Private Secretary with Barbara Eden appearance

[BarbaraEdenFan]

Hi everybody, I am urgently looking for the 1957 episode "The Big Shot". Barbara Huffman, later known as Barbara Eden from I Dream of Jeannie had a guest appearance there.
Any help is much appreciated!









www.barbara-eden-online.com

[LittleRickyII]

Curious about why Ann Sothern was so mean to her on that show?

Originally Posted by BarbaraEdenFan

Hi everybody, I am urgently looking for the 1957 episode "The Big Shot". Barbara Huffman, later known as Barbara Eden from I Dream of Jeannie had a guest appearance there.
Any help is much appreciated!

www.barbara-eden-online.com

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...of other actresses- especially younger, more prettier ones- that appeared on her shows [including "THE ANN SOTHERN SHOW"], because she correctly assumed they'd become the "center of attention" during filming, and take the spotlight away from her. Ann was also very conscious about how she was photographed, especially when carrying "extra weight" {she loved to snack inbetween scenes, and sometimes it showed up on camera}- she usually made sure she wasn't filmed below the waist, and wore clothing that made her figure look more "slender" than it actually was. To Ann, Barbara was "the enemy" (even as a guest star), and went out of her way to see to it that her experience on the set was an unpleasant one, and a warning of sorts {"Don't ever come back here again, or I'll eat you alive!"}.

[LittleRickyII]

Originally Posted by TV Knowledge Fan

...of other actresses- especially younger, more prettier ones- that appeared on her shows [including "THE ANN SOTHERN SHOW"], because she correctly assumed they'd become the "center of attention" during filming, and take the spotlight away from her. Ann was also very conscious about how she was photographed, especially when carrying "extra weight" {she loved to snack inbetween scenes, and sometimes it showed up on camera}- she usually made sure she wasn't filmed below the waist, and wore clothing that made her figure look more "slender" than it actually was. To Ann, Barbara was "the enemy" (even as a guest star), and went out of her way to see to it that her experience on the set was an unpleasant one, and a warning of sorts {"Don't ever come back here again, or I'll eat you alive!"}.

It's seems to me rather ridiculous that Ann Sothern would be so insecure to treat Barbara Eden that way. After all, Ms. Sothern was the star of the show, so why should she feel threatened? It's interesting the contrast Barbara Eden paints between working with Ann Sothern and working with Lucille Ball. She adored Lucille Ball. It's well known that Lucille Ball was could be "tough" and tangled with more than a few people who came on her set, but obviously Barbara Eden wasn't one of them. There seems to be a pattern among people Lucille Ball had a hard time with: usually they were big celebrities (mostly female) who had egos as big as their celebrity and maybe felt like they didn't need to work as hard as Lucy expected them to work (Lucy insisted on endless rehearsal).

For Lucy, the bottom line was putting on a good show and she expected the most out of everyone, herself included. Anyone who gave less than their all and acted too big for their britches would be subject to Lucy's wrath. It's obvious Barbara Eden was not that type; instead, she was someone who would do her job and do it well. She was never full of herself; she's always been humble, but talented and hard working, just the characteristics Lucy appreciated. So Lucy didn't care that Barbara was more than 20 years younger and very, very sexy because that's what Barbara's role on I Love Lucy called for. So Lucy went out of her way, making adjustments to Barbara's dress, to bring out Barbara's sexiness to the fullest. I guess she figured the sexier Barbara was, the better it would be for the show as it would make the Lucy Ricardo character's jealousy more believable and, thus, funnier. What's ironic about all this is that Ann Sothern comes across sounding totally full of herself and not too professional, totally the kind of actress who would have a major run-in with Lucille Ball, yet she and Lucy somehow managed to be good friends and always worked well together with no issues between them.

Incidentally, here's Barbara in two videos discussing the two experiences, Ann Sothern then Lucille Ball:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZU8tWZz3jg&feature=fvsr (she alludes to the Ann Sothern experience at :47)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMi9B...eature=related
(alluding to Ann Sothern at 1:47)

[gidgetgrape]

Overall, Ann Sothern was a charitable and generous person. But at the same time, she seemed to be one of those people that if she liked you, she loved you, but if she didn't, she could be cold and distant.

I'd also like to add that Ann's weight problem was heightened due to a lifetime of health problems, including a thyroid gland tumor in 1950 and hepatitis from an overseas blood transfusion.

[LittleRickyII]

I guess I just don't get how anybody could not like Barbara Eden, one of the sweetest actresses in the world.

Originally Posted by gidgetgrape

Overall, Ann Sothern was a charitable and generous person. But at the same time, she seemed to be one of those people that if she liked you, she loved you, but if she didn't, she could be cold and distant.

I'd also like to add that Ann's weight problem was heightened due to a lifetime of health problems, including a thyroid gland tumor in 1950 and hepatitis from an overseas blood transfusion.

[PracTz]

Originally Posted by LittleRickyII

It's seems to me rather ridiculous that Ann Sothern would be so insecure to treat Barbara Eden that way. After all, Ms. Sothern was the star of the show, so why should she feel threatened? It's interesting the contrast Barbara Eden paints between working with Ann Sothern and working with Lucille Ball. She adored Lucille Ball. It's well known that Lucille Ball was could be "tough" and tangled with more than a few people who came on her set, but obviously Barbara Eden wasn't one of them. There seems to be a pattern among people Lucille Ball had a hard time with: usually they were big celebrities (mostly female) who had egos as big as their celebrity and maybe felt like they didn't need to work as hard as Lucy expected them to work (Lucy insisted on endless rehearsal).

For Lucy, the bottom line was putting on a good show and she expected the most out of everyone, herself included. Anyone who gave less than their all and acted too big for their britches would be subject to Lucy's wrath. It's obvious Barbara Eden was not that type; instead, she was someone who would do her job and do it well. She was never full of herself; she's always been humble, but talented and hard working, just the characteristics Lucy appreciated. So Lucy didn't care that Barbara was more than 20 years younger and very, very sexy because that's what Barbara's role on I Love Lucy called for. So Lucy went out of her way, making adjustments to Barbara's dress, to bring out Barbara's sexiness to the fullest. I guess she figured the sexier Barbara was, the better it would be for the show as it would make the Lucy Ricardo character's jealousy more believable and, thus, funnier. What's ironic about all this is that Ann Sothern comes across sounding totally full of herself and not too professional, totally the kind of actress who would have a major run-in with Lucille Ball, yet she and Lucy somehow managed to be good friends and always worked well together with no issues between them.

Incidentally, here's Barbara in two videos discussing the two experiences, Ann Sothern then Lucille Ball:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZU8tWZz3jg&feature=fvsr (she alludes to the Ann Sothern experience at :47)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMi9B...eature=related
(alluding to Ann Sothern at 1:47)

And what's especially ironic about all this is that Ann had been very generous to Lucy herself back in the mid 1930's when she[Ann] was considered a young, glamorous first tier star and Lucy was a struggling starlet -even going to the expense and trouble of personally decorate Lucy's new home so Lucy could have a comfortable place for her family! It's a credit to Lucy that she never forgot this and did her best to keep Ann steadily working on her shows well in the 1960's long after Ann was considered a gorgeous pin up.