victoria

The Big Valley   1965 - 1969.
ABC Television
Director: various
Cast: Regulars: ,
           Barbara Stanwyck (Victoria Barkley)
          Richard Long , Peter Breck, Linda Evans,
            Lee Majors, Charles Briles
Costumes: Edith Head

"The Big Valley' was the saga of Victoria Barkley and her family, which consisted of Three sons, a daughter, and the illegitimate son of her deceased husband. They run their ranch in the San Joaquin Valley in the 1870s and help settlers about them. Stanwyck was Victoria; Richard Long was Jarrod Barkley, the oldest son and a lawyer; Peter Breck was Nick Barkley, the second son, Charles Briles was Eugene Barkley, the youngest son and a college student (He was away most of the time and his character was written out during the first season); Linda Evans was Audra Barkley, the beautiful daughter; and, finally, Lee Majors was the bastard son.

In its four -year run, "The Big Valley" piled up 112 segments. Standwyck appeared in all but seven, through an arrangement which had her either carrying an episode completely, sharing it with a guest star or other member of the family, or appearing briefly when someone else carried it.
The show got off to a weak start and was slammed by critics but, as Stanwyck told a columnist " Bad reviews don't hurt. By the time the review appears in print, the viewer has seen the show already and has already made up his mind; in the end it's the viewers themselves who decide whether a show is a hit or not. And she was right. The audience loved the show, and continued to love it in syndication, fouryears after "those in Power" dropped it inSpring of 1969.
The cast was a strong one,despite the inexperience of Linda Evans and Lee Majors. In the beginning Barbara helped the two newcomers in their roles. Linda Evans became a close friend of Barbara and both she and Majors , even after they became big stars, recognized that it was Stanwyck who tought them to be professionals.

The list of Guest stars is an incredibly talented one: Anne Baxter, Diane Baker, Milton Berle, Colleen Dewhurst, Maurice Evans, Julie Harris, Carol Lynley, Leslie Nielsen, Pernell Roberts, Tom Tryon, Katharine Ross, George Kennedy, Peter Haskell and Bradford Dillman

"The Big Valley" brought Barbara more recognition and greater honors than she had had in years.
in 1966 Photoplay magazine presented her with its Editors' Award which was engraved* To the 'Eternal Star' whose glamour,talent and professionalism both on and off the screen have thrilled millions of fans throughout the years* In 1967 and 1968 Photoplay's readers voted her " The Most Popular Female Star" and TV Radio Mirror's Television Critics Poll honored her in 1966 as"the Best Dramatic Actress in Television.". The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded her her second Emmy in 1966 as "Outstanding actress in a Dramatic Series" and nominated her again in 1967 and 1968.
and more recognitions were to come ...