The Big Valley (TV Series) Devil's Masquerade (1968) User Reviews

Heath is suspicious about a women in this likable episode

[kfo9494 · 7/10 · 7 November 2012]

Heath's friend, Jim North, sent off for a mail-order bride and she, Nancy, has arrived in Stockton. The letters the woman wrote advised that she wants to move to Stockton, marry Jim and teach at the local school.

Heath becomes suspicious of the Nancy at their first meeting. Seems that she looks like someone Heath has seen before but Nancy advises that they never met. After being told that she will be the new school teacher she becomes unsettled and says she has changed her mind about teaching.

Jim is so smitten with Nancy that he cannot see that she is acting much different than the letters indicated. And when a man appears at the door requesting to purchase land the viewers know that the story has taken a nasty turn. It will be up to Heath to find the truth about Nancy which will cause his life to be in danger.

There was little going on during the show until the last few scenes making it seem slow. Even with the slow action it was a likable watch for the viewer. Most notable for the guest actors that were perfectly cast in this episode.

Dead teacher

[gtainsley · 7/10 · 20 October 2019]

Hmmmmm, who killed the read bride/teacher and the stage coach driver? And now the saloon girl gets to marry Jim North,theranger?

Contrived but fun

[summerfields · 7/10 · 14 April 2010]

I am not as huge a fan of this one as apparently others are but it's alright.

Mr. Heath is suspicious of his buddy's school-teacher/soon-to-be wife from the get-go and it bugs the 'sweet' young thing...

Turns out that she isn't who she appears to be at all.

these stories of someone taking another's identity are fascinating but hardly real-life-like.

I must say that I didn't find the gal (Anne Helm) who plays the tart terribly talented and her performance falls rather flat.

An actress with more fascinating verve and presence could have done wonders with this role.

Really unbelievable is the contrived happy ending which i will let viewers of this review guess upon...

This was my introduction to The Big Valley and it was a pretty good one.

[cgvsluis · 7/10 · 18 December 2023]

Heath's friend, nearby rancher Jim North injures himself in his excitement on the way to the stagecoach to great his pen pal and soon to be bride. Jim asks Heath to go in his stead. Heath discovers two dead bodies from the stagecoach, rescuing the soon to be bride Nancy and a "businessman" named Reed Clayton.

Nancy and Jim get along great and Jim is just over the moon, especially with how lovely Nancy is. Heath becomes suspicious and putting two and two together takes a trip to another town to confirm said suspicion...putting him in the crosshairs of Reed.

This was a great episode with a sweet ending...and actually the first episode of The Big Valley that I ever saw. No sign of Linda Evans as Audra.

And they lived happily ever after

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 22 August 2015]

When Lee Majors is asked by neighboring rancher John Doucette to pick up his mail order bride at a stage junction he's willing to do a favor. But the young beautiful bride played by Anne Helm strikes a familiar note with Heath Barkley. There's another person who was a passenger on that stage which was incidentally held up and the driver and another young woman passenger killed. That would be gambler Ray Danton and when Heath takes a hand at poker at the Stockton saloon he has it halfway put together.

What started as a potentially good drama was completely spoiled by a contrived happy ending you have to see to believe. How they foisted this story off on Barbara Stanwyck and the rest of the cast is beyond me.