Jeannie de mes rêves

I Dream of Jeannie (1965) TV series is something of every man's dreams; to have their cake and eat it too. Which is a beautiful knockout blonde female like Jeannie and anything else desired. This is really a timeless masterpiece. The problem with Nelson is he seemed too wrapped up in his astronaut duties/career that he seem to take for granted the appealing female Genie. I bet a lot of guys watching the show would had no problem or hesitation in wanting Jeannie for themselves. When it came to Jeannie, Nelson made me feel like I wish I could go up to him and POW right in the arm for being so blind to her. It's funny but I didn't realize until now, after all these years, that the name Jeannie matches what she was... which is a Genie. Barbara Eden will always be the Genie of our dreams!

Much as "The Addams Family" had to be compared to "The Munsters," "I Dream of Jeannie" will perpetually be held up to scrutiny against "Bewitched" as two 1960s sitcoms with similar appearing concepts. In this case, a magical woman complicates the life of a mortal man, even as she tries to help him through his problems.

But let's stay on topic. NASA Astronaut Captain Anthony Nelson (Larry Hagman), on a space mission, went up, but something went wrong and they had to bring him down. His capsule came to earth on a tiny desert island where he discovers a bottle; he opens it and in a puff of smoke a genie (Barbara Eden) appears. She explains that because he freed her, she is his, forever, then blinks and a rescue helicopter appears.

When she follows him home, things instantly become complicated. His best friend, Captain Roger Healey (Bill Daily) gets in on the secret in short order, and helps Tony with his fiancé, who happens to be the General's daughter! Eventually, that engagement got broken off, leaving Tony free to play the field, and Jeannie to get angry about his other women. And the two buddies get promotions from Captains to Majors.

Lots more complications, like Jeannie's Sister, an evil, raven haired twin who was out to enslave Nelson for her boy toy, The Blue Djinn turns up (played by Eden's husband at the time, Michael Ansara), who first put Jeannie into the bottle, and even her dog Djinn Djinn (didn't the writers know any other Arabic words?) who had a penchant for disappearing and then tearing any uniform he saw to shreds... not a good thing on an Air Force Base!

The charm of the show was in Hagman's incredible ability to go from deadpan to fully reactionary on a dime (something he was required to do in nearly every episode), and Eden's brilliance at playing the petulant brat still learning about the 20th Century World, and with whom no one could be angry for very long. Daily was a great foil for both of them, (though I never understood why his uniform was GREEN) and of course, there was Dr. Bellows (the incomparable Hayden Roarke), intrepid base psychiatrist, who always knew something funny was going on, but could never quite prove it to anyone. Certainly part of the show's success was in his slow burns after whatever he was going to prove to whichever General was in command didn't pan out!

Though one has to wonder how they managed to do a contemporary mid 1960s program on and around a Military installation without so much as a passing reference to Vietnam! Yes, it's NASA, but still! Air Force Generals were on duty! Of course, in the end, it turned out to be for the best, as not referencing the war was likely part of the reason a diversionary program like this was on the air in the first place: all part of the magical, mystical lineup of comedy programs all of the networks were airing during the 1960s through the 1970s, designed to divert audiences from the newscasts of the day.

The irony of the censors not permitting Eden's belly button to be shown was that on the same network (NBC) and during the same hour (8pm, before "Jeannie" moved to 7:30 in its final seasons), "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" had Bikini clad Goldie Hawn fully exposed and dancing in body paint!

Despite the stock footage of Atlas rockets and Gemini missions, there is a certain timeless quality to the series and an obvious charm and sweetness that won't soon wane. It's certainly one of the best "special effects" sitcoms of all time, and is genuinely one of the funniest.

The 1960s saw some very good to classic shows. One doesn't have to have been born then or before to feel that way, speaking as someone born in the 1990s but has always been fascinated by older shows. 'I Dream of Jeannie' is one such show, has much enjoyment still and perhaps deserves more credit.

'I Dream of Jeannie', with the unique (then and even now) concept of the pairing of a genie and an astronaut, is a dream to watch when at its best and is still watchable when it isn't quite. Like 'Bewitched', a show that is often compared with 'I Dream of Jeannie' (put them about equal myself), the early seasons fare better than the later ones, where the stories do start to lack freshness and the sexual tension is stronger in the earlier seasons.

Also, 'I Dream of Jeannie' can have some sloppy continuity errors and can fall into silliness, like going back in time in Persia.

On the other hand, 'I Dream of Jeannie' is particularly noteworthy for the very likable and memorable assortment of characters, the regulars are not easy to forget and the supporting/secondary cast are really good fun, and a great cast.

Barbara Eden is beautiful, charming and sensual, you would be hard pressed to find genies portrayed in this way. Larry Hagman's mannerisms are a true joy and Hagman has wonderful comic timing and endearment that is deserving of more credit. His chemistry with Eden is one of a kind, one of television's finest ever chemistries and a huge part of the show's appeal.

There has probably never been a funnier doctor in television than the hilariously prissy one portrayed by Hayden Rorke. Bill Daily's Healey doesn't develop as much, or as much as could, but Daily clearly has fun with the character and makes it his own.

Production values were clearly made with love and affection, with beautiful use of both black and white and colour, and the slick photography complements them well. For the 60s, the show does still look pretty good. Like with 'Bewitched', the effects are not always special (particularly early on) and there could have been more of them but most of the time they are hardly slapdash and have real charm. The bottle is famous for good reason.

Music is dynamic and groovy, with all the theme music tunes being noteworthy. The animated opening sequence is both beautiful and lively and is utilised cleverly. The expository narration of the first few episodes, up to episode 8, delivered by Paul Frees was not used as much and not as striking as the animated sequence, but nonetheless was interesting and made its mark.

Writing is funny, snappy, charming and thoughtful, while the stories have magic, sexual tension, charm and immense likability on the most part, though the earlier seasons have more freshness.

Overall, a dream to watch. 8/10 Bethany Cox

In my view, this is one of the top 10 or 15 sitcoms ever, and it certainly is one of my personal favorites. Its misfortune was to be produced during an era full of silly, mostly non-topical comedies (Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched, My Favorite Martian and so on) and I think it's been underrated because of that.

But sit down sometime and take a good look. You'll see a spirited ensemble performance from the actors, with standout work from Larry Hagman and Hayden Rorke. I don't think Hagman ever got enough credit for the wonderfully manic and nervous mannerisms that made Major Nelson so damn funny and endearing. And Rorke's prissy and arrogant Dr. Bellows was a terrific comic foil -- cartoonish in the best sense of that word.

Bill Daily did a good comic turn as Major Healy, although I think his character never was allowed to develop as much as Hagman's and Rorke's. (His finest comic hour was to come, on "The Bob Newhart Show.") And of course, there was the gorgeous Barbara Eden as Jeannie, sprightly and innocent and an excellent counterpoint to Hagman's world-weary astronaut. The romantic chemistry between Jeannie and Tony was one of the strongest in TV history.

The show was fast-paced, rarely sappy, full of pleasant "NBC Peacock" colors, and a showcase for fine comic timing and physical slapstick.

Every time I read the threads about the comparison between these shows, I must question the age of the writer. While both shows were based upon very beautiful magical ladies, they had very different reasons to exist. I grew up watching both of these shows in the 60's, and liked each of them very differently. Bewitched was created after the success of the movie "Bell, Book, and Candle" (staring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak). In the early sixties, the women's movement was strong and changed the shape of society. June Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver) cleaning the house in "pearls and high heels" was to be challenged. Bewitched offered a love story between a husband and wife, where the wife had real power (in this case Samantha's magic). This presented a new tension to what viewers were used to (although it always ended with a love note). With Jeannie, we have a great deal of sexual tension created! What man would not wish for a beautiful magical servant, albeit deviant at times. Kinda sexy in the sixties when sexual openness was being discussed for the first time (although not directly in the media). Bewitched, I would argue, was marketed towards both sexes (men wanting a Samantha, and women wanting to be her), and IDOJ being more of a men's fantasy series where many women watched just to see Jeannie get even. Both good shows in my book!