I Dream of Jeannie – The Complete Third Season
Picture:
C+ Sound: C Extras: D Episodes: C+
Everybody
get ready, plop down on your couch, and start rubbing….Your magic bottle that
is! I
Dream of Jeannie – The Complete Third Season has arrived. Yes, Barbra Eden returns to fill the bottle
as Jeannie the genie along side her main, master, astronaut of a squeeze Major
Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman). This third of five seasons of the show is most
likely the high point for the series, mainly working off of comical cut-editing
techniques and a number of watered down slapstick comedy sequences. In the five seasons running the series was
never known for great and detailed storylines but through the lovable
personality of Barbra Eden as Jeannie and a cast with seemingly good chemistry,
the series captured the imaginations’ of Americans.
One area
of the series that fans tend to dwell on is the inconsistencies. One minute they may say Genies can not be
seen in photographs and then shortly down the episode line *POOF* Genie is in a
picture? Or maybe that Genies lose their
powers if they marry a mortal *POOF* Jeannie will later marry Major Nelson and
remain having powers? This goes back to
the earlier statement that the series was not based off of good stories, but
lovable characters.
Also as
always there are highlights from this season in the guest stars such as Don
Rickles and Gilligan himself Bob Denver. Side Note: Jeannie’s Bottle was made from a
Jim Beam bottle…Sorry Don all empty.
The
technical aspects of this 4-disc 1968 Season of I Dream of Jeannie are just simply adequate. The picture is presented in its original 1.33
X 1 Full Screen ratio, with colors that are balanced but often display too
pastel like, leaving the series looking brighter than intended. The production company suggests these are
high-def transfers but viewing the series leaves little to suggest this is
true. The sound is once again in rough
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono that seems to occasionally skip a beat in quality. Extras are up in smoke and not to be seen on
this set, which is quite sad. Does the
studio not understand fans want these bonus features and we need to get them
while the stars are still here to speak about the series?
In the
end, a must buy for all true I Dream of Jeannie fans. If you are worried about color and sound,
being a mere casual viewer, this reviewer says hold of for some better HD
releases.
- Michael P Dougherty II
