Palms of Glory
The first episode of Big Valley is set six years after the death of Tom Barkley, according to several lines of dialogue. And the date on Barkley's tombstone is 1870, so we can assume it's now 1876.
The Barkley's once again are battling The Railroad, a favorite villain of ranchers and homesteaders (often used as the deciding force that turned Jesse James into an outlaw). Supposedly 2,000 families will be displaced by the latest action of the railroad, referred to in the final scene as the Coastal & Western. (This is undoubtedly the fictional version of the Southern Pacific Railroad, who historically found legal ways to displace wheat farmers on Valley land. In 1880 seven people were killed in a confrontation between farmers and representatives of the railroad at a place called Mussel Slough. Ultimately the railroad won the day, legally.)
The first episode spent most of its time introducing us to the character of Heath. This was a much more loquacious version of Heath, who says 'Boy Howdy' twice and gives at least one long speech--and that speech alone was probably more dialogue than he ever had in any other episode, including the ones that focused exclusively on him.
This was a rough and realistic Heath, who talked like someone who had been wandering around the west on his own. He had a distinctive twang to his voice. And he looked incredibly young. (By the very next episode, set two weeks later, he looks considerably older, so it makes me wonder about the length of time between filming the first and second episodes.) From his reference to the 24 years it had been since Tom Barkley visited Strawberry, we can assume he's 23 or 24 (a little young to have been in a prison camp during the Civil War, as has been pointed out in some forums, but what the heck--kids went off to war early in those days).
It's been a month since Heath's mother Leah has died, and prior to her death, he was working in Corning, which Nick says is 100 miles from Stockton. All he has with him to prove he's Tom Barkley's son is a newspaper article from the back of a bible. At one point he balls this clipping up and sticks it in a glass of whiskey. Later he comes back for it, puts it in his pocket and then drinks the whiskey.
Heath isn't the only talkative Barkley. Jarrod actually does less pontificating than Nick, who gives a long speech in the final scene at the breakfast table. This scene includes the famous fight over the steak--both Heath and Nick spear a steak with their forks which Jarrod then cuts it in half, to the amusement of everyone.
Audra is a spitfire, using her riding crop on Heath and several men in Stockton. The setting of the story is a wild and wooly Stockton, full of the characters hired by the railroad to evict 1,000 families from their homesteads. When Audra rides alone into town, she's nearly raped right off her horse. In fact, the would-be rapists follow her into Heath's hotel room.
Victoria Barkley is a much more refined and ladylike version of the woman we come to know later. She doesn't appreciate Nick's loud voice waking her from her afternoon nap, and she foregos the riding pants and dickeys and false eyelashes for a more authentic costume.
In fact, there was an overall ring of authenticity to this episode, before the characters settled into their more formulaic patterns. (As the first season wears on, we'll see some role reversal with the women, as Audra tones down and Mrs. Barkley steps it up. Perhaps we could assume that this was a natural progression for the characters. Being at the Barkley ranch tames 'Boy Howdy' Heath, and being around Heath relaxes Victoria? More likely this was a sign of the power of Barbara Stanwyck, who wanted her Victoria to be a woman of action.)
The characters aren't the only difference; the layout of the house obviously hadn't been determined. The outer facade is used, but inside the study is where the living room normally would be, and the landing at the top of the stairs is also different. (We often saw different locations for rooms, especially bedrooms. Note: Handy Random later refers to the Barkley's bathroom as "that little room upstairs.")
Jarrod has spent months in San Francisco (not in Sacramento?) lobbying for legislation to stop the 'Coastal & Western,' but the bill has been vetoed by the governor. Since California's district court was in San Francisco, I suppose we can assume there was some legal rangling involved in his legislation. When Jarrod returns home, he does so aboard a luxurious traincar where he seems to have his own Chinese manservant (whom Nick calls Sung or Song "you ugly Mandarin").
Jarrod and Crown, the railroad man, bet $1500 that Heath will outrun the train, and Jarrod wins the bet. The episode debuted in 1965, when that $1500 had a conservatively estimated value of $5,300.
Running jokes: Jarrod being asked "how was Frisco?" and answering "cold," until he finally tells Silas it was "fair and balmy"; also, Jarrod being told by both Nick and his mother that he's put on weight (only "a pound" Jarrod says).
Factoids: Jarrod prefers to drink Scotch; Heath's mount is a she, a Modoc (Indian) pony; Thomas Barkley's gravestone date are 1813-1870; Nick wears an English revolver, at least in this episode; it's summertime or at least it's hot--we can assume late July or early August, since it's August in the next episode, set two weeks later; Jarrod believes in eating lunch; McNally is the name of the ranch foreman; Ciego is the Mexican ranchhand; when Audra goes to town, she's riding Coco.
Timeline info (stuff not referenced in the episode):
It's 11 years since Appomatox and the death of President Lincoln.
Ulysses S. Grant is president (just as he is during the series 'Wild Wild West'), and a man by the name of William Irwin is governor of California.
The James/Younger gang was destroyed in Northfield, MN on Sept. 7, 1876 (James is killed in April of '82, six years later and his brother Frank is acquitted in '85.)
The Barkley's once again are battling The Railroad, a favorite villain of ranchers and homesteaders (often used as the deciding force that turned Jesse James into an outlaw). Supposedly 2,000 families will be displaced by the latest action of the railroad, referred to in the final scene as the Coastal & Western. (This is undoubtedly the fictional version of the Southern Pacific Railroad, who historically found legal ways to displace wheat farmers on Valley land. In 1880 seven people were killed in a confrontation between farmers and representatives of the railroad at a place called Mussel Slough. Ultimately the railroad won the day, legally.)
The first episode spent most of its time introducing us to the character of Heath. This was a much more loquacious version of Heath, who says 'Boy Howdy' twice and gives at least one long speech--and that speech alone was probably more dialogue than he ever had in any other episode, including the ones that focused exclusively on him.
This was a rough and realistic Heath, who talked like someone who had been wandering around the west on his own. He had a distinctive twang to his voice. And he looked incredibly young. (By the very next episode, set two weeks later, he looks considerably older, so it makes me wonder about the length of time between filming the first and second episodes.) From his reference to the 24 years it had been since Tom Barkley visited Strawberry, we can assume he's 23 or 24 (a little young to have been in a prison camp during the Civil War, as has been pointed out in some forums, but what the heck--kids went off to war early in those days).
It's been a month since Heath's mother Leah has died, and prior to her death, he was working in Corning, which Nick says is 100 miles from Stockton. All he has with him to prove he's Tom Barkley's son is a newspaper article from the back of a bible. At one point he balls this clipping up and sticks it in a glass of whiskey. Later he comes back for it, puts it in his pocket and then drinks the whiskey.
Heath isn't the only talkative Barkley. Jarrod actually does less pontificating than Nick, who gives a long speech in the final scene at the breakfast table. This scene includes the famous fight over the steak--both Heath and Nick spear a steak with their forks which Jarrod then cuts it in half, to the amusement of everyone.
Audra is a spitfire, using her riding crop on Heath and several men in Stockton. The setting of the story is a wild and wooly Stockton, full of the characters hired by the railroad to evict 1,000 families from their homesteads. When Audra rides alone into town, she's nearly raped right off her horse. In fact, the would-be rapists follow her into Heath's hotel room.
Victoria Barkley is a much more refined and ladylike version of the woman we come to know later. She doesn't appreciate Nick's loud voice waking her from her afternoon nap, and she foregos the riding pants and dickeys and false eyelashes for a more authentic costume.
In fact, there was an overall ring of authenticity to this episode, before the characters settled into their more formulaic patterns. (As the first season wears on, we'll see some role reversal with the women, as Audra tones down and Mrs. Barkley steps it up. Perhaps we could assume that this was a natural progression for the characters. Being at the Barkley ranch tames 'Boy Howdy' Heath, and being around Heath relaxes Victoria? More likely this was a sign of the power of Barbara Stanwyck, who wanted her Victoria to be a woman of action.)
The characters aren't the only difference; the layout of the house obviously hadn't been determined. The outer facade is used, but inside the study is where the living room normally would be, and the landing at the top of the stairs is also different. (We often saw different locations for rooms, especially bedrooms. Note: Handy Random later refers to the Barkley's bathroom as "that little room upstairs.")
Jarrod has spent months in San Francisco (not in Sacramento?) lobbying for legislation to stop the 'Coastal & Western,' but the bill has been vetoed by the governor. Since California's district court was in San Francisco, I suppose we can assume there was some legal rangling involved in his legislation. When Jarrod returns home, he does so aboard a luxurious traincar where he seems to have his own Chinese manservant (whom Nick calls Sung or Song "you ugly Mandarin").
Jarrod and Crown, the railroad man, bet $1500 that Heath will outrun the train, and Jarrod wins the bet. The episode debuted in 1965, when that $1500 had a conservatively estimated value of $5,300.
Running jokes: Jarrod being asked "how was Frisco?" and answering "cold," until he finally tells Silas it was "fair and balmy"; also, Jarrod being told by both Nick and his mother that he's put on weight (only "a pound" Jarrod says).
Factoids: Jarrod prefers to drink Scotch; Heath's mount is a she, a Modoc (Indian) pony; Thomas Barkley's gravestone date are 1813-1870; Nick wears an English revolver, at least in this episode; it's summertime or at least it's hot--we can assume late July or early August, since it's August in the next episode, set two weeks later; Jarrod believes in eating lunch; McNally is the name of the ranch foreman; Ciego is the Mexican ranchhand; when Audra goes to town, she's riding Coco.
Timeline info (stuff not referenced in the episode):
It's 11 years since Appomatox and the death of President Lincoln.
Ulysses S. Grant is president (just as he is during the series 'Wild Wild West'), and a man by the name of William Irwin is governor of California.
The James/Younger gang was destroyed in Northfield, MN on Sept. 7, 1876 (James is killed in April of '82, six years later and his brother Frank is acquitted in '85.)