The Big Valley (TV Series) Danger Road (1969) User Reviews

This poor script is saved by two powerful actors

[kfo9494 · 7/10 · 14 December 2012]

This is probably the worse script in the entire collection of 'The Big Valley' but with two incredible actors in Barbara Stanwyck and Maurice Evans, the show is interesting just for the interactions of the two characters.

Edward Hewitt (Maurice Evans) has a big gambling debt with no way to pay it off. From a freight owner he gets a job that will pay big bucks. All he has to do is drive whiskey to the Indian Reservation.

At the same time Victoria is taken medicine to the reservation. When her wagon breaks down, Edward agrees to take her along with him. But it will not be a easy ride. Edward has actually been 'set up' by the freight owner since they have had many robberies along the route that has been chosen. And with the headstrong Victoria and the fancy man Edward, it will be a long trip with many adventures along the route to the Indian Reservation.

Had there been any two actors other than Evans and Stanwyck in the roles this could have been a very unfortunate show. But the chemistry of the two and the polar opposites of the characters make for a program that is entertaining. The scene where Victoria shoots two riders off horses and Edwards overpowers a villain is too unbelievable for anyone to believe- but the show gets a pass for the actors not the script.

Overrated but okay

[summerfields · 6/10 · 14 April 2010]

Not a terribly great episode.

Maurice Evans, that great Shakespearean actor who play dad to TV's Samantha Stephens is out of place in Barkleyland.

The storyline is fair but not too hot.

The scenes inside the rural general store are alright: it's cute watching Maurice make up a pot of chili for Victoria using his own packages of spices, etc.

Simply a mediocre offering which isn't up to par with many better ones.

Classy Englishmen just seemed out of place in the San Joaquin Valley, it seems!

Tough lady

[boytaconic · 7/10 · 13 December 2021]

This episode is my favorite!it shows Victoria as a tough as nails frontier woman trying to deliver supplies to the Indians while fighting off bandits!she doesn't need help from her sons at all!

Frontier morality

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 18 October 2016]

This Big Valley episode has Barbara Stanwyck as an angel of mercy delivering medical supplies to an Indian village which has a measles epidemic. Unfortunately she breaks down on the way and has to accept the hospitality of Maurice Evans who is delivering whiskey to the same destination.

Victoria Barkley's strong sense of morality is offended by Evans's mission, but she does have to accept his help. Which isn't much since he's not exactly a frontier hand.

The story gets a bit silly at times, but watching Evans and Stanwyck on the screen is the real treat in this story. Evans turns out has more grit than he realizes.

Watch this for Evans and Stanwyck.

Loved it, perfect score

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 18 October 2016]

In one of the final episodes of 'The Big Valley,' Barbara Stanwyck gets a chance to work with guest star Maurice Evans. He plays a down-on-his-luck Englishman who agrees to take a shipment of whiskey to some natives, for money to pay off his gambling debts. Along the way, he meets Victoria and they have to brave the elements together.

Another reviewer on the IMDb has commented on the cuteness of his making chili for her while they are resting in an abandoned house. Obviously, that's done to foreshadow his 'happy ending,' where he will teach Silas a few new tricks in the kitchen back at the Barkley ranch. But also it reveals he is not British nobility, merely a servant.

The episode is a good character study, and it has some excellent action sequences too. Plus, in a nice change of pace, the Barkley boys ride off to find and potentially rescue their mother, but Victoria does not need any rescuing this time.