I watch a lot of TV Westerns and movie Westerns. I don't know if L.Rawls has been in many, but I didn't recognize him right away. He played a philosophical and somewhat stoic ex-slave who had become an expert with horses and quick shooting and was wanted for a crime committed in his past when he rode with a gang. He seemed well suited for the role and his performance included him singing in the episode. He is secretive about his personal history until a confrontation with rival ranchers in a saloon reveals his quick draw. This gives him away to the rival ranchers who suspect he is either a lawman or an outlaw, the latter being more likely. They say they'll take him in by force if the Barkley's don't turn him over. When a ranch war breaks out over him, he admits his past and goes on the run but then decides to turn himself in after seeing his friend wounded and the other Barkley ranch hands engaged in the violent shootout. The Barkleys promise him a place to live and a job when he gets out of jail. Unlike others, I felt the story had a lot of depth while leaving a lot of questions, like whether "Joshua" was ever released or made it back to the ranch. It did have a redemptive quality to the story though it was bittersweet.
6 Reviews
Nice try
mlbroberts8 May 2022
Recent scholarship has determined that 20-25% of cowboys in the real west were Black Americans. Of course, the US in the 60s did not know and was not interested in knowing that and usually everyone in an episode was white, so any attempt to get a black cowboy into an episode is worth applauding. Lou Rawls was not a great actor but he wasn't all that bad in this episode either. All in all, the episode was a nice try to get some of the history straight.
Was a good story and then took a left turn at the end
kfo949430 November 2012
A friendly rodeo between the Barkleys and the Mortons was started as a way to get the families together. Now the rodeo has became a feud between the family as each tried to outdo the other with each trying to get the best riders in the west. The Mortons won the rodeo last year and Nick is determined for the Barkleys to win at any cost- even at the risk of people dying.
This year the Barkleys have a ace rider in a black man named Joshua Watson played by Lou Rawls. He can ride, he can shoot and he can even sing songs- he just an all-star when it comes to what Nick is searching to win the rodeo.
But now violence is starting between the two families. One of Barkley's cowhands is shot and Nick goes to confront the Morton's boys. Problem is Nick gets his hat handed back to him and at the end of the day has a steak over his right blacken-eye.
The Mortons now accuse Joshua Watson as being wanted by the law. And if he is not turned over to the sheriff in Stockton, Mr Rufus Morton vows he'll take Joshua by force. This could start a range war.
I really wish this would have kept on with the rodeo and the fact that a black man was making good in the late 1800's, but instead it fell into criminal activity and imprisonment. Was hoping for much more but the episode failed to deliver.
Lou Rawls was a great singer, actually saw him in concert, but his acting has a lot to be desired. He looked like a fish out of water saying his lines and trying to produce realism. Someone else could have made this part much more interesting. Plus after the entire episode dedicated to a rodeo, the show ended with no reference to it whatsoever. But to make us feel better we get to see Nick break in a horse- so I guess that was just as good. One good thing about this episode is that Silas got more lines and face-time in this show than any other episode to date.
This year the Barkleys have a ace rider in a black man named Joshua Watson played by Lou Rawls. He can ride, he can shoot and he can even sing songs- he just an all-star when it comes to what Nick is searching to win the rodeo.
But now violence is starting between the two families. One of Barkley's cowhands is shot and Nick goes to confront the Morton's boys. Problem is Nick gets his hat handed back to him and at the end of the day has a steak over his right blacken-eye.
The Mortons now accuse Joshua Watson as being wanted by the law. And if he is not turned over to the sheriff in Stockton, Mr Rufus Morton vows he'll take Joshua by force. This could start a range war.
I really wish this would have kept on with the rodeo and the fact that a black man was making good in the late 1800's, but instead it fell into criminal activity and imprisonment. Was hoping for much more but the episode failed to deliver.
Lou Rawls was a great singer, actually saw him in concert, but his acting has a lot to be desired. He looked like a fish out of water saying his lines and trying to produce realism. Someone else could have made this part much more interesting. Plus after the entire episode dedicated to a rodeo, the show ended with no reference to it whatsoever. But to make us feel better we get to see Nick break in a horse- so I guess that was just as good. One good thing about this episode is that Silas got more lines and face-time in this show than any other episode to date.
Silas & Josh
jarrodmcdonald-115 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This is an interesting episode that features singer Lou Rawls in what appears to be his first dramatic acting role. He portrays an ex-slave turned cowboy and rodeo rider who finds employment at the Barkley ranch.
The first half focuses on his getting to know the other men, and a rivalry they have with the men of a nearby ranch. There's some comic relief with Nick who gets into a brawl and winds up with a shiner that requires a thick beefsteak. But the main conflict doesn't occur until a short time afterward. That's when Josh is accused of being an outlaw, wanted for a killing in Arizona.
Josh says he's innocent, but eventually the truth comes out that he is the man in question. There's a great scene when he decides to leave before he's captured, and Victoria tries to stop him. She describes how she and her husband suffered when they came to the valley, that life is never easy. She insists the solution is not to run from one's problems, but to stand up and face them. He says having lived through slavery with his folks was a type of suffering she couldn't even begin to know. And he doesn't want to be captured.
There are some scenes earlier, where Audra talks to the family's black servant Silas about Josh. Silas says while their skin color is the same, they are completely different. Silas has always worked indoors and been protected by the family, but Josh spent his young life in the fields, usually whipped and nearly worked to death.
The first half focuses on his getting to know the other men, and a rivalry they have with the men of a nearby ranch. There's some comic relief with Nick who gets into a brawl and winds up with a shiner that requires a thick beefsteak. But the main conflict doesn't occur until a short time afterward. That's when Josh is accused of being an outlaw, wanted for a killing in Arizona.
Josh says he's innocent, but eventually the truth comes out that he is the man in question. There's a great scene when he decides to leave before he's captured, and Victoria tries to stop him. She describes how she and her husband suffered when they came to the valley, that life is never easy. She insists the solution is not to run from one's problems, but to stand up and face them. He says having lived through slavery with his folks was a type of suffering she couldn't even begin to know. And he doesn't want to be captured.
There are some scenes earlier, where Audra talks to the family's black servant Silas about Josh. Silas says while their skin color is the same, they are completely different. Silas has always worked indoors and been protected by the family, but Josh spent his young life in the fields, usually whipped and nearly worked to death.
All the cowboy skills
bkoganbing30 November 2012
Soul Singer Lou Rawls plays the title role of Joshua Watson in this episode of The Big Valley. The episode itself is far from the best one this series had, but Lou Rawls is wonderful as the newly freed slave turned cowboy going west for to ply his trade.
Which is cowboy, but he's also skilled at the various rodeo sports and can help the Barkleys win the annual competition with another Ponderosa type spread owned by the Morton family.
Royal Dano heads the Morton clan and winning that competition gets very personal with him as he's ready to turn it into a blood sport. The presence of Rawls now working for the Barkleys gets to him so he's determined to either buy him over or eliminate him whichever is easier.
Rawls also has another cowboy skill, he's pretty quick on the draw. He won't be easy to take down.
Peter Breck is the talent scout that finds Rawls or more like Rawls finds him, but the episode really belongs to Rawls who bears the psychological scars of slavery and is just looking for his place in a newly free world for him.
Dano's character is poorly defined and the ending isn't really satisfactory, but you should see this episode for Lou Rawls fine performance.
Which is cowboy, but he's also skilled at the various rodeo sports and can help the Barkleys win the annual competition with another Ponderosa type spread owned by the Morton family.
Royal Dano heads the Morton clan and winning that competition gets very personal with him as he's ready to turn it into a blood sport. The presence of Rawls now working for the Barkleys gets to him so he's determined to either buy him over or eliminate him whichever is easier.
Rawls also has another cowboy skill, he's pretty quick on the draw. He won't be easy to take down.
Peter Breck is the talent scout that finds Rawls or more like Rawls finds him, but the episode really belongs to Rawls who bears the psychological scars of slavery and is just looking for his place in a newly free world for him.
Dano's character is poorly defined and the ending isn't really satisfactory, but you should see this episode for Lou Rawls fine performance.
An unusual weak show
wwwmsu18 April 2013
When one reviewer said that this episode needed to be seen because of Lou Rawls, I nearly spit up. He is a great singer and perhaps a nice man but watching him was like watching someone read a script for the first time. Then again, this was Lou's first acting gig so I guess it can be overlooked. The episode looked almost promising until they find out that Lou's character may have a warrant against him and a character played by Royal Dano wants to shoot it up with the Barkleys. Then as many shows from the 60's it turns into a slavery issue when Lou wants to find the same stars that his family followed while moving north. The episode felt like two stories in one show and neither was fascinating.
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