The Big Valley
Victoria Barkley heads her adult brood on the Barkley Ranch in California's San Joaquin Valley, near Stockton, in the 1870s. Heath is the illegitimate son of Victoria's late husband Thomas. Bank robbers, horse thieves, revolutionaries, and land grabbers keep the Barkleys hopping.
- 1965-1969
- 4 seasons
- ABC
- Action & Adventure
- TV-PG
Victoria Barkley heads her adult brood on the Barkley Ranch in California's San Joaquin Valley, near Stockton, in the 1870s. Heath is the illegitimate son of Victoria's late husband Thomas. Bank robbers, horse thieves, revolutionaries, and land grabbers keep the Barkleys hopping.
Season 1 Episode Guide
30 Episodes 1965 - 1966
Episode 1
Palms of Glory
Wed, Sep 15, 1965 60 mins
Every property owner in the Valley is in danger of losing their land due to the legal trickery of a ruthless railroad baron who backs up his action with an army of 200 men. Into this tense scene rides an iron-willed young man who defiantly tells the Barkleys he is the "bastard son" of the dead family patriarch, Tom Barkley - and who demands an equal share of the estate.
Episode 2
Forty Rifles
Wed, Sep 22, 1965 60 mins
With a massive cattle drive about to begin - 3,000 steers, 550 miles in 24 days - Heath has problems gaining the respect of the 40 hands needed to carry it off. His problems escalate when a decorated ex-general of the Civil War agrees to join the drive, because the former general has designs of recruiting the hands and starting his own army.
Episode 3
Boots with My Father's Name
Wed, Sep 29, 1965 60 mins
The Barkleys prepare for the unveiling of a statue dedicated to family patriarch Tom, prompting Victoria to visit Heath's birthplace and learn about Tom's secret past.
Episode 4
The Young Marauders
Wed, Oct 6, 1965 60 mins
A handsome stranger saves Audra's life during a horse stampede and she quickly becomes attached to him, unaware of his involvement in a series of robberies in the Valley.
Episode 5
The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner
Wed, Oct 13, 1965 60 mins
After 30 years a man comes back to the Valley to claim land promised to him by the late Tom Barkley. The land is now the site of a proposed dam that will benefit the community. The Barkleys argue among themselves and with the local landowners about whether the man is entitled to stay.
Episode 6
Heritage
Wed, Oct 20, 1965 60 mins
In the town of Lonesome Camp, the Barkleys' investment in a mine is threatened when labor unrest leads to a violent strike. Heath looks into the situation and, due to promises made by the late Tom Barkley years before, the Barkleys decide to fight for control of the mine in order to settle the dispute.
Episode 7
Winner Lose All
Wed, Oct 27, 1965 60 mins
Heath falls in love with Maria, who is returning home from school in the East. She is the daughter of Don Alfredo, a Spanish land owner and nobleman who is in a dispute with a neighbor over land which he claims is his. Don Alfredo also believes that Heath's lineage is impure, and the dispute soon endangers the romance.
Episode 8
My Son, My Son
Wed, Nov 3, 1965 60 mins
A neighboring rancher's teenage son returns to Stockton after being away many years and is immediately obsessed with Audra. He tangles with Audra's defender, Heath, which leads to a feud between the families. The dispute further escalates with a shooting, and then the boy's background is divulged.
Episode 9
Earthquake
Wed, Nov 10, 1965 60 mins
Victoria, a surly ex-Barkley ranch hand, and a pregnant Native American girl fight to survive when an earthquake traps them in a church cellar. When it is discovered that the cellar may connect to tunnels from a closed-up Barkley gold mine, not all the searchers really want the rescue to succeed.
Episode 10
The Murdered Party
Wed, Nov 17, 1965 60 mins
Jarrod agrees to defend a murder suspect, despite the fact that Heath witnessed the killing. The case involves the defense of a man from a reviled family and the death of a respected benefactor.
Episode 11
The Way to Kill a Killer
Wed, Nov 24, 1965 60 mins
An old Barkley friend, a hard-working Mexican national, comes to Stockton to sell his herd of cattle. When it is found out the cattle are infected with a deadly, infectious disease, he refuses to destroy the animals or isolate his cattle from healthy Barkley stock.
Episode 12
Night of the Wolf
Wed, Dec 1, 1965 60 mins
Nick is bitten by a rabid wolf and injures his arm, an attack only Heath witnesses, Heath takes care of his brother's injured arm and takes him to the local physician. Thinking he is going to die, Nick leaves the ranch and Stockton without any explanation to his family (minus Heath). His journey leads him to re-examine his life and attitudes - and the kindness of a woman and her son give him hospitality and hope for the future.
Episode 13
The Guilt of Matt Bentell
Wed, Dec 8, 1965 60 mins
Heath lashes out at the Barkleys' new timber camp foreman, who was the sadistic commandant of the Confederate prison camp where Heath was held. The timber crew also resent the foreman - especially two brothers sworn to kill him.
Episode 14
The Brawlers
Wed, Dec 15, 1965 60 mins
Claude Akins plays Jimmy Callahan, the proud leader of a group of six families who have come from Ireland to make a new life for themselves. They arrived by way of San Francisco where they paid their money and got all the paper work for their new homestead. Unfortunately they were swindled and have "bought" what is actually Barkley Land. Jimmy has an altercation with Audra Barkley Linda Evans and eventually comes to blows with brother Nick Peter Breck in a true Donnybrook of a battle. Heath 'Lee Majors" meanwhile has taken to Jimmy's niece Colleen Noreen Corcoran and tries to help the stranded families. Jimmy and Nick travel to San Francisco to try to get everything straightened out.
Episode 15
Judgement in Heaven
Wed, Dec 22, 1965 60 mins
Jarrod arranges for the girlfriend of a murderous outlaw to be released from jail so she can spend Christmas with the Barkley family. The family has mixed feelings about sharing the holidays with her. She's a wildcat and, with her boyfriend still on the loose, she defiantly vows to re-join him at the first opportunity, causing chaos in the Barkley household.
Episode 16
The Invaders
Wed, Dec 29, 1965 60 mins
A family of rawhiders, plundering the countryside, bushwhack Heath and then decide to pretend to be the people who saved him. Their plan to rob the Barkleys is helped along because almost everyone is away from the ranch on a cattle drive. Only a weakened Heath, Victoria, Audra, and one of the bushwhackers' own women stand in their way.
Episode 17
By Fires Unseen
Wed, Jan 5, 1966 60 mins
After a whirlwind courtship, Nick proposes to a beautiful "partygirl" Eastern socialite. Her interest in him soon disappears when she experiences the slow paced life on the ranch-and becomes obsessed with Heath.
Episode 18
A Time to Kill
Wed, Jan 19, 1966 60 mins
Jarrod has an old friend from law school pass through Stockton who has ample funds, no job, and time on his hands. A Secret Service agent soon follows and tells Jarrod his friend's "income" is suspected to come from bank robbery and counterfeiting- Jarrod tries to unearth the truth.
Episode 19
Teacher of Outlaws
Wed, Feb 2, 1966 60 mins
An outlaw gang leader orders his men to kidnap a teacher so he can learn to read and write for a special purpose. His men nab Victoria by mistake-she pretends to be the school marm to buy time for the Barkley boys to find her.
Episode 20
Under a Dark Star
Wed, Feb 9, 1966 60 mins
Pardoned after a long imprisonment for a crime he didn't commit, a man has Jarrod's help in adjusting to being free again. The man is hired to work at the ranch and after having doubt planted by one of the hands, his fear of returning to prison may lead to the death of the man who was the Prosecuting Attorney in the his case- Jarrod.
Episode 21
Barbary Red
Wed, Feb 16, 1966 60 mins
Nick celebrates his birthday at a waterfront saloon where he is drugged and shanghaied for sea duty. Jarrod suspects an old client of his, Barbary Red, is behind Nick's disappearance- Eugene and Heath help him investigate his hunch.
Episode 22
The Death Merchant
Wed, Feb 23, 1966 60 mins
Everyone except Heath (who has met the stranger and knows some of his exploits firsthand) extends a warm welcome to the aging cowboy who killed the murderer of patriarch Tom Barkley during the Barkley-Railroad War. The man, as it turns out, is a friend to no one. He's a sociopath and mercenary who enjoys range wars and will sell his sanguinary services to either side. And he's looking for work.
Episode 23
The Fallen Hawk
Wed, Mar 2, 1966 60 mins
Heath helps an old friend, Ward, and his wife Nora, after Ward becomes crippled in an accident partly Heath's fault. Tensions arise when Ward tries to guilt Heath into giving him $5,000 for a timber investment.
Episode 24
Hazard
Wed, Mar 9, 1966 60 mins
A man arrives at the ranch looking for Heath and is shot by two trailing bounty hunters who claim he is wanted for murder. While the man is recuperating at the ranch, Jarrod travels to Coreyville to look into the murder charge and Heath comes to terms with an old grudge.
Episode 25
Into the Widow's Web
Wed, Mar 23, 1966 60 mins
Heath is drawn to an alluring old girlfriend who is now married and part of a trick shooting act. When her husband is mysteriously killed in a gun "accident," Heath is accused of murder. Jarrod must use a new science to try to clear him but ends up sparring about it with the D.A.,an old law school colleague who is jealous of the Barkleys.
Episode 26
By Force and Violence
Wed, Mar 30, 1966 60 mins
While travelling cross country, Victoria and Heath have an accident resulting in Heath becoming pinned under their heavily loaded wagon. Victoria seeks help and turns to a mysterious man who is being pursued by aggressive bounty hunters.
Episode 27
The River Monarch
Wed, Apr 6, 1966 60 mins
A Barkley riverboat, sunk years before with a fortune in Civil War era government gold aboard is located- but there's no trace of the gold. A group of Confederate symphatizers or Tom Barkley himself may have caused the explosion which sank the ship- the lure of gold may even extend to Nick's old commanding officer who is assigned to investigate.
Episode 28
The Midas Man
Wed, Apr 13, 1966 60 mins
Audra falls for a shrewd financier who has come to the Valley to capitalize on a drought that has left most of the ranchers in need of loans. When he is about to foreclose and seize the land used as collateral, the ranchers blame the Barkley's- Audra offers herself as a "sacrifice" to hold off the financier.
Episode 29
Tunnel of Gold
Wed, Apr 20, 1966 60 mins
A new General Store, owned by a husband/wife team, is invaded by outlaws who plan to tunnel across to the Railroad Baggage Depot- where Barkley gold is held for shipment. Complications arise when it is determined that the outlaws are being helped by the husband, the Barkley's visit the store and there is a deadly gas leak in the tunnel.
Episode 30
Last Train to the Fair
Wed, Apr 27, 1966 60 mins
With the Barkley family on the way to the State Fair, Audra falls ill is stricken with appendicitis and the only doctor aboard has his own problems- men are out to kill him for revenge. The doctor has a rather infamous past having been responsible for burning, plundering and murder in the town of Colbyville years before.