Wednesday, December 27, 2023

 'I Dream of Jeannie’ home was a Jim Beam Whiskey bottle

For those who don't remember it, I Dream of Jeannie was an NBC comedy starring Barbara Eden as a pretty stunning 2,000-year-old genie, "Jeannie," starring opposite Larry Hagman as astronaut Tony Nelson, her "master." Created by Sidney Sheldon who was tasked by NBC with developing a rival to the highly successful ABC show, Bewitched, the show first aired in 1965.
The bottle in which Jeannie lived was originally a 1964 Christmas edition decanter sold by Jim Beam for its whiskey. According to Julien's, the show's first director, Gene Nelson, was searching for just the right type of bottle to serve as home for Jeannie when he walked by a liquor store and saw the whiskey decanter in the window. Back then, it is estimated that the Jim Beam bottle would have cost about $5.99.
For the 139 episodes of I Dream of Jeannie that aired, it is estimated that about 12 of the bottles were used. Some were used as stunt bottles to make the smoke effect that accompanied Jeannie's exit from the bottle into Major Nelson's  home (or other places she opted to pop into). The smoke was made in the bottles using heat and chemicals and sometimes the bottle would break.
In its original format, the bottle was smoke-green, but they had it hand-painted with a gold leaf pattern give it a more antique look. During the second series of the show, when it went from black-and-white to color, the bottles were painted pink and purple to make them more feminine and attractive.
Gene Nelson directed the pilot and the first 13 episodes of I Dream of Jeannie, but it is said that repeated differences between him and Hagman prompted his decision to leave the show. The original 14-inch bottle purchased by Gene Nelson remained in his possession for more than 30 years. He took it with him when he left the show and kept it until his death in 1996. His children have had it in storage since then.
This bottle, the original one that was painted on set, is being auctioned along with a letter of authenticity from Barbara Eden stating that it was the first bottle used on the set of the show. It seems that when the show became a hit TV series, many bottles were made in a second-edition as memorabilia (those claim about $70 at resale today).
On April 28, 2017 Julien's Auctions sold the bottle that Jeannie, played by Barbara Eden, called home during the five season-run of I Dream of Jeannie sold for $34,375. The bottle recently sold again in December of this year, 2023, but you need to have an account to see the price and I don’t want to set up an account.
Barbara Eden kept, and still has, the pink/purple colored stunt bottle that was used on the last day of filming of the final episode.





 

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