I Dream Of Jeannie

When NBC cancelled the show in 1970, it seemed like the end. But then came syndication. A new generation of children in the 1970s and 1980s discovered Jeannie after school. For Gen X, I Dream of Jeannie was a ritual: the cartoonish sound effects ("Bwow-pow!") and Eden’s infectious giggle.

The show’s afterlife is astonishing:

Barbara Eden battled censors constantly. The original costume showed her navel. NBC Standards and Practices panicked. In the 1960s, a belly button on prime time was considered borderline pornography. I Dream of Jeannie

Eden was forced to wear a flesh-colored patch over her navel for the first several seasons. Even then, magazines like TV Guide ran polls asking: "Should Jeannie be allowed to keep her navel?" The American public voted overwhelmingly "Yes."

It wasn't until Season 3 that Eden was finally allowed to show her actual belly button. That single inch of skin became a landmark victory for television expression. When NBC cancelled the show in 1970, it seemed like the end

Finding Tony Nelson was easy. Larry Hagman (son of legendary Broadway star Mary Martin) had the perfect "everyman" face. He looked like the guy next door who somehow got a rocket ship. Hagman played Tony with a rigid intensity, constantly sweating the small stuff. On the surface, he was the straight man. But watch closely: Hagman silently conveys a man who knows this magic is the best thing that ever happened to him, even as he pretends to hate the mess.

But Barbara Eden as Jeannie? That was a war. For Gen X, I Dream of Jeannie was

She was technically the second choice. The first choice was an actress named Julie Parrish. But when Eden walked in, dressed not in the harem costume but in a conservative suit, she told Sheldon, "I won't just wear a bra and belly button. That's not acting."

She demanded that Jeannie have heart, innocence, and a childlike curiosity about the modern world. The result is legendary. Eden played a 2,000-year-old spirit who could evaporate a tank with a blink, yet she couldn't understand why you shouldn't dry a wet cat by throwing it into a nuclear reactor. Her chemistry with Hagman is the kind of lightning-in-a-bottle (pun intended) that happens once in a generation.

For a show light as air, there is one episode that haunts fans: "The Greatest Entertainer in the World" (Season 2). Jeannie, feeling unappreciated, turns Tony into a famous singer. He gets everything he wants: fame, money, adoration. But he loses Jeannie.

In the final scene, Tony trashes a penthouse, screaming for her. When she reappears, he breaks down crying. It is a raw, emotional performance from Larry Hagman (years before he became J.R. Ewing on Dallas) that hints at a co-dependent, almost tragic love affair. He doesn't love her magic; he loves her, but he can't admit it.