If, as has been said,there was animosity between "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Bewitched"

[Rezny@gmail.com]

Why did,of all people ,William Asher(!)direct "I Dream of Jeannie-15 Years Later",and another question:What was the reason Joseph Scanlan(who probably had no part in the 1960's series(or did he?),directed the follow-up 1991 TV-movie "I Still Dream of Jeannie"?Were the directors who worked on the 1960's series (Hal Cooper,E.W.Swackhamer,,-or if they were still living at the time-were they?)even asked?

[ansara1]

Originally Posted by rrezny@usnetizen

Why did,of all people ,William Asher(!)direct "I Dream of Jeannie-15 Years Later",and another question:What was the reason Joseph Scanlan(who probably had no part in the 1960's series(or did he?),directed the follow-up 1991 TV-movie "I Still Dream of Jeannie"?Were the directors who worked on the 1960's series (Hal Cooper,E.W.Swackhamer,,-or if they were still living at the time-were they?)even asked?

>>>>

Why did,of all people ,William Asher(!)direct "I Dream of Jeannie-15 Years Later"?

Answer: Money.

As to your second question regarding the directors I do not know the answer. I did hear that Richard Albain (who did the special effects on the series) was asked to work on the 15 Years Later film but they did not offer him enough money. That's why the special effects (particularly the smoke and even the bottle rolling along the beach) were so incredibly bad. I also think it is a a shame the way Jeannie's pink harem outfit was altered at all - but especially in such a cheap way. It looked more like a cheap Halloween genie costume. I know they wanted to show her navel (which by the way - as Barbara Eden has even said - was not an issue until the 4th season when the people on the NBC series 'Laugh In' wanted to premiere it / the costume was SIMPLY MADE THAT WAY BECAUSE IT FIT AND LOOKED THE BEST ON HER) but it really was poorly re-done for the movies- especially the way they re-did the belt on the pants and made the disign into an "eye" looking design in the front. ...not to mention the "Baboo" looking cup on her head. They changed the bottle design too but at least it was attractive. I will have to say the white and gold Bob Mackey (sp?) genie outfit was also attractive.

It's also a shame the sound effects were changed.

When will the "powers that be" ever learn that fans do not want trademarks of series, characters, etc. changed?

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...of the first reunion movie [perhaps it was executive producer Barbara Corday's idea], but, in retrospect, "15 Years Later" just didn't turn out the way it was supposed to be. Barbara mentioned, years ago, that Irma Kalish "really saved the script"...so that meant the original draft (by Julie & Dinah Kirgo) was a disaster, and that Irma's input [she was the only writer associated with the original series to work on it] made it better than, say, the second reunion movie's script {UGH!}.

As for Barbara, her costumes for the movie- which were designed by Jef Billings- were quite admirable for a woman of her age at the time. Jef couldn't really reproduce Gwen Wakeling's original Jeannie outfit [and neither could Bob Mackie, when Barbara wore a "similar-looking" costume on "HARPER VALLEY P.T.A." in January 1981], so he concentrated on the "first season" design as a model {and yes, the cap should have been bigger}, but Barbara was very nicely displayed in it. And the "intimate" gold and white version (also seen in the second movie) was beautiful...right down to the navel!


And don't get me started about the second movie......

[ansara1]

Originally Posted by TV Knowledge Fan

...of the first reunion movie [perhaps it was executive producer Barbara Corday's idea], but, in retrospect, "15 Years Later" just didn't turn out the way it was supposed to be. Barbara mentioned, years ago, that Irma Kalish "really saved the script"...so that meant the original draft (by Julie & Dinah Kirgo) was a disaster, and that Irma's input [she was the only writer associated with the original series to work on it] made it better than, say, the second reunion movie's script {UGH!}.

As for Barbara, her costumes for the movie- which were designed by Jef Billings- were quite admirable for a woman of her age at the time. Jef couldn't really reproduce Gwen Wakeling's original Jeannie outfit [and neither could Bob Mackie, when Barbara wore a "similar-looking" costume on "HARPER VALLEY P.T.A." in January 1981], so he concentrated on the "first season" design as a model {and yes, the cap should have been bigger}, but Barbara was very nicely displayed in it. And the "intimate" gold and white version (also seen in the second movie) was beautiful...right down to the navel!


And don't get me started about the second movie......

I didn't mean to be disrespectful, etc. but I haven't heard anyone who thought that pink costume in the TV movies was attractive. Other than the cap I particularly didn't like "the eyes" on the belt of the pants. It just looked like a cheap copy of the original IN MY OPINION I don't know if this has any truth to it or not but I was told that perhaps some of the reasoning for the changes to the costume (in addition to the lowering of the waist line to show the navel) was because Jef Billings did not like Gwen Wakleing. If that is true perhaps he changed MORE things than necessary purposely. I hope this is not the case. I do wonder why Gwen Wakeling did not design the costumes for the movie????
As I stated in an earlier post - the white and gold outfit was beautiful and even though the designs on the bottle weren't the original it was still very pretty. Change can be okay as long as it is as nice as the original and is flattering to it.

That's interesting regarding the script. There were things I didn't like about it but could take. Though what I couldn't take (as couldn't a LOT of fans) was the ending of 15 Years Later which virtually ERASED the entire series! As a kid watching it I was angry and heartbroken. I heard that was done to leave the story open for a 2nd "I Dream of Jeannie" series. I don't know if that is it but I did have people ask me if William Asher had anything to do with the ending as a slap in the face to the show. I doubt that he would have had any power over the script in that respect. At least I hope that wasn't the case!

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...but you should know that Gwen Wakeling couldn't have returned to design any costumes for the reunion movies because she retired in 1966 [after she worked on Elvis Presley's "Frankie and Johnny"], and passed away in 1982.
And Joie Hutchinson, the series' uncredited costume designer, was unavailable as well.

Oh, there was talk of a possible series revival of "JEANNIE", but it never got any farther than the open-ended conclusion of the first movie [Asher had nothing to do with it]...which didn't matter, because everything was "normal" [except for Colonel Nelson's absence] by the beginning of the second movie.

I suspect that, in some alternate universe, there was a "second" reunion movie {circa 1987} that restored the balance of "what had been", and the "third movie" {1991} was the one that wrapped everything up neatly {Roger, after his messy divorce, ends up with Jeannie's sister; T.J. finds a girlfriend that has the same "magical" background as him; and the nosy tabloid reporter (George Furth, reprising his role of "Charlie Farnum", from "Blackmail-Order Bride"), in trying to discover exactly what Tony has been hiding all these years, finds out- in spades...even Jeannie's 'Mama' finds time to show up as well}. Too bad we're stuck in this universe, that we can't see those movies......

[ansara1]

Originally Posted by TV Knowledge Fan

...but you should know that Gwen Wakeling couldn't have returned to design any costumes for the reunion movies because she retired in 1966 [after she worked on Elvis Presley's "Frankie and Johnny"], and passed away in 1982.

And Joie Hutchinson, the series' uncredited costume designer, was unavailable as well.

Oh, there was talk of a possible series revival of "JEANNIE", but it never got any farther than the open-ended conclusion of the first movie [Asher had nothing to do with it]...which didn't matter, because everything was "normal" [except for Colonel Nelson's absence] by the beginning of the second movie.

I suspect that, in some alternate universe, there was a "second" reunion movie {circa 1987} that restored the balance of "what had been", and the "third movie" {1991} was the one that wrapped everything up neatly {Roger, after his messy divorce, ends up with Jeannie's sister; T.J. finds a girlfriend that has the same "magical" background as him; and the nosy tabloid reporter (George Furth, reprising his role of "Charlie Farnum", from "Blackmail-Order Bride"), in trying to discover exactly what Tony has been hiding all these years, finds out- in spades...even Jeannie's 'Mama' finds time to show up as well}. Too bad we're stuck in this universe, that we can't see those movies......

Thanks "TV Knowledge Fan" for clearing that up regarding Gwen Wakeling. In all my statements in my last post I indeed was thinking of the OTHER designer on the show - Joi Hutchinson. I wonder why she wasn't available for 15 Years Later AND why she was never credited on the series? Wasn't Gwen Wakeling only credited on the pilot episode? If I'm correct (and I believe I am) that's a shame for such an original trademark costume!

And as for the movies...I want to live in your alternate universe! How great that would have been to have had three GOOD series of continuing movies wrapped up in the last one with one big happy ending!