TV SERIES · 1965– · USA
The Big Valley
22 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (22)
- #001
Linda Evans went to Barbara Stanwyck's home at 1017 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills every Saturday to work on scenes together, so much so that Linda began to think of Barbara as her mother.
- #002
Eugene, the fourth Barkley son, appeared in eight episodes of the first season. Charles Briles had to leave the series midway through the first season because he was drafted by the U.S. Army. Even after Briles left the army, Eugene was never mentioned again.
- #003
The jail set was the same one used on Gunsmoke (1955).
- #004
According to "Wildest Westerns Magazine," Peter Breck could draw his gun in 16/100 of a second, making the character Nick Barkley the fastest-drawing character in television history.
- #005
Victoria is the only Barkley who is never shot during the series. In the same episode, Heath is shot the most, while Nick is shot twice.
- #006
Among the lead actors, Barbara Stanwyck was the only one nominated for an Emmy. She was nominated in each of the show's first three seasons and won on her first nomination.
- #007
Despite its popularity, the series was cancelled because the networks were gradually abandoning westerns in favor of more modern television shows.
- #008
It was the only western built around a strong female lead character.
- #009
In every episode in which Nick is a spectator at a trial, he interrupts the court to have his say, which gets him into trouble with the judge presiding over the court. In later episodes this took on a comedic tone, because the audience knew it was only a matter of time before Nick voiced his displeasure.
- #010
With the death of Peter Breck (Nick) on February 6, 2012, and of Charles Briles (Eugene) on June 12, 2016, only two regular or recurring actors who appeared in more than 20 episodes of the series are still alive: Lee Majors (Heath) and Linda Evans (Audra).
- #011
It was the first series Four Star Productions shot in color.
- #012
Throughout the series, Lee Majors was billed in the credits as Heath without a surname. Heath's mother was not married to Thomas Barkley, and at the time the series was made, children of unmarried mothers were rarely known by their father's surname. The Barkley family had no doubt that Heath was Thomas Barkley's son.
- #013
Barbara Stanwyck was reportedly told she could have a certain number of designer dresses for her role in any given season. In return, she would give one of these dresses to her on-screen daughter Linda Evans, because she thought no mother would dress that well and would not let her daughter do so either.
- #014
Heath's horse was named "Charger."
- #015
Dell Comics published a six-issue comic book series based on the 1966-69 series.
- #016
Victoria's horse was "Misty Girl," while Nick rode "Coco."
- #017
Everyone in the family except Eugene (Charles Briles) was killed during the series. Audra (Linda Evans) killed two people in the first season; Nick (Peter Breck), Heath (Lee Majors) and Jarrod (Richard Long) killed numerous people over the course of the series, and Victoria (Barbara Stanwyck) killed at least two people each season.
- #018
The exterior shot of the Barkley house shown in the opening title sequence was the same exterior used for Tara in Gone with the Wind (1939)… This is disputed, as many sources say the house was first used in the John Wayne film The Fighting Kentuckian and is not the same house as Tara.
- #019
Audra Barkley always seemed to attract the attention of crazy suitors.
- #020
The sum of $5,000 is frequently mentioned throughout the series. The year 1878 is also often cited as the period in which the series is set. As of 2024, that amount is equivalent to $157,087.50.
- #021
Richard Long's middle name, McCord, is the same as the surname of Chuck Conners' character in the series Branded, which premiered in January of the same year as The Big Valley.
- #022
The series was cancelled in the 1969 upfronts during its fourth season, as audience interest in the Western genre declined, ratings fell, and ABC made a broader network shift to phase out traditional cowboy shows in favor of contemporary modern programming; while the first season in 1965 and the second in 1966 were successful in the ratings, the third and fourth seasons saw declines, and in the fourth season (1968-1969) Linda Evans was unhappy with her limited role. She asked to be released early from her contract over the repetitive subplots, and as a result she barely appeared in the fourth season, while Lee Majors was quickly becoming a rising Hollywood star. He missed several episodes to film feature films such as The Liberation of LB Jones. Because the cast was rarely together, the writers had to write solo episodes featuring only one or two Barkley family members at a time, which broke up the family dynamic that fans loved.
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