I Dream of Jeannie - The Complete Fifth and Final
Season (Sony Four-DVD Set)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C Extras: D Episodes: A
When a
television series takes a drastic change in format it's usually a result of
slipping ratings. This was not the reason
for the wedding of Jeannie and Major Nelson in the show's fifth (1969-1970)
season of I Dream of Jeannie. In truth, I Dream of Jeannie was never a big hit in the ratings. The series
was a moderate success and was liked by the sponsors who had much to say about
which shows survived another season.
Jeannie,
however, had one of its best rating scores at the end of its fourth year
(1968-89). Its final average ranked the
series in 29th place with a rating of 20.5 and 33 share of the audience
(source; Variety, April 2nd, 1969). Keep in mind the shows' main competition
was Gunsmoke which landed in the number 7 spot in the ratings that season. NBC,
who had bounced the series in different time slots for the show's previous
seasons, finally found its niche.
Why
tamper with success? The answer;
Publicity
Sidney
Sheldon, creator of the series, was ordered by the President of NBC to marry
Jeannie and Tony or they would cancel the show.
Sheldon, the cast and writers fought against it but they were overruled. All involved knew this would destroy the
sexual chemistry once Jeannie was able to catch her master!
For its
fifth season, NBC moved the series to Tuesdays at 7:30pm where it did battle
with ABC's popular Mod Squad. As cited
in a December 3rd, 1969 article in Variety, "NBC & ABC Face Trouble at
7:30" the two networks were having problems with all of their series
during this time period.
NBC
received huge publicity with the wedding with lavish parties and photo
sessions. Once the season was over, however, enough episodes would have been
produced to sell it into syndication where the real money is made. It wouldn't
be surprising to think one NBC executive was pondering, "Let's have the
series go out with a big publicity bang for NBC". Jeannie granted their wish.
The
supernatural comedy was on its way out by 1970.
The only survivor was Bewitched due to an iron clad contract the series
had with ABC. Its last two seasons on
the air produced increasingly declining ratings.
The
episodes in the fifth year remain funny and the performances top notch.
Continuity was never a strong suit for the series but it was basically shot to
heck when Jeannie is introduced to Doctor and Mrs. Bellows who have no
recollection of meeting her before (though Dr. Bellows once said, upon meeting
Jeannie in season two, "I never forget a face". That's only when the network doesn't hold a
gun to your head I suppose).
Highlights
from this season include the first two episodes which were non-wedding related,
the last appearance of Jeannie's sister (how Jeannie and Tony explained away
her actions really don't make sense if you listen closely but it was great
seeing Barbara play her one final time), the introduction of Mrs. Djinn, Djinn,
Dr. Bellow's nephew catching Jeannie smoke out of her bottle and Jeannie's
jealously over the return of Tony's high school sweetheart.
Though
they're billed as guest stars in the packaging, Farrah Fawcett and Dick Van
Pattern have small but welcome parts in episodes on this set. The packaging
itself (as in the fourth season) is delightful.
All of the images selected are from the fifth season. The disc design feature magical moments from
the episodes.
Fans
grouse at the wedding and the fact this limited Barbara's screen time in her
harem costume but the show's production standards remained high.
When I Dream of Jeannie began its syndicated
run in 1971, the ratings went through the roof!
The series made television history by being the first off-network
program to score higher ratings when airing opposite network programs (source;
Variety, October 6th, 1971). This
occurred when Jeannie played from 7 to 8 pm on WPIX-TV. Since then, I Dream of Jeannie has gained a huge following and has aired all
over the world.
The sound
and picture quality are fine with scenes often cut from syndication prints,
restored. Sadly, no extras featuring the
surviving cast members were used.
Disc 1
Jeannie At the Piano
Djinn, Djinn, the Pied Piper
Guess Who's Going to Be a Bride?
Part 1
Guess Who's Going to Be a Bride?
Part 2
Jeannie's Beauty Cream
Jeannie and the Bachelor Party
Disc 2
The Blood of a Jeannie
I'll See You in C.U.B.A.
Jeannie and the Mad Home Wrecker
Uncles A-Go-Go
The Wedding
My Sister, the Home Wrecker
Jeannie, the Matchmaker
Disc 3
Never Put a Genie on a Budget
Please Don't Give My Jeannie No
More Wine
One of Our Hotels is Growing
The Solid Gold Jeannie
Mrs. Djinn, Djinn
Jeannie and the Curious Kid
Jeannie, the Recording Secretary
Disc 4
Help, Help! A Shark!
Eternally Yours, Jeannie
An Astronaut in Sheep's Clothing
Hurricane Jeannie
One Jeannie Beats Four of a Kind
The Chili King
“Mini-sodes”
(five minutes each) from both Fantasy
Island and Bewitched are
included (but why bother?)
- Fred M. Grandinetti