...Don't believe the crap you read...listen to Hal. (part 5)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSmto4cXzuE

find the quote at 6:50 into the interview.


Hal was someone who got it and understood. nuff said

Larry and Hal Cooper got along - it was Larry and Gene Nelson that did NOT get along. Gene directed many of the early episodes.

In watching that interview, Hal did get the part about Barbara's pregnancy wrong. Barbara was pregnant for episodes 2-11. Hal wasn't on the set at that point - that was mostly Gene Nelson and a couple of other directors. At least, that's what everything else I've seen and heard has said - including interviews with Barbara herself. All you have to do is watch Barbara in those eps and you can see where they're either hiding her behind something or hiding her under the veils. Hal may have been over on the BW set at that point, and thinking of hiding Liz's pregnancy when Samantha wasn't supposed to be pregnant.

"Yummy" I haven't heard that in awhile.....and Yes I had help...as a matter a fact its my youngest blonde headed munchkin who posted the video. Just trying to make a point. Whats a guy to do? I knew you would check it out for me.
I hope to see you on the 31st (I'll put you and Rene on the list)(blackieII misses you)....come up here and I'll get down to da river walk. Get off these boards and call me on the bat phone.why don't you two P.M. each other, or something? This thread is about "I DREAM OF JEANNIE"!

Larry and Hal Cooper got along - it was Larry and Gene Nelson that did NOT get along. Gene directed many of the early episodes.

In watching that interview, Hal did get the part about Barbara's pregnancy wrong. Barbara was pregnant for episodes 2-11. Hal wasn't on the set at that point - that was mostly Gene Nelson and a couple of other directors. At least, that's what everything else I've seen and heard has said - including interviews with Barbara herself. All you have to do is watch Barbara in those eps and you can see where they're either hiding her behind something or hiding her under the veils. Hal may have been over on the BW set at that point, and thinking of hiding Liz's pregnancy when Samantha wasn't supposed to be pregnant.

Hal was right on the mark. Larry had difficulties through out the entire show. Bill Daily and Barbara both have said that Larry was never complicated for the sake of just being complicated. They stated that if Larry was being stubborn about something they knew it was for the good of the episode/show. He always wanted top notch scripts and if something didn't pan out the way he felt it should he'd fight the directors/writers on it until it was fixed.

Hal got it VERY wrong about the smoke effects though. Then again he might not have actually been on set for that. They would shoot three days a week and then Barbara would shoot all the effects shots for a day or two, depending on how much there was per episode. The smoke was 95% POST production during season 1 and then slowly became onset work into season two. Into seasons three through five all the smoke effects were done ON SET with specific devices which included fire extinguishers, smoke cloth on wires and pink gel lights. Dick Albain stated that it turned out in the long run doing it for real was cheaper than using photo effects in post production. It just happened that doing it for real also looked better.

Hal Cooper did not became the show's "alternate" director {with Claudio Guzman} until his first episode, "Is There An Extra Genie In the House?" [1/22/66], and continued until the middle of season five, in late 1969. Gene Nelson directe nine of the first eleven episodes, including the pilot- and those were the ones, after the pilot, that were filmed in April and May of '65, in a frantic rush to catch Barbara on film before she became "too big" for her wardrobe {however, the insert of her in the bottle at the start of "The Moving Finger", probably filmed a month after that episode was completed, shows her standing sideways in all her expectant glory!}. There was indeed friction between Gene and Larry during that period, so much that Gene suggested to Sidney that "someone else" find Jeannie's bottle and have HIM take over as "Master". In any case, Gene Nelson didn't return when production resumed in October of '65, after Barbara had time to care for newborn Matthew and rest- and E.W. "Swack" Swackhamer filled in as "sustaining" director for a few episodes before Cooper arrived. Sidney Sheldon observed, in his autobiography "The Other Side Of Me", that Larry WAS difficult to handle throughout most of the series, a combination of his desire and drive to make "JEANNIE" the best series he could appear in, trying to convince Sheldon and James Henerson to create "better" scripts and more "visual business" for him to do on camera, as well as attempt to direct {he got three chances during 1967} and try to build his own image as well [after Larry's nervous breakdown in late 1967, he insisted that he and Barbara appear in only one or two key scenes during every episode- the rest of the time, they'd work separately, until he felt "comfortable" filming more scenes with her...this is why most of season two, three and four's episodes have Tony and Jeannie "separate" from each other during the course of each story]. Only directors like Hal and Claudio could "handle" Larry, and it was to their testament that the series didn't "fall apart".

:tv:

Were there ill feelings between Barbara and Larry? Why didn't he want to do scenes with her? It seems if anyone should have had ill feelings it should have been her. No offense to Larry, but as I understand it he pushed for more screen time for himself and wanted to "build up" his character. It was as if he wanted it to be "The Larry Hagman Show." It should be noted that at the time the series started and they got the parts Barbara had been in numerous films, done guest appearances on such shows as I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show to name two and Larry had not had near the film and TV experience. He was doing the soap opera The Edge of Night when he started on I Dream of Jeannie. Not to be misunderstood, he was wonderful in that role and contributed a lot to the show but Barbara was the star and it seems she was very gracious to let him be so forward in regards to "taking charge" as he did. Perhaps it was that he was jealous of her? I know they are friends now and always thought they always had been. If not, I don't know why he would have worked with her on the TV movie "A Howling in the Woods" just one year after I Dream of Jeannie was canceled.

Larry was the star of the show! PERIOD.

Larry was the star of the show! PERIOD.
I think they were both the stars. I watched the show as much for him as for her. They played well off each other.

Larry was the star of the show! PERIOD.
Was Desi Arnez THE star in "I Love Lucy"? I don't think so.... but he had a VERY important co-starring role in the show with significant screen time. The show was I love...LUCY. Was Dick York or EVEN Agnes Moorehead THE star of "Bewitched"? Again, I don't think so even though they too were EXTREMELY important to the show. In reality all of these shows were an ensemble effort with more than one "star" - though some got more credit than others - but if one person HAS to get credit for being THE "star," one can simply look at starring credits. Was Larry Hagman THE star of "I Dream of Jeannie"? NO. The show was "I Dream of ...JEANNIE." Who got top billing in the credits??? BARBARA EDEN (as did Lucille Ball and Elizabeth motgomery). While Larry Hagman was A star of the show and a VERY IMPORTANT ONE at that - he was NOT "THE" STAR. As in "My Three Sons" for example many of the stories had the children in most of the scenes but the true "star" of the show was Fred McMurray. You have to remember for one thing that Barbara had done many feature films and gust appearances on numerous TV series (including I Love Lucy). Larry on the other hand was not very well known and came from doing the daytime serial, The Edge of Night. In the case of I Dream of Jeannie Larry Hagman was EXTREMELY lucky that he had such a gracious and understanding leading lady such as Barbara that ALLOWED Sidney Sheldon to write scripts to "build Larry's character up." Sheldon spoke of this in his autobiography, The Other Side of Me. In the book he tells of going to Larry's dressing room and Larry being in there - crying. He told Larry he would write scripts to "build his character up." Sheldon also states that Barbara was very patient and understanding. Had it not been for her Larry would have been FIRED early on. He wanted it to be "The Larry Hagman Show" but that was NOT what it was. Don't get me wrong - he was GREAT in Jeannie and I so appreciate what he brought to the series (their chemistry and comedic timing with one another was sensational) but as Bill Daily stated, "That show could never, ever have gone on if it wasn't for Barbara. That 'note' she does is so brilliant. It's innocent, it's charming." He is absolutely right. One example of her being "the star" is "I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later." Though personally I was not fond of either of the reunion movies, 15 Years Later was the FIFTEENTH MOST WATCHED MOVIE THAT YEAR (1985) EVEN THOUGH IT WAS UP AGAINST THE WORLD SERIES!!! Now if Larry Hagman was "THE" star of that show I doubt it would have pulled in those kind of ratings seeing as he was absent in both films. It was BARBARA viewers tuned in to see. In MY opinion all of these shows mentioned above don't have just ONE star but if (as your reply suggests) we have to name one - the star of this show is - Barbara Eden. The star of DALLAS is Larry Hagman - EXCLAMATION POINT!!!!

FACT: Barbara Eden may have got top billing, but this was clearly Larry's show and even Dreaming of Jeannie author Stephen Cox has confirmed this!

First we have the title: "I" as in Larry dreams of Jeannie making it his show!
Then we have the opening scene from the pilot featuring Larry before Barbara even comes on screen!!
If this was really Barbara's show, first we would have seen the Blue Djinn stuff her into the bottle!!!
The show always started off with Larry being seen on camera first & most of the episodes focused more on Larry's character with Barbara blinking in & out.
Third, the show focused more on Larry's character Major Nelson & his buddy Major Healy at NASA again with Barbara blinking in & out. And if the scene was not at NASA, it was then focused on Major Nelson's love life! Why do you think Major Nelson was always telling Jeannie to stay home?

If you look at the CBS series The Incredible Hulk, you will notice the same thing. Sure it's titled The Incredible "Hulk" but Bill Bixby was clearly the star because he was featured more than Lou Ferrigno.

And you can't compare I Love Lucy to I Dream Of Jeannie because Lucille Ball who was a legendary genuis who was clearly the star of that show!
She unlike Barbara Eden was in almost every scene on I Love Lucy. That show could not work without her as I Dream Of Jeannie could not work without Larry Hagman and that was proven when I Dream Of Jeannie 15 years Later & I Still Dream Of Jeannie aired and fans were disappointed to see differnt masters!
Barbara Eden is good but she has nothing on Larry Hagman & that is why he shined for 13 seasons on Dallas! This is why Larry is more famous today than Barbara!
And please don't compare Jeannie to Bewitched because we all know that more fans preferred Bewitched to I Dream of Jeannie & that is why it lasted for 8 seasons, it did much better in the ratings & it was nominated & won a couple of emmys unlike I Dream Of Jeannie. Elizabeth Montgomery made sure that she appeared at the beginning of every episode and was featured in most of the storyline.
Did we see Barbara do this on Jeannie?
I don't think so! PERIOD.:wave:

FACT: Barbara Eden may have got top billing, but this was clearly Larry's show and even Dreaming of Jeannie author Stephen Cox has confirmed this!

First we have the title: "I" as in Larry dreams of Jeannie making it his show!
Then we have the opening scene from the pilot featuring Larry before Barbara even comes on screen!!
If this was really Barbara's show, first we would have seen the Blue Djinn stuff her into the bottle!!!
The show always started off with Larry being seen on camera first & most of the episodes focused more on Larry's character with Barbara blinking in & out.
Third, the show focused more on Larry's character Major Nelson & his buddy Major Healy at NASA again with Barbara blinking in & out. And if the scene was not at NASA, it was then focused on Major Nelson's love life! Why do you think Major Nelson was always telling Jeannie to stay home?

If you look at the CBS series The Incredible Hulk, you will notice the same thing. Sure it's titled The Incredible "Hulk" but Bill Bixby was clearly the star because he was featured more than Lou Ferrigno.

And you can't compare I Love Lucy to I Dream Of Jeannie because Lucille Ball who was a legendary genuis who was clearly the star of that show!
She unlike Barbara Eden was in almost every scene on I Love Lucy. That show could not work without her as I Dream Of Jeannie could not work without Larry Hagman and that was proven when I Dream Of Jeannie 15 years Later & I Still Dream Of Jeannie aired and fans were disappointed to see differnt masters!
Barbara Eden is good but she has nothing on Larry Hagman & that is why he shined for 13 seasons on Dallas! This is why Larry is more famous today than Barbara!
And please don't compare Jeannie to Bewitched because we all know that more fans preferred Bewitched to I Dream of Jeannie & that is why it lasted for 8 seasons, it did much better in the ratings & it was nominated & won a couple of emmys unlike I Dream Of Jeannie. Elizabeth Montgomery made sure that she appeared at the beginning of every episode and was featured in most of the storyline.
Did we see Barbara do this on Jeannie?
I don't think so! PERIOD.:wave:


Barbara Eden WAS the star of I Dream of Jeannie and my last post says it all. In addition, of course Larry was missed during the reunion movies but as I stated the first movie was in the top 15 for all movies of that year (it was actually # 11) and if Larry was the star NBC would not have gone ahead with it and the movie wouldn't have done so well against THE WORLD SERIES.

There are many reasons Jeannie didn't last longer (mainly NBC forcing them to get married - the series ratings went UP in season 4 but went down after the marriage, just as everyone associated with the show knew would happen) but it had to be a good shw to have lasted five years seeing as the show was moved to a new night EVERY SEASON IT RAN which made it harder for fans to "find"than a series that came on the same night every year (or at least many of its seasons).

Sidney Sheldon was nominated for an Emmy and Barbara Eden was nominated twice for two Golden Globes. Unfortunately neither she or Montgomery personally ever won an award for their shows and Dick York and Larry Hagman were never nominated.

The animated opening on Jeannie shows Captain Nelson first because in THE STORY we see him find her...not her find him (chronology).

As for Steve Cox, he admits in the beginning of the book he isn't a fan of Jeannie and when he states it is Larry's show because it starts with "I" he probably forgot about "I" Love Lucy or maybe he was just upset because Barbara wouldn't grant him an interview. He only wrote the book for money.

Bewitched is a great show and so is I Dream of Jeannie. Which show is better is a matter of opinion and there's no way we can know which one is liked by more people - and it really doesn't matter. I'm just glad we have them both.

Dallas was a good show and it was Larry's show but as I stated in my last post when he started Jeannie he was virtually an unknown and during Jeannie had many personal problems. He has said that. He was very lucky Barbara was so gracious and understanding. She even kept him from getting fired once. As for the longevity of a show, that really is no way to compare the quality of a series. "Alice" lasted longer than Bewitched but personally I think Bewitched was a better show - my opinion, and Knots Landing lasted longer than Dallas (I also like Knots better but the longevity doesn't necessarily prove anything about the show). The run of a series depends on many factors - not necessarily how good it is.

I really can't make my points on this topic any better than my previous post and (as I stated earlier that show could NOT have made it without Barbara Eden. She IS Jeannie and I can compare it to whatever show I like (I Love Lucy, Bewitched, etc.). We all have different opinions. Let's try and respect each other.

I'm just glad we have all of these great classic shows:)

First of all, please do not start any rumors about Steve Cox not being a fan of I Dream Of Jeannie! I can tell you I know him & he is indeed a fan!! In fact he was a part of the behind the scenes Larry King/IDOJ Reunion. He also happens to own a Jeannie bottle signed by the whole cast & third he probably has more photos in his collection from IDOJ than you!! And Steve would not have wasted his time & energy writing the Dreaming of Jeannie book if he did not love & appreciate the show! And just know that when Steve writes a book, it takes several months, sometimes a year or more that goes into it. And the money he got paid is really not much to brag about. It's more a labor of love!
Finally on this matter, Barbara does know Steve and has spoken to him regarding IDOJ. Do not believe the rumors you read over the internet.

Now regarding who was the real star of I Dream Of Jeannie. All I have to say is that you are entitled to your opinion & I am entitled to mine!
I say that Larry Hagman is the real star of I Dream Of Jeannie and what counts is that he also agrees with me, which he confirmed again last weekend in Burbank when he told me he was indeed the "real" star of that show & everyone else that didn't think so could just !@#* off!

And one thing I will agree with you is, yes I'm glad we do have all of these great classic shows to enjoy!



JEANNIEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!:crazy:

First of all, please do not start any rumors about Steve Cox not being a fan of I Dream Of Jeannie! I can tell you I know him & he is indeed a fan!! In fact he was a part of the behind the scenes Larry King/IDOJ Reunion. He also happens to own a Jeannie bottle signed by the whole cast & third he probably has more photos in his collection from IDOJ than you!! And Steve would not have wasted his time & energy writing the Dreaming of Jeannie book if he did not love & appreciate the show! And just know that when Steve writes a book, it takes several months, sometimes a year or more that goes into it. And the money he got paid is really not much to brag about. It's more a labor of love!
Finally on this matter, Barbara does know Steve and has spoken to him regarding IDOJ. Do not believe the rumors you read over the internet.

Now regarding who was the real star of I Dream Of Jeannie. All I have to say is that you are entitled to your opinion & I am entitled to mine!
I say that Larry Hagman is the real star of I Dream Of Jeannie and what counts is that he also agrees with me, which he confirmed again last weekend in Burbank when he told me he was indeed the "real" star of that show & everyone else that didn't think so could just !@#* off!

And one thing I will agree with you is, yes I'm glad we do have all of these great classic shows to enjoy!



JEANNIEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!:crazy:


It was not my intention to start any rumors about Steve Cox. The statement was made due to comments he, himself, has made. For instance, the first sentence under the "acknowledgments" portion of the book starts out,"To be honest, this is a book our friends put us up to..." Now, that in itself does not mean he was not a fan but that is just one example of some - perhaps uninthusiastic - statements you might say found in the book. Also, on the E! True Hollywood Story episode on "I Dream of Jeannie" he makes a statement to the affect (if not these EXACT WORDS they are very similar and convey the same sentiment) "I don't know why this show continues to last." No offense to Mr. Cox but no matter WHO said words to that effect - me, you, him, anyone - that doesn't sound like something a big fan of the showwould say. That is the only reason for my statement in the last post - not to start any rumors. ...and if you know him and he has stated he is a fan of the show I am certainly glad to hear it.

I only stated what I did about Barbara Eden not giving Steve Cox an interview because my friend is a friend of Barbara's and she told him she did not give an interview to him BECAUSE at the time he was writing the book Mary Sheldon, the daughter of I Dream of Jeannie creator, Sidney Sheldon, WAS writing a book on the show (I don't know what happended that it never has been published to date????) and Barbara had promised her an exclusive interview. I'm sure you are correct that Barbara has spoken to Steve Cox regarding the show but that doesn't mean she gave him and interview for the book. I have known my friend for nearly 20 years, he got me backstage after a play to meet Barbara several years ago, and he speaks with her by phone as he lives on the other coast - he is a very reliable source. In essence, Ms. Eden wasn't being rude but she had made a prior committment to give Ms. Sheldon an interview on the show.

No offense to Mr. Hagman but of course he would tell you he was THE star of the show. I'm sure Barbara would tell you she was THE star of the show too. Though, Barbara did get top billing, she got most if not all of the interviews (as HE did on Dallas), and even Steve Cox put HER SINGLE PHOTO ON THE COVER OF HIS BOOK - not any photo of Hagman or any total cast shot. This is in NO WAY to diminish what an important part of the show Larry Hagman was - in my view they were BOTH the stars - this is only if we HAVE to claim ONE person as "THE" star. I really don't think we do:) They were both brilliant in the show.

As you stated, I am just glad we have such great classic shows to enjoy as all the ones (including this one) that have been mentioned in this thread:)

They were both the stars. I started watching the show when I was just a kid and it was the interaction between Barbara and Larry that made me a fan of the show. It's true that Barbara was the bigger star when IDOJ began but after it started airing ,it would have been a mistake to replace Larry. It would have ruined the show. In Bewitched they did replace Dick York and I always considered him a star of the show Like EM. Yes the show did last 3 more years but the ratings fell quite a lot after he was replaced. Some actors just couldn't be replaced and I think LH was one of those. Yes the 1st reuinion movie did do well but I think it was because people were in a nostalgic mood back then. I've never watched any of the reunions because Larry was not in them. It just wouldn't be the same for me. The 2nd reunion didn't do as well as the first one did either.

They were both the stars. I started watching the show when I was just a kid and it was the interaction between Barbara and Larry that made me a fan of the show. It's true that Barbara was the bigger star when IDOJ began but after it started airing ,it would have been a mistake to replace Larry. It would have ruined the show. In Bewitched they did replace Dick York and I always considered him a star of the show Like EM. Yes the show did last 3 more years but the ratings fell quite a lot after he was replaced. Some actors just couldn't be replaced and I think LH was one of those. Yes the 1st reuinion movie did do well but I think it was because people were in a nostalgic mood back then. I've never watched any of the reunions because Larry was not in them. It just wouldn't be the same for me. The 2nd reunion didn't do as well as the first one did either.


I agree with you. I really feel they were both the stars. The only reason I posted was because there was some debate about who was THE star. Really they were both so important to that show that NEITHER could have been replaced. ...and your analogy about Bewitched is dead on. No offense to Dick Sargent - at all - (he had an impossible job to try to go in and replace Dick York after five years - he obviously did the best he could under the circumstances) but that show was NEVER the same after Dick York left. York's chemistry with Liz Montgomery and even Agnes Moorehead just couldn't be replaced. All three of them were all stars of the show that just couldn't be replaced.

To be quite fair about the whole thing. Seeing Larry again two weeks ago made me want to watch I Dream Of Jeannie again, so I treated myself to a Jeannie marathon this past weekend and watching the opening credits confirm two things.
1.) Barbara Eden is "not the star" of I Dream Of Jeannie.
2.) Barbara Eden & Larry Hagman are "both the stars" of the show.

When the credits roll, it says "starring Barbara Eden Larry Hagman".
It does not say "and Larry Hagman"
or "co-starring Larry Hagman".
I think Barbara's name just came first because E comes before H.
When Larry told me that he was the real star of the show, I think it was just his ego talking! You know Larry, he loves the attention!
Speaking about Larry he told me one interesting thing that when he filmed IDOJ. So I looked for it & sure enough he was right!:cool:

...and it flared up quite violently during "I DREAM OF JEANNIE". As Sidney Sheldon correctly perceived in his autobiography, he confronted Larry and asked him, "You want to be the star of the show, don't you?". And Hagman agreed. He tried to give Larry more "leeway" by his directing three episodes, but put his foot down on any major "improvising" of lines or "bits of buisness" (which Larry and Bill sometimes got away with). Sure, if you ask Larry these days who the star of the show was, naturally, he'll say, "****fire, I was, goddamn it!!". But Barbara was the one everyone was looking at (who could resist her in a harem outfit?), and she KNEW it. She was also the one who "protected" him when Screen Gems was thinking of getting rid of him during the second season {"Oh, please give him another chance!"}. She also knew the "chemistry" between them was perfect whenever they appeared on camera- in fact, some viewers actually thought they were married! There was a "give and take" between them that couldn't be "faked"....


As for Steven Cox, there are good AND bad things about his "JEANNIE" book. The photos, mostly courtesy of Howard Frank, are fantastic! And there was some information I didn't know about before I read it...


...on the other hand, Cox did omit several "minor" bits of information {i.e. "The Brass Bottle", Sheldon's indirect inspiration for the series, was originally an English novel by F. Anstey [Thomas Anstey Guthrie] published in 1900, and originally filmed as a silent feature by Universal in 1923 (apparently, the film doesn't exist today), and remade by them in 1964; "A Thousand and One Nights" (1968) doesn't feature ONE flying carpet in it because it was a low-budget Spanish-dubbed film [Cox, who never saw it, cribbed his information about the film from Leonard Maltin's "TV Movies" paperback, which claimed it did]}- and Howard Frank didn't care for the finished book, and has since refused Cox access to any further photos from his archive.

And, most important, WHY feature a chapter on "BEWITCHED" at the end when it had nothing to do with "I DREAM OF JEANNIE"? Was Cox trying to prove he could have written a better book on the former, instead of Herbie Pilato? Or was it because he needed to "pad" his book with a chapter on a series he was more eager to write about?


When the writer of a book about a "classic TV" show admits, in print, that either he has no idea why the show is still popular, or claims it really wasn't that funny.....beware.


:tv:

TV Knowledge Fan,

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Again, it wasn't that I was trying to "start rumors"
about Steve Cox but your last comment - [When the writer of a book about a "classic TV" show admits, in print, that either he has no idea why the show is still popular, or claims it really wasn't that funny.....beware.] are statements I was referring to. ...and for the record I have heard many "Jeannie" fans over the years that read the book (and saw his TV interview on the show) complain about some of these comments and wonder about his feelings toward the show. My remarks were due to those things he, himself, stated not only in print but again - on television. I also agree with your assessment on his writing the chapter about "Bewitched." There also were some things I found in his book that were not accurate (TV Knowledge Fan - correct me if I'm wrong) but on the E! True Hollywood Story on "I Dream of Jeannie", Steve Cox states that on the episode, "Guess Who's Going To Be A Bride? Part II," Jeannie's last name is revealed (the only time in the series it ever was revealed he stated). Though the name that is stated on that episode is NOT her last name BUT simply the title she will inherit after being crowned queen. I believe - and am pretty sure - I am correct on that. Things like that are also what I meant when I spoke of "inaccurate information."
In regards to Howard Frank, I spoke with him on the phone once while trying to get information on locating "rare" Jeannie 16mm films. The subject of the book came up and I can confirm TV Knowledge Fan's statement. Howard Frank was not pleased with Steve Cox, has cut off contact with him, and refused Cox access to any further photos from his archive.

Referring to "Jack 77's" post, yes - they were both the stars of the show but to be fair:
1) Barbara's name "pops out of the bottle" (appears on screen) first
2) Larry Hagman's name "pops out" next (appears second), and so on...

....But that is the exact same thing as Elizabeth Montgomery or Lucille Ball's, etc. name appearing first and next Dick York, Desi Arnez, etc. Niether one of those shows say "AND" with those stars. It isn't until we see Agnes Moorehead or David White (in the later seasons), etc. that we see "AND" or "With" appear. Even in those cases it is evident how important those actors / characters were to those shows. One more thing to think about is that at that time it wasn't like it was when he started "Dallas." Barbara was a lot more well known and more established in the industry. As great and talented as Larry Hagman was he was virtually an unknown when "I Dream of Jeannie" started and he didn't yet have all of the big screen movie, starring TV (Barbara had already co-starred years earlier in her own series - the TV adaptation of the big screen film "How To Marry A Millionaire"), and TV guest starring credits (I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show for two examples) like she did. That's in no way to diminish his talent, star quality, or anything but simply to say that when the show started she was more well known and it would make sense for her name to come first in the credits. It is ALSO evident that Dick York / Sargent and Arnez were ALSO the stars and had MUCH screen time as did Larry Hagman. Regarding screen time which was brought up in an earlier post - as with Hagman's character - much of the plots revolved around the trouble DARRIN got into at work due to witchcraft or what trouble Lucy caused Ricky "at the club," etc. when she wanted to get into his show...So really I don't see that I Dream of Jeannie was much - if any - different in THOSE respects from either of those two shows. Many of those "formulas" for each series plots mainly centered on what trouble the lead female characters got the male character into and how she got them out (or another lead character - such as in "Bewitched" - Endora got him into trouble but Samantha got him out).Though they were all very different in the execution of the story. IF Hagman did have a little more screen time than York, etc. I'm sure it was due to "the formula" the show used.

Again, as you stated in your last post Barbara and Larry were BOTH the stars and brilliant in their roles. As one poster made the analogy of Dick York and Dick Sargent, the series did suffer ratings wise when Dick York left the show - and that is in no way meant to be offensive to Dick Sargent. But that chemistry between York and Montgomery was so great and that was a big part of what fuled the series. I'm SURE that had Hagman OR Eden left the series the SAME would have happened. Thank goodness it didn't!!!!

Regarding Jack 77's last post....[Speaking about Larry he told me one interesting thing that when he filmed IDOJ. So I looked for it & sure enough he was right!]

I'd love to know what interesting thing he said if you'd like to share....:)

I'm going to say this again.
Steve Cox is indeed a fan of I Dream Of Jeannie in spite of what you read & misunderstood!
Steve knows & has met with each of the cast members on several occasions. He is friends with Bill Daily! He helped supply some photos for Larry's autobiography Hello Darlin. At almost every autograph event that Larry has appeared at, Steve has always been present with Larry more than excited to see him! There are some wonderful candid photos of Steve & the cast. I have seen a real nice one with Steve & Barbara holding the Jeannie bottle. A few years ago, Steve's Jeannie bottle was used in the TV Land PC game.
And as I said in another post, he was involved with the Larry King I Dream Of Jeannie reunion & he has great photos of the cast reunion in the green room. That plus he has his very own Jeannie bottle signed by the cast that he proudly displays in his lovely home. I doubt anyone who dislikes IDOJ would waste their time dealing with all of this if they were not a true fan!

Just because he stated he did not know why IDOJ was so popular or funny today does not mean he does not love the show? Perhaps he views the show in another way than most viewers do & I also happen to agree! Some of those shows in the 1960's were more Sci-fi/pure fantasy than laugh out funny & could have easily done without a laugh track instead of the forced canned laughter. I mean if Steve had said he couldn't understand why I Love Lucy, Three's Company or The Golden Girls were still popular or funny today, than there would be a reason to worry or beware!

I love & enjoy IDOJ too, but there's only so much I could take of Barbara Eden yelling "Master, what is thy wish" in every damn episode. It gets boring very fast! It has never held up like the other three shows I mentioned in this post because unless you are between the ages of 6 & 16 years old or mentally challenged, than the show is ok for what it is, but not drop dead funny. And if it was, than it would have won a couple of emmy's and still be playing on a more popular channel today instead of some channel that most people across the USA don't even get! Don't get me wrong, the show does have it's cute moments, but to me personally, it's more of an escape to a childhood that was once a simple & innocent time. There are people who are die hard fans of IDOJ & collect everything they can on the show, but they too have seen the show so many times that they don't think it's that funny anymore! So this is what Steve could have been referring too when making his comments! It does not mean he does not like or love the show or the cast who have always been very friendly & helpful to him! In fact Barbara, Larry, Bill Daily & even the late Sidney Sheldon have all said to Steve how they loved his book & Steve even has photos of each of them proudly holding up his book!

Now as far as Howard Frank goes. I can tell you this and I'm being really fair about this. I have spoken & listen to both sides of the story & unless you have spoken to Steve Cox about this matter, you really have no business to spread rumors on here regarding that matter!

The truth is that when Steve Cox was writing this book & came in contact with Howard Frank, they both agreed that Howard would supply some of the photos for the book for an agreed fee. Well during the production of this book, Howard became a nightmare demanding more money & that his name be on the cover or he would pull out of the deal! Every time, Howard would call Steve up, he would make another demand or threat. He just became impossible to deal with. The guy is difficult. When the E! producers were doing the IDOJ True Story, even they had to deal with his craziness! Have you ever seen this guy in person? He looks like a homeless person & he has been unemployed for years. He only got all those free photos because he stole them from TV stations in New York in the 1970's/80's and was banned from ever returning to those buildings in New York city.

But hey let Howard Frank go on & talk about how he cut Steve off! It's the other way around & I can tell you this, that Steve has a new Jeannie book in the works & Howard Frank's name will not appear anywhere on the new book. Barbara has since given Steve an interview and Steve has collected over the years even better and never before seen photos. The new book is going to be much better! And anyone who has read Steve's other books on classic TV should know that when he revises a book, it's for the better. Just look at what he did with his Addams Family, Beverly Hillbillies & Munsters books when he revised them!

But getting back to the original message of this post, I will agree that Larry Hagman & Barbara Eden were both the stars of the show, with Larry having more screen time in each episode!

Best Wishes:wave:

I'm going to say this again.
Steve Cox is indeed a fan of I Dream Of Jeannie in spite of what you read & misunderstood!
Steve knows & has met with each of the cast members on several occasions. He is friends with Bill Daily!
As I said in another post, he was involved with the Larry King I Dream Of Jeannie reunion and he has his very own Jeannie bottle signed by the cast that he proudly displays in his lovely home. I doubt anyone who dislikes IDOJ would waste their time if they were not a true fan!

Just because he stated he did not know why IDOJ was so popular or funny today does not mean he does not love the show? Perhaps he views the show in another way than most viewers & I also happen to agree! Some of those shows in the 1960's were more SCI-FI than funny & could have easily done without a laugh track instead of forced canned laughter. I mean if Steve had said he couldn't understand why I Love Lucy, Three's Company or The Golden Girls was still popular or funny, than there would be a reason to worry.
I love & enjoy IDOJ too, but there's only so much I could take of Barbara Eden yelling "Master, what is thy wish" in every damn episode. It gets boring very fast! It has never held up like the other three shows I mentioned in this post because unless you are between the ages of 6 & 16 years old or mentally challenged, than it really is not a that laugh out funny show. And if it was, than it would have won a couple of emmy's and still be playing on a more popular channel today instead of some channel that most people across the USA don't even get! The show to me is more of an escape to a childhood that was once a simple & innocent time. There are people who are die hard fans of IDOJ & collect everything they can on the show, but they too have seen the show so many times that they don't think it's funny! So this is what Steve could have been referring too when making his comments! It does not mean he does not like or love the show or the cast who have always been very friendly & helpful to him! In fact Barbara, Larry, Bill Daily & even the late Sidney Sheldon have all said to Steve how they loved his book & Steve even has photos of each of them proudly holding up his book!

Now as far as Howard Frank goes. I can tell you this and I'm being really fair about this. I have spoken & listen to both sides of the story & unless you have spoken to Steve Cox about this matter, you really have no business to spread rumors on here regarding that matter!

The truth is that when Steve Cox was writing this book & came in contact with Howard Frank, they both agreed that Howard would supply some of the photos for the book for an agreed fee. Well during the production of this book, Howard became a nightmare demanding more money & that his name be on the cover or he would pull out of the deal! Every time, Howard would call Steve up, he would make another demand or threat. He just became impossible to deal with. The guy is difficult. When the E! producers were doing the IDOJ True Story, even they had to deal with his craziness! Have you ever seen this guy in person? He looks like a homeless person. He only got all those free photos because he stole them from TV stations in New York in the 1970's/80's and was banned from ever returning to those buildings in New York city.

But hey let Howard Frank go on & talk about how he cut Steve off! It's the other way around & I can tell you this, that Steve has a new Jeannie book in the works & Howard Frank's name will not appear anywhere on the new book. Barbara has since given Steve an interview and Steve has collected over the years even better and never before seen photos. The new book is going to be much better. And anyone who has read Steve's other books on classic TV should know that when he revises a book, it's for the better. Just look at what he did with his Addams Family, Beverly Hillbillies & Munsters books when he revised them!

Best Wishes:wave:

As to your statement:

{I love & enjoy IDOJ too, but there's only so much I could take of Barbara Eden yelling "Master, what is thy wish" in every damn episode. It gets boring very fast!}

Is there anything Larry Hagman said that bored you? Why did you have to single out Barbara?


Your above statement can apply to ANYTHING - even "I Love Lucy." I mean, chocolate cake and ice cream are delicious but you'd get sick if you ate it all the time.


....and "I Dream of Jeannie" gets boring to you but the repetative adloescent mix-ups regarding sex on "Three's Company" don't? NO OFFENSE - but personally, I don't see where this show fits in with "I Love Lucy" or "I Dream of Jeannie" for that matter. It is a totally different kind of humor from a different era. ...and "I Dream of Jeannie" has been referred to (along with "I Love Lucy" and "Bewitched") as an evergreen show - meaning it continues to live in syndication and build new audiences every generation. It CERTAINLY has "held up" and has staying power. It's even more popular in syndication than it was in prime time - and it was popular then. Due to how "dated" a lot of those 70s shows look along with the type humor the show had I wonder how long "Three's Company" will hold up? ..And other than John Ritter's Emmy for the show's last season and one for Norman Fell that show wasn't exactly an awards magnet - nor was its writing hardly considered Shakspearean either. Though awards don't necessarily mean much at times as Liz Montgomery OR Agnes Moorehead never won for "Bewitched." As I stated in an earlier post both Elizabeth Montgomery and Barbara Eden were nominated for Golden Globes - twice, Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead for Emmys, and Sidney Sheldon for an Emmy for best writing for Jeannie. None of them won. Actually, only Marion Lorne and Alice Pearce won Emmys after their deaths.

As for that "horrid" cable station you mentioned that "most people across the the US don't get," it also runs "Bewitched." Do you feel the same way about it? That channel also runs "Cheers" which is also a classic comedy and has won more Emmys than most situation comedies to date. "I Dream of Jeannie" runs in most countries around the world and has been playing in syndication since it went off the air in 1970! TV Land is having viewers message them to see if enough "Jeannie" fans will request they put the series back on the air just as it had "Bewitched" fans do. I wager it will be back on TV Land soon. It was on Nick @Nite and TV Land for years anyway and nothing (not even "I Love Lucy") can stay on forever.

As for Steve Cox or Howard Frank - what I said was NOT a rumor. I was ONLY stating what Howard Frank said to me personally JUST as you were saying what Steve Cox told you. ...and I understand what you mean about Steve Cox's comment about the show being funny BUT he also stated he didn't know why the show has lasted (meaning still popular). Now - and I am being sincere - not "smart" - how would most people interpret a statement like that? It doesn't sound like a confident, ringing endorsement a true fan of the show would say. That's fine if he feels that way BUT he wrote a book of tribute to the show and mainly die hard fans buy those kinds of books. When fans read or hear the author of a book on their favorite show make statements like that it doesn't make them happy. Perhaps he didn't mean it as negatively as it sounded. I hope not.

Larry could never bore me! He's way too cool!!:lol:

...but she never said "Master, what is thy wish?" in every episode. In fact, she rarely said that!

And despite what you claim, 'Jack', the episodes still hold up and are funny...especially the moments when Roger opens his mouth while putting his foot into it {in "Jeannie and the Wild Pipchicks", after Dr. Bellows eats one while seated with Tony and Roger at the base cafeteria, he asks Tony who made them. "Jeannie's mother", Roger innocently answers, with Tony furiously kicking his shin under the table. I still crack up whenever I see that moment!}. And my cable provider does happen to offer WGN from Chicago...as long they schedule "JEANNIE", I'm happy to see it!


In any case, I'm hoping Cox's next book on the series is a better one. His information had better be more accurate! Jeannie's last name was never mentioned in the series (although in the 1966 paperback novel loosely based on the series, author "Dennis Brewster" [Al Hine] reveals Jeannie's "real name" as "Fawzia Ben Abbas"- that's something even Mr. Cox probably wasn't even aware of, having never even read that book).


:read:

And despite what you claim, 'Jack', the episodes still hold up and are funny...especially the moments when Roger opens his mouth while putting his foot into it {in "Jeannie and the Wild Pipchicks", after Dr. Bellows eats one while seated with Tony and Roger at the base cafeteria, he asks Tony who made them. "Jeannie's mother", Roger innocently answers, with Tony furiously kicking his shin under the table. I still crack up whenever I see that moment!}. And my cable provider does happen to offer WGN from Chicago...as long they schedule "JEANNIE", I'm happy to see it!




Like I said, the show has it's cute moments! The pipchicks episode is a good one. Have to love Dr. Bellows in that one! "Simply delicious!":crazy: