After reading about all the trouble & chaos that Larry Hagman caused on the set, I was just wondering how many I Dream of Jeannie fans wouldn't have minded a Bewitched like switch of actors replacing Larry Hagman?

The only "switch" that would have worked for me is if they let Larry go and Roger Healy (Bill Daily) became Jeannie's new master.

The only "switch" that would have worked for me is if they let Larry go and Roger Healy (Bill Daily) became Jeannie's new master.
I don't even think that would have worked well. The dynamic between Barbara and Larry was just too great. On top of that the other part of the show that was so much fun was the relationship between Roger and Tony. I think the cast was just perfect.

Once a show premieres, it is awfully hard to replace an establish actor. The only one I didn't mind was when Pat Priest replaced Beverly Owens on The Munsters.

I don't even think that would have worked well. The dynamic between Barbara and Larry was just too great. On top of that the other part of the show that was so much fun was the relationship between Roger and Tony. I think the cast was just perfect.

Once a show premieres, it is awfully hard to replace an establish actor. The only one I didn't mind was when Pat Priest replaced Beverly Owens on The Munsters.
You make a valid point Sonny. Besides the Tony/Jeannie relationship the Tony/Roger relationship was the other central element of the show. And both those elements would be lost under the scenario I suggested.

I couldn't even imagine IDOJ without Larry Hagman.He was just as big a part of the show as Barbara Eden.He had great comic instincts,wonderful reactions,and a knack for pratfalls and physical comedy.He also made his character likeable,personable,and down-to-earth (even as an astronaut!).Bill Daily was excellent as a "second banana",but he couldn't have carried the show.Bringing in someone else wouldn't have worked out,either.

The IDOJ TV-movies they made without Larry Hagman are something that I don't even consider as part of the "Jeannie" legacy.They are both
horrible,and unwatchable.I'm glad they weren't included with the TV show boxsets,as I don't want them in my collection.

Larry Hagman is also more talented than Dick York and Dick Sargent combined...but It's really not my place to discuss Bewitched,a show that I truly loathe.

THAT...would've been interesting...

I couldn't even imagine IDOJ without Larry Hagman.He was just as big a part of the show as Barbara Eden.He had great comic instincts,wonderful reactions,and a knack for pratfalls and physical comedy.He also made his character likeable,personable,and down-to-earth (even as an astronaut!).Bill Daily was excellent as a "second banana",but he couldn't have carried the show.Bringing in someone else wouldn't have worked out,either.

The IDOJ TV-movies they made without Larry Hagman are something that I don't even consider as part of the "Jeannie" legacy.They are both
horrible,and unwatchable.I'm glad they weren't included with the TV show boxsets,as I don't want them in my collection.

Larry Hagman is also more talented than Dick York and Dick Sargent combined...but It's really not my place to discuss Bewitched,a show that I truly loathe.
I've never watched any of the reunion movies because Larry wasn't in them. It just wouldn't be the same to me.

Same with me. I enjoyed Larry Hagman in the show and did not/have not watched any of the reunion movies.

I've watched the reunion movies, I own VHS copies of them (albeit lousy copies) only because they are part of the series whether you like it or not. Do I make a point of watching them over and over again, like I do the episodes???? Absolutely NOT. Bill Daily has told me, several times, that the movies had lousy scripts and he knew it from the get-go. The only reason he did the first one was to get together with Larry and Barbara again - and was terrifically disappointed when Larry wasn't on the set. When he was asked to do the second one, he almost turned it down - - but he really wanted the free trip to Vancouver, BC, where the 2nd one was filmed.

Would I have continued to watch IDOJ, as a child (it was in prime time then), if they'd switched to a different Tony Nelson? Maybe. I used to watch Bewitched as a child and remember the switch from York to Sargent, and tolerated it okay. It probably would depend on who they got to take the part of Tony Nelson, whether or not he had the same chemistry that Larry & Barbara did.

Roger as Jeannie's master????? As much as I love Roger, NO WAY.



Donna

Roger as Jeannie's master????? As much as I love Roger, NO WAY.

I agree - he wouldn't do that to his best friend, even if Tony was no longer in the picture.

I agree - he wouldn't do that to his best friend, even if Tony was no longer in the picture.
Well there was an episode in which Roger tried to trick Jeannie into believing that masters eventually go amok and that Tony was suffering from this affliction. Therefore Jeannie needed to find a new master, namely him.

Well there was an episode in which Roger tried to trick Jeannie into believing that masters eventually go amok and that Tony was suffering from this affliction. Therefore Jeannie needed to find a new master, namely him.

I guess I missed that one...

After reading about all the trouble & chaos that Larry Hagman caused on the set, I was just wondering how many I Dream of Jeannie fans wouldn't have minded a Bewitched like switch of actors replacing Larry Hagman?

Larry Hagman was awesome. I can't imagine anyone being better than him. If a switch occurred, ratings would've dropped just like Bewitched.

Without Hagman, the show would have been crap, just like Bewitched was without York.

..."How To Be a Genie In 10 Easy Lessons" [10/31/66], 'catlover'. It's the one where Jeannie gets even with Roger for his deceit by blinking him onto an iceberg at the end of the episode (and one of the funniest endings ever filmed!).

:tv:

IDOJ without Hagman would be the same if they did Dallas without him.


Whether you like him or not, he was crucial to both of those shows, and his talent as an actor made them what they were.

I loved the cast just the way it was :D

According to Barbara Eden the original director Gene Nelson hated Larry Hagman and they argued constantly. Nelson finally was so infuriated that he told Sydney Sheldon "either Hagman goes or I do."

Sheldon went to Barbara and asked her who she thought was more vital to the show and she told him Larry definitely.

Nelson wanted to fire Hagman and have a new master find the bottle. Wisely, Sheldon let Nelson go and Hagman remained.

Apparently Larry Hagman often had a tumultuous time but somehow that frenetic energy really fueled his performances. He made that show work.

Hagman was the best part of the show.

Hagman was the best part of the show.

When two leads have good comedic rapport, you shouldn't mess with it. When Dick Sargent became Darrin #2, Bewitched became unwatchable for me.

OMG, what if Dr. Bellows became Jeannie's master?

Hagman was the best part of the show.

As great as he was, Barbara was the best part of the show. She was the "magic" of it. :)

According to Barbara Eden the original director Gene Nelson hated Larry Hagman and they argued constantly. Nelson finally was so infuriated that he told Sydney Sheldon "either Hagman goes or I do."

Sheldon went to Barbara and asked her who she thought was more vital to the show and she told him Larry definitely.

Nelson wanted to fire Hagman and have a new master find the bottle. Wisely, Sheldon let Nelson go and Hagman remained.

Apparently Larry Hagman often had a tumultuous time but somehow that frenetic energy really fueled his performances. He made that show work.

Yes, that is true. Barbara saved his job. I know he got along well with the cast, but he drove the crew crazy from what I have read and what Barbara stated in an interview. Once during the first year of the show I believe, Larry got a cup of tea and someone from the crew doused it with pepper. When he drank it he began coughing. Barbara stated you could hear the crew giggling. I should point out that as she told that story, she did tell it sympathetically towards Larry. She also said, "He could be his own worst enemy." Back to Gene Nelson, it is really a shame he was let go. He came up with much of the trademarks of the series such as the folding of Jeannie's arms and blinking her eyes. Most likely, he is the one who found the Jim Beam bottle to use as Jeannie's bottle. Also, if you look at those episodes in the first season where Barbara was pregnant (the first 11, 12, or 13?), notice the tone and "sophistication" in comparison to how the show was later. The show was great from beginning to end, but those first episodes he directed WERE different. As for Larry and Gene Nelson, I LOVED Larry as Tony Nelson and certainly give him tons of credit for his enormous contribution to the series, but Gene Nelson WAS the director and Larry wanted to run things. At that time Larry wasn't that well known. It wasn't like he had the status that he did during Dallas to try and tell the director how to do something. That being said, it was also stated that Gene Nelson wasn't the easiest person to work with either.

I doubt it would have went over well seeing as how I Dream of Jeannie was already seen as a "Bewitched rip-off" by many ppl.

The only "switch" that would have worked for me is if they let Larry go and Roger Healy (Bill Daily) became Jeannie's new master.


That would never work in TV because you needed a mortal that didn't want Jeannie (or Samantha) to use their powers. That was the conflict. Major Healy would want Jeannie to give him 10 Rolls Royces, mansions all over the world, and anything else he wanted. Also, the show with a master like Healy would have to be on the Playboy Channel. Not that there's anything wrong with that....

I doubt it would have went over well seeing as how I Dream of Jeannie was already seen as a "Bewitched rip-off" by many ppl.

As much as I love Bewitched, it drives me crazy that people think I Dream of Jeannie was a "rip-off" of Bewitched. Sidney Sheldon already finished writing the pilot before Bewitched even premiered. Also, Ray Walston, the star of My Favorite Martian, felt that Bewitched was stealing from his show. If you have seen it, you can see many episode premises that later show up on Bewitched. My Favorite Martian premiered on CBS one year before Bewitched and was a top 10 show. Perhaps that prompted ABC to want to cash in on their own fantasy-type series, which has been suggested about I Dream of Jeannie being NBC's answer to ABC's Bewitched. At least Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie were both Screen Gems Productions. If Ray Walston was right, Bewitched copied from a series produced by another production company, as My Favorite Martian was a Desilu/MGM production.

Also on MFM, Ray Walston makes several references throughout the series to the witch with the twitch!

I would have not liked a switch. Larry was great as Tony. Dick York was great as Darrin, but Dick Sargent was all wrong for the role. Glad they left Larry in the role.

Not me. Larry Hagman, despite his personal problems and quirks on the set, was a master comic actor. He did great physical comedy in this show. Perfectly cast.