Did Jeannie Have A Mom & Dad on 'I Dream of Jeannie?'

[Brian Damage]

Just curious if they ever mentioned or shown Jeannie's parents?

[ClassicTVGal]

Oh goodness yes.
They showed her mother off and on...

And her father was only shown once...it was in Season One. ("My Hero")

[Brian Damage]

Originally Posted by ClassicTVGal

Oh goodness yes.
They showed her mother off and on...

And her father was only shown once...it was in Season One. ("My Hero")

Thank You!

Do you happen to know the actors who portrayed them?

[TV Knowledge Fan]

Do I know them...? Sure, I do!!!!!!


Florence Sundstrom (whose best known TV role was "Belle Dudley"- opposite George O'Hanlon's "Calvin Dudley"- on 'THE LIFE OF RILEY"'s 1955-'56 season) and Henry Corden (best known as "Fred Flintstone's" voice after Alan Reed's death in 1977) played Jeannie's parents in "My Hero?", the second episode of season one. Then, Lurene Tuttle [veteran radio/TV character actress, who was "Effie Perine" to Howard Duff's "Sam Spade" on his radio show in the late '40s] turned up as "Mama" in episode fourteen, "What House Across the Street?". After that, Sidney Sheldon downplayed the idea of having Jeannie's parents appear on a regular basis {probably so as not to "imitate" Samantha's mother's and father's frequent appearances on "BEWITCHED"- he'd already gotten flak from William Asher, the series' frequent director and Liz Montgomery's husband, about "swiping" the idea for his show}.

In the fourth season, though, Sidney hit upon the idea of having Barbara Eden herself appear as "Mama" in two episodes {"Jeannie and the Wild Pipchicks", "Is There A Doctor In the House?"}, since Barbara was so good at playing a character unlike Jeannie [her rotten sister!]- her "Mama" was somewhat "nutty"- an Arabian Nights variation of a "Jewish yenta" (right down to the chicken soup and the mittel-European accent).

[treky]

wasn't there a color episode wher Spring Byington played her mother? I seem to remember seeing it on TV LAND before they "jumped the shark".

[snelson]

Originally Posted by treky

wasn't there a color episode wher Spring Byington played her mother? I seem to remember seeing it on TV LAND before they "jumped the shark".

spring byington played tony's mother.

[Jude The Obscure]

I thought it was just ludicrous for Barbara to play her own mother and it changed the character as well.....I didn't care for it....JMO.

[old grouch]

In 'What House Across the Street?', Jeannie invents fake parents using characters she saw while watching TV commercials.

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...but Jeannie's mother was in the background, guiding her as to how they should appear before Roger. Incidentally, in Arthur Alsberg & Bob Fisher's first draft script, they were referred to as "Mr. and Mrs. Prescott", but the finished episode omitted their names, although the actors portraying them [Oliver McGowan and Avis Scott] were credited as the "Prescotts" in the closing credits.

[ClassicTVGal]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Thank You!

You are welcome!

[old grouch]

Originally Posted by TV Knowledge Fan

...but Jeannie's mother was in the background, guiding her as to how they should appear before Roger. Incidentally, in Arthur Alsberg & Bob Fisher's first draft script, they were referred to as "Mr. and Mrs. Prescott", but the finished episode omitted their names, although the actors portraying them [Oliver McGowan and Avis Scott] were credited as the "Prescotts" in the closing credits.

That episode is one of my favorites. I like Jeannie's real mom, and her fake parents are a hoot, the way they keep quoting lines from commercials.

[allstar77]

Originally Posted by Jude The Obscure

I thought it was just ludicrous for Barbara to play her own mother and it changed the character as well.....I didn't care for it....JMO.

I have to disagree. I loved Barbara Eden playing both Jeannie and her sister ... and the occasional "extras". It was just display for her amazing talent.