Out of the Bottle: The 'I Dream of Jeannie' Thread

[ClassyCo]

I DREAM OF JEANNIE has been a staple inside popular culture since it premiered almost fifty-six years ago. It aired on NBC from 1965 to 1970, totaling five seasons and 139 episodes. It starred the beautiful Barbara Eden as Jeannie, a 2000-year-old genie who is rescued from her bottle by astronaut Tony Nelson, played fabulously by Larry Hagman. The show also featured Bill Daily as Tony's goofy sidekick Roger, Hayden Rorke as Dr. Bellows, and Emmeline Henry as the doctor's pretty wife Amanda.

I DREAM OF JEANNIE was apparently inspired by the success of BEWITCHED, the highly rated ABC comedy that had debuted in 1964 and was already the second highest-rated show on American television. Series creator Sidney Sheldon said that he had a hard time selling the show, but once he did, the network they worried about what they had bought: they had bought a series about "a half-naked girl wanting to do anything for her master."

Over the course of its five-year-run, I DREAM OF JEANNIE never achieved great success. It achieved lukewarm Nielsen ratings and mostly harsh reviews from contemporary TV critics. Its greatest success came when the series went into syndication, where it remained profitable for decades. Over the years, the show has fueled a lot of popularity because of its developing popular culture statues, and there has been a few different attempts to adapt the story for the big screen.

Yes, I know there's already a BEWITCHED vs. I DREAM OF JEANNIE, but this one is solely for Jeannie.
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[DallasFanForever]

I’m sorry to say I was never a big fan of the show. I watched reruns of it when I was a kid and I don’t deny how iconic it has become. Loved Barbara and Larry, love the theme music, but for some reason it was just never my cup of tea. But I do appreciate it for what it was.

 

[ClassyCo]

I can respect that I DREAM OF JEANNIE isn't everyone's bottle of medicine. I actually genuinely like the show, but typically in small doses. It's a cute, warm little comedy but it can get a little bland after a while.



The entire series has been recently remastered for a Blu-ray release. I saw on Facebook where you could purchase the set straight from the Barbara Eden web page, and she would autograph them specifically.

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[Chris2]

IDOJ is a fun show. I wish the scripts were more consistent, but the cast is really talented and when they get a decent script, it can be very funny. The funnest moments to me are when Tony tries to pull off a bluff to Dr. Bellows.

Bellows, incredulously: “There’s an iron gate in front of your bedroom door.”
Tony: “Well, you see sir, we’ve had this rash of burglaries in the neighborhood.”

 

[Crimson]

I DREAM OF JEANNIE was ubiquitous in reruns when I was growing up, but I considered it a "B" show -- good enough that I would watch it, but I never really loved it.

My strongest memory of the show occurred on January 28, 1986. I was home from elementary school that Tuesday, watching a rerun of IDOJ. The broadcast was interrupted to announce the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. Since I was watching a show about an astronaut, I was temporarily confused, thinking the explosion happened on IDOJ; talk about an unexpected plot twist.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

It was one of those loud, claw-your-neck, late-'60s sitcoms that everybody saw. Even then Larry seemed too mean.

It achieved lukewarm Nielsen ratings

Really?

 

[Grant Jennings]

It was one of those loud, claw-your-neck, late-'60s sitcoms that everybody saw. Even then Larry seemed too mean.


Really?

Yes, its renewal was apparently in doubt at the end of every season. At the end of season five the producers were pretty certain the show wouldn't be renewed; they filmed an episode with Tony telling Dr. Bellows the truth about Jeannie as a possible series finale but hedged their bets by including an "out" that it had been a dream. Apparently they had considered editing out the dream resolution if they were given a heads-up from NBC (that the show hadn't been renewed) prior to broadcast. The episode aired with the revelation that Tony was dreaming and hadn't told Dr. Bellows.

 

[Crimson]

It was one of those loud, claw-your-neck, late-'60s sitcoms that everybody saw.

Stripping away familiarity and nostalgia, it was a rude awakening for me as an adult to realize how awful most of the 60s sitcoms I grew up with in reruns were. There were a few standouts in the decade -- DVD and the early TAGS stand the test of time -- and some of the other series had a good season or two before falling into the garish staleness of the decade. Little wonder the genre was in need of such a sharp overall in 1970.

 

[Grant Jennings]

I was a huge fan as a kid and watch episodes every now and then. I think, similar to Bewitched, that the show owed its success to the cast rather than the writing or production. My parents took me to see Barbara Eden when she performed in The Sound of Music and Annie Get Your Gun in the 70s. I don't remember who played Captain Von Trapp but Buffalo Bill was played by John Bennett Perry who played Terry Farrell's father on Paper Dolls and is Matthew Perry's father in real life. At the end of Annie Get Your Gun someone came to us and said Barbara Eden had agreed to meet a few children in her dressing room and I was invited to be one of them. I'm not sure how the children were selected but my Dad was the editor of a small local paper who would review shows that toured in the area or were local productions (a lot of Broadway shows and touring companies would come through Baltimore years ago but that died off in the 80s) and I imagine that played a large part. Barbara was wearing a navy blue floral print cotton blouse and blue jeans; her hair was in a high ponytail (similar, but less elaborate than Jeannie). One of the children (there were probably ten or fewer) was a girl who would not stop crying, Barbara was very kind and did her best to comfort her. I still have the autographed program. I was so pleased to see that Barbara Eden was every bit as nice as I hoped she would be.

 

[Crimson]

Barbara Eden seems like a lovely person. She's also one of those show biz survivors who stretched her career out for decades without ever having any particularly notable success; I mean, she's still predominately known for a middling sitcom from 55 years ago.

(My only brushes with celebrity were a brief encounter with Lynda Carter after one of her concerts, and quick chitchat with Oprah Winfrey as I sat behind her at Tina Turner concert.)

 

[ClassyCo]

It was one of those loud, claw-your-neck, late-'60s sitcoms that everybody saw. Even then Larry seemed too mean.


Really?

Yeah, I DREAM OF JEANNIE wasn't a big success in the ratings. It only made the top 30 in 1966 and 1969. Its other three seasons received lower ratings, and there was apparently a scare every season whether or not the show would be renewed. The ratings dipped pretty low that final season, and NBC finally axed it in 1970 because the ratings had dropped.​

I was a huge fan as a kid and watch episodes every now and then. I think, similar to Bewitched, that the show owed its success to the cast rather than the writing or production.

I think I DREAM OF JEANNIE is more guilty of this than BEWITCHED was. BEWITCHED could actually be very funny, and the production values were pretty good: JEANNINE, on the other hand, often seemed stale.

In saying that, I prefer Barbara Eden to Elizabeth Montgomery.​

My parents took me to see Barbara Eden when she performed in The Sound of Music and Annie Get Your Gun in the 70s. I don't remember who played Captain Von Trapp but Buffalo Bill was played by John Bennett Perry who played Terry Farrell's father on Paper Dolls and is Matthew Perry's father in real life. At the end of Annie Get Your Gun someone came to us and said Barbara Eden had agreed to meet a few children in her dressing room and I was invited to be one of them. I'm not sure how the children were selected but my Dad was the editor of a small local paper who would review shows that toured in the area or were local productions (a lot of Broadway shows and touring companies would come through Baltimore years ago but that died off in the 80s) and I imagine that played a large part. Barbara was wearing a navy blue floral print cotton blouse and blue jeans; her hair was in a high ponytail (similar, but less elaborate than Jeannie). One of the children (there were probably ten or fewer) was a girl who would not stop crying, Barbara was very kind and did her best to comfort her. I still have the autographed program. I was so pleased to see that Barbara Eden was every bit as nice as I hoped she would be.

That is a wonderful memory. It's one to cherish, that's for sure.

I remember Barbara Eden came to Macon, Georgia once, and I was so upset that I didn't get to go to the parade she was in and hopefully meet her. My sister lives up there and saw her in the parade, but didn't actually get to meet her personally.​

Barbara Eden seems like a lovely person. She's also one of those show biz survivors who stretched her career out for decades without ever having any particularly notable success; I mean, she's still predominately known for a middling sitcom from 55 years ago.

That's quite true, although she did have a decent movie career before JEANNIE started in 1965. It was the movie THE BRASS BOTTLE, in which she starred, that partly inspired the series anyway. I've often wanted to watch HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, the late-'50s sitcom version of the highly successful 1953 widescreen comedy. Eden takes on the role played by Monroe in the film version.

I'd admit that I was vastly disappointed in HARPER VALLEY PTA, the movie version of Jeannine Riley's song. The first ten or so minutes was good, but it good too wacky and silly. Typical of her work, I'd say.​

(My only brushes with celebrity were a brief encounter with Lynda Carter after one of her concerts, and quick chitchat with Oprah Winfrey as I sat behind her at Tina Turner concert.)

The only 'celebrity' I've met was Donna Douglas, who played Elly May on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES for nine years. I met her at Benton Lee's Steakhouse in Uvalda, Georgia. She was very nice. I got an autographed photo (it's packed up somewhere), and my father and I got a personal photo of us and her together. It's a good memory.​

 

[Grant Jennings]

I'm a wealth of useless I Dream of Jeannie information:
Barbara Eden had her hair cut very short prior to being cast requiring her to wear hairpieces for a lot of her scenes.
Eden was pregnant during season one which is why Jeannie is draped in so much chiffon.
William Asher was an uncredited creative consultant which irked his wife, Elizabeth Montgomery.
In a few scenes in season two Jeannie wears an aqua harem costume that would become her twin sister's signature outfit.
Tony's finance', Melissa, who is featured in the pilot, was supposed to be a recurring character but Sidney Sheldon decided to eliminate the role. Melissa was played by Karen Sharpe who would eventually marry film director/producer Stanley Kramer; she eventually retired from acting to become a full-time mother.
Barbara Eden learned to speak Farsi phonetically for her first lines of dialogue before Tony says he wishes she could speak English.
Jeannie's bottle is a Jim Beam bottle that was decorated by the show's art department.
Barbara Eden was consulted for the décor of Jeannie's bottle, she asked that it be decorated in pink and purple.
Several bottles were used during production, Barbara Eden kept one when the series wrapped. Eden said that during one Los Angeles earthquake most of the contents of the shelves in her home library were tossed to the floor yet the bottle remained safely perched on its shelf.
Emmaline Henry played a magician's assistant in a season one episode prior to being cast as Amanda Bellows.
Emmaline Henry and Hayden Rorke were both gay. Rorke made no secret of his sexuality to the cast and crew who were frequent guests at the home he shared with his partner.
The Blue Djinn was played by Michael Ansara, Barbara Eden's husband at the time.
Barton MacLane who played General Peterson died while filming season four.
Vinton Hayworth played General Schaeffer, General Peterson's replacement (the series offered no explanation as to what became of General Peterson). Hayworth died before filming of the fifth and final season finished.

 

[Barbara Fan]

I remember the Jeannie cartoon version being shown in UK when i was younger

C4 did show IDOJ when Dallas was on in the 80s and probably capitalising on Larrys huge fame as JR - I want to say it was 1985 it was on , but despite Larry - i didnt always find it funny and found Jeannie a bit annoying along with the canned laughter. It was obvious she was the be the STAR of the show and get all the good lines

 

[Grant Jennings]

The exterior of Tony Nelson's Coco Beach home was a building on the "Columbia (now Warner Brothers) Ranch" backlot, it's located on Blondie Street across from a park that contains a large swimming pool and the fountain used in the opening credits of Friends. In 1938 Columbia Pictures began producing a series of short films based on the Blondie comic strip. For the exterior of the Bumstead home a Cape Cod-style house in Studio City was originally used.

Soon after a structure based on the Studio City house was built on the "Columbia Ranch" and was used for the Blondie shorts from then on.

Columbia began to build more structures and facades on the "Ranch", a Colonial style house with a Victorian style porch was built to the right (facing the houses) of the Blondie house and a building based on a Sears & Roebuck house plan was built on the left.

Later (probably some time after World War II) the Blondie house was remodeled: the peak of the roofs at each end were raised and the single windows at each end were changed to double windows; the porch columns were replaced with lattice-style supports and the transom over the front door was eliminated. From 1954 to 1960 the house was used as the exterior of the Anderson home on Father Knows Best. From 1959 to 1963 it was the Wilson home on Dennis the Menace, the Mitchell family lived in the house on the right which would also serve as the home of the Stone family on The Donna Reed Show from 1958 to 1966.


The only apparent change made to the house after Dennis the Menace prior to 1965 when I Dream of Jeannie began filming was the addition of lattice to the front porch.

 

[Grant Jennings]

In 1970, around the time production of I Dream of Jeannie ended, the Blondie house was severely damaged by a fire, it was rebuilt closely to resemble the way it had been prior to the fire. In 1974 it was remodeled again with the siding in the center portion replaced by false brick.

The Studio City house still stands, here is the most recent image I can find:


The Blondie house now serves as the office of the manager of the "Warner Brother Ranch", the tree on the right appears to date to when the Bumsteads lived there.


If you've been playing close attention you now know that J.R. and Miss Ellie II were briefly next-door neighbors.

 

[Seaviewer]

IDOJ has always been one of my favourites. I'd place it second only to Get Smart in the 60s sitcom category. I've always had great affection for the characters and as I've gotten older I've also come to appreciate the absurdist humour.

the movie THE BRASS BOTTLE, in which she starred, that partly inspired the series anyway. I

Watching that movie is something of a strange experience since Barbara does not play the genie. Her casting seems more like a coincidence but I have no knowledge about it.

HARPER VALLEY PTA, the movie version of Jeannine Riley's song.

She also starred in a short-lived TV series based on the movie based on the song.

Tony says he wishes she could speak English.

Consistency was never the show's strong suit but how does she know that he wished that if she doesn't understand English?

 

[ClassyCo]

When I first got into old TV shows, one of the first eras I focused my interest was sitcoms from the '60s. My favorite instantly became GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, although I remember watching JEANNIE a lot back then as well. I bought the complete series set that came in a bottle-type case and a description of every single episode on what looked like trading cards.

Over time, my interest and love for JEANNIE has lessened. Now, I'd admit that I still like the show, primarily for the cast, but it isn't one of my favorites anymore. I haven't actually watched any of the episodes in a few years.​

 

[Grant Jennings]

The entire series has been recently remastered for a Blu-ray release. I saw on Facebook where you could purchase the set straight from the Barbara Eden web page, and she would autograph them specifically.

View attachment 28047​

I suspect a Blu Ray release of Bewitched may be in the works, too. Last year someone posted a pristine version of the pilot episode on Youtube complete with the original black & white animated opening credits (the season three color opening changed to grayscale has been frequently used since early syndication. The opening theme also appears to be authentic as the ending is what would segue into a sponsor-tag (either Quaker Oats or Chevrolet); the theme in the syndicated/DVD versions ends differently. I wonder if the Youtube post was to see how many views they would get to determine if there is enough interest in the show.

 

[Crimson]

Consistency was never the show's strong suit but how does she know that he wished that if she doesn't understand English?

For some odd reason a clip of that scene passed through my TikTok feed recently. Jeannie herself was surprised when she was able to understand & speak English, so it would seem her magic acted as a translator.

 

[Miss Texas 1967]

Unpopular but I like IDOJ a lot more than Bewitched. I only watched both shows beyond the 2010s after finding them on TV and with a modern mind set I found Jeannie easier and more enjoyable to palate. I have very few issues with people choosing to perform gender roles but dang I hated Darrin at times for being as controlling as he was. Tony on the other hand was still "in control" but had very little control of Jeannie in reality. Darrin never really seemed happy with Samantha being herself but Tony was accepting even if it was inconvenient sometimes. I loved the cuteness of the coupling between Jeannie and Tony, the side characters were just right (Dr Bellows, Roger and Mrs Bellows are all hilarious) and while people complain about the storylines (even Larry himself) I've never failed to find amusement in IDOJ when rewatching.