There was a time when the westerns was a regularly featured genre on the small screen. Maverick, Gunsmoke and Bonanza were very popular shows in the 60’s. Gunsmoke ran on network television for twenty years, becoming the longest running show in history until The Simpsons took over the title a few years back. Now comes word that another popular western is headed to the big screen, The Big Valley. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that producer, Kate Edelman Johnson is making a feature film out of the 1960s TV show co-created by her father, producer Louis F. Edelman, and writer A.I. Bezzerides. The Western series, which ran on ABC from 1965-69, starred Barbara Stanwyck as the matriarch of a ranching clan in the 1870s San Joaquin Valley. Lee Majors, Richard Long and Linda Evans were among the regulars. Shooting is expected to begin next year.
