Writers: Sidney Sheldon and Various Others
Directors: Various
Cast: Larry Hagman, Barbara Eden, Bill Daily, Hayden Rorke, Emmaline Henry
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: July 8, 2008
I Dream of Jeannie is one of the shows I grew up watching in reruns. The show was originally filmed and aired in the mid-1960s to 1970. This is easy to see through the color palette (the 60s and 70s just had this almost psychedelic look that was just screaming for shag carpet) that made up the entire look of the show. While this show might be dated in its appearance it was always filled with humor and even as a child of the 80s I found this show to be worth watching.
I Dream of Jeannie – The Complete Fifth Season presents the final season of the show. Prior to watching this, I didn’t remember much about this season other than there was the planning of a wedding and the show had lost some of its momentum, in terms of humor and creativity. The ‘Jeannie’ formula was starting to get old and it was time for it to wind down before its final hurrah. While I still was willing to watch the episodes in this season, I do remember that the episodes just weren’t as funny as those in the first few seasons.
Release Information:
I Dream of Jeannie debuted on television in September of 1965. The fifth season, in particular, aired from September 16, 1969 to May 26, 1970. Consisting of 26 episodes, this seasons takes a new direction with Jeannie no longer a hidden part of Tony’s life, something the cast and crew filmed halfheartedly, with the network cracking down on anything that could make the show seem less than pure. I’m not sure if their motivations for changing an already working formula were similar to the motivations that put pressure on making Jodie on SOAP straight, but it sure seems like Jeannie and Tony living together (co-habitation was acceptable in the 1960s) could have offended the impending, somewhat more conservative 1970s.
I Dream of Jeannie aired Saturday s at 8:00 PM on NBC. While it had minor success for the five seasons it aired, it didn’t truly become famous until it aired in syndication. With 139 episodes, the show was able to air syndicated reruns as early as late 1970. The show has since moved across various networks and has even aired on TV Land for several years. Sony Pictures (Columbia Pictures Television) has released I Dream of Jeannie – The Complete Fifth Season in a four disc box set. The box set was made available for purchase at a wide selection of retailers on July 8, 2008. You can purchase a copy of I Dream of Jeannie – The Complete Fifth Season at Amazon for $27.99.
The I Dream of Jeannie – The Complete Fifth Season Plot
It’s clear that the actors and crew didn’t have their hearts in the production of the final season of I Dream of Jeannie. As a general consensus by the creators of the show, the marriage of Tony and Jeannie was the kiss of death for the series. While NBC executives wanted the show to go in a more respectable direction (co-habitation wasn’t exactly celebrated in the impending 70s, or at least not in the way it was glorified in the 60s), this ultimately sealed the show’s fate.
Since so many people rejected the show’s new formula, including those involved in its production, the acting and the directing suffered during this season. With a formula that audiences ultimately found entertaining, the series was alienating all those viewers who enjoyed the cat and mouse games Tony and Jeannie played with one another (in relation to their feelings), as opposed to their undying words of love and devotion.
Additionally, part of the show’s success depended on those Tony associated with not knowing Jeannie existed. It was funny to watch Tony get set up on a date (since he was the eternal bachelor, so his friends believed), while Jeannie did everything in her power to mess said date up and ultimately ‘win back her man’ or to see Tony have unexpected guests over with Jeannie having to hide and not practice any magic while these people visited Tony. That was a major part of the show’s charm! To remove that element from the show made I Dream of Jeannie an entirely different series and one that not many people seemed to like.
For those who’ve never seen an episode of I Dream of Jeannie (and if so, shame on you!) the show is about an astronaut and bachelor by the name of Major Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman). After a space mission that lands him upon a deserted island Tony finds a strange bottle. This bottle is the home of Jeannie (Barbara Eden), an adorably sexy genie with long, golden locks and a busty chest. The fantasy of many a little boy for many generations to follow the airing of the show, Jeannie was more than willing to grant Tony, her new Master’s every wish.
Jeannie is in love with Tony, so even though he frees her, she hides in her bottle and sneaks home with him. Jeannie and Tony develop a friendship and camaraderie that has ever present sexual tension and chemistry bubbling beneath the surface. Jeannie is Tony’s little (or big, as the case may be) secret. He must keep her existence a secret due to the risk of losing his job at NASA. This makes the NASA psychiatrist wary of Tony as he’s certain he’s hiding something. Well, that or he’s crazy.
The fifth season of I Dream of Jeannie is made up of 26 episodes. Here is a list of the episodes with a brief description of each of them:
DISC ONE
“Jeannie at the Piano” – Jeannie puts a spell on a NASA piano and Tony is spotted playing it like an expert, despite not being able to really play. This lands Tony a gig at a Carnegie Hall concert, but the piano he’s supposed to play at the concert never shows up!
“Djinn Djinn, the Pied Piper” – Who knew a dog could cause so much trouble? Not only does Jeannie’s dog, Djinn Djinn hate uniforms, but he also hates to behave. The magical dog gets in plenty of trouble with Jupiter, the dog of General Schaeffer.
“Guess Who’s Going to Be a Bride? (Part 1)” – It’s been five years since Tony has been Jeannie’s Master and while she’s still in love with him it seems as if he’ll never reciprocate her feelings (at least not verbally). She decides to go to Bahsenji, a country owned by her Uncle, where she will be the Queen. This means she’ll have to leave Tony behind. The only stipulation is she must find a husband.
“Guess Who’s Going to Be a Bride? (Part 2)” – After offending Jeannie’s uncle and ruining NASA’s relationship with the country of Kasha, Tony realizes his true feelings for Jeannie. Now he must do anything he can to win Jeannie back! Of course, Tony has more than one surprise for Jeannie when/if he can convince her to come home with him.
“Jeannie’s Beauty Cream” – Amanda Bellows is jealous of how beautiful and youthful Jeannie is. She asks her about her skin and Jeannie gives her some special beauty cream. The cream turns Amanda into the most beautiful woman at NASA and nobody realizes it’s her, not even Dr. Bellows!
“Jeannie and the Bachelor Party” – The men of NASA decide to throw Tony a surprise bachelor party, but when the NASA wives (including Jeannie and Amanda) find out about it the men find it difficult to keep the party a secret.
DISC TWO
“The Blood of a Jeannie” – When Tony finds out that Jeannie has green blood (all genies do) the two try to find a suitable replacement to ensure her blood test for her marriage license doesn’t reveal her little secret.
“I’ll See You in C. U. B. A.” – Nobody wants to go to Cuba, but that’s exactly where Tony ends up. After using her magic to blink Tony away from his mission, Jeannie must return him to it. The aircraft is on its way to Puerto Rico, but she accidentally sends it to Cuba instead.
“Jeannie & the Mad Home Wrecker” – The Bellows give Tony and Jeannie horrid art as a wedding present. While the two thank them for the generous gift, those at NASA think they really like the art, so they hire the same artist to redecorate the Nelson household.
“Uncles A-Go-Go” – Genies cannot marry anyone without an Uncle approving the choice in groom. When two of Jeannie’s English uncles show up, Tony must please them both.
“The Wedding” – The moment has arrived where Tony and Jeannie finally get married. Of course, things cannot go off without a hitch. Genies are unable to be photographed and this wedding is the talk of the town, so every photographer on the planet wants to get a snapshot.
“My Sister, the Home Wrecker” – Jeannie’s evil twin sister (also Jeannie) tries to break up Tony and Jeannie’s marriage by posing as the real Jeannie and trying to convince those at NASA the real Jeannie is having an affair.
“Jeannie, the Matchmaker” – With Tony and Jeannie married Roger has suddenly become lonely. The two take things into their own hands when Jeannie hooks Roger up with a girl from a computer dating place and Tony tries to set him up with the daughter of a General. The only problem is the dates are all at the same exact time.
DISC THREE
“Never Put a Genie on a Budget” – Jeannie doesn’t know when to spend and when not to when Tony puts her on a budget.
“Please Don’t Give My Jeannie No More Wine” – Dr. and Mrs. Bellows are hosting a party. To show them some hospitality, Jeannie uses magic to get them a bottle of wine. The only problem is that every time someone (who is human) drinks the wine they become invisible.
“One of Our Hotels Is Growing” – The Bellows go on vacation with Tony and Jeannie. When their hotel is all booked up, Jeannie uses her magic to add on the thirteenth floor. However, Tony and Jeannie must keep the Bellows from finding out the truth about the hotel during the entire visit.
“The Solid Gold Jeannie” – With Tony isolated after a mission, Jeannie blinks and appears with him, though she can’t leave for 21 days, just to make sure she hasn’t been contaminated. With Roger and another astronaut there, as well, Jeannie does the only thing she can think of; she makes herself into a solid gold statue!
“Mrs. Djinn Djinn” – Roger thinks he overhears something about Jeannie being pregnant, so he spreads the word about her expecting a baby. In truth, the only pregnant one in the family is her dog, Mrs. Djinn Djinn.
“Jeannie and the Curious Kid” – Jeannie has her secret revealed to a nosy nephew of the Bellows. When Tony returns and finds Jeannie and her bottle missing, he knows right where to look.
“Jeannie, the Recording Secretary” – To win a trip to Hawaii, in one of her wives groups, Jeannie must use her magic to bring Tony back from his mission, as the trip will go to the woman with the best husband. The only trouble is, Jeannie can’t seem to wake Tony up!
DISC FOUR
“Help, Help! A Shark!” – Tony becomes a pool shark thanks to Jeannie’s magic. He must use her help again if he wants to win in a match he owes General Schaeffer, after making him lose previously.
“Eternally Yours, Jeannie” – Jeannie gets jealous of one of Tony’s old girlfriends from high school. When Bonnie says she’ll be visiting Tony the next day, Jeannie goes to extensive lengths to see if Tony will cheat on her.
“An Astronaut in Sheep’s Clothing” – To celebrate their anniversary (six months married), Tony and Jeannie want to give very special presents. Jeannie wants to knit Tony a sweater only a goat causes more problems than Jeannie originally anticipated.
“Hurricane Jeannie” – When Jeannie and Tony become trapped in their home with Dr. Bellows and Roger during a Hurricane, Tony worries that Jeannie will be exposed as her true self to the doctor.
“One Jeannie Beats Four of a Kind” – With a card shark robbing NASA blind, it is up to Jeannie and Tony to expose the fraud.
“The Chili King” – Playing on Jeannie’s apparent lack of knowledge, Tony’s cousin convinces her to use Tony’s face to sell cans of chili. The only problem is that NASA finds out about it and its astronauts are forbidden from endorsing a commercial product without permission.
Most of the episodes had their funny moments, but you could see the show was somewhat strained, as well. Some of my favorite episodes in this set include “Hurricane Jeannie”, “Mrs. Djinn Djinn”, “One of our Hotels is Growing” and “Jeannie and the Curious Kid”. While these episodes were all interesting, they just didn’t have the appeal I found in the earlier seasons of the show.
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Acting:
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Audio/Visual:
All of the episodes included in the I Dream of Jeannie – The Complete Fifth Season Box Set are presented in a 1.33:1 full frames format. The colors are vibrant, though the show has that 60s retro vibe to it. Still, there have been some improvements to this transfer as everything looks sharp and clear. There is only one minor instance of compression with the occasional smudge, scratch and dirt visible. For the time when these episodes were filmed, the show looks excellent.
The audio for I Dream of Jeannie – The Complete Fifth Season is presented in a Dolby Digital stereo soundtrack. This is to be expected for a show that is this old. This sounds similar to what you would here if you were watching the show on television. The dialogue and music comes through clearly and there really isn’t a need for volume toggling. This DVD offers Dolby Digital stereo soundtracks in Spanish and Portuguese, as well. Subtitles are available in Spanish and Portuguese, while Close Captioning is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
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Bonus Features:
Prepare to be disappointed. There are no bonuses included in the I Dream of Jeannie – The Complete Fifth Season Box Set. The only thing that Sony considers to be a bonus (but we all know it really isn’t a bonus) is a selection of minisodes for other shows similar to I Dream of Jeannie. Both Fantasy Island and Bewtiched have minisodes on this set, but who really watches those anyway?
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
I Dream of Jeannie – The Complete Fifth Season is definitely the worst of all the seasons in this series. It’s unlike any of the other I Dream of Jeannie seasons. It’s missing some of the spark that made the show as successfully known as it is. I Dream of Jeannie – The Complete Fifth Season is only going to be for die-hard fans of the series who hope to keep it in their collections. Otherwise, I recommend you skip this and purchase the first four seasons instead. This might be good for completing an I Dream of Jeannie collection. Otherwise, you’ll want to avoid this season as it is simply not as good as the first four seasons in this series.
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I love Jeannie