View Full Version : Bewitched vs. I Dream of Jeannie
Screwy Wabbit 10-27-2025, 11:22 PM This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I have to say that I prefer Jeannie.
Bewitched is so mundane. So domestic in that most of the action takes place in the house. I would much prefer to be an astronaut than an advertising man. Larry Hagman was funnier and far more physical than either of the Dicks. It helped to have a fun second banana in Roger Healey rather than the endlessly annoying Endora. And the flustered and flabbergasted Dr. Bellows is far better than the shrill Gladys Kravitz. I just rewatched the Halloween episode of Bewitched and found it as dull as every other episode I've watched in recent years. I can't think of a single standout episode. Watched both shows for years in afternoon reruns when I was a kid, and honestly, I remember and enjoy far more episodes of Jeannie, from the Blue Djinn to UFO, the home remodeling episode, the hurricane, the hotel with the extra floor, Laugh-In, the Hawaiian episodes, Tony as singer, Tony as fighter, Tony as gunfighter, Tony as pirate, Jeannie trapped in the safe, and on and on.
TheLittleFaerie 10-31-2025, 07:04 AM I always like I Dream of Jeannie. As a kid, I liked the bright colors, the hair styles of Jeannie and her sister, their outfits, etc..... I think Jeannie was more geared toward kids, the plots were simpler and there was more zaniness. Bewitched was geared toward adults more, so I remember liking it as a kid but sometimes found it more boring that I Dream of Jeannie. I appreciate Bewitched more as an adult.
Even the subjects on Bewitched were more adult themed, Samantha and Darrin ALWAYS had a martini or some kind of alcoholic beverage, whereas I don't recall ever seeing alcohol on I Dream of Jeannie
Screwy Wabbit 11-09-2025, 03:02 PM I hardly think alcohol and tobacco make shows more "adult." I don't find the jokes on Bewitched to be any less juvenile. In fact, they were quite one-note. Endora hates Darrin and can't remember his name. Cute for an episode or two, but no more. And Doctor Bombay was never funny with his intentional groaners.
icecream 11-09-2025, 03:47 PM the shrill Gladys KravitzHave you seen both Gladys Kravitzes? Alice Pearce played her during the black and white seasons and was more likable. But when she died the role had to be recast, with Sandra Gould taking over the part and making her meaner.
TheLittleFaerie 11-14-2025, 07:55 PM Have you seen both Gladys Kravitzes? Alice Pearce played her during the black and white seasons and was more likable. But when she died the role had to be recast, with Sandra Gould taking over the part and making her meaner.
I think both actresses played Gladys Kravitz differently. You kinda had sympathy for Alice Pearce, as she was always a victim of circumstance. She would think she's losing her mind just for accidently seeing something she shoulnd't have.... HOWEVER Sandra Gould was more of an instigator, as she meddled and went out of her way to try to cause trouble and expose Samantha.
'I Dream of Jeannie’s' Barbara Eden Denies Rumored Tension With 'Bewitched’s' Elizabeth Montgomery (Exclusive) (https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/35310/i-dream-of-jeannie-barbara-eden-elizabeth-montgomery-bewitched-feud/)
Barbara Eden (94) and the late Elizabeth Montgomery (who died in 1995 at 62) were not rivals, but rather colleagues who starred on competing 1960s sitcoms and shared a friendly, professional relationship. Eden has repeatedly dismissed long-standing "feud" rumors (https://www.google.com/search?q=Elizabeth+Montgomery+Barbara+Eden&sca_esv=fbc6cc9edb354ae1&biw=1235&bih=547&sxsrf=ANbL-n69B7wW_gclynRWA3cfgoS37h439A%3A1775968090194&ei=Wh_babKnC_uh0PEPqM6a6AY&ved=0ahUKEwiyvJfZvOeTAxX7EDQIHSinBm04ChDh1QMIEQ&uact=5&oq=Elizabeth+Montgomery+Barbara+Eden&gs_lp=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&sclient=gws-wiz-serp) as manufactured by producers, noting that she and Montgomery frequently met in the makeup department at the Columbia Pictures lot, where they shared stories about their pregnancies, as both were expecting around the same time.
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Compare I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched classic TV shows and characters. Examine which character had the greatest powers, which show had the highest ratings success before and after their original runs, and a look at their shared sets and special effects.
As we look at the special effects we'll run into some fun goofs that show how these tricks were done such as the split screen and use of doubles to allow Elizabeth Montgomery to play Samantha Stephens and her cousin Serena. These techniques also helped Barbara Eden play Jeannie and her wicked sister. See strings help levitate objects and find out how people and things were made to disappear right before our eyes.
Walk down the street and get an idea of just where the Bewitched home was in relation to the I Dream of Jeannie house in the same lot. The shows also shared the interior set of the Stephens' home with Dr. Bellows from I Dream of Jeannie.
Samantha and Jeannie's powers and characteristics are compared. Samantha appears to have the greater wisdom despite only being 400 years old compared to Jeannie at 2,000 years old.
Each show shared similar plots, actors, and props at times and each show is still remembered fondly to this day.
0:00 Intro Bewitched vs I Dream of Jeannie
0:26 Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie original premiere dates
1:11 Bewitched's original ratings
1:40 I Dream of Jeannie's original ratings
2:41 Powers and Characteristics
4:17 Special Effects and Goofs
6:47 Shared Sets and Props
9:05 Shared actors and stories and conclusion
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