Customer Reviews

I Dream of Jeannie: Genie in Training [VHS]

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"Genie in Training" features three above-average episodes of "I Dream of Jeannie," the NBC sitcom that aired from 1965 to 1970 and introduced television to Larry Hagman while making sure we never saw Barbara Eden's navel. First up is "Happy Anniversary" (Episode 31), written by series creator Sidney Sheldon. This is the opening episode of the show's second season, the first shown in living color, with a new cartoon opening and the familiar theme song. Jeannie has big plans for enjoying the first anniversary of her bottle being discovered by Tony, who, of course, has forgotten all about it and is due to be sent into orbit. History repeats itself as Tony crash lands on their island, but this time the bottle holds not Jeanie, but the Blue Djinn (Michael Ansara), the evil genie who imprisoned our heroine two thousand years ago. Looks like Major Nelson will appreciate Jeannie a lot more after this one.

In "My Master, the Weakling" (Episode 66), Don Rickles plays physical trainer Commander "Killer" Kiski, who decides Tony and Roger (Billy Daily) are weaklings and need to be whipped into shape. However, Jeannie will only put up for this nonsense for so long before turns the tables on "Killer" by giving him the temperament of his sweet old auntie. Look quick for David Soul as an orderly, years before he went on to fame in "Starsky & Hutch."

Finally, "My Son the Genie" (Episode 74), has Bob Denver visiting the Nelsons as Harold, an apprentice genie who has to spend the day with Jeannie to complete his training. The problem is that the President of the United States is coming to dinner to congratulate Tony on his latest trip into space and Harold insists on making the dinner. Wackiness ensues, as you would expect with any sit com on which Bob Denver appears. For fans of Jeannie this is one of the better tapes available.

I love this video! It has some of the best shows from the T.V. series! I fell over laughing!

Eden was superb in the lead. She was amazing at conveying both sex appeal and innocence at the same time. The characters on the show are sometimes a little uneven by the way they're written from ep to ep but the talent of the actors overcomes this small fault. I liked the show much better when it switched to color (it was rather dour in black and white). And I like the married Genie stories as much as the eps where's she is single.