How Many "Jeannie" Fans Would've Liked to Have Seen A "Darrin Like" Switch?!?

[MickeyMac]

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.

[JeanniesModParty]

I loved the cast just the way it was

[tcr1701]

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.

[gopyle]

Hagman was the best part of the show.

[gopyle]

Hagman was the best part of the show.

[scrapple]

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?

[ansara1]

Originally Posted by gopyle

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.

[ansara1]

Originally Posted by tcr1701

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.

[TheLittleFairy]

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.

[Babalu]

Originally Posted by Marvo301

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....

[ansara1]

Originally Posted by TheLittleFairy

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.

[MichaelKeith]

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

[Willbo]

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.

[MichaelKeith]

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.