History Recap / TheTwilightZone1959S4E12IDreamOfGenie

* HaveAGayOldTime: George refers to himself as a "jerk", whereas in contemporary slang he'd be anything but. These days, "jerk" connotes someone who is obnoxious and cruel. In the days where the episode is set, George is rightly describing himself as a "loser" or a "wuss".

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In George's second ImagineSpot (wishing for money), he immediately pictures a world where he's a philanthropist using said money to help the less fortunate, and he seems to genuinely enjoy that part of the idea (it's everything else that comes with money that he ultimately decides isn't for him). This hints that his ultimate satisfaction will come from helping others.

A pair of store owners have just received a shipment of urns and old pots. One of them wonders how they can possibly sell their newfound junk, while the other remarks that all they need is the right sucker. At that exact moment, George P. Hanley (Creator/HowardMorris), a kindly-but-unlucky office worker, enters the store looking for a gift for Ann Lawson, the lovely secretary at his office. Settling on purchasing an old oil lamp, George heads off to work. His younger and more sucessful co-worker Roger Hackett brags about being "more equal" than him when it comes to life, beating him to the punch and gifting Ann a nightgown, earning him an open-mouth kiss from the secretary. The boss, Watson, comes out of his office to seemingly break things up, only to give Ann a gift of his own. Disheartened at this turn of events, George returns to his apartment with his new oil lamp instead of joining the rest of the workers for a party.

A pair of store owners have just received a shipment of urns and old pots. One of them wonders how they can possibly sell their newfound junk, while the other remarks that all they need is the right sucker. At that moment, George P. Hanley (Creator/HowardMorris), a kindly-but-unlucky office worker, enters the store looking for a gift for Ann Lawson, the lovely secretary at his office. Settling on purchasing an old oil lamp, George heads off to work. His younger and more sucessful co-worker Roger Hackett brags about being "more equal" than him when it comes to life, beating him to the punch and gifting Ann a nightgown, earning him an open-mouth kiss from the secretary. The boss, Watson, comes out of his office to seemingly break things up, only to give Ann a gift of his own. Disheartened at this turn of events, George returns to his apartment with his new oil lamp instead of joining the rest of the workers for a party.

->'''Rod Serling:''' Mr. George P. Hanley. Former vocation: jerk. Present vocation: genie. George P. Hanley, a most ordinary man, whom life treated without deference, honor, or success, but a man wise enough to decide on a most extraordinary wish that makes him the contented, permanent master of his own altruistic Twilight Zone.

Throughout the night, George considers what to wish for, as well as the consequences of what would happen if he made various wishes. Reflecting on how Ann was so easily smitten with Roger's gift for her over his lamp, George's first probable wish has him considering wishing for love, prompting a dream sequence to begin. In this daydream, he's married to Ann, who is a highly successful movie star known as "Ann Alexandra". However, George comes to the conclusion that he would easily lose a wife like her, as she's obsessed with her acting career and has an affair with Roger, also a movie star. Additionally, George himself is easily pushed into agreements by Watson, appearing as a film director, and is hardly recognized by anyone, even when he tells them that he's Ann's husband. An aspiring starlet who George takes the time to lend an ear to even feels insulted for talking to him when she learns he's not in showbiz. The daydream ends when George leans back into his chair and falls to the floor.

* OurGeniesAreDifferent: The genie George meets is an obnoxious loudmouth who smokes a cigar and dresses in contemporary clothes, with the exception of a pair of "velveteen mukluks." He also offers George only ''one'' wish instead of the usual three, citing that the previous "three wishes" formular had a history of being abused. Ironically, he's actually ''more'' responsible with his power than most fictional genies, handily averting both the [[LiteralGenie literal]] and [[JackassGenie jackass]] characterizations. It's also averted at the end, where George wishes to become a traditional genie.

** In the first dream, where he wishes for love/fame, Ann is a glamorous film star named "Ann Alexandra" who is also George's unfaithful wife, Roger is her co-star and lover, and Watson is the director for the film they're starring in.

That afternoon, George takes Attila for a walk, where he grows inspired by the power Watson has to just give the head bookkeeper position to Roger. As a result, George and Attila sit down on a nearby stoop, where George then considers using his wish to seek power, which cues up ''another'' dream sequence. In '''''this''''' daydream, George is President of the United States, with Watson acting as his campaign manager. He's initially a good-hearted and successful President, performing all his duties admirably and taking the time to assist Ann, a poor mother whose soldier son is being accused of treason for falling asleep on watch duty, with clearing her son's charges. After doing so, George muses that how power is used should be far more important than power itself. Unfortunately, George alerted to the imminent arrival of a fleet of extraterrestrial spaceships. Roger, an Army general, argues with him that he must make the first strike, while one of his political advisors tells him that he could risk potentially harming an innocent race of aliens, paralyzing George with indecision. George is broken out of this fantasy by the owner of the building whose stoop he and Attila were sitting on, who throws them both off.

The next day, George watches as Roger is called into Watson's office, while he's tasked with double-checking financial records of a client with a net worth of millions. Inspired by these records and how fulfilling it must be to live with such wealth, George considers using his wish to have money, cuing another dream sequence. In ''this'' daydream, George is a wealthy tycoon who goes by "G. Peter Hanley", with Roger acting as his chauffeur, Ann being his financial advisor, and Watson the president of his alma matter, seeking donations. George originally enjoys handing out money to anyone and everyone who asks for it, but he comes to realize that his incredibe generosity is considered ostentatious by some people. Additionally, George also learns that being able to immediately buy anything he wants, without having to wait or struggle for it, would gradually take the flavor out of life. He is also pressured to keep on spending his money, being told that choosing ''not'' to buy anything would destroy the economy. George is woken up from this daydream by Roger, who announces that Watson promoted him to head bookkeeper, even though George has more experience in the field.

A pair of store owners have just received a shipment of urns and old pots. One of them wonders how they can possibly sell their newfound junk, while the other remarks that all they need is the right sucker. At that moment, George P. Hanley (Creator/HowardMorris), a kindly-but-unlucky office worker, enters the store looking for a gift for Ann Lawson, the lovely secretary at his office. Settling purchasing an old oil lamp, George heads off to work. His younger and more sucessful co-worker Roger Hackett brags about being "more equal" than him when it comes to life, beating him to the punch and gifting Ann a nightgown, earning him an open-mouth kiss from the secretary. The boss, Watson, comes out of his office to seemingly break things up, only to give Ann a gift of his own. Disheartened at this turn of events, George returns to his apartment with his new oil lamp instead of joining the rest of the workers for a party.

Throughout the night, George considers what to wish for, as well as the consequences of what would happen if he made various wishes. Reflecting on how Ann was so easily smitten with Roger's gift for her over his lamp, George's first probable wish has him considering wishing for love and fame, prompting a dream sequence to begin. In this daydream, he's married to Ann, who in this world is a highly successful movie star known as "Ann Alexandra". However, George comes to the conclusion that he would easily lose a wife like her, as she's obsessed with her acting career and has an affair with Roger, also a movie star. Additionally, George himself is easily pushed into agreements by Watson, appearing as a film producer, and is hardly recognized by anyone, even when he tells them that he's Ann's husband. An aspiring starlet who George takes the time to lend an ear to, even feels insulted for talking to him when she learns he's not in showbiz. The daydream ends when George leans back into his chair and falls to the floor.

The next day, George watches as Roger is called into Watson's office, while he's tasked with double-checking financial records of a client with a net worth of millions. Inspired by these records and how fulfilling it must be to live with such wealth, George considers using his wish to have money, cuing another dream sequence. In ''this'' daydream, George is a wealthy tycoon who goes by "G. Peter Hanley", with Roger acting as his chauffeur, Ann being his financial advisor, and Watson a representative from his alma matter seeking donations. George originally enjoys handing out money to anyone and everyone who asks for it, but he comes to realize that his incredibe generosity is considered ostentatious by some people. Additionally, George also learns that being able to immediately buy anything he wants, without having to wait or struggle for it, would gradually take the flavor out of life. He is also pressured to keep on spending his money, being told that choosing ''not'' to buy anything would destroy the economy. George is woken up from this daydream by Roger, who announces that Watson promoted him to head bookkeeper, even though George has more experience in the field.

Back in his apartment, George comes to realize the problem with all three of his prospective wishes: while his circumstances change, he remains a good-hearted man who is easily pushed around and browbeaten by others, and the only way he can truly improve his life is by improving himself. Inspired, George grabs the lamp and tells the bored genie that he finally knows what to wish for, noting that it's going to be something "original". Sometime later, a homeless man finding the lamp in a garbage can and polishes it. The genie who emerges is George, still accompanied by his faithful friend Attila. Unlike the genie who served him, George and Attila both wear the stereotypical turbaned garb of genies, and grant three wishes to the finder of his new lamp. The only condition George has is that after he grants the wishes, he insists that the lamp be returned to the alley for another needy person to find.

That afternoon, George takes Attila for a walk, where he grows inspired by the power Watson has to just give the head bookkeeper position to Roger. As a result, George and Attila sit down on a nearby stoop, where George then considers using his wish to seek power, which cues up ''another'' dream sequence. In '''''this''''' daydream, George is President of the United States, with Watson acting as his campaign manager. He's initially a good-hearted and successful President, performing all his duties admirably and taking the time to assist Ann, a poor mother whose soldier son is being accused of treason for falling asleep on watch duty, with clearing her son's charges. After doing so, George muses that how power is used should be far more important than power itself. Unfortunately, George alerted to the imminent arrival of a fleet of extraterrestrial spaceships approaching Earth. Roger, an Army general, argues with him that he must make the first strike, while one of his political advisors tells him that he could risk potentially harming an innocent race of aliens, paralyzing George with indecision. George is broken out of this fantasy by the owner of the building whose stoop he and Attila were sitting on, who throws them both off.

A couple of store owners have received a shipment of various urns and old pots; one wonders how they can possibly sell such junk, while the other remarks that all they need is the right sucker. Cue George P. Hanley (Creator/HowardMorris), an unlucky man looking for a gift for a lovely secretary at his office named Ann Lawson. Buying an oil lamp from them, George proceeds to go to work. A co-worker named Robert Hackett brags about being "more equal than him" when it comes to life, then beats him to the punch and gifts Ann a nightgown, earning Robert an open-mouth kiss. Their boss, Watson, comes out seemingly to break things up, only to give Ann a gift of his own. Disheartened, instead of joining the rest of the workers for a party, George returns home with the oil lamp to his pet dog Attila and his fish. As George pities himself and calls himself a jerk (as in an annoyingly stupid or foolish person, rather than an unlikable one), Attila senses something strange about the lamp. George decides to clean it up, only to awaken a genie (Creator/JackAlbertson) living inside... a very modern-looking one, aside from some fanciful shoes, who is tired of the old routines. The genie offers him a single wish (since previous wishers abused having three), but gives him time to reflect on what to wish for.

Throughout the night he considers what would happen if he made various wishes. In a dream sequence, he wishes for a combination of love and fame, specifically being married to Ann "Alexandra", who would be a successful movie star. However, George concludes he would lose a wife like her, and in his fantasy she is obsessed with her acting career and has an affair with Roger, who is also a movie star; additionally, he's easily pushed into agreements by Watson the producer, and is hardly recognized by anyone, even as "Ann's husband". Even one aspiring starlet, who George takes time to lend an ear to, feels insulted for wasting time talking to him when she learns he's not in showbiz.

The next day, while Robert is called to Watson's office, George is tasked with double-checking financial records of a client with a net worth of millions. Inspired by this, George next contemplates wishing for money. In a daydream, he is a wealthy tycoon with Roger as his chauffeur, Ann as his financial adviser, and Watson as a representative from George's alma matter that seeks donations. George comes to realize that, despite being incredibly generous to everyone he meets, some people consider it ostentatious. Additionally, being able to immediately buy anything he wanted, without having to wait or struggle for it, would take the flavor out of life. And simply choosing not to buy anything is not an option, as it would destroy the economy. George wakes up from this daydream by Robert announcing his promotion to head bookkeeper over the more-experienced George.

Walking along the street with Attila, George's third prospective wish is for power, inspired by his boss having the power to just hand out the promotion to Robert. George imagines being President of the United States, with Watson as his campaign manager. He is initially successful, even making the time to assist poor mother Ann whose son is accused of treason for napping while on watch duty, and vowing that it's how power is used that should be more important than power itself. But George is paralyzed by indecision when faced with a global UFO crisis, and two different subordinates (Robert of the army, and a political adviser) are pressuring him into choosing between a first strike and the possibility of harming innocent aliens. George snaps out of this fantasy by the owner of the building whose stoop he and Attila took a break on.

Back home, George realizes the problem with all three wishes is that while his circumstances change, he himself remains a loser, and that he can only improve his life by changing himself. This inspires him to finally decide on a wish, telling the lamp and bored genie inside that it's going to be "original". Skip forward to a homeless man finding the lamp in a garbage can and polishing it. The genie who emerges is George, still accompanied by Attila. Unlike the genie who served him, George and Attila both wear the stereotypical turbaned genie garb, and grant three wishes to the finder on the condition that the lamp be returned to the alley afterwards for another needy person to find.
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->'''Rod Serling:''' Mr. George P. Hanley. Former vocation: jerk. Present vocation: genie. George P. Hanley, a most ordinary man, whom life treated without deference, honor, or success, but a man wise enough to decide on a most extraordinary wish that makes him the contented, permanent master of his own altruistic Twilight Zone.

----

* AndYouWereThere: Ann, Roger and Watson continue appearing in George's dreams in different roles. In the first fantasy, Ann is the glamorous film star Ann Alexandra and George's unfaithful wife, Roger is her co-star and lover and Watson is the film director. In the second fantasy, Ann is George's secretary, Roger is his chauffeur and Watson is the president of his alma mater. In the third fantasy, Ann is a woman who wants President Hanley to pardon her son for falling asleep on duty, Roger is a three-star general who warns him that he must attack the approaching alien ship and Watson is a member of his staff.
* ArtisticLicenseGeography: In George's fantasy about being U.S. President, the Capitol Building can be seen out the window of the Oval Office. This is not the case in reality. It also appears to be much closer to the White House than it actually is.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The genie warns George of this when introducing himself; for example, a wish for wealth could lead to unwanted attention from the IRS and charity cases, and a wish for love won't be as meaningful as love found.
* BecomingTheGenie: Unlike most stories involving this (where the wisher is ''tricked'' into becoming the genie), George asks for it willingly, because he finds happiness in altruism.
* CanineCompanion: No matter what, George is accompanied by his dog Attila, even in a genie's lamp.
* CatapultNightmare: The end of George's first daydream has him falling off a ladder while seeing Ann cheat on him with Robert, while George himself has leaned too far back in an armchair he was sleeping in.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: In the third ImagineSpot, George as the President of the United States is faced with a situation where he has to make a decision of extreme consequence with inconclusive information. The realization that he wouldn't be able to handle a situation of that type is what leads him to choose against making a wish for power.
* FisherKingdom: In addition to [[AndYouWereThere all of the humans in George's life being changed to fit necessary roles]], Attila the dog accompanies George through all of these dream sequences, but with his breed modified to match George's own changed profession, from a tiny purebred to a wolfhound to a black Scottish terrier. In the last of these in which George is President, Attila is the same breed and color as UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt's dog Fala.
* HaveAGayOldTime: George refers to himself as a "jerk", whereas in contemporary slang he'd be anything but. "Jerk", at present, connotes someone who is obnoxious and possibly cruel; these days, George would more rightly describe himself as a "loser" or a "wuss".
* InadvertentEntranceCue: George P. Hanley first appears entering a store just as its owners mention needing a sucker to buy some junk they had just received.
* LoveTriangle: Between George, Robert, and Ann, with George buying a gift for Ann but getting beaten to the punch by Robert as the story's inciting incident.
* NiceGuy: The main reason why George is easily pushed around is because, even in fantasies where he has fame, wealth, or power, he's eager to be kind and attentive to others.
* OurGeniesAreDifferent:
** The genie is an obnoxious loudmouth who smokes a cigar and dresses in contemporary clothes with the exception of "velveteen mukluks." He also offers George only one wish instead of the usual three. Ironically, he's actually ''more'' responsible with his power than most fictional genies, handily averting both LiteralGenie and JackassGenie characterizations.
** Averted at the end, when George decides to become a traditional genie.
* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: Roger calls Ann the prettiest girl in the office. She points out that [[TheSmurfettePrinciple she is the only one]].

* PlotHole: The genie George finds explicitly rules out wishing for love or wealth, meaning two out of three of the fantasies George has are pointless.
* PunBasedTitle: It's a play on Stephen Foster's song "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair".
* SelflessWish: In the end, altruism is what makes George happy, more so than anything else.
* TakeAThirdOption: George can't think of a possible way to truly and permanently improve his own life with the mentality he has, so he decides to find happiness by improving the lives of others.