Talk:The Big Valley

Always in color?
Was the series always in color?? Dogru144 17:39, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

The series was always in Color

the show starred long, not stanwyck
somebody change that opening paragraph to reflect long's first-billed status from the show's beginning til its end —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.171.177.100 (talk) 04:34, 4 February 2011 (UTC)

It could be argued that Stanwyck's spot at the end of the credits--along with her billing as "Miss" Barbara Stanwyck--was intended to honour her as a Hollywood veteran, and the most famous member of the cast.24.57.229.254 (talk) 20:06, 10 January 2012 (UTC)

Stanwicks credits read "And Staring Miss Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria Barkely". It is a long standing Hollywood tradition to credit the biggest name in the cast this way. "And Starring ..." gives her predominance. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Susie Brooke (talk • contribs) 03:16, 26 April 2012 (UTC) Speaking of the credits... does anyone know why Lee Majors was always shown as 'Heath'. Not Heath Barkley. Everyone else was always shown as "character name Barkley". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.229.47.185 (talk) 20:13, 2 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Heath was the bastard son, thus not really a "Barkley". His mother was never married to his father.  He was only considered a Barkley because Victoria was such a saint. --Ishtar456 (talk) 00:18, 3 May 2012 (UTC)

NEW Movie
I was looking up Lee Majors on IMDB & found that there is a theatrical movie completed with a 2012 release date staring Sara Paxton, Richard Dreyfuss, Jessica Lang, Aidan Quinn, & Lee Majors. This should be added to this page or have a page of it's own. Here is the IMDB Link http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1472462/ Here is the synopsis: Heath, the illegitimate son of murdered millionaire rancher Tom Barkley, arrives in Stockton, California in 1876 to assert his claim on the Barkley family fortune. Based on the hit television series of the same name which originally starred Barbara Stanwyck, Lee Majors and Linda Evans. --98.211.71.137 (talk) 15:50, 2 September 2011 (UTC)
 * One of the rules here about articles about movies is that you cannot write one if it has not been released yet, so better to wait until after the release. --Ishtar456 (talk) 13:32, 26 April 2012 (UTC)
 * It should be mentioned (here) that this movie doesn't seem to have ever seen the light of day though exactly what happened to it is unclear. The closest thing I could find is a blog post (totally useless) from September 9, 2012 titled "'Big Valley' Delayed by director's Legal nightmare".  Since nothing in the blog can be confirmed by a reliable source the only thing that could be safely said is it likely got canned which is supported by a Hollywood Reporter article but given eh reliable issues with that I don't think brining up the details help.
 * This should serves as a lesson that just because a movie is announced doesn't mean it will actually see the light of day.--2606:A000:131D:4413:D0E2:7356:C75B:8706 (talk) 16:56, 13 May 2019 (UTC)

"Airplane!"
At some point, this article needs to add the reference to The Big Valley from the movie "Airplane!" At one point, Johnny (the wisecracking air traffic controller) calls out, "Nick, Heath, Jared! There's a fire in the barn!"24.57.229.254 (talk) 20:02, 10 January 2012 (UTC)
 * There's no needs for silly trivia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.19.202.135 (talk) 17:58, 12 March 2016 (UTC)

Theme Song
Were there any lyrics for the theme song for "The Big Valley?" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.17.118.251 (talk) 19:26, 7 April 2012 (UTC)

Theme Song
Were there any lyrics for the theme song for "The Big Valley?" If so, what were they?

Who composed the theme song? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Officeatnight (talk • contribs) 20:05, 7 April 2012 (UTC)

what dispute?
There's nothing more than a tag since Nov. 2011 - any valid reason it should not be removed? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.25.110.105 (talk) 22:44, 30 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I have removed the tag since no discussion is present here.  Pinkadelica ♣  23:28, 30 June 2012 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on The Big Valley. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20130603101447/http://www.etonline.com/news/87482_Jessica_Lange_Takes_The_Big_Valley_to_the_Big_Screen/index.html to http://www.etonline.com/news/87482_Jessica_Lange_Takes_The_Big_Valley_to_the_Big_Screen/index.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 15:11, 7 January 2016 (UTC)

Historical Background
The Historical Background section hopelessly garbles the history of the Hill ranch with the fictional Barkley spread. Nothing in the TV series can be taken as any evidence of any historical fact. The whole section needs a major re-write, or merciful deletion. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.19.202.135 (talk) 17:57, 12 March 2016 (UTC)


 * It can se stated with certainty that the show starts in 1876 given that Thomas Barkley's grave reads 1813-1870 and that Frank Braun reminds the Barkley that both their father faught and died six years ago.--2606:A000:7D44:100:9938:1283:92E5:4251 (talk) 00:07, 14 April 2017 (UTC)
 * With the exception of "The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner" the episodes that give dates point to 1876-1878. In fact, "The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner" gives conflicting dates stating Thomas Barkley died six years ago (reaffirming the 1876 date) but implies that Jubal's wife, who died in 1854, has been dead for 30 years put the date at 1884.--Professor Phantasm (talk) 01:41, 13 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Cite a source. Otherwise it's original research. If you don't have a reliable source saying it, it cannot be "stated with certainty"; it can't be stated at all, and will be removed if it can't be verified. Canonblack (talk) 17:17, 1 June 2019 (UTC)

Using information from the actual episodes is not original research. In the first episode, titled "Palms of Glory", the grave of Thomas Barkley (1813–1870) is shown after it is commented that he fought the railroad six years ago. Later, in the same episode, Frank Braun reminds Nicholas, Jarrod, and Eugene Barkley about how "Six years ago, your daddy and mine fought and died for this" indicating the year is 1876.

The episode "The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner" gives conflicting information. Audra states that her father died six years ago which would per "Palms of Glory" would point to 1876, but Jubal seems to imply that he has been gone 30 years since his wife Margaret Tanner's death, her grave marker showing that she had died in 1854 which would put the year around 1884.

In the second season episode "Hide the Children", Nick Barkley makes reference that President Ulysses Simpson Grant is in the White House. Grant's term of office was from March 4, 1869 to March 4, 1877.

In the fourth and final season episode "They Called Her Delilah", the telegram Jarrod received from Julia dated April 27, 1878 can be seen on screen. ("They Called Her Delilah." aired Sept 30, 1968, second episode in the fourth and final season.) In "The Long Ride", in which a friend of Audra Barkley was killed, a newly dug grave has a marker with the year 1878.

So while the majority of episodes that give dates point to the last 1870s there are irregularities preventing that being stated definitively.

The only OR one could make it would be pointing to "The Jonah" where Johann Strauss II's "Emperor Waltz" or "Kaiser-Waltzer" is being played. The waltz was first performed in Berlin on 21 October 1889 which, by the time it would have reached the American West, would indicate a time period of 1890 or later. But shows, especially TV shows were always a little fast and loose with the details.--174.99.238.22 (talk) 05:49, 24 November 2021 (UTC)