Barbara Eden had so much pride for her role as Jeannie on “I Dream of Jeannie.” Many television stars would probably be frustrated with the fact that they are recognized for one specific role that they have played. But not Barbara! She has said that she loves being remembered for that role. It is like a little happy reminder every day of her time on such an iconic show.
One would definitely assume that she did love it as much as she said, seeing that she came back to reprise her iconic role in both of the made for TV movies!
Surprise, Surprise
Talk about awkward, Larry was actually never told that “I Dream of Jeannie” had been canceled. After the fifth season of the series finished filming, Larry took a much-needed vacation to South America. During this time, they canceled the show but neglected to inform Larry.
When he returned from his trip, he headed to the studio to pick up some things that he needed from his dressing room on set. When he arrived to set, a security guard at the studio told him that the show was canceled and that he no longer would be filming. He must have been quite angry!
“The Monkees” Appearance
Just as though “The Beatles” had “A Hard Day’s Night,” “The Monkees” also had their own show. Their show was also on the same network as “I Dream of Jeannie” and they loved to take advantage of that.
They capitalized on this opportunity by constantly making references to “I Dream of Jeannie” and using prop references as well. They went so far as to find a genie lamp in one of their episodes, then make a joke when they find it and say “Imagine that —wrong show!” You can also see some Monkees albums shown in one episode of “I Dream of Jeannie.”
William Rorke or Hayden Rorke?
Despite being such a successful show, “I Dream of Jeannie” had a very small cast compared to other shows going on at the time. The only regular characters on the series were Jeannie (of course!), Tony and Roger. The only other character that made multiple appearances throughout the show was the character of Dr. Bellows, played by William Rorke. Dr. Bellows, like Tony, worked at NASA. He played the psychiatrist there.
Not much can be found about William Rorke because he went by a different name! He used his mother’s maiden name, Hayden, as his stage name, becoming Hayden Rorke!
“Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair”
You may think that “I Dream of Jeannie” is a clever little play on words. However, that is not entirely the case! “I Dream of Jeannie” is actually part of a lyric from a song written in the 1800s. The song is called, “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” and it was by Stephen Foster.
While many people said that “I Dream of Jeannie” was just a copy of “Bewitched” They could not be farther from the truth. The show is actually based off pre-existing movies and songs. The line in the song that inspired the show “I Dream of Jeannie” was, “I Dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair.”