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The Big Valley – Western in a Big Setting
by Guy Belleranti
Television’s love affair with the western was waning in the
latter 1960’s, but a few new series were still able to capture
audiences. One such series was The Big Valley. An hour long program in
bright and bold color, it ran from 1965 to 1969 with 112 episodes being
produced.
The Big Valley was similar to
Bonanza in
that the series revolved around a wealthy ranch family in the old west.
However, while Bonanza concerned a widower and his three sons, The Big
Valley was focused on a widowed woman and her sons and daughter.
Acting great Barbara Stanwyck played Victoria Barkley, the
ranch’s matriarch and owner. A spunky woman, Victoria backed down to no
one and more than once had to chase off outlaws or hold them at
gunpoint.
Her eldest son was Jarrod Barkley, a calm and suave lawyer. Jarrod was
played by Richard Long.
Peter Breck played younger son, Nick. Nick was ranch foreman, and
like Jarrod he was an honest man. However, Nick also had a tendency to
be hot-headed (a little like Little Joe on Bonanza).
Linda Evans played daughter Audra. Beautiful and spirited, Audra
could also be annoying and was at times a bit naïve.
Then there was Heath, played by Lee Majors. The first episode
dealt with Heath’s arrival at the ranch and his claim that he was the
son of Victoria’s dead husband by another woman. The family members are
shocked by this claim and are at first cool to receiving him. However,
it isn’t long before they accept him as one of their own.
Not to be forgotten was another son, Eugene, played by actor
Charles Briles. Eugene wasn’t on the series for long, however. He was
written out part way through the first season, with the excuse that he
was going away to college. In real life the actor wasn’t attending
college at all – he had been drafted into the army.
In addition to the characters, The Big Valley was also notable
for its lush landscapes. The setting was the expansive San Joaquin
Valley and the nearby city of Stockton, California. The program often
treated the viewer to beautiful outdoor “big valley” shots. Also
prevalent was colorful clothing, especially the outfits worn by the
Barkley women or women guest stars. Indeed,
The Big Valley differed from most other westerns in that two of the
major characters were women. To be fair, there were other westerns with
strong female characters (Gunsmoke’s
Kitty, for example), however this was the exception rather than the
rule.
Other things that stood out and made the Big Valley “big” was
George Duning’s memorable theme song and the name guest stars. A few of
these names included Milton Berle, Anne Baxter, Dennis Hopper, Richard
Dreyfuss, Julie Harris, John Carradine, Colleen Dewhurst and Leslie
Nielsen.
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