The Big Valley

The Big Valley
GenreWestern drama
Created by
  • A. I. Bezzerides
  • Louis F. Edelman
Starring
  • Richard Long
  • Peter Breck
  • Lee Majors
  • Linda Evans
  • Barbara Stanwyck
ComposerGeorge Duning
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes112
Production
Running time50 minutes
Production companies
  • Levy-Gardner-Laven Productions
  • Four Star Television
  • Margate
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 15, 1965 (1965-09-15) –
May 19, 1969 (1969-05-19)

The Big Valley is an American Western drama of 4 seasons and 112 episodes that aired on ABC from September 15, 1965 until May 19, 1969. 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.

Cast

  • Richard Long - Jarrod Barkley
  • Peter Breck - Nick Barkley
  • Lee Majors - Heath Barkley
  • Linda Evans - Audra Barkley
  • Barbara Stanwyck - Victoria Barkley

Production

While The Big Valley is set primarily in and near the city of Stockton, the filming of the series took place in Southern California. It was partially filmed in Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, California.

Wilfred M. Cline, Technicolor associate cinematographer on Gone with the Wind (1939), was director of photography for several Big Valley episodes, together with Chas E. Burke. Due to similarities in appearance, it is sometimes believed that the Tara set from Gone with the Wind was repurposed for use as the Barkley family home in The Big Valley, but it was actually the set constructed for The Kentuckian that was used.

Series overview

Season Episodes Originally aired Production
line
Season premiere Season finale
1 30 September 15, 1965 April 27, 1966 63xx
2 30 September 12, 1966 April 24, 1967 70xx
3 26 September 11, 1967 March 18, 1968 71xx
4 26 September 23, 1968 May 19, 1969 72xx

Episodes

  • The production code refers to the code assigned to the episode by the production team. The first season is 63xx (except "Palms of Glory"), the second season is 70xx, the third season is 71xx, and the fourth season is 72xx.
  • All episodes are presented in the correct production order season count.

Season 1

# Original air date Prod. code Title
1 - 101 September 15, 1965 #5929 "Palms of Glory"
2 - 102 October 6, 1965 #6301 "The Young Marauders"
3 - 103 December 15, 1965 #6303 "The Brawlers"
4 - 104 October 20, 1965 #6305 "Heritage"
5 - 105 November 24, 1965 #6307 "The Way to Kill a Killer"
6 - 106 December 29, 1965 #6309 "The Invaders"
7 - 107 October 13, 1965 #6311 "The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner"
8 - 108 February 9, 1966 #6313 "Under a Dark Star"
9 - 109 September 29, 1965 #6315 "Boots with My Father's Name"
10 - 110 October 27, 1965 #6317 "Winner Lose All"
11 - 111 September 22, 1965 #6319 "Forty Rifles"
12 - 112 November 3, 1965 #6321 "My Son, My Son"
13 - 113 November 10, 1965 #6323 "Earthquake!"
14 - 114 November 17, 1965 #6325 "The Murdered Party"
15 - 115 December 8, 1965 #6327 "The Guilt of Matt Bentell"
16 - 116 February 16, 1966 #6329 "Barbary Red"
17 - 117 February 23, 1966 #6331 "The Death Merchant"
18 - 118 March 23, 1966 #6333 "Into the Widow's Web"
19 - 119 December 1, 1965 #6335 "Night of the Wolf"
20 - 120 February 2, 1966 #6337 "Teacher of Outlaws"
21 - 121 January 5, 1966 #6339 "By Fires Unseen"
22 - 122 December 22, 1965 #6341 "Judgement in Heaven"
23 - 123 January 19, 1966 #6343 "A Time to Kill"
24 - 124 April 27, 1966 #6345 "Last Train to the Fair"
25 - 125 March 2, 1966 #6347 "The Fallen Hawk"
26 - 126 March 9, 1966 #6349 "Hazard"
27 - 127 March 30, 1966 #6351 "By Force and Violence"
28 - 128 April 6, 1966 #6353 "The River Monarch"
29 - 129 April 13, 1966 #6355 "The Midas Man"
30 - 130 April 20, 1966 #6357 "Tunnel of Gold"

Season 2

# Original air date Prod. code Title
31 - 201 December 26, 1966 #7002 "Day of the Comet"
32 - 202 November 21, 1966 #7004 "The Great Safe Robbery"
33 - 203 October 3, 1966 #7006 "Caesar's Wife"
34 - 204 October 31, 1966 #7008 "Target"
35 - 205 September 12, 1966 #7010 "The Lost Treasure"
36 - 206 January 16, 1967 #7012 "Boy Into Man"
37 - 207 September 19, 1966 #7014 "Legend of a General, Part 1"
38 - 208 September 26, 1966 #7016 "Legend of a General, Part 2"
39 - 209 February 20, 1967 #7018 "Brother Love"
40 - 210 November 7, 1966 #7020 "The Velvet Trap"
41 - 211 November 28, 1966 #7022 "The Iron Box"
42 - 212 October 10, 1966 #7024 "Pursuit"
43 - 213 December 12, 1966 #7026 "A Day of Terror"
44 - 214 February 13, 1967 #7028 "Price of Victory"
45 - 215 December 5, 1966 #7030 "Last Stage to Salt Flats"
46 - 216 October 17, 1966 #7032 "The Martyr"
47 - 217 November 14, 1966 #7034 "The Man from Nowhere"
48 - 218 January 2, 1967 #7036 "Wagonload of Dreams"
49 - 219 December 19, 1966 #7038 "Hide the Children"
50 - 220 January 30, 1967 #7040 "The Stallion"
51 - 221 January 9, 1967 #7042 "Image of Yesterday"
52 - 222 January 23, 1967 #7044 "Down Shadow Street"
53 - 223 February 6, 1967 #7046 "The Haunted Gun"
54 - 224 March 6, 1967 #7048 "Court Martial"
55 - 225 March 13, 1967 #7050 "Plunder!"
56 - 226 March 20, 1967 #7052 "Turn of a Card"
57 - 227 March 27, 1967 #7054 "Showdown in Limbo"
58 - 228 April 3, 1967 #7056 "The Lady from Mesa"
59 - 229 April 17, 1967 #7058 "Days of Grace"
60 - 230 April 24, 1967 #7060 "Cage of Eagles"

Season 3

# Original air date Prod. code Title
61 - 301 January 1, 1968 #7101 "The Good Thieves"
62 - 302 December 11, 1967 #7103 "Night of the Executioner"
63 - 303 February 19, 1968 #7105 "Rimfire"
64 - 304 September 11, 1967 #7107 "Joaquin"
65 - 305 October 16, 1967 #7109 "Ladykiller"
66 - 306 September 25, 1967 #7111 "A Flock of Trouble"
67 - 307 November 13, 1967 #7113 "A Noose is Waiting"
68 - 308 October 30, 1967 #7115 "Guilty"
69 - 309 September 18, 1967 #7117 "Ambush"
70 - 310 December 4, 1967 #7119 "Four Days to Furnace Hill"
71 - 311 October 9, 1967 #7121 "Night in a Small Town"
72 - 312 February 5, 1968 #7123 "Fall of a Hero"
73 - 313 November 6, 1967 #7125 "The Disappearance"
74 - 314 November 20, 1967 #7127 "Explosion, Part 1"
75 - 315 November 27, 1967 #7129 "Explosion, Part 2"
76 - 316 October 2, 1967 #7131 "Time After Midnight"
77 - 317 December 25, 1967 #7133 "The Buffalo Man"
78 - 318 February 12, 1968 #7135 "The Emperor of Rice"
79 - 319 December 18, 1967 #7137 "Journey Into Violence"
80 - 320 January 8, 1968 #7139 "Days of Wrath"
81 - 321 January 29, 1968 #7141 "Shadow of a Giant"
82 - 322 January 15, 1968 #7143 "Miranda"
83 - 323 February 26, 1968 #7145 "Bounty on a Barkley"
84 - 324 March 11, 1968 #7147 "Run of the Savage"
85 - 325 March 4, 1968 #7149 "The Devil's Masquerade"
86 - 326 March 18, 1968 #7151 "The Challenge"

Season 4

# Original air date Prod. code Title
87 - 401 February 3, 1969 #7202 "The 25 Graves of Midas"
88 - 402 March 10, 1969 #7204 "A Passage of Saints"
89 - 403 October 21, 1968 #7206 "Run of the Cat"
90 - 404 May 19, 1969 #7208 "Point and Counterpoint"
91 - 405 November 18, 1968 #7210 "Hell Hath No Fury"
92 - 406 November 25, 1968 #7212 "The Long Ride"
93 - 407 October 7, 1968 #7214 "Presumed Dead"
94 - 408 September 30, 1968 #7216 "They Called Her Delilah"
95 - 409 December 9, 1968 #7218 "A Stranger Everywhere"
96 - 410 December 30, 1968 #7220 "Hunter's Moon"
97 - 411 April 28, 1969 #7222 "Flight from San Miguel"
98 - 412 December 16, 1968 #7224 "The Prize"
99 - 413 September 23, 1968 #7226 "In Silent Battle"
100 - 414 November 11, 1968 #7228 "The Jonah"
101 - 415 December 2, 1968 #7230 "The Profit and the Lost"
102 - 416 January 6, 1969 #7232 "Top of the Stairs"
103 - 417 October 28, 1968 #7234 "Deathtown"
104 - 418 January 20, 1969 #7236 "Joshua Watson"
105 - 419 February 24, 1969 #7238 "Alias Nellie Handley"
106 - 420 January 27, 1969 #7240 "The Secret"
107 - 421 March 24, 1969 #7242 "The Battle of Mineral Springs"
108 - 422 February 17, 1969 #7244 "Lightfoot"
109 - 423 March 31, 1969 #7246 "The Other Face of Justice"
110 - 424 April 21, 1969 #7248 "Danger Road"
111 - 425 April 7, 1969 #7250 "Town of No Exit"
112 - 426 March 3, 1969 #7252 "The Royal Road"

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