The Best Episodes of The Big Valley Season 1
Every episode of The Big Valley Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Big Valley Season 1!
The Big Valley is an American western television series which ran on ABC from September 15, 1965, to May 19, 1969. The show stars Barbara Stanwyck, as the widow of a wealthy nineteenth century California rancher. It was created by A.I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman, and produced by Levy-Gardner-Laven for Four Star Television.
Season 1 Ratings Summary
The best episode of "The Big Valley" season 1 is "Palms of Glory", rated 8.3/10 from 254 user votes. It was directed by William A. Graham and written by N/A. "Palms of Glory" aired on 9/15/1965 and is rated 0.6 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Forty Rifles".
8.3/10 254 votes#1 - Palms of Glory
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/15/1965
In this series premiere, the railroad has hired men to force the farmers and ranchers of Stockton off their land. The Barkleys join with the rest of the valley to help fight them off. While at home an angry young man, Heath, shows up claimimg to be the deceased Tom Barkleys' illegitimate son.
Director: William A. Graham
Writer: N/A
7.7/10 160 votes#2 - Forty Rifles
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/22/1965
While preparing for a major cattle drive bunching the Barkley's herd with those of other ranchers, Heath has major difficulties being accepted as a Barkley, especially by the ranch hands. Then when Nick's former commander in the war comes to visit, Heath is suspicious of him, and with good reason. He is there to cause trouble and steal the herd!! Nick ends up getting shot while on the drive and has to be taken to town, leaving Heath in charge of the drive. Heath ends up saving the day, and finally the hands begin to accept him as a true Barkley.
Director: Bernard McEveety
Writer: N/A
8.3/10 189 votes#3 - Boots with My Father's Name
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/29/1965
Victoria begins to wonder if Tom ever truly loved her, if he could go off and have an affair which produces a child. So she's off to Heath's hometown Strawberry to find out more about Tom and Leah's (Heath's mother) relationship.
Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Writer: N/A
7.6/10 152 votes#4 - Young Marauders
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/6/1965
Audra is save by a man who claims to be a mustang hunter, but who's band of mustangers are also extorting protection money from the farmers and ranchers of Stockon. While Audra is smitten with him her brothers are suspicious, and soon find out the truth. Which Audra does as well. . .after she is kidnapped by them.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.5/10 147 votes#5 - The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/13/1965
Victoria sells land to an old friend, while the Barkley boys are part of a plan to flood it!!!
Director: N/A
Writer: Paul Savage
7.6/10 131 votes#6 - Heritage
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/20/1965
While Heath investigates violence at one of the Barkley mines, he discovers that the miners hate the Barkley's for unkept promises. This discovered they work to set things right before anything else happens.
Director: N/A
Writer: Carey Wilber
7.5/10 149 votes#7 - Winner Lose All
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 10/27/1965
Heath falls for a beautiful spanish girl, whose father happens to be involved in a land dispute with the Barkleys! Her father disapproves of Heath because of his illegitamate birth, picturing a much finer bred man for his only daughter. He sets about using the land problems to break them apart.
Director: Richard C. Sarafian
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/10 172 votes
#8 - My Son, My Son
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/3/1965
An old childhood friend of Audra's returns whom she'd like to be involved with. She doesn't know however that he is emotionally disturbed, dangerously so.
Director: Paul Henreid
Writer: Paul Schneider
7.7/10 161 votes#9 - Earthquake!
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/10/1965
Victoria is in a mission church with a pregnant indian woman, when an earthquake collapses it into a forgotten mine underneath. As if the situation isn't isn't bad enough. . they are also trapped with a man whom Nick had fired and who now has a serious grudge against the Barkleys.
Director: Paul Henreid
Writer: Oliver Crawford
8.2/10 134 votes#10 - The Murdered Party
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 11/17/1965
Jarrod defends a man accused of murder, even though the only witness is his own brother, Heath!!
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.0/10 124 votes#11 - The Way to Kill a Killer
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 11/24/1965
When one of Nick's old friends, Mariano Montoya, comes through town on his way to sell his cattle, trouble hits in the form of deadly anthrax. The man's cattle begin to die off and it seems as though they will have to shoot them all, killing as well Mariano's dreams for the money. Until Eugene tells them of something called immunization, which he believes will work. Mariano isn't so sure however and tells them that to prove it works, the Barkleys must first try it on their own prize bull!The bull collapses and it looks as though it has been killed but then it moves and gets up, it works!! Mariano's herd is saved!
Director: Joseph M. Newman
Writer: N/A
8.1/10 154 votes#12 - Night of the Wolf
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 12/1/1965
When Nick is bitten by a rabid wolf, he makes Heath swear not to say a word, and leaves town so his family will not have to witness what will happen to him.
Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Writer: N/A
7.6/10 127 votes#13 - The Guilt of Matt Bentell
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 12/8/1965
When the Barkleys invite the foreman of their logging operations to dinner, Heath walks in and tries to kill the man on sight. It turns out that the man is Matt Bentell, the warden of violent, horrible Carterson Prison, where Heath was held during the war. A man whom he had sworn to kill if he ever saw him again. The family comes up with the brilliant idea to send Heath up to the logging camp with the man to help with the building of log flumes, and to protect the man whose identity has been brought into the open. Heath ends up saving his life and learns that people can change.
Director: Lewis Allen
Writer: Paul Savage
8.2/10 138 votes#14 - The Brawlers
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 12/15/1965
A group of irish immigrants settle down on Barkley land, believing that they bought the land legally. Nick, along with the others at first, believes they are merely squatters. They, however, refuse to believe that the land does not belong to them.
Director: Joseph Pevney
Writer: N/A
7.8/10 161 votes#15 - Judgement in Heaven
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 12/22/1965
Jarrod decides to bring home one of his clients, a young woman named Maybelle, for Christmas. Her accused crime aiding and abbetting her outlaw boyfriend, a boyfriend who recently escaped from jail and is now looking for Maybelle.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/10 129 votes#16 - The Invaders
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 12/29/1965
While out counting cattle Heath comes across a dead animal. When he gets down off of his horse to investigate, he is shot by the same rawhiders who killed the cow. When they realize that he is still alive, they decide to take him back to the ranch for a finder's ""reward"". Once there they find that all of the other men are gone for at least a week, leaving the house and all within ripe for the picking.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.4/10 123 votes#17 - By Fires Unseen
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 1/5/1966
Nick returns from a trip from San Francisco with a big surprise. . . a fiance!! While he is completely smitten with her, the rest of the family isn't so quickly won over. They see the truth, that she's just not ready to leave behind the life of parties and numerous suitors, to which she has become accustomed.
Director: Ralph Senensky
Writer: N/A
7.9/10 128 votes#18 - A Time to Kill
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 1/19/1966
Jarrod is happy to see an old law school friend. . until he learns there is a secret service agent on his tail. It seems everywhere he goes counterfeit money follows, and Jarrod is determined to find out what's going on with his old friend.
Director: Bernard McEveety
Writer: N/A
7.7/10 107 votes#19 - Teacher of Outlaws
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 2/2/1966
Mistaken for the schoolteacher, Victoria is kidnapped by an outlaw who wishes to learn to read.
Director: Michael Ritchie
Writer: Gilbert Ralston
7.9/10 128 votes#20 - Under a Dark Star
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 2/9/1966
A guilt ridden Jarrod offers to help a man that he helped to convict of a crime that Jarrod now knows that he did not commit. Even though the man threatened to kill Jarrod at the trial.
Director: Michael Ritchie
Writer: N/A
7.8/10 141 votes#21 - Barbary Red
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 2/16/1966
While having a birthday drink at The Barbary Red saloon with two of his ranch hands, Nick is shanghaied.
Director: Michael Ritchie
Writer: N/A
8.1/10 142 votes#22 - The Death Merchant
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 2/23/1966
Handy Random, theman who killed the man that killed Tom Barkley, comes to Stockton. It's a happy reunion for all but Heath who hates the man, and for good reason. Everywhere he goes he starts range wars to profit from them.
Director: Bernard McEveety
Writer: N/A
7.7/10 105 votes#23 - The Fallen Hawk
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 3/2/1966
Heath feels that his friend's injury and paralysis is his fault, and ends up being used by the man.
Director: Paul Henreid
Writer: N/A
7.8/10 108 votes#24 - Hazard
Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 3/9/1966
A man comes to the ranch looking for Heath and gets shot by bounty hunters. It turns out he's not a friend of Heath's like he stated, in fact Heath has sworn to kill him himself.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.8/10 108 votes#25 - Into the Widow's Web
Season 1 Episode 25 - Aired 3/23/1966
Heath's childhood sweetheart Libby suddenly reappears in his life, bringing nothing but trouble.He ends up thrown in jail, accused of the murder of Liberty's drunken husband, by the new D.A. who's out to prove that the Barkleys power and money can't buy everything. It's a race to prove Heath's innocence and save him from a fate at the end of a rope!!
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A