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

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Creators:

A.I. Bezzerides
Louis F. Edelman
(more)

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 | Beautiful Woman | Stockton California | Social Justice

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)

(more)

Series Directed by
Virgil W. Vogel		(48 episodes, 1965-1969)
Bernard McEveety		(11 episodes, 1965-1968)
Paul Henreid		(9 episodes, 1965-1968)
Arnold Laven		(6 episodes, 1965-1968)
Joseph Mazzuca		(5 episodes, 1967-1969)
Arthur H. Nadel		(4 episodes, 1966)
Joseph H. Lewis		(3 episodes, 1965-1966)
Michael Ritchie		(3 episodes, 1966)
Norman S. Powell		(3 episodes, 1967-1969)
Charles S. Dubin		(3 episodes, 1967-1968)
Paul Wendkos		(2 episodes, 1965)
Richard Long		(2 episodes, 1967-1969)
Lawrence Dobkin		(2 episodes, 1969)

Series Writing credits
A.I. Bezzerides		(112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Louis F. Edelman		(112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Ken Pettus		(14 episodes, 1966-1969)
Mel Goldberg		(13 episodes, 1965-1969)
Margaret Armen		(10 episodes, 1965-1969)
Jay Simms		(6 episodes, 1965-1969)
Harry Kronman		(5 episodes, 1965-1967)
Arthur Browne Jr.		(5 episodes, 1966-1969)
Don Ingalls		(5 episodes, 1966-1969)
William W. Norton		(4 episodes, 1965-1969)
Peter Packer		(4 episodes, 1965-1966)
Lou Morheim		(4 episodes, 1966-1968)
Ken Trevey		(4 episodes, 1966-1967)
John O'Dea		(4 episodes, 1967-1969)
Sasha Gilien		(4 episodes, 1968-1969)
Jack Curtis		(3 episodes, 1965-1966)
Paul Savage		(3 episodes, 1965-1966)
Steven W. Carabatsos		(3 episodes, 1966-1967)
Gilbert Ralston		(3 episodes, 1966-1967)
Edward J. Lakso		(3 episodes, 1968-1969)
Judith Barrows		(2 episodes, 1965-1966)
Carey Wilber		(2 episodes, 1965-1966)
Christopher Knopf		(2 episodes, 1965)
Michael Gleason		(2 episodes, 1967)
Arthur Rowe		(2 episodes, 1967)
D.C. Fontana		(2 episodes, 1968-1969)
Lee Erwin		(2 episodes, 1968)

Series Produced by
Arthur Gardner	....	producer / executive producer (112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Arnold Laven	....	producer / executive producer (112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Jules V. Levy	....	producer / executive producer (112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Lou Morheim	....	associate producer / producer (112 episodes, 1965-1969)

Series Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin		(26 episodes, 1968-1969)
Elmer Bernstein		(24 episodes, 1967-1968)
George Duning		(21 episodes, 1965-1967)
Joseph Mullendore		(2 episodes, 1967)

Series Cinematography by
Wilfred M. Cline		(75 episodes, 1965-1969)
Charles Burke		(36 episodes, 1966-1969)

Series Film Editing by
Sherman Todd		(34 episodes, 1965-1969)
Arthur Hilton		(27 episodes, 1966-1969)
Desmond Marquette		(25 episodes, 1966-1969)
Tom Rolf		(10 episodes, 1965-1967)
Sherman A. Rose		(8 episodes, 1965-1966)
Anthony Wollner		(7 episodes, 1965-1966)

Series Casting by
Robert Walker		(60 episodes, 1965-1967)
Harvey Clermont		(49 episodes, 1967-1969)
Betty Martin		(6 episodes, 1966-1967)

Series Art Direction by
Jack De Shields		(112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Bill Ross		(30 episodes, 1965-1966)

Series Set Decoration by
Pierre Ludlum		(111 episodes, 1965-1969)

Series Makeup Department
Sidney Perell	....	makeup artist (108 episodes, 1965-1969)
Scotty Rackin	....	hair stylist (60 episodes, 1965-1967)
Gale McGarry	....	hair stylist (51 episodes, 1967-1969)
Beau Hickman	....	hair stylist (2 episodes, 1967)

Series Production Management
Norman S. Powell	....	production supervisor (112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Don Torpin	....	production manager (98 episodes, 1965-1969)
Bob White	....	production manager (3 episodes, 1968-1969)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bob White	....	assistant director (38 episodes, 1966-1969)
Edward Teets	....	assistant director (32 episodes, 1966-1969)
Marty Moss	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1965-1966)
Mike Moder	....	assistant director (12 episodes, 1965-1966)
Don Torpin	....	assistant director (6 episodes, 1966)
Jack Roe	....	assistant director (5 episodes, 1966)
Martin Cohan	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1968-1969)

Series Sound Department
Don Rush	....	sound (108 episodes, 1965-1969)
Kay Rose	....	sound effects (88 episodes, 1965-1969)
Mandine Rogne	....	sound effects (22 episodes, 1965-1966)
John Dignan	....	sound (3 episodes, 1966)
Milton C. Burrow	....	sound effects (2 episodes, 1965)

Series Stunts
Jeannie Epper	....	stunt double (112 episodes, 1965-1969)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Earl C. Williman	....	lamp operator (30 episodes, 1965-1966)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Robert B. Harris	....	wardrobe (112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Jack Muhs	....	costumes: Barbara Stanwyck (79 episodes, 1965-1968)

Series Editorial Department
Bernard W. Burton	....	editorial supervisor (77 episodes, 1965-1968)
Richard E. Reilly	....	editorial administrator (26 episodes, 1968-1969)

Series Music Department
Alfred Perry	....	music supervisor (112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Harry King	....	music editor (110 episodes, 1965-1969)
George Duning	....	composer: theme music (31 episodes, 1965-1968)
Al Friede	....	music editor (2 episodes, 1965)

Series Transportation Department
Frank Khoury	....	driver (1 episode, 1966)

Series Other crew
Marilyn Fiebelkorn	....	assistant to producer (112 episodes, 1965-1969)
Marian Carpenter	....	assistant to producer (91 episodes, 1965-1969)
Tom Rolf	....	production coordinator (82 episodes, 1966-1969)
Joseph Mazzuca	....	script supervisor (49 episodes, 1965-1967)
Penny Danz	....	assistant to producer (16 episodes, 1968-1969)
James Heinz	....	script supervisor (4 episodes, 1967)

Production Companies

• Levee-Gardner-Laven Productions
• Four Star Productions
• Margate

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1965-1969) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD) (season 1)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (season 2)
• Four Star Productions (1969-1998) (USA) (TV) (syndication)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (USA) (TV) (1998-) (syndication)
• United American Video (1988) (USA) (VHS) (episode "Legend of a General")

Other Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation  copyright holder
• CBS Studio Center  filmed at

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:

Nick Barkley: It might do you good to eat a little dust once in awhile.
Jarrod Barkley: I'm a lawyer, remember? I only eat crow.

Movie Connections:

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

Why The Big Valley means so much to me.

I began watching The Big Valley back when I was seven years old. That was thirty years ago. Little did I know then that the show would become something that would help me. I went through years of abuse through two different family members. If it weren't for the show The Big Valley I probably would have committed suicide at an early age. Instead of turning to drug or alcohol abuse, or other forms of hurting myself, I focused instead on the cast of this amazing show. The affection and love they had for each other made a big impression on me. I longed to be part of a family that cared for each other like the Barkley's did. They became so real to me at times that it blocked out how bad I was feeling about what I was going through and it gave me something positive to focus on instead of the pain and shame of living with what was happening to me. I am grateful to the entire cast of the show for giving me a way out of a bad situation and focusing on something good, something that wouldn't hurt me or anyone else. They mean a great deal to me and always will. I hope that sometime I will get to see one of them with my own eyes. I don't have to meet them personally. Just to see them will be enough. The show gave me a feeling of peace just to watch. It always made me laugh at times when I really needed it, and thrilled me at other times. The men on the show were the best looking men I have seen on any show (then or since) and I've yet to see a television show that shows a family that cares the way that they did on The Big Valley. It gave me such joy to be able to come home and watch the show. Certain episodes stayed with me from the time I first started watching it. One in particular showed what a caring man Nick was. In the episode "The Prize" where Heath brings home little Joey. The scene where Nick is trying to get to sleep but can't because Joey is teething and very fussy I still remember to this day, even though I haven't seen the episode in over twenty-five years. When he referred to himself as "Uncle Nick" and Audra was watching from the doorway I thought was one of the best scenes in that series. Another episode was "The Iron Box" where Nick and Heath were arrested for cattle theft and put in a chain gang I thought was incredible acting by Peter and Lee. I have hoped for years that someday a Big Valley reunion will be filmed. I know that Barbara and Richard are gone, but I think it would be great to see Peter, Lee and Linda reunited in a Big Valley reunion. This series will always hold a special place to me. It's been a part of me for as long as I can remember and will always remain a big part of me.