15 Things You Never Knew About ‘I Dream of Jeannie’

The NBC series I Dream of Jeannie premiered in 1965 in an effort to get their own piece of the magical popularity that Bewitched was providing over at ABC. The series starts with astronaut Tony Nelson (played by Larry Hagman) finding Jeannie the genie (played by Barbara Eden) living in the bottle and takes her home with him. Naturally, hilarity ensues between the genie and master. Here are some things you never knew about the show.

1. The theme song didn’t exist until the second season

The first season of Jeannie was shot in black and white and played around with a couple different opening songs. It was in the second season that they switched to a color opening and the song that everyone remembers as the catchy theme song.

2. Barbara Eden did not approve of the marriage between Jeannie and Tony

Part of the whole fun of the show was the sexual tension between Tony and his very attractive Jeannie who was willing to fulfill all his wishes (and call him master no less.) But in the last season the two characters wed, and it didn’t go over so well with everyone. Barbara has said: “It ruined the show. Because [Jeannie] wasn’t human. She thought she was, and [Tony] knew she wasn’t … I think it broke credibility.”

3. Barbara was pregnant during the first season

The first ten episodes after the pilot Barbara was pregnant and had to be covered up more than normal. They just kept adding veils and layers to hide her baby bump as much as possible. Barbara has said: “I looked like a walking tent.”