Larry was known for having some drinking problems which led to some erratic behavior. His behavior was sometimes so wild that he was known as the “Mad Monk of Malibu.” One crazy story that stands out is that Larry rode his Harley-Davidson motorcycle to go grocery shopping- as if that wasn’t crazy enough he also did it while wearing a chicken costume.
Fame seemed to be getting to his head, so he took a brief hiatus from entertainment. He made his comeback with a role on the series “Dallas.” It was said that he was a little calmer at that point.
Career Man To Family Guy
Larry Hagman was known as the character Tony Nelson on the show “I Dream of Jeannie.” His character was an astronaut. While he spent every night with Jeannie, during the day he worked for the government.
When the show started out writers made Tony a serious, and uptight character. They made him focused on his career instead of focused on Jeannie. As time went on, they wrote him to be more interested in Jeannie and in fact by the end of the series they even got married! Quite a change in character but definitely made sense for the plot.
What Actors Thought About Thier Characters
It is always interesting to hear what actors have to say about the characters they portray. Barbara has said that she always thought Jeannie was more of a tomboy, even though by looking at her you would not think so. Larry had said that Tony was a square who kept putting his career first before a beautiful girl who was putting moves on him.
Barbara and Larry’s opinions on their characters definitely explain the reason why they did not get married on the show for so long. That being said, both Barbara and Larry did not agree with the choice of their characters getting married and didn’t think it should have happened.
Almost No Other Women On Set
If you Remember we mentioned that the Producers really did not want to hire a blond for the role of Jeannie; however, Eden got it anyway due to her incredible auditions. The producers and creators really put a high value on her character, and this was seen in the fact that there were not many other female roles cast on the show.
Barbara Eden didn’t have much female competition throughout the show’s five seasons. Emmaline Henry appeared in a recurring role as Amanda Bellows, otherwise, the list of female roles was reserved mostly for bit parts on the show. Given that Eden wasn’t even supposed to have the role because she is a blonde, shows just how much value they put in keeping the focus on her character.
'Jeannie' Referenced In Charmed
Years after the series finale of “I Dream of Jeannie,” it continues to be an extremely popular television show. Another TV series that focused on the supernatural, “Charmed” even had an episode entitled “I Dream of Phoebe” where the character of Phoebe turned into a genie! She wore a similar costume to that of Jeannie’s, but it was blue instead of pink.
Check out this episode of “Charmed” to see the reference for yourself! It can be found during season 6 in episode 15! It is clear that “I Dream of Jeannie” is still relevant to fans and viewers even though so much time has passed!