Barbara Enden Insists Executives Screwed Up "I Dream of Jeannie" By Marrying Them Off - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 08-28-2010, 10:12 PM

http://www.accessatlanta.com/AccessA...ie-600625.html

Do you agree with her comment? Disagree? Why?

djinnitaur · 08-28-2010, 11:36 PM

I disagree. But then again, I always disagree with this assessment

Because a good writer can work with any restrictions and still produce a top-quality product. Had Sydney Sheldon taken over all of the episode writing for the fifth season, I think the actors might not have been so bitter about it. Then again, I care more about the story than the actors, so what do I know?

Mr. Television · 08-28-2010, 11:41 PM

They probably should have held off until the final episode but then again, there weren't many episodes after they did get married. I'm just happy to see Larry at these conventions. He tried to distance himself from Jeannie for so long...I'm glad he now sees what we all did...Jeannie is a classic.

Marvo301 · 08-28-2010, 11:45 PM

I agree with Barbara. The romantic tension between Jeannie and Tony is what really made this series work. As soon as they got married that tension was gone. They should have saved the wedding for the last episode or at least very near the end of the series like they did with Angela and Tony on Who's the Boss.

comedyfreak · 08-29-2010, 12:18 AM

I think the wedding did in the show, and I agree with Barbara.

TV Knowledge Fan · 08-29-2010, 01:58 AM

....Sidney Sheldon was as well. In his autobiography "The Other Side Of Me", he recalled receiving a phone call from NBC programming executive Mort Werner in the summer of '69. Werner told him, "This coming season, I think Jeannie and Tony should get married". Sheldon tried to explain it like this: "If I do that, it'll kill off the romantic tension they have. Viewers want to see them trying to avoid marriage. If they get married, they'll lose interest in the show". "You want to be on the air next year?", Werner asked him. "Of course", Sheldon replied. "Either they get married, or the show won't be renewed". "I'll get them married", Sidney assured Werner. Naturally, Barbara and Larry [especially Larry] objected to this "strong arm" tactic. James Henerson, the series' head writer [he wrote "The Wedding" episode as well], recalled Barbara, Larry, Sheldon, himself and producer Claudio Guzman meeting with NBC executives to try to avoid a wedding episode- "The network was adamant", Henderson later recalled. "'You gotta do it'". The network (and Werner) used the excuse for a wedding to try to boost the show's sagging ratings {it was up against ABC's "THE MOD SQUAD" on Tuesdays in its final season...that was the #1 show in its time period}. Sure enough, after "The Wedding" aired on December 2, 1969, viewers started to "drift away"...and NBC cancelled "JEANNIE" at the end of the season. And what did Mort Werner say later on? "I think it was a mistake to have them married".

TV Knowledge Fan · 08-29-2010, 02:05 AM

...whenever Barbara is asked what her favorite episode is, she always replies, "The Wedding".

ansara1 · 09-07-2010, 10:21 AM

She does say that but she says (I met her for the first time years ago and she stated this) she enjoyed it because it was fun playing the "robotic mannequin. HOWEVER she went on to say that they should not have gotten married because ultimately the marriage killed the show.

ansara1 · 09-07-2010, 10:27 AM

>>>>
"'You gotta do it'". The network (and Werner) used the excuse for a wedding to try to boost the show's sagging ratings {it was up against ABC's "THE MOD SQUAD" on Tuesdays in its final season...that was the #1 show in its time period}. Sure enough, after "The Wedding" aired on December 2, 1969, viewers started to "drift away"...and NBC cancelled "JEANNIE" at the end of the season. And what did Mort Werner say later on? "I think it was a mistake to have them married".
>>>>

I always find it interesting that is said about the ratings because during the fourth year of the show when Laugh In followed I Dream of Jeannie on Monday nights the show's ratings went UP! Maybe if NBC had not moved the series to a different night EVERY SEASON IT RAN IN PRIME TIME the ratings would have been more consistent. I'm sure it was hard for viewers to find it when it kept getting moved around. I think that's why the show exploded in popularity and began to be seen as a "classic" when it went into syndication - because it was on at one consistent time and viewers could easily find when it was airing. If only NBC had done that in prime time....

old grouch · 09-07-2010, 12:28 PM

When Jeannie and Tony got married, the show turned into 'Bewitched'.

ansara1 · 09-07-2010, 02:39 PM

It is too bad the NBC executives forced Sidney Sheldon to marry them off.

djinnitaur · 09-08-2010, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old grouch

When Jeannie and Tony got married, the show turned into 'Bewitched'.

Why do you say that?

In Bewitched, they were already married before the pilot episode even started, and yet it went on to air eight seasons. In the second IDoJ episode, Jeannie could have married Tony 2000 years in the past. Who would have believed that in the present day?

They could have been married, djinni-style, and no human need ever have known, until Tony was ready to marry her human-style. I think if they had done that, they could have had many more romantic episodes, instead of relying on slapstick so often.

old grouch · 09-08-2010, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djinnitaur

Why do you say that?

In Bewitched, they were already married before the pilot episode even started, and yet it went on to air eight seasons. In the second IDoJ episode, Jeannie could have married Tony 2000 years in the past. Who would have believed that in the present day?

They could have been married, djinni-style, and no human need ever have known, until Tony was ready to marry her human-style. I think if they had done that, they could have had many more romantic episodes, instead of relying on slapstick so often.

Before Jeannie and Tony got married, the only person who knew that she even existed was Roger. After they got married, Dr. Bellows and Mrs. Bellows and everybody else knew she existed but didn't know that she was a genie. They were pretending to be a normal married couple while trying to hide her powers from the rest of the world- just like 'Bewitched'.

CAJeannieFan57 · 09-08-2010, 10:53 PM

It was also brought up that then Tony and Jeannie would have had kids, and they'd be back to the same Bewitched premise: "will the kids be genies or human?"

Still, I love the wedding episode and all the ones following when they were married and nobody knew she was djinn except Roger.

djinnitaur · 09-09-2010, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old grouch

Before Jeannie and Tony got married, the only person who knew that she even existed was Roger. After they got married, Dr. Bellows and Mrs. Bellows and everybody else knew she existed but didn't know that she was a genie. They were pretending to be a normal married couple while trying to hide her powers from the rest of the world- just like 'Bewitched'.

Reread my second paragraph, please. I am proposing an entirely different scenario from Bewitched, and why it could have worked that way and not been the same.

When you reread it, you should notice that I said "in the second episode" (not to mention the time-traveling part.) Roger was as clueless as everyone else about Jeannie's existence back then

08-28-2010, 10:12 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Barbara Enden Insists Executives Screwed Up "I Dream of Jeannie" By Marrying Them Off http://www.accessatlanta.com/AccessA...ie-600625.html Do you agree with her comment? Disagree? Why? Attached Images
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08-28-2010, 11:41 PM	#3
Mr. Television 23 Years at Sitcoms Online Forum Icon Join Date: Jun 06, 2003 Location: Somewhere you're Not Posts: 62,132	They probably should have held off until the final episode but then again, there weren't many episodes after they did get married. I'm just happy to see Larry at these conventions. He tried to distance himself from Jeannie for so long...I'm glad he now sees what we all did...Jeannie is a classic.
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08-28-2010, 11:45 PM	#4
Marvo301 I'm NOT a Blockhead! Forum Celebrity Join Date: May 17, 2002 Location: The Great White North Posts: 21,456	I agree with Barbara. The romantic tension between Jeannie and Tony is what really made this series work. As soon as they got married that tension was gone. They should have saved the wedding for the last episode or at least very near the end of the series like they did with Angela and Tony on Who's the Boss.
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08-29-2010, 12:18 AM	#5
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,060	I think the wedding did in the show, and I agree with Barbara.
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08-29-2010, 01:58 AM	#6
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	Barbara was not only right... ....Sidney Sheldon was as well. In his autobiography "The Other Side Of Me", he recalled receiving a phone call from NBC programming executive Mort Werner in the summer of '69. Werner told him, "This coming season, I think Jeannie and Tony should get married". Sheldon tried to explain it like this: "If I do that, it'll kill off the romantic tension they have. Viewers want to see them trying to avoid marriage. If they get married, they'll lose interest in the show". "You want to be on the air next year?", Werner asked him. "Of course", Sheldon replied. "Either they get married, or the show won't be renewed". "I'll get them married", Sidney assured Werner. Naturally, Barbara and Larry [especially Larry] objected to this "strong arm" tactic. James Henerson, the series' head writer [he wrote "The Wedding" episode as well], recalled Barbara, Larry, Sheldon, himself and producer Claudio Guzman meeting with NBC executives to try to avoid a wedding episode- "The network was adamant", Henderson later recalled. "'You gotta do it'". The network (and Werner) used the excuse for a wedding to try to boost the show's sagging ratings {it was up against ABC's "THE MOD SQUAD" on Tuesdays in its final season...that was the #1 show in its time period}. Sure enough, after "The Wedding" aired on December 2, 1969, viewers started to "drift away"...and NBC cancelled "JEANNIE" at the end of the season. And what did Mort Werner say later on? "I think it was a mistake to have them married".

08-28-2010, 11:36 PM	#2
djinnitaur Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 06, 2001 Location: Houston Posts: 71	I disagree. But then again, I always disagree with this assessment Because a good writer can work with any restrictions and still produce a top-quality product. Had Sydney Sheldon taken over all of the episode writing for the fifth season, I think the actors might not have been so bitter about it. Then again, I care more about the story than the actors, so what do I know?

08-29-2010, 02:05 AM	#7
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	And YET... ...whenever Barbara is asked what her favorite episode is, she always replies, "The Wedding".

09-07-2010, 10:21 AM	#8
ansara1 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 17, 2008 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 184	She does say that but she says (I met her for the first time years ago and she stated this) she enjoyed it because it was fun playing the "robotic mannequin. HOWEVER she went on to say that they should not have gotten married because ultimately the marriage killed the show.

09-07-2010, 10:27 AM	#9
ansara1 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 17, 2008 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 184	>>>> "'You gotta do it'". The network (and Werner) used the excuse for a wedding to try to boost the show's sagging ratings {it was up against ABC's "THE MOD SQUAD" on Tuesdays in its final season...that was the #1 show in its time period}. Sure enough, after "The Wedding" aired on December 2, 1969, viewers started to "drift away"...and NBC cancelled "JEANNIE" at the end of the season. And what did Mort Werner say later on? "I think it was a mistake to have them married". >>>> I always find it interesting that is said about the ratings because during the fourth year of the show when Laugh In followed I Dream of Jeannie on Monday nights the show's ratings went UP! Maybe if NBC had not moved the series to a different night EVERY SEASON IT RAN IN PRIME TIME the ratings would have been more consistent. I'm sure it was hard for viewers to find it when it kept getting moved around. I think that's why the show exploded in popularity and began to be seen as a "classic" when it went into syndication - because it was on at one consistent time and viewers could easily find when it was airing. If only NBC had done that in prime time....

09-07-2010, 12:28 PM	#10
old grouch Member Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2010 Location: montana Posts: 1,877	When Jeannie and Tony got married, the show turned into 'Bewitched'.

09-07-2010, 02:39 PM	#11
ansara1 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 17, 2008 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 184	It is too bad the NBC executives forced Sidney Sheldon to marry them off.

09-08-2010, 10:53 PM	#14
CAJeannieFan57 Member Forum Regular Join Date: May 01, 2005 Location: Central Missouri Posts: 871	It was also brought up that then Tony and Jeannie would have had kids, and they'd be back to the same Bewitched premise: "will the kids be genies or human?" Still, I love the wedding episode and all the ones following when they were married and nobody knew she was djinn except Roger.
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