La grande vallata Earthquake (1965–1969) watch online HD

This episode is the first one of the series that features Barbara Stanwyck nearly exclusively. This proves to some of the viewers that Ms Stanwyck was not going to be this women that sits at the house and waits for her boys to come home- instead she is seen as a person wanting to make this show work for all the actors involved. She is not going to sit on her movie career but is putting all she has in the show. This episode proves that she is a professional no matter if it is on the large screen or the small screen.

The show starts as Victoria enters a small church to leave a donation with the padre. Inside the church is a very pregnant Indian girl named Naomi (Aliza Gur) who happens to be praying. Before Victoria can leave the church she encounters Tate (Charles Bronson) who has just been fired from the Barkley Ranch for drinking. He wants Victoria to try to get his job back but she wants nothing to do with him.

As the conversation turns ugly an earthquake hits the town of Stockton and the church comes tumbling down.

From what I could gather, our three characters fall into the basement and cannot get out due to the debris blocking their path. But hold on- Victoria remembers that there use to be an old Barkley mine shaft that ran under the church and through the shaft they will try to escape without harming each other.

The director's of this episode do a good job in creating a believable earthquake. Most of the time all we see is the camera shaking and people stumbling and that is the extent of the special effects. In this show they do have a lot of debris but the camera takes us back to the Barkley's house to see shaking and falling ceiling plaster. And they even went as far as to have the trees shaking more like a real earthquake than the usual camera shake. (I guess I look for that stuff). They only thing I found normal during the quake was that Nick barely missed being hit by falling boards off the barn- but with Nick I expected some kind of drama.

I thought Barbara Stanwyck did a good job of acting in this episode. She was hard as nail at times and was soft when needed. She did get dirty in the mine shaft but always seemed to have her make-up and eye-lid paint as nice as when the show started.

Anyway a good hour of TV.

It's sad that a powerful performance by Barbara Stanwyck has to wasted in a story that is completely spoiled by a rotten and incredible ending. She's in quite a pickle but Victoria Barkley is one strong willed woman who will survive any way she can.

She's in a church when an earthquake strikes and she's buried in the church cellar with a former Barkley ranch hand who likes to drink too much and a pregnant Modoc Indian girl who's very very due. Charles Bronson is the former Barkley employee who doesn't relish being trapped with the Barkley matriarch and Alizia Kar is the pregnant woman.

The church was built on top of old mine tunnels and the three look for a way out. There's some crackling dialog with Stanwyck and Bronson who I believe never worked together on the big screen. Kar is a truly sad figure who was impregnated by a frequent white visitor to her reservation.

I can't say more, but trust me the ending is ridiculous. And I guess I can say Stanwyck survives for more episodes of The Big Valley.

Here we have Victoria visiting the local Mission and gives the Padre a generous donation of money.

Soon afterward, the whole world is shaking: EARTHQUAKE! Victoria is inside the ruined church were she's among a pregnant Native-American girl and a drunken scoundrel (played by Charles Bronson!) whom Nick had fired as a Barkley farmhand due to his imbibing.

The show is famous for it's larger-than-life aura and for it's lessons in morality.

Most every episode is worth watching and the colorful scenery and musical score is really excellent when viewed on the re-mastered (I would assume) DVD's

Episodes of 'The Big Valley' usually combine strong storytelling and sharp performances. And this one is a perfect example. It's the first story of the series that focuses specifically on Victoria, so Barbara Stanwyck has plenty to do. She plays most of her scenes underground with guest star Charles Bronson.

As the action gets underway, Victoria arrives at the local church on business. She enters the old mission structure moments before a huge temblor strikes. It is nearly leveled to the ground, and there are continuous aftershocks. We see that Victoria has become trapped underneath with two very different people. The first one is a poor native woman about to give birth; and the second one is Bronson. Victoria tries to appeal to his sense of decency in helping them get out alive, but he's carrying a grudge. Soon the baby comes, so in the midst of all the uncertainty and debris, Victoria must play midwife to help deliver the young woman's child.

There's a superb scene where Victoria takes a bottle out of Bronson's hand and smashes it against a wall. She uses the cut glass like a weapon to ensure his cooperation. She's tough and means it. Bronson quickly understands that Victoria Barkley is not a lady you mess with or double cross. Especially when a new life is about to enter the world, in the most difficult of circumstances.