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I Dream of Jeannie
S1.E1
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The Lady in the Bottle

  • Episode aired Sep 18, 1965
  • TV-G
  • 31m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
449
YOUR RATING
Larry Hagman in I Dream of Jeannie (1965)
ComedyFamilyFantasy

US Astronaut Tony lands at a small island. While waiting to be rescued, he comes across Jeannie, a cute genie. She secretly follows him home when Tony's rescued. She pops up again when Tony'... Read allUS Astronaut Tony lands at a small island. While waiting to be rescued, he comes across Jeannie, a cute genie. She secretly follows him home when Tony's rescued. She pops up again when Tony's fiancee is there.US Astronaut Tony lands at a small island. While waiting to be rescued, he comes across Jeannie, a cute genie. She secretly follows him home when Tony's rescued. She pops up again when Tony's fiancee is there.

  • Director
    • Gene Nelson
  • Writer
    • Sidney Sheldon
  • Stars
    • Barbara Eden
    • Larry Hagman
    • Karen Sharpe
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.9/10
    449
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gene Nelson
    • Writer
      • Sidney Sheldon
    • Stars
      • Barbara Eden
      • Larry Hagman
      • Karen Sharpe
    • 6User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie (1965)
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    Top cast

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    Barbara Eden
    Barbara Eden
    • Jeannie
    Larry Hagman
    Larry Hagman
    • Capt. Anthony Wilson
    Karen Sharpe
    Karen Sharpe
    • Melissa
    Hayden Rorke
    Hayden Rorke
    • Dr. Alfred Bellows
    Philip Ober
    Philip Ober
    • General Stone
    Baynes Barron
    Baynes Barron
    • Commander
    Joe Higgins
    Joe Higgins
    • 2nd Garbage Man
    Richard Reeves
    Richard Reeves
    • 1st Garbage Man
    Warren J. Kemmerling
    Warren J. Kemmerling
    • Husband
    • (as Warren Kemmerling)
    Patricia Scott
    • Wife
    Don Dubbins
    Don Dubbins
    • Lt. Pete Conway, USNR
    Bill Daily
    Bill Daily
    • Capt. Roger Healey
    Monty O'Grady
    Monty O'Grady
    • Controller
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Gene Nelson
    • Writer
      • Sidney Sheldon
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Once she was out of the bottle, Jeannie spoke Persian - not Arabic, as is often stated, because the producer Sidney Sheldon was unable to find a tutor for Barbara Eden to learn Arabic phonetically, and had to settle for a UCLA professor who coached her in Persian. Jeannie began speaking English after Tony wishes her to.
    • Goofs
      Tony meets the general and Melissa outside while Tony is dressed in Arabian garb. The separate for a few seconds and all reenter the living room with Tony wearing a tie and sport coat, yet neither of his guests asks how he made such a quick change of clothes.
    • Quotes

      Col. Alfred E. Bellows, MD: What was this genie like?

      Major Nelson: Oh, she was - um, just your average, everyday, run-of-the-mill genie.

      Col. Alfred E. Bellows, MD: Of course. Beautiful?

      Major Nelson: Yes, yeah.

      Col. Alfred E. Bellows, MD: Desirable? And helpful?

      Major Nelson: Yes, yes.

      Col. Alfred E. Bellows, MD: Captain, that's the classic fantasy. A beautiful girl on a desert island. A girl who would do anything for you. Do you know who that girl was?

      Major Nelson: No, sir. I've never seen her before in my life.

      Col. Alfred E. Bellows, MD: She was your mother.

      Major Nelson: My mother's in Salt Lake City, sir.

      Col. Alfred E. Bellows, MD: I'm a psychiatrist. I know a mother when I see one.

    • Alternate versions
      Also shown in computer colorized version for syndication and DVD release.
    • Connections
      Featured in I Dream of Jeannie: Eternally Yours, Jeannie (1970)
    • Soundtracks
      Theme song
      (First season only)

      by Richard Wess

    User reviews6

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    The answer to your dreams in a puff of smoke
    "The Lady in the Bottle" kicked off one of television's most beloved comedy series, supposedly inspired by the previous season's debut of ABC's BEWITCHED, but infinitely more popular due to the underlying sexual tension involved when a virile single astronaut is (not necessarily) burdened by a beautiful blonde genie (a female reversal of "The Brass Bottle," Burl Ives a decidedly nonsexual genie). Far more risqué for its time, it didn't last as long but also had fewer duds and more likable characters than the domestic idea of a spouse with magical powers. NBC was reluctant to budget the new show for color, telling creator/producer/writer Sidney Sheldon to save his money rather than pay the extra. With a pregnant Barbara Eden on board, Sheldon was able to crank out 11 scripts to film in record time, allowing for the birth of her only child with husband Michael Ansara in late August, three weeks before the series even debuted on Sept 18 1965. Her chosen co-star to play master Tony Nelson was the often difficult Larry Hagman, whose heretofore mostly untapped abilities at physical comedy made all the hardships worthwhile, with Hayden Rorke, cast as NASA colonel and psychiatrist Alfred Bellows, the voice of reason to calm things down. Rounding out the regular cast was Bill Daily as fellow astronaut Roger Healey, girl crazy and usually devising get rich quick schemes that go awry. Captain Anthony Nelson is an up and coming astronaut just splashed down from an aborted orbital mission, alive and well on a deserted island waiting for help. Finding an antique bottle on the beach, he pops the cork and finds something better than champagne, a gorgeous blonde genie known only as Jeannie, who experiences love at first sight with her new master, 2000 years a long wait inside a cramped bottle. The sexual tension is far more palpable in the opener, as Tony has a brunette fiancée and demanding general for a prospective father-in-law (this complication would quickly be eliminated, as both would only appear in one further episode). Set free by Captain Nelson, Jeannie refuses to leave, sneaking into his belongings all the way back to his Cocoa Beach home, not far from his NASA headquarters. Her first scene in the Nelson house is a stunner, walking out of the shower clad only in one of his shirts, a jaw dropping sight we'd never see again. With so much irresistible pulchritude on display, Sheldon doesn't shirk on the comedy, as Nelson's first confession to Dr. Bellows would set the pattern for many more over the years. The funniest moment comes when Jeannie has been corked into her bottle and dumped into the trash, the good doctor offering sage advice to the seemingly unhinged astronaut: "come along with us Captain, we'll buy you all the garbage you want!"
    helpful•10
    1
    • kevinolzak
    • Nov 4, 2016

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 18, 1965 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • official YouTube
      • Screen Gems Network
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Zuma Beach, Malibu, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Sidney Sheldon Productions
      • Screen Gems
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      31 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 4:3

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