The Stars On TV Continued: The Big Valley

On September 15, 1965 Barbara Stanwyck, as usual, defied the rule that movie stars didn’t become TV stars. She was the star of the western The Big Valley. She was Victoria Barkley the head of the Barkley family ranch in the San Joaquin Valley of California in the 1870’s. She ran the family business with her sons Jarrod (Richard Long), Nick (Peter Breck) and daughter Audra (Linda Evans). The early episodes introduced Heath Barkley (Lee Majors). He was the illegitimate son of Victoria’s late husband Tom. This story line gave the series a soap opera feel till Heath was accepted as part of the family. Mr. Majors had to be one of the luckiest men on the planet at that time. This was his first acting job. No small roles in plays, movies or other TV shows for him. He started at the top. The only other actor I have heard that happened to back then was Burt Ward when he was cast as Robin on Batman. The similarities end there as Mr. Ward was not on any other series. Mr. Majors has since starred in other shows. Most of them were big hit shows that helped to define that decade of television. As a matter of fact most of this cast had that type of luck with their careers. Richard Long’s next TV series was a minor hit comedy called Nanny and the Professor. It was a mid-season replacement in January of 1970. It got renewed for the fall of 1970 but was canceled by December of 1971. Mr. Long died not too long after that. Linda Evans took decades off from her TV acting career. During part of that time she married and divorced John Derek. She emerged on TV again in January of 1981 as Krystle Carrington in one of the biggest hits of the 1980’s. It was Dynasty. Like I said about Mr. Majors post Big Valley series this series also defined the decade it was produced in. It ran until May of 1989. Dynasty also brought Miss Barbara Stanwyck back to TV. It had a spin off series called Dynasty II: The Colbys. Like The Big Valley she ran the family business. She also had the help of Charlton Heston. It was a hit but not as big as the show that spun it off.
I said earlier that Barbara Stanwyck as usual defied the rule. I said that because it seemed to be an unwritten rule that only men could become big stars. Very few women became screen legends. Those women were Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn and Barbara Stanwyck. During the credits of the Big Valley she showed who the big gun was on the series. It seemed like an event each week when she was introduced as Miss. Barbara Stanwyck. None of the men on this or any series at that time were called Mr. Also, unlike many of her male counterparts, her show was a hit. It’s last broadcast was on May 19, 1969. Pictured above is the TV Guide cover from July 20, 1968. On the cover are Miss. Barbara Stanwyck, Richard Long and Linda Evans.