I Dream of Jeannie: Inconsistencies Discovered, History Gone Wild (1 Viewer)

Has anyone ever noticed inaccuracies while watching I Dream of Jeannie? During the first season I noticed a few myself. In one of the earlier episodes of the first season, the second episode, when Jeannie takes Major Nelson back to her time period, he's told by Jeannie that they have traveled 2,000 years back in time.

Now, I'm not one to say he knows a lot, but at the time of that episode, 1965, the United States of America was only around 190 years old. When Jeannie takes him back in time, as he's arguing with the Slave Master/Auctioneer, Major Nelson claims that he's an astronaught with NASA and the United States of America. Major Nelson should have been intelligent enough to realize that the United States hadn't even been formed yet and the British didn't even colonize the America's until the 16th century, the 1500's.

Another thing I noticed, in Episode 13, is that Major Nelson frees Jeannie with his last wish yet Jeannie is forced back into Genie service when her bottle is given to the Russians in "Russian Roulette." If she is freed by her master, Major Tony Nelson, how is she still forced into service?

Just a few inconsistencies I noticed in some of the episodes. You would think that the producers for the television series, the writers, would have done some research before producing the series with the first season.

Heck, I always found it weird that IDOJ never got it right about how the astronauts train and live in Houston, not in Florida!

But the one thing I always found annoying about IDOJ over time is that have you noticed how Dr. Bellows almost *never* bothers to knock before entering someone else's house?

You two are totally spoiling this series for me. I am not going to be able to believe any of it now. For all I know now, there may not even be such a thing as a genie that comes out of a bottle. So much for dreaming I might find one that looks like that good some day.

Chris

That's hilarious, Chris, that anyone would believe that genies exist. Heck, I wish I could find one and that were true but it's all fantasy mythology. Just like Odin, Thor and the Norse gods.

The series is still pretty entertaining to watch and I'm still looking for inconsistencies.

Next your gonna tell me the Easter Bunny wont come!

That's funny, 'case Easter bunnies don't exist. I'm, just now, I'm working my way through disk three of the first season.

Mark, there's lots more inconsistencies ahead! But, back then, people didn't care. They were making a weekly sitcom meant to make people forget about the Vietnam War and the riots and such for 30 minutes. It was just meant to be escapism. The back story never mattered.

Believe me, much better written sitcoms than Jeannie had inconsistencies in their episodes.

Agreed, but Dr. Bellows should have been taught a lesson about never entering another person's house without knocking.

Yeah, in this day and age, Bellows would have been shot.

There were many inconsistencies in the story itself. In the beginning it was said Jeannie was made a genie because she refused to marry the Blue Gen. Her mother and father called it a curse. Later her whole family were genies. It was said that if a genie married she would lose her powers. Later she did marry but kept her powers. Both early and late it was said genies can't be photographed, however at least once her photo was in the newspaper.

Sure, I can understand why Jeannie couldn't show her belly button at the time. It was enough that she was living with a good looking astronaut. Belly button would have been too much titulation. But....Jeannie's look-a-like sister certainly should have been able to show her belly button at any time and maybe even a bit more damn cleavage!

Wow, they didn't make any effort at all for consistency in the story. That is too funny.

Chris

From what I understand about the bellybutton or the 'navel' issue, all kinds of civil groups protested the series when it first came out, during the first season, because of her scantily scad wardrobe and since this was back during the 60's, the FCC had certain guidelines regarding what could and couldn't be shown on television and often fell into conflict with the censors.

One of these being a woman's navel, which was considered to be offensive. This was why Jeannie's navel is covered by her tunic.

It wasn't until the reunion movies were made that Jeannie was finally allowed to reveal her navel.

Actually, Jeannie's navel appeared on the show at least once or twice, thought that was probably accidental...

Nik At Nite / TVland used to do promos where they showed that Barbara Eden's navel was shown. Also Mrs. Bellow's and Tony Nelsen's navels were shown. Only Barbara Eden's navel was banned from I Dream of Jeannie.

ever Notice that Samantha had a look-alike evil sister as well, I smell a rat...

The problem wasn't with Jeannie or the navel but rather that a single unwed woman was living with a single unwed man. For the time period when the show first debuted, the network censors took issue with this fact and the producers of the show tried to find work-around for this problem.

First, they solved the problem withe Jeannie living with Tony Nelson by explaining that they wouldn't be sleeping in the bedroom together, that when Jeannie and Major Nelson had to go to sleep that Jeannie would retire to her "bottle," satisfying not just the network censors but also those decency groups that existed back during the 60's.

Secondly, there was the added problem with a scantily clad woman appearing on a television show. It was during this period of time when feminism and women's liberation staretd to take on a whole new approach and most found the idea of scantily clad women on television to be offensive and exploitive of women everywhere. There were things that could be shown on television, provided that certain precautions were looked after. Wearing clothes that revealed the buttocks, breasts or navel would be considered indecent, especially for the time period of the 1960's. This was a strange time period and television would drastically change the way that it show the female body on television.

You'll find that this was also true for other shows like Bewitched, Gilligan's Island and Gidget.

Finally, in further regards to the 'navel' issue. I think this had more to do with the fact that when the show first appeared, that network censors drew the line at the navel and would not allow it to be shown on network television shows, where it concerned the female body. While Jeannie's navel did appear in a few episodes, it was mostly an accident, when her garment would slip. It wasn't done intentionally.

I Dream of Jeannie represents a time period of our nation's history where network censors wouldn't let a lot of things air on television. Most of this had to do with the FCC and what it considered 'decency rules' for broadcasters. It might have had something to so, also, with the sexual revolution that also took place during the 60's and might have influenced stronger rules among broadcasters.

My guess is that they didn't want too many citizens rising up in protest because of what they saw on television.

Dave, Dave, Dave... Serena wasn't Sam's sister, but her cousin. And she wasn't evil. Unlike Jeannie II, Serena loved her cousin.

John is correct. Serena was Samantha's cousin, not her twin sister, despite having similar appearances.

Regarding "navel" exposure on TV in that era, I have noticed from all the mid to late 60s TV I've watched that the networks would not be as strict on this if it were a guest star and more significantly one playing a "bad girl" in an episode. For instance, on IDOJ there are episodes like one where Jeannie sells Tony's house to get an apartment for him instead but she grows cool to the idea when two bikini clad girls who live in the same building then drop in. Navel exposure didn't matter for them! However if it were a series lead they would be more strict and so in addition to trying to keep Barbara's navel covered, Anne Francis on "Honey West" would also be wearing one piece swimsuits for the most part.