User Reviews

In this Christmas episode we have the writers trying convey a nice warm story of a wild girl suddenly settling down and becoming a member of the community all because of the Barkley's life style. Only problem is they should have hired better actors to make this story more believable. The regular Barkley clan acting was good but the guest actors Lynn Loring and Nicholas Surovy were just plain bad.

The story begins with Jerrod gets Maybelle Williams (Lynn Loring) out of jail to spend Christmas with the Barkley family. She is the girlfriend of famed bank robber and killer Billy Joe Gaines (Nicolas Surovy).

While Maybelle is with the Barkleys, Billy Joe escapes from jail and makes his way to Stockton to get his girlfriend. Maybelle at first just wanted to run away but is falling in love with the Barkley family and with Jerrod.

Thus the story plays out with Maybelle wanting to be someone respectable or wanting to be on the run with Billy Joe. And at the end she has to make a decision of which path she is going to take.

I actually like the plot of the story but the guest acting was more along the lines of a community group play. Lynn Loring, who I have reviewed before, is better in this show than the others she has been in as an actress. Only problem is that out of a scale of 10 to 1 she is a perhaps a three in this episode. Someone else could have made this a charming performance but we get someone that may have been better casted as 'townlady #2'. The only time we connect with her character is when she sees the dress that Audra has opened as a present.

Nicolas Surovy was no better as the killer Billy Joe Gaines. He looks scared and timid to be cast as someone that is a criminal on the run. But his performance is overlooked since this was his first acting job. There was also problems with the dialog of his character. Early in the show we see Billy and his two friends riding to Stockton. One of them ask Billy what he is getting Maybelle for Christmas. Billy Joe replies with no emotion whatsoever,, "I'm going to be her Christmas present this year". Yuck!

The show is saved by the rest of the main cast performing their lines with the utmost interest. This may not be the best show of the first season but it does do justice to the "Big Valley' series.

Note- When Audra gets knocked out by the horse- she is pulled out of the fence by Maybelle. Watch Audra's right hand as Maybelle rides away. And one scene has all the Barkleys around the piano singing "Deck the Halls'.

As this episode was in the first season of The Big Valley it would have been Lee Majors's first Christmas there. But the focus is not on Heath, it is on a teenage client of Jarrod Barkley's.

As Lynn Loring's attorney and also an officer of the court, Richard Long decides to bring his young vixen client for an old fashioned Barkley style Christmas. Which I'm sure pleased Barbara Stanwyck no end, but as usual she puts up a good front.

But all Loring wants is her man, an outlaw kid not much older than herself played by Nicholas Surovy. Both of their hormones are in their prime. But Long has faith in her.

Whether the faith is justified is for you to watch the story. I will say this, I was surprised at the lack of violence considering the kind of characters we're dealing with.

But it was a Christmas episode.

He'll get stuck again in "The Royal Road," but this one is his client - not really his idea that she is, but the Women's League roped him into it. Maybelle is ornery, the girlfriend of an outlaw who will spend Christmas in jail but Jarrod feels too guilty about it to let it happen, so he gets the judge to release her and takes her home. Unannounced. Everyone wants to get rid of her until Jarrod explains how guilty he feels. Then they try to have a happy Christmas.

But Maybelle is falling for Jarrod (who is twice her age), and her outlaw boyfriend is coming to liberate her. The boyfriend arrives while everyone but Jarrod is out visiting. He holds Jarrod and Silas captive until Maybelle is spotted. They ride off with her. Jarrod rides after them.

A Christmas miracle ending that had to be with nobody getting hurt. Not my favorite BV episode but OK for Christmas.

As for one comment about guest stars not making the big time - Lynn Losing who played Maybelle later became President of MGM's television production wing, the first woman in such a job. I'd say that was pretty big time.