Nick Barkley: The Hot-Tempered Ranch Manager of The Big Valley
Peter Breck's Nick Barkley ran the family ranch with a short fuse, a black hat and a growing respect for his half brother.
Who Is Nick Barkley?
Nick Barkley is a son of the Barkley family in the ABC western The Big Valley, which ran from 1965 to 1969. Peter Breck played him. The Big Valley series guide describes him as the hot-tempered younger son who managed the family ranch, known for his leather vests, large black hat and frequent fist fights, sometimes with his brothers.
Nick is fiction. He is included here because the ranch is the heart of the series, and Nick is the member of the family who deals with its daily running.
The Barkley Ranch Nick Manages
The show is set in 19th-century Stockton, California, in the central valley, and was loosely based on the Hill Ranch near Stockton, in Calaveras County. That ranch operated from 1855 to 1931, covered more than 1,000 acres and sat along the Mokelumne River.
The real ranch's site is now under Lake Camanche. A California historical marker at Camanche South Shore Park mentions it. The series itself is loose about distances: one episode puts the Barkley ranch a few hours' ride from town, and another has Jarrod pass a Calaveras County sign on the way there, so viewers should not use it as a map.
Nick, Heath and the Family Rivalry
Nick's best-known storyline is his relationship with Heath, played by Lee Majors, the illegitimate son of Thomas Barkley. Nick initially detested Heath but eventually became closer to him than to Jarrod, the eldest brother, who is an attorney.
The shift makes Nick a figure of change, since a character defined by anger comes to value the person he first resented. His other close ties are with his mother, Victoria, and his sister Audra, and the series gives the brothers many scenes in which a quarrel over the ranch turns into a fight and then into an uneasy truce. The pattern lets the writers show the ranch as a family enterprise in which every disagreement has stakes.
What Made Nick Barkley Work
Nick works because his temper and his competence are both real. The series presents him as the one who handles the ranch's day-to-day demands, and the anger is the cost of the job.
As a picture of a ranch manager, the show offers these points:
- He handled the daily work of the ranch while his brother Jarrod practiced law.
- He acted on instinct, with fights that often put him at odds with his own brothers.
- He changed his view of Heath and ended up closer to him than to Jarrod.
- He worked within a ranch headed by his mother, Victoria, the undisputed master of the place.
- His limits were his temper and his first prejudice against Heath.
Peter Breck and the Big Valley Production
Breck played Nick for the full ABC run. The series was created by A.I. Bezzerides and Louis F. Edelman and produced by Levy-Gardner-Laven and Four Star Television, and George Duning composed the theme tune.
The page reviewed lists the main cast as Richard Long, Lee Majors, Linda Evans and Barbara Stanwyck as Victoria, with Napoleon Whiting as the majordomo Silas. See also the series reference entry. The Television Academy also hosts a page of Big Valley interviews.
More on Ranch Life
For real ranch managers and the work they do, see the ranching section of farm.FM. A farm.FM story that fits is a story about ranch foremen and managers.
Timeline
- 1855Hill Ranch, the loose inspiration, begins operating near Stockton
- 1931Hill Ranch ceases operating
- 1965The Big Valley premieres on ABC with Peter Breck as Nick
- 1965Nick initially detests Heath, as the series begins
- 1969The series ends after its ABC run
Frequently asked questions
Who is Nick Barkley?
Nick Barkley is the hot-tempered younger son who manages the family ranch in the ABC western The Big Valley, played by Peter Breck from 1965 to 1969.
Who played Nick Barkley?
Peter Breck played Nick Barkley. The character is known for leather vests, a large black hat and frequent fist fights, sometimes with his own brothers.
What was Nick's relationship with Heath?
Nick initially detested Heath, Thomas Barkley's illegitimate son played by Lee Majors, but eventually became closer to him than to his eldest brother, Jarrod.
Where is the Barkley ranch?
The series places it near Stockton in California's central valley. It was loosely based on the real Hill Ranch in Calaveras County, now under Lake Camanche.
Sources and further reading
- SERIES: The Big Valley, Lee Majors fan site
- The Big Valley (Wikipedia)
- The Big Valley, Television Academy Interviews
Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.
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