The Brass Bottle

A pleasant surprise- watched 1964's The Brass Bottle last night. Had me smiling from ear to ear. Chock full of supporting actors you'll recognize in an instant along with fine performances by stars Tony Randall, Burl Ives and Barbara Eden of "I Dream of Jeannie" fame. Wasn't expecting much, but the comic plot twists and dialog were top notch. High production values with cars, architecture and clothing us old guys remember well. Even the optical special effects were fun to watch. Highly recommended.

Please-If anyone from Universal Studios EVER frequents these boards; it's PAST time for this Tony Randall classic to be released on DVD. Tony Randall and Burl Ives are hilarious, and Barbara Eden sets the stage for her role in I dream of Jeannie. The 60's were a different time for movie studios, and this is indeed a family movie that everyone can enjoy and have fun laughing with. It's a true joy to see Tony Randall who was always a fine gifted actor. Why hasn't Universal ever released this on DVD is beyond me. Universal-you can release every other movie made for over 60 years, why not the Brass Bottle. And folks, write Universal asking them to release this movie from their vaults. Thanks

I was a child when I last saw this film, probably on television ... remember it as being incredibly funny and charming and would really enjoy seeing it again!

Burl Ives was a perfect genie ... can still recall the name of the great Fakrash el-Aamash after forty years, which is to say that the film made a remarkable impression. It would be interesting to see whether my sense of humor has changed all that much in the interim.

The Brass Bottle seemed quite a bit better than the TV series "I Dream of Jeannie" that was inspired by it ... absolutely delightful, if my memory can be a reliable guide.

"The Brass Bottle" is a silly film that is well worth seeing...even if it's leading character is a bit of a drip! It all begins when Harold Ventimore (Tony Randall) buys a giant rosewater vessel to give to his father-in-law to be (Edward Andrews). Harold notices that the man already has one of these ancient containers and so he decides to keep it for himself. Later, when he gets home and opens it, out pops Mr. Fakrash (Burl Ives)...a real, live genie!! Now you'd think that Harold would ask him for power, money or a harem of sexy wives but instead he just wants the very affable Fakrash to leave him alone. But Fakrash insists on helping Harold...yet again and again this help only seems to make things worse. Now you sure would think Harold would ask for a few reasonable things...but again and again he just scolds Fakrash! Can Fakrash manage to help Harold while STILL avoiding creating nothing but chaos?!

The film is a cute bit of fantasy and Ives and Randall are quite enjoyable. Likewise, it's wonderful seeing co-stars such as Barbara Eden (just before she went on to TV fame in "I Dream of Jeanie") and the familiar Edward Andrews as her annoying father. Oh, and by the way, Andrews and Randall would be back together for an equally silly film, "Fluffy". Overall, quite fun and a nice bit of fantasy that will please all but the most serious-minded viewers.

Burl Ives as a genie named Fakrash. He is released from an ancient Kum Kum bottle by former Paris beatnik Tony Randall, who is now struggling along in the suburbs as an unsuccessful architect. Naturally the genie causes trouble ("This isn't Baghdad, this is Pasadena!"), but the gags in Oscar Brodney's musty screenplay are right off an assembly line of bad jokes. Family film from Universal is too talky, really, to engage children (to say nothing of their parents), though Ives, Randall and Edward Andrews (and Barbara Eden as Randall's fiancée) work hard to buoy the familiar scenario. Adapted from a book by F. Anstey, this was the inspiration for Eden's forthcoming TV series, "I Dream of Jeannie". ** from ****