Le retour d'Aladin

I remember seeing this on an afternoon movie show as a kid and loved it. For a movie of its age, it actually had some decent special effects (however, maybe if I saw it today, it wouldn't be as good as we are spoiled by all the computer generated stuff they can do now).

I loved I Dream of Jeannie, and was familiar with that show before I saw this movie. It was odd seeing Barbara Eden in the non-genie role.

The scene that stands out is when Burl Ives has no effect on some girl genie and shoots all these sparks out of his hands at her (am I dreaming this??). Or when he shrinks some business men and they are floating in a glass or pitcher or something and hanging on to a pencil (that sounds weird, and maybe I'm getting senile in my old age, but that's what I remember! :) ).

Cute movie.

Very enjoyable, good humor, good acting, a little campy, but so were most comedies of the early 60s era and there is nothing wrong with that.

This should be on DVD - not just VHS. Why studios haven't converted this to DVD especially with rated actors/actresses to DVD is beyond me.The DVD would easily fly of the shelves from age 45 - 65 year group who would love to add it to their vintage collections.

Burl Ives does another classic performance this time as the Genie in the Bottle now freed by someone, Tony Randall, who is tempted, yet morally bound not to be consumed by the offer of "your wish is my command."

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 ****

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.

For the most part, "The Brass Bottle" is one of those silly comedies that they cranked out in the early '60s. In this case, jittery architect Harold Ventimore (Tony Randall) frees genie Fakrash (Burl Ives) who tries to hard to please his new master. It only complicates matters when Harold can't explain things to his fiancée Sylvia Kenton (Barbara Eden). Will these genies ever be able to do things right?! Yes, this movie is very much a product of those days, when we viewed the Middle East as the land of sultans with harems; I believe that OPEC gave us the negative view that now dominates. But no matter, this movie is impossible not to like. In that sense, it's sort of like the other 1964 movie in which Tony Randall and Barbara Eden co-starred: "7 Faces of Dr. Lao" (which also had kind of a magical plot).

So, it may be a movie impossible to take seriously, but it's definitely good for a few laughs. And if absolutely nothing else, we can sort of see Barbara Eden getting primed to play the most famous genie ever to grace TV screens. Also starring Edward Andrews, Ann Doran and Philip Ober (who appeared on the "I Dream of Jeannie" pilot).

One more thing: I noticed in the courtroom scene a picture of Pres. Kennedy. Since this movie obviously came out after his assassination, wouldn't they have been nervous about showing his picture?