History Trivia / IDreamOfJeannie

* TroubledProduction: Larry Hagman had issues with alcohol and drugs that caused issues behind the scenes. Hagman, already an alcoholic, was introduced to marijuana by Jack Nicholson in an attempt to get him off alcohol. Instead he did both, usually in his dressing room between filming. Doctors prescribed him medications to help with anxiety, only they gave him amphetamines which worsened his issues. This, coupled with his frustration over script quality and what he saw as Barbara Eden taking much of the spotlight, nearly caused him to suffer debilitating issues. His attitude on set often upset guest stars(according to Eden, Sammy Davis Jr threatened to punch Hagman). Hagman later went to a psychiatrist and was able to deal with his issues. Despite all the issues mentioned, Hagman has said in interviews that he largely enjoyed working on the show and looked back on it fondly.

** Creator/RobertConrad tested for the role of Major Tony Nelson, and was seriously considered.

** The Blue Djinn, whom Jeannie had scorned 2000 years ago, was played by Creator/MichaelAnsara, Barbara Eden's husband. He also played two other characters, including one whom Jeannie II "makes love" to (in the milder sense; but still, who better to play such scenes with than your real-life husband, eh)
*** Creator/MichaelAnsara also directed episodes of the series.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Barton [=MacLane=], who played the recurring role of General Peterson, contracted pneumonia and died on January 1, 1969, partway through season four. His character was replaced by General Schaeffer, played by Vinton Hayworth (uncle of Creator/{{Rita|Hayworth}}). Oddly enough, Hayworth himself also died while on the role in 1970, but it happened only five days before the series' final episode was broadcast, a recasting wasn't necessary in his case.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Barton [=MacLane=], who played the recurring role of General Peterson, contracted pneumonia and died on January 1, 1969, partway through season four. His character was replaced by General Schaeffer, played by Vinton Hayworth, uncle of Creator/{{Rita|Hayworth}}. Oddly enough, Hayworth himself also died while on the role in 1970, but it happened only five days before the series' final episode was broadcast, a recasting wasn't necessary in his case.

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Barton [=MacLane=], who played the recurring role of General Peterson, contracted pneumonia and died partway through season four.

* ActorAllusion: One episode has [[Series/LostInSpace Billy Mumy]] play a kid interested in going into space. To make it all the more interesting, Dr. Bellow unscrupulous manipulation of Mumy's character is in the vein of Dr. Smith's taking advantage of Will Robinson's youth and credulousness. Not to mention Bellows and Smith are each medical men and colonels involved in the space program.

** The creators wanted Jeannie to be a brunette to contrast Elizabeth Montgomery from ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'', only after being dissatisfied with the brunette actresses that auditioned they cast naturally blonde Barbara Eden instead.

* ActorInspiredElement: It was Barbara Eden’s idea for Jeannie’s costume to be pink. It was also her idea to give Jeannie’s bottle it’s purple trim.

* HideYourPregnancy: Barbara Eden was pregnant during the first episodes and this was hidden behind Jeannie's veil.
** In "Whatever Happened to Baby Custer?", Eden's pregnant belly is clearly visible when Jeannie is wearing a one-piece swimsuit.

** The Blue Djinn, whom Jeannie had scorned 2000 years ago, was played by Creator/MichaelAnsara, Barbara Eden's husband. He also played two other characters, including one whom Jeannie II "makes love" to (in the milder sense; but still, who better to play such scenes with than your real-life husband, eh what?)
** Jeannie’s nephew Abdullah was played by Barbara Eden’s real life infant son Matthew.

** Creator/LarryHagman's work on ''Dallas'' led to the recasting of Tony and the character's outright absence in the two reunion movies.

** The creators wanted Jeannie to be a brunette to contrast Elizabeth Montgomery from Series/{{Bewitched}}, only after being dissatisfied with the brunette actresses that auditioned they cast naturally blonde Barbara Eden instead.

* ActorInspiredElement: It was Barbara Eden’s idea for Jeannie’s costume be pink. It was also her idea to give Jeannie’s bottle it’s purple trim.

* ActorInspiredElement: It was Barbara Eden’s idea for Jeannie to have her costume be pink. She also had a say in designing Jeannie’s bottle.

* RealLifeRelative: The Blue Djinn, whom Jeannie had scorned 2000 years ago, was played by Creator/MichaelAnsara, Barbara Eden's husband. He also played two other characters, including one whom Jeannie II "makes love" to (in the milder sense; but still, who better to play such scenes with than your real-life husband, eh what?)

* EnforcedMethodActing: In "Tony's Wife", Tony traps Jeannie's sister inside a perfume bottle. Filming for it involved an oversized mock-up of the bottle, which Barbara Eden couldn't get out of without help. In order to get a realistic performance from her for the scene where Jeannie II bangs on the glass and cries for help, the director had everyone on the set leave for lunch and pretend they had forgotten Eden was in the bottle, while a camera was actually still rolling. The result is in the final cut of the episode.

** Tony and Jeannie's wedding was mandated by NBC executives, who threatened to cancel the show if it weren't made to happen. Even though the production staff gave in, NBC execs still exiled the program to weak timeslots throughout its fifth season in order to give themselves an excuse to kill the series anyway.

** Bill Daly can be seen playing the double bass in an episode. Daly was a professional bass player before becoming an actor.

* TheWikiRule: [[http://i-dream-of-jeannie.wikia.com/wiki/I_Dream_of_Jeannie_Wiki The I Dream of Jeannie Wiki]].

* AuthorExistenceFailure: Barton [=MacLance=], who played the recurring role of General Peterson, contracted pneumonia and died partway through season four.

* TheCameo: [[spoiler: [[Creator/TheMarxBrothers Groucho Marx]] ]] appears for the final gag of one episode.

* IAmNotSpock: Pretty much how many viewers see Barbara Eden, and [[Series/{{Dallas}} one of the two ways]] they see Creator/LarryHagman.
** Barbara Eden ''has'' said, however, that if people are going to remember her for one role, she's glad that Jeannie is that one role.
* TheOtherDarrin: Wayne Rogers as Tony in ''Fifteen Years Later''.

* RealLifeRelative: The Blue Djinn, whom Jeannie had scorned 2000 years ago, was played by Michael Ansara, Barbara Eden's husband. He also played two other characters, including one whom Jeannie II "makes love" to (in the milder sense; but still, who better to play such scenes with than your real-life husband, eh what?)

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: When it looked as if Season Five would be the last season, the writers wrote a script for a final episode in which Dr. Bellows ''finally'' learns the truth about Jeannie. When the network decided that the series would be renewed for at least another season, the script was changed to where Dr. Bellows' revelation [[AllJustADream was a nightmare Tony had]]. After the episode had wrapped up production, and was in the can, the network changed its mind again and decided to cancel the show after all.
** [[OrWasItADream The TV movie from the 1980s seems to hint that Dr. Bellows may actually still have learned the truth about Jeannie, however.]]

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: One of several attempts at a potential movie remake that failed before they even began would have cast Creator/LindsayLohan and Creator/JimmyFallon as Jeannie and Tony, respectively.
** The episode "My Son, the Genie" was originally written as a vehicle for Creator/JerryLewis, however, Lewis was busy on another project, and was replaced by Creator/BobDenver.

** Michael Ansara appeared three times in the series: as the Djinn who trapped Jeannie in her bottle 2000 years ago, as King Kamehameha himself, and as an astronaut whom Jeannie's sister seduces to make it look like Jeannie is having an affair.

** Jeannie's mother was played by an entirely different actress in her first episode, before she became a minor, recurring character, and the role was taken over by Barbara Eden.