Big Valley

9/16/1965 -5/19/1969 ABC 60 minutes
Color - 112 episodes

(Sept. 1965-July 1966 Wednesday 9:00-10:00)
(July 1966-May 1969 Monday 10:00-11:00)

Big Valley Cast

Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkley
Richard Long as Jarrod Barkley
Peter Breck as Nick Barkley
Lee Majors as Heath Barkley
Linda Evans as Audra Barkley
Napoleon Whiting as Silas

Charles Briles as Eugene Barkley (1965-1966)
James Gavin as Sheriff (1966-67)
Douglas Kennedy as Sheriff Fred Madden (1967-69)

Horses:Misty Girl is Victoria's, Coco is Nick's

Big Valley Theme Song

"Big Valley Theme" by George Duning, Joseph Mullendore, Elmer Bernstein

Big Valley, Lee Majors, Peter Breck,Barbnara Stanwyck

Big Valley cast
From the Doug Abbott Collection

Big Valley - Lee Majors - Peter Breck

Television's Greatest Hits, Vol.5: In Living Color
Has Big Valley theme

For More of Peter Breck See
Black Saddle
Maverick

For More of Richard Long See
Bourbon Street Beat
77 Sunset Strip
Maverick

For Barbara Stanwyck fans:
She appeared in 4 episodes of Wagon Train and Richard Long appeared in one too.
Email for details.

Lee Majors

Big Valley Tidbits

Around 1878 widow Victoria Barkley (Barbara Stanwyck) ran her huge spread in California's San Joaquin Valley near Stockton with the help of her four sons. (A youngest son, Eugene, was seen in early episodes.)

Jarrod (Richard Long), the eldest, was a lawyer and Nick (Peter Breck) ran the ranch and was good with horses. Audra (Linda Evans) was the pretty, unmarried daughter.

Heath (Lee Majors) was Victoria's late husband Tom's illegitimate son. While away on business, Tom had been nursed back to health by Leah Simmons. He left to return to his family and Leah never told him she was pregnant. Eventually a grown Heath seeks to discover his roots and finds the Barkley Ranch. Victoria welcomes him as one of her own.

My only problem with the show was that every 5 or 6 episodes, Heath would get in a snit and threaten to leave. Then Big Mama Victoria would do her "you're a Barkley" routine and he'd stay. Time came when I wanted to shout - so go already!

Of note, this was Lee Majors' first acting job after only six weeks of drama school!

Passings

Douglas Kennedy died in 1973 of cancer, Richard Long in 1974 of heart problems, Napolean Whiting in 1984 and Barbara Stanwyck died in 1990 of congestive heart failure.
Big Valley, Lee Majors, Peter Breck,Barbnara Stanwyck