jean-clad cowgirl as tough as any cowboy, appeared the most, in 103 of the 112 episodes. Her episodes were often surprisingly hard-hitting, seeing her character either locked away in a lunatic asylum to prevent her testifying as eyewitness at a murder trial ("Down Shadow Street"), taken prisoner in a prison wagon to replace a dead female convict ("Four Days to Furnace Hill"), impersonating a thief to go undercover at a women's prison to report on conditions there ("Alias Nellie Handley"), or trapped underground following a cave-in ("Earthquake"). Jarrod Thomas Barkley, the eldest son, is a respected attorney-at-law. Richard Long plays the role of the educated, refined, and calmest of the Barkley sons, who handles all of the family's legal and business affairs. While Jarrod, a skilled lawyer, prefers the law to settle disputes, he is known to resort to frontier justice and violence when necessary. He is briefly married in one episode ("Days of Wrath"), only to see his new wife murdered with a bullet intended for him. An enraged Jarrod loses his calm and genteel manners, then relentlessly tracks down the killer. He is in the midst of killing him with his bare hands before he is stopped by Nick and Heath. Jarrod is a veteran of the American Civil War. He served as a cavalry officer in the Union Army. He commanded a cavalry troop of black soldiers as referenced in the episode "The Buffalo Man". Long appeared in 98 of the 112 episodes. Nicholas "Nick" Jonathan Barkley, the hot-tempered younger son, is portrayed by Peter Breck. Nick manages the family ranch. He wears a black leather jacket or vest, large black hat, and black leather gloves, and is distinguished by his brawling ways and loud demeanor. Nick had served as a soldier in combat in the Union Army during the Civil War as referenced in the episode "Forty Rifles". He is always ready for a fight, and at times would fight with his brothers as well. Underneath his gruff exterior, he is fun-loving, has a great sense of humor, is warm and caring, and loves his family deeply. Breck appears in 98 of the 112 episodes. Audra Barkley, played by Linda Evans, is Victoria's only daughter. Audra is somewhat self-absorbed, bold, and forward. Far from demure, she performs daring stunts and rides astride, like her brothers. Like Nick and Jarrod, Audra is initially leery of Heath's story that he is their father's son. Early, she attempts to seduce Heath, so as to expose him as a fraud, but is unsuccessful. As the series progresses, Audra and Heath form a very close brother-and-sister bond. Audra also has a caring side, as seen by her tending to children at the local orphanage. A few episodes deal with her romances, and one notable episode was "My Son, My Son" in which Robert Walker, Jr., guests as a suitor who proves to be mentally unstable. During the series' final two seasons, Evans' appearances were reduced because she wanted to spend more time with her husband John Derek. Evans appeared the least, in 82 of the 112 episodes. Heath Barkley is the illegitimate son of Victoria's late husband, and he has to literally fight his way into the Barkley home. Lee Majors portrays the even-tempered but rough-and-tumble Heath, who is often angry and aggressive throughout the early episodes due to his belief that Tom Barkley has abandoned his real mother after she became pregnant, as well as the resistance he initially receives from some of his siblings. In truth, Tom Barkley never knew about Heath, as Heath's mother has never told him, and never told Heath until she was on her deathbed (as revealed in the third episode of season one, "Boots with My Father's Name".) Heath gradually gains acceptance from the rest of the Barkley clan as the first season progressed, until he becomes as much a "Barkley" as the rest of the family, and his love for them becomes equal. Heath comes to call Victoria "Mother" when speaking to her directly and about her with his siblings. In the episode "Boots with My Father's Name", Heath tells Victoria, "you know that there isn't anything that I wouldn't do for you," indicating how deeply he cares for Victoria. Although Nick is initially leery of Heath and feels he has to test Heath's mettle, Heath proves himself worthy of Nick's acceptance, and eventually Nick seems to grow even closer to Heath than he is to Jarrod, perhaps in a sense due to Heath having more in common with him than Jarrod does. In "The Lost Treasure", the series' season-two premiere, one of a few episodes taken out of the show's initial syndication runs, Heath meets Charlie Sawyer (comic Buddy Hackett in a rare dramatic turn), a con man who claimed to be his actual father (the final moments show him admitting he wasn't Heath's father, but has been married to Heath's mother briefly before running out on her). In the same episode, Beah Richards returns as Hannah, the black quasinanny who helped raise Heath with his mother. Heath is a veteran of the Civil War as referenced in the episode "The Guilt of Matt Bentell". He served as a soldier in the Union Army in combat operations in New Mexico, and was held as a prisoner of war for 7 months by Confederate forces. Heath is also established in the episode "The Death Merchant" as having been involved in the Lincoln County War (1878), where he came to know the hired killer "Handy" (played by James Whitmore), who had tracked down and killed Tom Barkley's murderer, but who is known by Heath as a merciless killer who changes sides - or played both sides - whenever the money was good. Majors appeared in 97 of the 112 episodes.
In addition to the Barkley family members, the episode plots typically revolve around morally conflicted protagonists and antagonists, a common theme in the mythology of the American West in the 19th century.
Recurring Silas (Napoleon Whiting), the Barkley's majordomo, appears 35 times. In several episodes his character shows the trauma of slavery ("Joshua Watson"), life for blacks after the Civil War ("The Buffalo Man"), and meaning in his own work for the family ("Miranda"). Sheriff Fred Madden (Douglas Kennedy) appears in 20 episodes. Eugene Barkley (Charles Briles), the youngest Barkley son and a medical student studying at Berkeley. Like his older brothers, he is known to have a temper as seen in the season-one episode "Boots with My Father's Name". He appears in eight first-season episodes. Then, Briles is drafted. Eugene's name is only mentioned once again.
Guest stars The Big Valley was well known for its many guest stars, including:
Julie Adams Claude Akins Jack Albertson Chris Alcaide Marty Allen John Anderson Richard Anderson Tige Andrews R. G. Armstrong Lew Ayres Diane Baker Joe Don Baker Rayford Barnes Anne Baxter Milton Berle Karen Black Antoinette Bower Charles Bronson Brooke Bundy Walter Burke Michael Burns Ellen Burstyn Joseph Campanella Judy Carne John Carradine Conlan Carter Jeanne Cooper Kelly Corcoran Noreen Corcoran Walter Coy Yvonne Craig Norma Crane Johnny Crawford Dennis Cross Royal Dano Clifford David Quentin Dean John Dehner Bruce Dern Colleen Dewhurst Bradford Dillman Richard Dreyfuss Don Dubbins Andrew Duggan Maurice Evans Richard Farnsworth Paul Fix Robert Fuller Vincent Gardenia Sean Garrison Kathy Garver Arlene Golonka Harold Gould Robert Goulet Lee Grant Dabbs Greer James Gregory Charles Grodin Buddy Hackett Kevin Hagen Julie Harris Peter Haskell Dennis Hopper Ron Howard Steve Ihnat Anthony James Russell Johnson I. Stanford Jolley Henry Jones L. Q. Jones Robert Karnes George Kennedy Sajid Khan Yaphet Kotto Diane Ladd Martin Landau Cloris Leachman Robert Loggia Julie London Lynn Loring Barbara Luna Carol Lynley Gavin MacLeod Mako Flip Mark Nora Marlowe Frank Marth Strother Martin Marlyn Mason Frank McGrath John Milford Read Morgan Leslie Nielsen Kathleen Nolan Sheree North Arthur O'Connell Dan O'Herlihy J. Pat O'Malley Simon Oakland Warren Oates Susan Oliver Nancy Olson Gregg Palmer Leslie Parrish Nehemiah Persoff Paul Petersen Regis Philbin John M. Pickard Eve Plumb Chips Rafferty Ford Rainey Lou Rawls Beah Richards Pernell Roberts Wayne Rogers Katharine Ross Bing Russell Jill St. John Albert Salmi Anne Seymour William Shatner David Sheiner Olan Soule Harry Dean Stanton Warren Stevens Harold J. Stone Susan Strasberg Karl Swenson Dub Taylor Malachi Throne Harry Townes Robert Walker Jr. Fritz Weaver Adam West James Whitmore Van Williams Morgan Woodward Anthony Zerbe
Episodes
Background and production Background
The TV series was based loosely on the Hill Ranch, which was located at the western edge of Calaveras County, not far from Stockton. The Hill Ranch existed from 1855 until 1931 and included almost 30,000 acres, and the Mokelumne River ran through it. The source is from an episode in which Heath is on trial in a ghost town with another man (played by Leslie Nielsen), and tells the judge how much land they have. Lawson Hill ran the ranch until he was murdered in 1861. His wife Euphemia ("Auntie Hill") then became the matriarch. During their marriage, they had four children, one daughter and three sons. Today, the location of the ranch is covered by the waters of Camanche Reservoir. A California state historical marker standing at Camanche South Shore Park mentions the historic ranch.