Did you know that “I Dream Of Jeannie” was actually the last TV shows to be aired in black and white? It had its entire first season in black and white before moving to color. It was rumored that the smoke they used for Jeannie’s magic was only able to be pulled off in black and white. They did not think it would translate in color. The special effects were fixed, and then they changed to color for the second season in 1966.
There was also a rumor that NBC did not think the show would last, so they did not want to spend the $400 an episode that it would take to make it in color.
When The Old Crew Reunited
Fans of “I Dream of Jeannie” were in for a major treat when the leading couple came back together during the filming of “Dallas.” Larry was a regular on this show, playing the character of J.R. Ewing. Barbara Eden came on the show for a five-episode stint as the role of Lee Ann De La Vega.
In Edens last episode of her 5 episode stretch, her character says that her maiden name is Nelson. This funny moment was actually a little joke about the widely hated marriage episode of “I Dream Of Jeannie” which of course, both Barbara and Larry hated as well.
Celebrating The Legendary Show
The big 50th-anniversary party for “I Dream of Jeannie” took place 3 years ago on September 18th, 2015. Barbara Eden alongside the network NBC came together to celebrate the Anniversary of “I Dream Of Jeannie.”
Eden shared her feelings about the show, her time on the show and of course what it was like to play the iconic role of Jeannie. Playing such an iconic character for such a long time would, of course, keep you in the spotlight for your entire career, that may bother some people but definitely not Barbara. She embraced the fact that she was infamous for this role.
Larry Hagman's Drinking Problem
Sadly, celebrities are oftentimes faced with drug addiction and alcoholism. Many famous people are also criticized for their behavior while under the influence as well since they are constantly in the spotlight.
Larry was dissatisfied with many things occurring on the set of “I Dream of Jeannie,” and he began to drink more regularly. He would drink on set and come to set drunk. His behavior started to get really weird. One time he appeared to the set ready to film, but he was wearing a full-body gorilla costume. Another time he showed up to film holding an ax and started yelling and screaming profanities.
Inspired By An Old Film
Did you know that the series “I Dream of Jeannie” was actually inspired by a movie? Sidney Sheldon was a producer of the show and wanted to base a television series off of a movie he loved called “The Brass Bottle.” The movie actually featured Barbara Eden!
Many people thought that “I Dream of Jeannie” was just a copycat of the widely successful show “Bewitched” but clearly that is not the case. This little-known fact proves that it was not at all a ripoff of that “Bewitched” after all! Sidney just really liked the idea of a show featuring a beautiful female Genie in a Bottle, and he brought it to life.