“Valley Volley And Back”

Recently, I watched a great, albeit “edited” episode of “The Big Valley” that originally aired in 1967, in which emerging actresses Ellen Burstyn, who became a great, and Karen Black, eventually very good, showed signs of their eventual success.

Lee Major’s “Heath” is brought up on “trumped” (Optimum, the cable system used that word in the program description) up charges, as Black’s character “Carla” lies, while Ms. Burstyn playing a nun, (“Sister Jacob”) once in love with Major’s “Heath,” does much to defend him.

As usual, Richard Long, whose life was the opposite of his surname, cutting far too short a fine career, stood out with intensity as “Jarrod.”

Mr. Long was in the film, “The Stranger” helping Edward G. Robinson’s character bring to justice, a former and turns out current Nazi murderer, played by Orson Welles. Mr.Long more than “held his own” in support of those two acting greats.

The “Big Valley’ episode ended with the great Barbara Stanwyck’s “Victoria” talking with Burstyn’s character, surely a scene with “passing of the torch” implications.

Ms. Black was also “no slouch” also playing a key scene with Ms. Stanwyck, in the beautiful episode, titled “A Fall From Grace.”

It would not hurt.