Just picked up the set yesterday. Couldn't find the B/W version to save my life, everyplace had the colorized version. I figured, what the heck, I'll give it a try. First episode colors in some scenes (especially at NASA) way too bright not realistic. Did NASA paint their rooms in the mid 60's in "circus peanut" orange? Also there in the scene where Major Nelson entices Jeannie to jump into the bottle with the black pearl trick, after she goes into the bottle, he takes out his "pink"? handkerchief and puts it in the bottle. Mysteriously, the handkerchief is WHITE when Jeannie wrestles with it in the bottle! Now if this is only the first one I've watched, then I'm sure there will be more mistakes to follow. After seeing this, I was ticked that I bought that version, but then I gave it a thought, I can always just turn the color off on the TV and it will solve the problem. That way if I ever feel like checking it out in colorized, I can leave the tv alone. Probably better to buy the colorized version, then you can have the "best" of both worlds.....

I figured they would mess up, they can't be perfect. You're right you can always turn off the color. I still need to pick up my copy.

i was one of thoose people who hated the whole colorizing thing of these classic shows but i bought it with the attitude well i 've seen them in b&w so why not check out the color version and i like it. sure there are flaws but
its not to the point where it upsets me.i actually enjoyed it

I bought the Black & White set. In the commentary, they kept saying "Look how good you look in Black and White." Is the commentary the same for the color set?

Although I'm against colorizing black and white shows, there are some I would buy, just to see what they look like in color. And those are shows that were never in color, like "The Dick Van Dyke Show" or "I Love Lucy" or "The Honeymooners (1955-56)", or "The Munsters". Whereas shows like "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie" I enjoy having a season or two in black and white and then moving into the color episodes.

I bought the Black & White set. In the commentary, they kept saying "Look how good you look in Black and White." Is the commentary the same for the color set?

Yes, even in the colorized version (which I have), they mentioned how good they look in black and white.

By definition, the colorized version is flawed.

I bought the First Season on March 14, a very special day to us fans of I dream of Jeannie, but I only found it in color. I bought at Suncoast store, it seems they didn't have it in black and white.
At the moment I have seen the Pilot ep with the audio comentaries with Larry, Barbara and Bill and Sydney and of course the course the wonderful interviews with the cast.

Mi Bella Genio, forever!

Vivian from San Juan, Puerto Rico

I also have the colorized version. The B & W sets just aren't popular in Canada, they didn't have them for Bewitched either. It doesn't matter whether it's color or B & W, I Dream of Jeannie is still a great show.

I bought the original classic black and white set. I would never buy anything that's been "colorized", that stuff is junk. For me, the 1st season of Jeannie is the best. After they started filming it in color the show got too crazy.

If Jerry Hyams of Screen Gems-Columbia had accepted Sidney Sheldon's offer of ponying up an extra $300 an episode at the beginning, "I DREAM OF JEANNIE" would have been in Pathe color from the first episode on! But no, Hyams told Sidney, "Save your money"! Screen Gems was notoriously cheap about special effects (that's where most of the extra money would have gone- and DID when the show went to color in '66)- "BEWITCHED" stayed in black and white during its first two seasons for the same reason. Did you know "JEANNIE" was the LAST black & white series on NBC's prime-time schedule in 1965-'66? Now you know WHY.....


But I LOVE it in black & white!!!

1965-66 was the first season when most TV shows were filmed in color. The new shows were in color, and most of the returning ones that had been in black and white made the switch to color. I'm just glad the 1st season of Jeannie was in black and white. I think it's by far the shows best season. When they started making color episodes, the show got too outlandish. I was never much of a Bewitched fan.

...the second season was practically a continuation of the first (with Sidney Sheldon writing almost every episode), only in "living color": note the series doesn't being to "date" itself until the last show of season two: "The Mod Party". That was the first episode that WASN'T a Sheldon creation per se, and it reflected where the series was heading- ridiculous situations, absurd costumes (not the "Mod" outfits!), and a sense that everything was "tilted"
and "out of balance" (the party, for one). By the beginning of season three, more exaggeration, more.....well, "Jeannie Or the Tiger", "My Son, the Genie", "Genie, Genie, Who's Got the Genie?" [all four parts], "Please Don't Feed the Astronauts", "Divorce- Jeannie Style"....those episodes are the best examples. By the fall of 1968, the show began to look more like a live-action
"cartoon".

It might not have happened right away, but after they started filming Jeannie in color the plots and situations eventually went way over the top. Too much craziness was going on. It's all a matter of taste, I prefer the "calmer" black and white episodes of the first season. I also think the theme song used during the first season is better than the more familiar one used in seasons 2 thru 5.

I bought the colorized version because I couldn't get the original b/w version. True they messed up a bit but all in all I'd say they did a good job. BTW, did anyone see the blue eyes they gave Major Nelson in the pilot when he first met Jeannie on that island..they looked a bit too blue and shiney to me ;)

....told Jerry Hyams of Screen Gems, before the series started production in early 1965, "I'll pay the extra $300 an episode to film it in color"....and Hyams said, "SAVE YOUR MONEY". Because of Screen Gems' stubbornness in believing "I DREAM OF JEANNIE" really wasn't going to be a "success", THIS is why Captain Nelson's eyes look "too blue and shiney" in the "colorized" pilot today.

Do yourself a favor, 'BSDDomi'.....get the original black & white version---even if you have to write SONY yourself to get it!!!

Hm I may consider buying the b/w version. I did buy the colorized version since that was the only DVD set they had on Amazon Germany. :(

It might not have happened right away, but after they started filming Jeannie in color the plots and situations eventually went way over the top. Too much craziness was going on. It's all a matter of taste, I prefer the "calmer" black and white episodes of the first season. I also think the theme song used during the first season is better than the more familiar one used in seasons 2 thru 5.

But that is what TV Knowledge Fan is saying:

...the second season was practically a continuation of the first (with Sidney Sheldon writing almost every episode), only in "living color": note the series doesn't being to "date" itself until the last show of season two: "The Mod Party". That was the first episode that WASN'T a Sheldon creation per se, and it reflected where the series was heading- ridiculous situations, absurd costumes (not the "Mod" outfits!), and a sense that everything was "tilted"
and "out of balance" (the party, for one). By the beginning of season three, more exaggeration, more.....well, "Jeannie Or the Tiger", "My Son, the Genie", "Genie, Genie, Who's Got the Genie?" [all four parts], "Please Don't Feed the Astronauts", "Divorce- Jeannie Style"....those episodes are the best examples. By the fall of 1968, the show began to look more like a live-action
"cartoon".

The craziness happened as a result of people other than Sidney Sheldon writing the episodes... the craziness did not happen because I Dream of Jeannie started being filmed in color. In fact, it's absurd to think that IDOJ got crazier just because it started being filmed in color.

As TV Knowledge Fan kindly pointed out above, the show only started getting crazy at the last episode of Season 2. All of Season 2 was filmed in color, and yet the show didn't start getting crazy until the very last episode of that season, which happens to be the first episode of IDOJ that wasn't written by Sidney Sheldon.

Hence, IDOJ was "calmer" when it was being written by Sidney Sheldon. IDOJ was not calmer during the first season just because it was filmed in black and white.

I do agree that I also prefer the "calmer" episodes to the "crazy" ones, and I will also say that Season 1 is probably my favorite season of IDOJ. I agree with you about the theme songs also.

I suspect that Bill Daily (Captain/Major Roger Healy) also liked Season 1 the best... check out this excerpt from Larry King Live:

KING: And did you have a favorite laugh routine, Bill?

DAILY: Yes. Yes, I had the -- I liked it better when I didn't know there was a Jeannie at the beginning.

HAGMAN: Yes. Yes.

DAILY: And what happened was -- I figure it was -- he was on a boat, and she disappeared. And they're going to put him in jail, and he's in jail, and he says, I want you to go to the house, and I want you to talk to -- and I don't -- I want you to talk to the walls and I want you to tell the walls that I love them. So I had the best scene. And Dr. Bellows is in back of me, and I'm -- Well, I just want to say that -- I just -- I love that...

~~~

As you can see from the above, Bill Daily loved best the episodes before he found out Jeannie was a genie... and since Bill found out Jeannie was a genie before Season 2 began (actually, around midway through Season 1), then we can infer that Season 1 was Bill's favorite season. :)

But that is what TV Knowledge Fan is saying:



The craziness happened as a result of people other than Sidney Sheldon writing the episodes... the craziness did not happen because I Dream of Jeannie started being filmed in color. In fact, it's absurd to think that IDOJ got crazier just because it started being filmed in color.

As TV Knowledge Fan kindly pointed out above, the show only started getting crazy at the last episode of Season 2. All of Season 2 was filmed in color, and yet the show didn't start getting crazy until the very last episode of that season, which happens to be the first episode of IDOJ that wasn't written by Sidney Sheldon.

Hence, IDOJ was "calmer" when it was being written by Sidney Sheldon. IDOJ was not calmer during the first season just because it was filmed in black and white.

I do agree that I also prefer the "calmer" episodes to the "crazy" ones, and I will also say that Season 1 is probably my favorite season of IDOJ. I agree with you about the theme songs also.

I think it was both factors, different writers working on the show and the switch to color episodes both pointed the show in a new direction. Obviously, filming the episodes in color gave them a lot more options from a creative and visual standpoint. And times were changing quickly as the 60's progressed, new writers working on IDOJ brought in some fresh ideas and they probably thought the episodes needed to be more energized. I think the episodes got more contrived as the series progressed, but I will purchase season three after it comes out. The great four part episode with Jeannie getting locked inside the safe is worth the price of admission by itself.

I think it was both factors, different writers working on the show and the switch to color episodes both pointed the show in a new direction. Obviously, filming the episodes in color gave them a lot more options from a creative and visual standpoint. And times were changing quickly as the 60's progressed, new writers working on IDOJ brought in some fresh ideas and they probably thought the episodes needed to be more energized. I think the episodes got more contrived as the series progressed, but I will purchase season three after it comes out. The great four part episode with Jeannie getting locked inside the safe is worth the price of admission by itself.
:yeahthat

You're right. I would actually phrase it more as "different writers working on the show pointed the show in a new direction, and the switch to color episodes allowed them to take their ideas (meaning more energy/craziness) further than they could have with black and white episodes." But that is a mere technicality; overall we are in agreement. :cool:

I currently own Seasons 1 and 2 of I Dream of Jeannie, and even though my favorite season of IDOJ is Season 1, as a devout IDOJ fan, I will still continue purchasing future seasons as they come out. I plan to own all 5 seasons of IDOJ if they are released (and I certainly hope they all are released).

It's like with Three's Company: I knew Season 8 was pretty bad (relatively speaking), but I still bought it when it came out. :)

I will probably buy all the Jeannie seasons also. Seasons one and two are my favorites, but the later seasons contain some good episodes also. If Sony is good to us, perhaps the 4th season will be out sometime in summer and the last season at the end of the year in time for the holidays. At least I hope that's what happens.
:yeahthat

I hope that's what happens too. :)

It'll depend largely on how well each season sells. Season 1 sold great - beyond expectations, in fact - so that's why Season 2 was released so soon after Season 1 was released. Season 2 obviously sold well as well so we're getting Season 3 shortly. :D

If Season 3 sells great, we'll get Season 4 very quickly, perhaps by June or July. And if that also sells great, we could very well get Season 5 in time for the holidays. If Season 3 doesn't sell that well though, they won't be as motivated to put Season 4 out quickly...

Let's hope IDOJ keeps working its charm, and keeps selling! :cool:

In a way Lee, I agree too that the first season of I Dream Of Jeannie was a much more well written show during the first year and of course the opening credits/song & live scene on the beach is priceless. I think another show that kind of lost it's magic after it's first season & also went to color was Gilligan's Island. During the first season of Gilligan's Island, the show was magical & more realistic. I think this had to do with it being filmed in B&W. You actually believed that they were stranded on some tropical island. It was well written & directed by some great directors like Richard Donner who would go on to direct The Omen, Superman The Movie & The Lethal Weapon Movies. But once Gilligan's Island switched to color, the show just really turned into a big cartoon. Example would be when Gilligan's mouth turns into a radio. LOL Yes I think B&W & different theme song can make a big difference too. The look & feel of Gilligan's Island & I Dream Of Jeannie in B&W are different shows compare to their episodes in color.

....Sidney Sheldon "promote" himself to "Executive Producer" by the end of season two (turning day-to-day production over to Claudio Guzman), he also decided to turn the show- creatively- over to other writers by the end of the second season. Hence, his decision to limit himself to writing only a few scripts every season, and ONLY under his pseudonyms {"Christopher Golato", "Mark Rowane", "Allan Devon"}. When he appointed James Henerson his "script consultant" [and head writer] in 1968, he gave Jim free reign as to how the stories and characters would evolve. Talented as he is, Henerson did not have Sheldon's gift of writing romantic comedy mixed with embarrassing situations, sexual showdowns, intimate moments, and close calls. Perhaps it was the times, but, as I've said before, by 1968, "I DREAM OF JEANNIE" began to look more like a "live-action cartoon"...and Henerson's scripts reflected that. For example, there's no doubt that Sidney created "Jeannie's rotten sister", but Jim's first script involving her {"Jeannie Or the Tiger"} just about reflected his gift for "anything goes" (i.e. the "house rules" battle at the climax, where everything is tilted and going at "silent movie slapstick mode")...and that was only the beginning.

Now that Sidney Sheldon is gone, I appreciate his scripts even more.

:crying:

....Sidney Sheldon "promote" himself to "Executive Producer" by the end of season two (turning day-to-day production over to Claudio Guzman), he also decided to turn the show- creatively- over to other writers by the end of the second season. Hence, his decision to limit himself to writing only a few scripts every season, and ONLY under his pseudonyms {"Christopher Golato", "Mark Rowane", "Allan Devon"}. When he appointed James Henerson his "script consultant" [and head writer] in 1968, he gave Jim free reign as to how the stories and characters would evolve. Talented as he is, Henerson did not have Sheldon's gift of writing romantic comedy mixed with embarrassing situations, sexual showdowns, intimate moments, and close calls. Perhaps it was the times, but, as I've said before, by 1968, "I DREAM OF JEANNIE" began to look more like a "live-action cartoon"...and Henerson's scripts reflected that. For example, there's no doubt that Sidney created "Jeannie's rotten sister", but Jim's first script involving her {"Jeannie Or the Tiger"} just about reflected his gift for "anything goes" (i.e. the "house rules" battle at the climax, where everything is tilted and going at "silent movie slapstick mode")...and that was only the beginning.

Now that Sidney Sheldon is gone, I appreciate his scripts even more.

:crying:

I agree, the Jeannie episodes got crazier and the situations became sillier as the seasons progressed, starting with season three. Overall, it was not a good thing. If Sidney Sheldon had stayed on and kept writing the episodes, the series probably wouldn't have changed that much. As it was, new writers for the show and the changing times of the late 60's were an influence on how the show was made in it's later seasons. And when the show switched to color episodes, it also gave them the ability to create and do more from a visual standpoint. I believe Sidney Sheldon must have borrowed the identical cousins gimmick from his Patty Duke Show, revised it a tad for the Jeannie series and created the dual role for Barbara Eden, playing her usual role and also her "evil" sister.

Actually, 'Lee', the "twin Jeannies" was the THIRD attempt by Sidney to create two characters from one actress. The first was the unsold pilot episode he wrote for Ginger Rogers {"THE GINGER ROGERS SHOW"} in 1961, which CBS passed on. If she hadn't mentioned that in her autobiography [and Lee Goldberg listed it in his book, UNSOLD TELEVISION PILOTS], nobody would have remembered that one. And, of course, Patty Duke was the second
variation. And if each of them didn't have the knack for portraying two completely different personalities, the idea wouldn't have worked. And indeed, some viewers actually prefer "Jeannie's rotten sister" to the original one because of her brazen, vampish and cynical attitude! The scene in "Have You Ever Had A Genie Hate You?" (by Sidney as "Allan Devon"), where she tries to "seduce" Tony {"Oh, I'm the greatest!"} is probably the best of her appearances in the entire series.

:tv:

....Sidney Sheldon "promote" himself to "Executive Producer" by the end of season two (turning day-to-day production over to Claudio Guzman), he also decided to turn the show- creatively- over to other writers by the end of the second season. Hence, his decision to limit himself to writing only a few scripts every season, and ONLY under his pseudonyms {"Christopher Golato", "Mark Rowane", "Allan Devon"}. When he appointed James Henerson his "script consultant" [and head writer] in 1968, he gave Jim free reign as to how the stories and characters would evolve. Talented as he is, Henerson did not have Sheldon's gift of writing romantic comedy mixed with embarrassing situations, sexual showdowns, intimate moments, and close calls. Perhaps it was the times, but, as I've said before, by 1968, "I DREAM OF JEANNIE" began to look more like a "live-action cartoon"...and Henerson's scripts reflected that. For example, there's no doubt that Sidney created "Jeannie's rotten sister", but Jim's first script involving her {"Jeannie Or the Tiger"} just about reflected his gift for "anything goes" (i.e. the "house rules" battle at the climax, where everything is tilted and going at "silent movie slapstick mode")...and that was only the beginning.

Now that Sidney Sheldon is gone, I appreciate his scripts even more.

:crying:
:yeahthat

Yes, although not *all* of the Sheldon-written IDOJ episodes were better than the best of the non-Sheldon-written IDOJ episodes, overall the Sheldon-written IDOJ episodes were much more enjoyable to watch.

I have two of the Bewitched and the first Jeannie "color" DVDs and I'm loving them. I usually don't go for altered classics but these are really well done (also I don't look holiday gift horses in their mouths).

In a way Lee, I agree too that the first season of I Dream Of Jeannie was a much more well written show during the first year and of course the opening credits/song & live scene on the beach is priceless. I think another show that kind of lost it's magic after it's first season & also went to color was Gilligan's Island. During the first season of Gilligan's Island, the show was magical & more realistic. I think this had to do with it being filmed in B&W. You actually believed that they were stranded on some tropical island. It was well written & directed by some great directors like Richard Donner who would go on to direct The Omen, Superman The Movie & The Lethal Weapon Movies. But once Gilligan's Island switched to color, the show just really turned into a big cartoon. Example would be when Gilligan's mouth turns into a radio. LOL Yes I think B&W & different theme song can make a big difference too. The look & feel of Gilligan's Island & I Dream Of Jeannie in B&W are different shows compare to their episodes in color."The Andy Griffith show" is also MUCH, MUCH better in black-and-white. In fact, I heard that the cast was against switching it to color.

By definition, the colorized version is flawed.


Amen and amen.

Once you start painting colors onto the original image, the gray-scale of that image when viewed in black & white will be altered.

Meh, you 'true' fans can trumpet B&W's advantages over Colorized all you want, but people like me still prefer the color. It's a sitcom after all, who cares about continuity or accuracy? :p

Sory hw do i del?