Barbara Eden. Photos courtesy Hansom & Schwam Public Relations.
It’s easy to see why Barbara Eden, 91, is billed as “one of America’s most endearing and enduring stars.” The actress has captivated audiences with her unique brand of magic since 1955.
That’s when her television career began on “The Johnny Carson Show,” leading to appearances on sitcom staples like “I Love Lucy” and “The Andy Griffith Show.” It was 10 years later, however, that Eden really captured lightning in a bottle.
NBC’s “I Dream of Jeannie” premiered in 1965, a sitcom that’s continued to find new life across the decades. Eden played the titular genie — one who meets, falls in love with and eventually marries astronaut Tony Nelson, played by late TV veteran Larry Hagman — across 139 episodes and five seasons.
Watch some of the show’s pilot, including their meeting, below:
The star eagerly discusses her time on the show and much more with fans during “On The Magic Carpet with Barbara Eden.” The live show is coming to Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall April 2:
The event is hosted by actress Rita McKenzie and promises “an afternoon of rare and never-before-seen film clips, a special Q & A with the audience, memories of such stars as Elvis Presley, Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and even President John F. Kennedy – and of course, her treasured co-star Larry Hagman.
“Let Barbara take you back into her Magic Bottle, recalling her fabulous star-studded career,” its description also says, which is exactly what Eden did with Watermark ahead of the show. Read our interview with the magical icon below.
WATERMARK: Thank you for taking the time to chat, readers will certainly love hearing from you.
Barbara Eden: My pleasure.
How did “On the Magic Carpet ” come to be and why it is important for you to connect with fans like this?
Well, how it came about is someone asked me to do it, [The Stander Group’s] Scott Stander. (Laughs.) They set it up and did all the editing for the film clips and things. I love to interact with my fans, I just have a good time on stage talking to them and answering their questions — and sometimes they surprise me, and that’s okay. It keeps me on my toes, you know?
“I Dream of Jeannie” has endured for decades. Why do you think that is?
Well, it’s a fun show. It’s a happy show. I think fantasy and especially a genie, who’s an entity, is always mystical and fun. But really, we’re all in uniform so it isn’t dated; NASA is still very active and current, so probably that’s why.
When you were filming “Jeannie,” did you ever expect you’d be talking about it all these years later?
Oh, absolutely not. Never did, never did. You know, I had been under contract to 20th Century Fox for seven years and I’d worked at MGM, Columbia, all that, and then I did the series. After that, I went on to do “Harper Valley PTA,” loads of TV movies and variety shows in Vegas. I didn’t even think about her until, oh, I guess about a few years ago. All of a sudden I realized she was still there. (Laughs.) And I like her. I like her, she’s right over my shoulder. I like her a lot and I’m proud of her.
Speaking of your work outside of “Jeannie,” what else are you proud of?
I enjoy my work, I like everything I’ve done. I’m not sure I like me in it, but I enjoy doing it. (Laughs.) I guess I can answer your question by what the audience asks me, and a lot of times they asked me about the movie I did with Elvis Presley, “Flaming Star,” or “The Andy Griffith Show.” I played a manicurist on that and people seem to like that a lot — so because they like it, I like it.
I did a TV movie called “Your Mother Wears Combat Boots” and that’s a favorite of mine because we had such a good cast and it was fun. We filmed it in Fort Benning, Georgia with all the paratroopers and I had to jump out of the training towers and that was scary. (Laughs.) I liked that movie.
You mentioned your work with Elvis. Have you seen the new film?
Oh, yes. The recent one.
What was it like watching it?
Oh, [Austin Butler] was wonderful in the part. Oh, my goodness. Elvis, of course, was wonderful, but the young man who plays him is just, whoo! Wonderful. Wonderful. I voted for him [to win Best Actor at The Oscars], I’m on The Academy. He’s great.
Turning back to “Jeannie,” the show was a pioneer for special effects. What’s it like looking at that compared to what we see on screens today?
Well, ours were more painful. (Laughs.) We didn’t have the green screen in back of us — well, I guess we did a couple of times, but mainly we had to balance on wooden boards. When you saw Larry hanging from his toes, he really was hanging upside down and things like that. Whereas nowadays, I think they fudge a lot, which is good. It’s clean and doesn’t take as much time.
Your “Jeannie” co-star Hayden Rorke, who played Dr. Bellows, was gay. What can you share about working with him?
Oh, Hayden was my love. He was just charming, talented, I can’t say enough things about him. Intelligent man. Of course, before he ever did “Jeannie,” he worked a lot in England and in film here. He was a polished performer. Personally, I just adored him and I’m trying to think of his partner’s name now, because I worked with him first. He was a director. I cannot remember his name, shame on me.
Justus Addiss III.
Justus! Yes, yes. Thank you. They were great, and then I then I worked with him in “Jeannie” and I realized that they were a couple. It was great.
There weren’t many professionals who were open about their sexuality then.
I guess not. I’m not aware of that because I didn’t ever think of it that way, but I can kind of understand why they weren’t as open, because they wanted to do heterosexual parts. And the audience probably, they thought, would have a problem believing it.
And you know, everyone I worked with was gay, gee. (Laughs.) It was not a problem at all, but from the audience, their point of view at that time — how can I explain it? I wasn’t running around as a genie all the time, I was also playing other parts and people believed me. You sort of go for your audience in what you’re doing.
Do you have any message you want to share for LGBTQ fans?
Oh, just stay as you are. My message would be, for any fan, be true to yourself. That’s the most important thing. Be true to yourself with your friends, your family, your audience, whatever.
People ask me about acting and what would I say to a young actress, and it’s just work your truth. First of all, be prepared. (Laughs.) Go to school, learn theater. But be true to yourself. That’s it.
What can fans expect from “On the Magic Carpet?”
We’ll have a lot of clips that I don’t think they’ve seen, of work I’ve done, and we will talk about them. Rita McKenzie will be on stage with me and she’s a dear friend of mine. We worked together in “The Odd Couple” and we also did “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” together, and because of that we became close, close friends. So she’ll be on stage, she’ll be the moderator. Then after all the clips and chatting with her, I’ll stand up and take questions and answers from the audience. That’s the most fun for me. (Laughs.) I enjoy that.
Is there anything else that you want readers to know?
No, thank you. (Laughs.) I think everybody knows everything about me anyway.
“On The Magic Carpet with Barbara Eden” is April 2 at 1 p.m. at Ruth Eckerd Hall, located at 1111 McMullen Booth Rd. in Clearwater. Tickets start at $18 and VIP packages are available with autograph and photo options from $125-160. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit RuthEckerdHall.com. Stay up to date with Barbara Eden at BarbaraEden.com.
