Poor Dr. Bellows

[nerrad]

He used to always be the butt of Tony and Jeannie's magic. That't the main reason why loved IDOJ so much. When Dr. Bellows would walk in the door, he caught Tony....



..having a great voice

..with a boat in his living room

..Tony being in a jail cage

.. an elephant in is bedroom

.. Tony being able to float

..what else...

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...intended to have Colonel (his full rank) Bellows the one most likely to discover that Captain/Major Nelson has a genie [even though he DOUBTS this when he hears Tony describe what happened when he discovered Jeannie on the island in the pilot episode]. There had to be some element of "danger" and "suspense" when Bellows got too close to the truth....and in time, Dr. Bellows comes to recognize Tony as a "fascinating case history"...KNOWING he's seen these weird things happen to him, but never being able to prove it in front of General Peterson (or, to a lesser extent, General Schaeffer). "He's..done it to me, again" is Alfred's usual parting line when Tony gets off the hook and keeps Jeannie's magic and presence away from him once more. At the beginning of the second season, Bellows even resigns himself to the fact that if he DOES open his mouth about Tony's weird happenings to General Peterson, he'll get "sent away for six months"...or worse. So he tries to AVOID such confrontations, even telling Major Nelson at the end of "My Master, the Rich Tycoon" (when he makes Harry Huggins look like a fool), "I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to see you do it to someone else!". However, after Sidney Sheldon stopped writing the majority of the scripts, the "iron clad rule" about Dr. Bellows not behaving like an idiot when dealing with Jeannie's magic was abandoned. You have him "absent-minded" in "Jeannie and the Secret Weapon", or "panicky" when confronting the flying saucer with General Peterson in "U-F-OHHH Jeannie!". Still, Hayden Rorke brought a sense of dignity to his role....and that's what makes him (aqnd Bellows) memorable to this day!

[AB]

Dr. Bellows was a great character, always getting the worst of the situation. He just couldn't win up against Tony & Jeannie.

[catlover79]

Are we sure Dr. Bellows and Gladys Kravitz (Bewitched) weren't separated at birth??

[BensonFan]

That whole Dr Bellows thing was what made the show so funny (at least to me anyway)-it was always great when he thought he had Major Nelson exposed and it came back to bite him in the rear (like the "X-Factor" episode, if you remember that one).

[Heidi Dawn]

Dr. Bellows, he was so funny, especially when he thought he could expose Tony but didn't win in the end.

[Subspace]

Originally Posted by Heidi Dawn

Dr. Bellows, he was so funny, especially when he thought he could expose Tony but didn't win in the end.

Oh, I loved Dr. Bellows' character, and Hayden Rorke's portrayal was spot-on! I always felt that Dr. Bellows' character (and Rorke's excellent portrayal) did not receive nearly as much recognition as it deserved for making IDOJ great. Let's face it, while Tony and Jeannie may be the main characters, it was Dr. Bellows' character that brought most of the humor into the show.

[OH Nuts!]

Originally Posted by catlover79

Are we sure Dr. Bellows and Gladys Kravitz (Bewitched) weren't separated at birth??

Perhaps. Frick and Frack. Anyways they both got their just desserts. It's not nice to try and "out" Jeannies or witches. IMO, IDOJ was more charitable to Dr. Bellows, but then he wasn't as obnoxious as Gladys Kravitz.

[BarneyFife]

I know that poor guy thought he was losing his mind in a few of the episodes.

[Jude The Obscure]

He had a very selective memory--of all the times he has met Jeannie, that when Tony introduced her as his fiancee, he acted like he was meeting her for the first time!

And to be married to Amanda Bellows--oh the torture!!

[Commander Benson]

While like many military-based situation comedies, I Dream of Jeannie took a great many liberties with the culture of the military, one area in which it was admirably accurate was in the appearance of the various service uniforms depicted on the show. (This is no small thing since even supposedly high-end dramas such as J.A.G. kept making infuriating mistakes in the proper insignia on the uniforms.)

The best example of the meticulous attention to detail in this area is in the service ribbons worn by Hagman, Daily, and Rourke on their service dress uniforms. Not only are they consistent with the decorations that each man would probably wear, but they are worn in order of precidence. (Oh, yes, there is a specific order in which the decorations are to be worn; they just aren't thrown on hap-hazardly.) For a really excellent means to study Major Nelson's, Major Healey's, and Doctor Bellows' decorations, there are some excellent colour close-ups of the three men in Dreaming of Jeannie, by Steve Cox (St. Martin Press, 2000).

A look at Dr. Bellows' ribbons is quite revealing. Among his many decorations, he definitely wears the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Silver Star (all three reveal that he has been in combat). His innermost ribbon on the top row--which would be his highest decoration earned--is partially obscured by his blouse lapel. But from what I can make out, it appears to be the Air Force Cross--the second-highest decoration that can be awarded to U.S. military personnel in the USAF; only the Medal of Honor is higher.

Which means that, for all of his befuddlement, Dr. Bellows served his country well and was worthy of respect.

It would have been nice if the series had made an effort to point that out once in a while.

[CAJeannieFan57]

Nice that you should post that, Cmdr Benson, on the 21st anniversary of the death of Hayden Rorke.

I'm not sure about Hayden Rorke, but I do know that Larry Hagman actually served in the USAF, and Bill Daily served in the US Army. Both were enlisted (I believe), and both served in the Entertainment division somehow. Daily was NOT Army Corps of Engineers, though.

[Commander Benson]

I watched I Dream of Jeannie when it originally aired, of course, but it wasn't until I became a Naval officer and then caught the show again in re-runs that I developed a great deal of sympathy for Doctor Bellows. Frankly, even though I know he will lose out in each episode, he's the character I root for. Also, aware of the military culture as I am now, I cannot view Major Nelson as a complete good guy, either.

Let me explain . . . .

First of all, take a look at the character of Dr. Bellows as presented to the viewers. He is not an incompetent who, somehow, manages to occupy a position of authority, such as Captain Binghamton, of McHale's Navy, or Major Burns, of M*A*S*H, was. No, as written, Dr. Bellows was a competent, professional career officer who had served with distinction. Moreover, he was never unduly strict or cruel to either Major Nelson or Major Healy. He respected their abilities and proven skill as astronauts.

His one obsession was with rooting out the reason behind the bizarre things that happened to or were done by MAJ Nelson.

And the thing about that was Dr. Bellows was right! MAJ Nelson, thanks to the machinations of Jeannie, was constantly involved in something peculiar and/or--under normal circumstances--wildly impossible.

And even here, Bellows wasn't vicious about it. He never sought to destroy Nelson's career or have him court-martialled. He simply wanted Nelson to come clean about the source of all of Nelson's chicanery. (I don't have comprehensive knowledge of the show's episodes, so there may have been an occasion or two when Bellows mentioned having Nelson court-martialled, but from the episodes I recall, he simply wanted Nelson to explain things.) Again, constrast this with a truly venal character, CAPT Binghamton, who attempted in virtually every episode to either court-martial Lieutenant Commander McHale or have him cashiered from the Navy.

Of course, we all know how it went for Dr. Bellows. He would find some ostensibly incontrovertable proof that Nelson was doing something impossible or wildly improbable, take it to his commanding general (Stone or Peterson or Schaeffer), only to be humiliated when, again through the magical influence of Jeannie, MAJ Nelson was able to "prove" Bellows wrong and make the doctor look foolish.

In most instances, after MAJ Nelson successfully dodged another of Dr. Bellows' accusations, there would be a scene showing Nelson and MAJ Healey and/or Jeannie chortling and having a good time over Bellows' embarrassment.

This is where, in my re-run viewing, I lost a great deal of respect for the character of Major Anthony Nelson. Doctor Bellows deserved better than that.

Not only from the fact that Nelson (and Healey and Jeannie) took obvious delight in humiliating a dedicated, competent officer, either. Nelson was also ruining Dr. Bellows' career.

You see, unlike in the enlisted community, competitive examinations have no part in the promotion of military officers. Military officers in all of the services are selected for promotion to the next rank by boards comprised of senior officers who determine which officers get advanced on the basis of the officers' performances--their performances being reflected in regular evaluations or reports of fitness.

The repeated occurences in which Nelson undermined Bellows--who was properly reporting peculiarities which might have, without appropriate explanation, significant bearing on either Nelson's mental competence or security status--left Bellows looking, in the eyes of the general, as obsessed, at best, or incompetent, at worst. Either way, most certainly, the general would lose faith and confidence in Bellows' ability to perform at a higher rank. The exasperated statements made by General Peterson after yet another Bellows humiliation give rise to the almost certainty that Bellows' reports of fitness would be reduced. (And in the vehemently competitive arena of officer promotion, it doesn't take much of a downcheck on a single fitness report of a particular officer to take him out of the running for promotion.)

So, virtually every week, we saw Nelson and Healy take delight in further ruining Dr. Bellows' chances for promotion to general officer.

I would have loved to see an episode given this treatment:

In the opening scene, Bellows informs Nelson and Healey that he is retiring. Later, privately, Nelson and Healey show this news is a source of great relief for them and they are happy at the idea.

What Bellows did not tell Nelson and Healey, though, is that the reason he is retiring is because he has been passed over for promotion to brigadier general because of the negative remarks entered by his commanding generals over constantly being "wrong" about MAJ Nelson. In fact, there is a brief scene between Bellows and the general, in which, in a personal moment, the general says, "You were a shoo-in for your star, Alfred, until you started all of this Nelson business. I just don't understand why . . . ."

Bellows, of course, has too much integrity to tell Nelson the reason behind his retirement, but Nelson finds out the truth through some other source. Now Nelson and Healey feel great regret. This would be a great scene in which to underscore Bellows' distinguished service and his basic decency. They determine that Bellows should be promoted, that they owe it to him. (Besides, as an add-on thought, as a brigadier general, Bellows would be transferred to another command, so Nelson and Healey would be free of his suspicions, anyway.) And, of course, thanks to the magical manipulations of Jeannie, Bellows is ultimately selected to brigadier general.

This would lead to a particularly good scene between Bellows and Nelson. Bellows would know (as any real-life military officer knows) that it would be easier to steal a nuclear missile than to get a promotion board to change its mind. Thus, the good doctor is well aware that whatever agency is behind all of Nelson's other bizarre actions is behind the sudden reversal of the promotion board's decision.

"I don't know how, major . . . I never do," says Bellows, "but, somehow, you've done it to me, again."

"No, sir," replies Tony. "This time, I've done it for you."

They shake hands. Unspoken between them is the fact that Bellows knows that Nelson has some secret, and Nelson knows that Bellows knows, but for the moment, both men have called a truce on the issue.

The epilogue would show both Nelson and Healey reporting for work, discussing how strange it will be not to have Dr. Bellows--sorry, General Bellows--around anymore. They are both surprised to discover that Bellows hasn't been transferred at all. (Insert some plausible military reason why the Air Force kept Bellows in Cocoa Beach.)

Bellows says knowingly to Nelson, "I'm sure that with the past forgotten, there won't be any more 'strange occurances' around here, will there, major?"

"Uh, of course not, Doctor Bellows--uh--general--uh--sir!" replies Nelson, the look on his face showing just how unlikely it is that there will be no more "strange occurrances".

That's how I would've done it, anyway.

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by CAJeannieFan57

Nice that you should post that, Cmdr Benson, on the 21st anniversary of the death of Hayden Rorke.

I'm not sure about Hayden Rorke, but I do know that Larry Hagman actually served in the USAF, and Bill Daily served in the US Army. Both were enlisted (I believe), and both served in the Entertainment division somehow. Daily was NOT Army Corps of Engineers, though.

Didn't Bill Daily serve in Korea? According to Bob Newhart on one of the BNS DVD commentaries, Bill eventually joined the USO.

[CAJeannieFan57]

Yes, Bill served in Korea - in the entertainment division. If you go to our website and check some of the past two years' worth of his radio notes, he tells some stories about his days in Korea.