"The Big Valley" (1965) TV series 1965-1969

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Creators:

A.I. Bezzerides
Louis F. Edelman

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

15 September 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Victoria Barkley heads her adult brood on the Barkley Ranch in California's San Joaquin Valley, near Stockton...

Plot Keywords:

California | Ranch | Stockton California | Bastard | Post Civil War

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Richard Long	...	Jarrod Barkley (112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Peter Breck	...	Nick Barkley (112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Lee Majors	...	Heath Barkley (112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Linda Evans	...	Audra Barkley (112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Barbara Stanwyck	...	Victoria Barkley (112 episodes, 1965-1969)

Runtime:

60 min (112 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Levee-Gardner-Laven Productions

Trivia:

Victoria's horse was Misty Girl, while Nick rode Coco.

Quotes:

Heath: Boy Howdy! I've got blisters in places I didn't even know I had places.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Black Scorpion (#2.12)" (1990)

Boy Howdy!!

I am really greatly relieved to read the previous reviews, knowing that I am not alone in being a huge fan of this great series!! There was just something about this show as a whole which really appealed to me - in a big way. I loved all the Barkley characters. Victoria was played to perfection by Stanwyck. The widow Barkley was a curious but convincing mixture of gracious elegance and guts: her Victoria Barkley is practically a cult figure of female characters of the Western genre. Richard Long was genuinely likeable as the level-headed eldest son, Jarrod, who provided a nice balance between the tough, egotistical Nick and the more sensitive half-brother Heath. Linda Evans was astonishingly beautiful as Audra (she alone kept many male baby boomers tuned in!). But there was so much else "right" with this show - artificial though it may have looked to those critical of Stanwyck being "Ben Cartwright in a skirt". The storylines were well-written & original and the shows were well-directed and well-acted. Most every episode was colourful, tasteful, upright & moral - but rarely dull, somehow: there was a larger-than-life quality to the series which appealed to its particular fans: the colour is beautiful to look at, and the score by George Duning is beautiful to hear. The series boasted many interesting guest stars: Julie Harris, Cloris Leachman, Colleen Dewhurst among many others. An embarrassing confession: as a kid, Heath Barkley was my sole hero: I thought Lee Major's playing of the half-breed illegitimate son of Tom Barkley was really inspired. Majors made Heath a really likeable character. Although Majors did many more successful TV roles, it is for his playing of Heath Barkley that I most fondly identify him with to this day.