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Ninety-three-year-old Barbara Eden doesn’t seem to be one of those “You can’t make jokes like that anymore!” entertainers, but she’s got a pretty good point about why I Dream of Jeannie wouldn’t fly in 2025 — at least in its original conception. A sitcom about an astronaut who finds an ancient genie in a bottle? “I’m not sure that anyone would want to do it,” Eden recently told Forbes.

The sticking point? Well, Jeannie calling Major Tony Nelson “Master,” for one thing. The term has all kinds of connotations, few of which are palatable to modern audiences. The 1960s version of the show used the term for laughs, especially among the mere mortals who didn’t understand the supernatural relationship between Jeannie and Tony.

But Eden says the word had no ill will behind it. “You know, ‘master’ is just a word and it was in her vocabulary,...

Actor Loni Anderson, whose quick-witted turn as receptionist Jennifer Marlowe made CBS’s “Wkrp in Cincinnati” a late-1970s staple, died Sunday in a Los Angeles hospital after what her publicist called a prolonged illness. She was 79, passing two days before her 80th birthday on Aug. 5.

Her family said they were “heartbroken” by the loss of their wife, mother and grandmother. Anderson’s four-season run on “Wkrp” (1978-82) earned two Emmy and three Golden Globe nominations and transformed an initially one-note blonde into a self-possessed character who steadied the station’s chaos. Viewers embraced her mix of glamour and deadpan timing, turning the Ohio-set workplace comedy into a syndicated favorite that still airs on classic-tv outlets.

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Aug. 5, 1945, the University of Minnesota graduate taught briefly before pursuing acting, working in community theater and landing early guest roles on “S.W.A.T.” and “Police Woman.”

Film assignments followed,...

Loni Anderson, star of Wkrp in Cincinnati, has passed away at 79. Anderson was born in Minnesota in August 1945, and at age 21, she made her acting debut in the Steve McQueen-led Western Nevada Smith.

Her acting career spanned decades and included multiple well-known titles, like All Dogs Go To Heaven,Sorry, Wrong Number, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She documented her life, and most notably her marriage to and public divorce from Burt Reynolds, in her 1997 autobiography My Life in High Heels.

On August 3, 2025, Anderson sadly passed away in a Los Angeles hospital from an ongoing illness, two days before her 80th birthday. She leaves behind two children. Steve Sauer, Anderson's manager of 30 years and president/CEO of Media Four, shared that "Loni was a class act. Beautiful. Talented. Witty. Always a joy to be around." He went on to say:

She was the ultimate working mother. Family first … and...

Emmy-nominated actress Loni Anderson, best known for portraying receptionist Jennifer Marlowe on TV series Wkrp in Cincinnati, died on Aug. 3 at 79 years old.

Anderson, who was only days away from celebrating her 80th birthday, died in a Los Angeles hospital following a prolonged illness, according to her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan (via AP). “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, mother, and grandmother,” Anderson’s family said in a statement.

Known for her effervescent personality and matching good looks, Anderson became a fixture of the...

Gilligan’s Island sparked one of the great television comedy debates of all time: Who would you rather date, Ginger or Mary Ann?

While Ginger was the show’s designated sex symbol, a Hollywood starlet who oozed glamour and allure, a surprising majority of fans were in love with Mary Ann. According to Russell “The Professor” Johnson, Dawn Wells received more fan mail than any of the other cast members. In his book Here on Gilligan’s Isle, Johnson quotes another writer about the Ginger versus Mary Ann debate: “Ginger Grant could make men swoon — a perfumed beauty in slinky gowns. But Mary Ann was a breath of fresh air in sporty short shorts. The girl next door.”

Those sporty short shorts were a problem, according to Wells. “There were network censors back in those days, and they were really strict,” she told People in 2018. “They had to make sure that...

Ever since it kickstarted its run in 2020 as a police procedural television series following the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Fugitive Task Force (Ftf), FBI: Most Wanted has managed to rank among CBS’ breadwinners. If anything, it has contributed mightily to the network’s success and viewership. Currently, Dylan McDermott is leading the show.

Talking about McDermott, the actor has been doing a pretty good job so far as he embodies the character of Remy Scott in the spin-off show of Dick Wolf’s FBI. But while fans may know him for his dark, wry sense of humor onscreen, the actor’s real-life choices could actually leave you amazed. Like how his favorite TV show is a Barbara Eden gem!

FBI: Most Wanted Lead Actor’s Favorite TV Show Stars Barbara Eden Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott in FBI: Most Wanted. | Credit: CBS.

For more than three seasons now,...

You gotta hand it to I Dream of Jeannie star Barbara Eden — when people told her she didn’t have what it took, she just kept going.

Her first stab at the entertainment business was training as a vocalist at the prestigious San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she told Jennie Garth on this week’s episode of the I Choose Me podcast. But a singing career wasn’t in the cards, at least according to Eden’s mother. “One day I was singing at home,” she said. “And my mom came in and said, ‘Barbara, you’re singing every note perfectly, but you don’t mean a word you're singing. I think you should study acting.’”

Mama knows best, so Eden started taking acting lessons. That seemed to go better — she impressed her theater teacher, who told Eden to skip college so she could focus on her thespian studies. After two years,...

Loretta Swit, who played Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on the hit comedy series M*A*S*H, died today at her home in New York City. She was 87.

Her death was announced by her representative Harlan Boll, who said a New York City police report indicates Swit died just after noon today of suspected natural causes.

Swit was a mainstay on the classic and beloved comedy series for its entire 11-year run, nominated for Emmy Awards every year from 1974-83, winning in 1980 and 1982.

Born Loretta Jane Szwed on November 4, 1937, in Passaic, New Jersey, studied drama in New York City with Gene Frankel, the noted theater director and acting teacher. Swit appeared in Off Broadway productions throughout the 1960s, and in 1967 toured with the national company of the comedy Any Wednesday.

Swit made her TV debut in 1969 on Hawaii Five-o, with subsequent credits including Mannix, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, Bonanza and The Bold Ones,...

Nowadays, there are plenty of sitcoms on cable and streamers known for pushing the boundaries of comedy. From South Park to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to Big Mouth to The Righteous Gemstones, edgy sitcoms have cemented their own place in the TV landscape with their sometimes salacious, sometimes contentiously pioneering jokes. But in the 20th century, the standards for decency were set on network television. Religious groups, parental organizations and even sitting presidents took issue with TV humor and weighed in on what was or wasn’t suitable for prime time.

Here are five shows that were considered to be very controversial in their time, all for different reasons…

1 All in the Family

In the 1950s and ‘60s, sitcoms were generally good, clean fun for the whole family, but the landscape changed considerably in 1971 with the debut of All in the Family. Unlike any other sitcom before it, All in the Family...

MeTV, America’s #1 classic television network, announces the highly anticipated return of its popular annual programming event, ‘The Month of Mayberry,’ a month-long celebration of The Andy Griffith Show and the many related television series and TV specials featuring Mayberry and the beloved characters made famous in each one. During the event viewers can tune-in to specially selected episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, plus spin-offs Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Mayberry R.F.D. This year, for the first time in decades, viewers will see the touching cast reunion special The Andy Griffith Show Reunion: Back to Mayberry. Also airing is the beloved reunion TV movie Return to Mayberry and other MeTV series and specials featuring Mayberry favorites.

The event kicks off on Sunday, May 4 at 4pm Et/Pt with The Danny Thomas Show episode “Danny Meets Andy Griffith,” the original backdoor pilot for The Andy Griffith Show,...

MeTV, America’s #1 classic television network, announces the highly anticipated return of its popular annual programming event, ‘The Month of Mayberry,’ a month-long celebration of The Andy Griffith Show and the many related television series and TV specials featuring Mayberry and the beloved characters made famous in each one. During the event viewers can tune-in to specially selected episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, plus spin-offs Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Mayberry R.F.D. This year, for the first time in decades, viewers will see the touching cast reunion special The Andy Griffith Show Reunion: Back to Mayberry. Also airing is the beloved reunion TV movie Return to Mayberry and other MeTV series and specials featuring Mayberry favorites.

The event kicks off on Sunday, May 4 at 4pm Et/Pt with The Danny Thomas Show episode “Danny Meets Andy Griffith,” the original backdoor pilot for The Andy Griffith Show,...

The late, great Larry Hagman had an extensive filmography, but he's by far best known for playing J.R. Ewing in the primetime soap opera, Dallas (1978-1991), which is responsible for much of his net worth. The actor began his career on stage in summer stock productions. As he made his way to Broadway, Hagman also picked up small television parts. He got his big break when he was cast as Captain Anthony Nelson, Barbara Eden's love interest, in I Dream of Jeannie (1965-1970). But it was his role as Dallas' villainous oil baron J.R. Ewing that made him a star.

Hagman was born in Fort, Worth Texas to district attorney Benjamin Hagman and Mary Martin, who would go on to become a Broadway actress after Hagman's birth. Upon graduating high school in Texas, Hagman followed in his mother's footsteps and pursued acting. He enrolled in Bard College...

Ron Ely, the hunky and handsome Texas native who portrayed the Lord of the Jungle on the first Tarzan series for television, has died, his daughter Kirsten told Fox News Digital. He was 86.

He died Sept. 29 at the home of one of his daughters near Santa Barbara, The New York Times reported.

Ely also hosted the Miss America pageant in 1980 and 1981, stepping in for longtime emcee Bert Parks, and presided over a syndicated game show called Face the Music around that time.

The 6-foot-4, blue-eyed Ely had appeared opposite Clint Walker in The Night of the Grizzly and with Ursula Andress in Once Before I Die in films released in 1966 when he was hired to don the loincloth in a new NBC series executive produced by Sy Weintraub.

Ely was offered the Tarzan gig after former NFL linebacker Mike Henry, who had played the Edgar Rice Burroughs creation in three ’60s films,...

Nancy Kovack's TV and film career may have been short, but she made a significant impact with notable roles in popular shows and movies. Working alongside big names in Hollywood, Kovack showcased her range in both comedic and dramatic roles, leaving a lasting impression on audiences. Kovack's Emmy-nominated performance in Mannix displayed her talent for portraying complex characters with depth and nuance, solidifying her place in Hollywood history.

Nancy Kovack only acted for a short time, but she appeared in some notable TV shows and movies in the years she was performing. Born in Flint, Michigan on March 11, 1935, Kovack got her start acting in 1958, when she appeared in an episode of the TV series, The Verdict is Yours as "Prizefighter's Girl". One-episode appearances on TV shows came to be a staple of Kovack's career, and she appeared in numerous notable and lesser-known series over her career. But even when she was only a guest,...

Few pieces of human anatomy caused quite as much pearl-clutching among conservative media moralists in the 20th century as the uncovered belly button. Marilyn Monroe was barred from exposing her naked tummy up until George Cukor's never-finished 1962 film, "Something's Got to Give," while even Disney fan afoul of Hays Code era censors after threatening to reveal the titular character's navel in 1941's "The Reluctant Dragon." NBC similarly kept a close eye on Barbara Eden's unclothed midriff to ensure there was no funny business with Sidney Sheldon's '60s sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie" (although Eden later claimed it was a non-issue until members of the press made a fuss about it).

It would, of course, be more accurate to say that the exposed female waistline was responsible for most of this hand-wringing. William Shatner spent the '60s flaunting his abs to his heart's content on "Star Trek: The Original Series,...

Don’t miss a special episode of “On the Red Carpet Icons” featuring the legendary Barbara Eden, airing this Sunday at 3:30 Am on ABC. Host George Pennacchio sits down with the iconic actress to delve into her illustrious Hollywood career.

In this exclusive interview, Barbara Eden opens up about her iconic role as Jeannie in the beloved TV series “I Dream of Jeannie.” Viewers will get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show and hear firsthand stories from Eden about her experiences on set.

But the conversation doesn’t stop there. Eden also shares her thoughts on other Hollywood legends, including Elvis Presley and Taylor Swift, providing insight into her interactions with these iconic figures over the years.

Join “On the Red Carpet Icons” as they celebrate the remarkable career of Barbara Eden, a true Hollywood icon. Tune in this Sunday, May 5th, 2024, at 3:30 Am on...

Bold dream twists can make or break a story based on how well they align with the themes and tone of the plot. Plot twists in TV shows can either be unforgettable or disappointing, taking viewers out of the story if they fall short. Using the "it was just a dream" device can indicate a cop-out ending in TV shows and movies that may not resonate with audiences.

When a TV show or movie uses the "it was just a dream" twist, it's a bold choice that can either elevate the overall quality of a story or completely ruin it. If the narrative is ruined, it's often because choosing to employ the dream trope doesn't align with the themes and tone of the rest of the plot. TV shows with incredible plot twists are unforgettable, but pieces of media that fall short of audience expectations can take the viewer out of the story.

Growing up with Nick at Nite, there was one classic series that I adored above all others: "I Dream of Jeannie." Comparisons to that other '60s rom-com fantasy about a supernatural lady causing mayhem in the suburbs be damned, Sidney Sheldon's sitcom was just the blast of silliness that I craved as a kiddo. 

As an adult, I've also come to appreciate that easily-rattled U.S. Air Force pilot Anthony "Tony" Nelson (Larry Hagman), his amiable buddy and co-worker Roger Healey (Bill Daily), and Barbara Eden's trouble-making, wish-granting genie ... Jeannie were clearly in a throuple but had to play coy about it to avoid ruffling their neighbors' feathers. Not that they were all that careful about maintaining their cover, what with Roger constantly strolling into Tony and Jeannie's humble abode uninvited with the casualness of someone who definitely doesn't secretly live there. Y'all ain't as slick as you think you are!

Rita McKenzie, known for staging the longest-running one-woman show in theatrical history, died Feb. 17 in Los Angeles days before her 77th birthday. She succumbed to what her family described as a long-term illness.

A powerhouse stage voice and theatrical personality, McKenzie’s 1988 off-Broadway one-woman show, Ethel Merman’s Broadway, became the longest-running one- woman show in theatrical history.

McKenzie had a wide theatrical resume. She played Lita Encore in the Los Angeles premiere of Ruthless! The Musical and reprised the role in the recent New York revival of the show.

She also performed a wide range of stage roles throughout the U..S , including Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes!, appeared in the 50th Anniversary tour of Annie Get Your Gun, played Rose in Gypsy, and starred in a three-year U.S. tour of Neil Simon’s The Female Odd Couple, co-starring with Barbara Eden.

Additionally, she was the opening act...

Rita McKenzie, the actress and singer best known for her boisterous performances in the one-woman show Ethel Merman’s Broadway, died Saturday in Los Angeles after a long illness, her husband, talent agent Scott Stander, announced. She was 76.

McKenzie first starred on stage as the powerful Merman — star of such iconic Broadway hits as Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy and Hello, Dolly! — in New York in 1988.

Belting out tunes like “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “I Got Rhythm” and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” McKenzie toured throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia in what many consider the longest-running one-woman show in theatrical history.

She also starred in parts that Merman made famous: Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes!, the gunslinger in a 50th anniversary tour of Annie Get Your Gun and Rose in Gypsy.

Watch her perform here.

A native of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, McKenzie starred...

Before he started filling up the nation's drug store book racks with tawdry tales of romance and suspense, Sidney Sheldon was one of Hollywood and Broadway's most prolific writers. He could write comedies, musicals, musical-comedies, mysteries, dramas, thrillers ... just about everything short of slasher flicks (though he probably would've knocked out one of those had they been a thing during his 1940s - '60s heyday). Clearly, he had an ear for what worked, and he wasn't just knocking out quickie programmers. He won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for the Cary Grant-Myrna Loy-Shirley Temple screwball hit "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer," and earned a Best Musical Tony for the Gwen Verdon-led Broadway smash "Redhead."

And when television came calling, rather than turn up his nose as many of his established film and theater colleagues did during the medium's early days, he enthusiastically picked up the phone.

Sheldon...

Don Murray, who received an Oscar nomination for his performance opposite Marilyn Monroe in the 1956 film adaptation of William Inge’s play “Bus Stop,” has died. He was 94.

His son Christopher confirmed his death to the New York Times.

In the 2017 reboot of “Twin Peaks,” he played Bushnell Mullins, the chief executive of Lucky 7 Insurance.

Murray also starred in the fourth entry in the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes”; played Brooke Shield’s father in “Endless Love”; and recurred on prime-time soap “Knots Landing” as Sid Fairgate.

Reviewing “Bus Stop,” directed by Joshua Logan, the New York Times said: “With a wondrous new actor named Don Murray playing the stupid, stubborn poke and with the clutter of broncos, blondes and busters beautifully tangled, Mr. Logan has a booming comedy going before he gets to the romance. A great deal is owed to Mr.

The Hollywood Reporter won best entertainment website, Rebecca Keegan was named print journalist of the year and Daniel Fienberg was named best TV critic at the 16th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards on Sunday night.

Overall, THR took home a total of 11 wins at the awards, which are handed out annually by the Los Angeles Press Club. Presenters at the event said this year featured the most submissions ever for the Naej Awards.

Also during the event, the Los Angeles Press Club celebrated several honorees with special awards. They included Ava DuVernay (Visionary Award for humanitarian work), Barbara Eden (Legend Award for lifetime achievements and contributions to society), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Luminary Award for career achievement), LeVar Burton (Distinguished Storyteller Award, Literacy, for excellence in storytelling outside journalism) and Roger Corman (Distinguished Storyteller Award, Film, for excellence in storytelling outside journalism).

Sunday night’s gala was held at...

Genies, at least in pop culture, have long been comic foils. Way back in 1940, in “The Thief of Bagdad,” Rex Ingram played Djinn, the movie’s larger-than-life genie — 100 feet tall in his ponytail and red diaper ­— as a sly, laughing soul man of lighthearted effrontery. The surrealist ’60s sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie” featured Barbara Eden, in diaphanous harem silks, as a magical servant/housewife, blinking her eyes to teleport her clueless “master” out of trouble. And Robin Williams’ vocal performance as the Genie in “Aladdin” may have come closer than any of his other film performances to channeling Williams the free-associational joke geyser.

So in “Genie,” when Melissa McCarthy pops out of a jewel box and reveals herself to be an ancient granter of wishes named Flora, it’s hardly a surprise that 1) the character is a complete lark, and 2) the whole joke is that Flora, though she hasn...

In the fifth episode of Dark Winds, we saw Leaphorn capture Colton, trying to force him to reveal the truth about his employer. But Colton cunningly evaded justice and managed to escape while he was being transferred to the Feds. Gordo Sena was severely injured in the process, and in this final episode, we saw him end up at the hospital. The truth about the person responsible for the Drumco Oil explosion is finally revealed in the endgame of Dark Winds season 2, which was quite predictable because the series made it very evident from the beginning. However, the season’s conclusion was not all about the satisfying ending of a murder mystery; it was rather about how white justice looked for the people of the Navajo. Their form of justice differed from “white justice”, since white people never truly cared about the Native Americans.

Spoilers Ahead

How did Colton Wolf die?...

The Oscars’ animated feature category turns voting age this year, which means none of the genre’s masterpieces dating back to the 1930s ever competed for the coveted prize. And that means one of this year’s competitors for the prize, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” represents something of a fresh chance for a story that worked so well for Walt Disney back in 1940 that it still garnered two Oscars — for song and score — and the kind of praise filmmakers of all genres and stripes can only dream of.

Variety’s review of Walt Disney’s masterpiece was typical of the ecstatic mood that greeted the film’s release back in early 1940: “Technically an improvement on ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,’ and in many ways quite as captivating in imaginative fantasy, Walt Disney’s ‘Pinocchio’ (Pin-oak-io) is the finest piece of feature length animation yet created.

“ ‘Pinocchio’ has...

The legendary RZA joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss a few of his favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Man With The Iron Fists (2012)

Cut Throat City (2020)

Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)

Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004)

Cooley High (1975) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary

Car Wash (1976) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary

Grease (1978)

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020) – Dennis Cozzalio’s best of 2020

The Devil You Know (2022)

The Last American Virgin (1982)

The Beastmaster (1982)

Porky’s (1981)

Sixteen Candles (1984)

The Breakfast Club (1985)

Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Carmen Jones (1954)

An American In Paris (1951)

Singin’ In The Rain (1952) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

The Wizard Of Oz (1939) – John Badham’s trailer commentary

Is That Black Enough for You?!?...

The formula is simple: a mesomorphic hero clad in little more than an ornate loincloth, armed with heavy metal, seeks revenge against the despot who did him wrong and ultimately saves the woman dressed like Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie who's being held in chains by the evil ruler. "Sword-and-sandal" movies have been part of the film world since the early 1900s, but it wasn't until the 1950s, when Italian directors like Pietro Francisci and Sergio Corbucci saw a low-budget way to capitalize on the successes of American epics like 1949's Samson and Delilah and 1953's The Robe, that the genre came into its own. Often dismissed as spaghetti westerns with deltoids and shields, sword-and-sandal films evolved from movies produced on the cheap with unknown actors and threadbare plots to multi-million dollar epics worthy of Oscar recognition. These are the genre's movies that not only established the genre,...

Click here to read the full article.

Ron Masak, the familiar character actor who as Cabot Cove Sheriff Mort Metzger was the beneficiary of Jessica Fletcher’s crime-solving prowess on the last eight seasons of Murder, She Wrote, has died. He was 86.

Masak died Thursday of natural causes at a hospital in Thousand Oaks, his granddaughter Kaylie Defilippis told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Chicago native appeared six times on Police Story, five times on Bewitched and four times on Webster and also showed up on everything from The Flying Nun, Get Smart, I Dream of Jeannie, Ironside and The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Magnum, P.I., The Rockford FIles, Columbo, Falcon Crest and Cold Case during his six-decade career.

In February 1960, the everyman actor portrayed a harmonica-playing soldier on “The Purple Testament,” the 19th episode of The Twilight Zone, and had a turn as a nutty Dracula-like count on...

Click here to read the full article.

Michael Callan, the actor and dancer who portrayed Riff in the original Broadway production of West Side Story before starring in such films as Gidget Goes Hawaiian, The Interns and Cat Ballou, has died. He was 86.

Callan died Monday night of pneumonia at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, his daughter Rebecca Goodman told The Hollywood Reporter.

A contract player at Columbia Pictures, Callan made about a dozen movies at the studio, starting with They Came to Cordura (1959), a Western starring Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, Van Heflin and Tab Hunter.

On the 1966-67 NBC comedy Occasional Wife, Callan starred as a confirmed bachelor who sets up a woman (Patricia Harty) in an upstairs apartment so she can pose as his wife in order to help him advance at the baby food company where he works. (His boss believes...

220413_TTYOL_g011.0437853_RC Idris Elba stars as The Djinn and Tilda Swinton as Alithea Binnie in director George Miller’s film Three Thousand Years Of Longing A Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film Photo credit: Courtesy of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures Inc. © 2022 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved

As the seasons march toward Fall, many begin to lapse into the doldrums, since the excitement of exotic getaways is set aside. Perhaps a bit of magic will perk them up, or as with this new film, a whole lot of magic. Well, one of its two central characters is a magical creature of myth, one that’s not unfamiliar to the movie audiences though really a touchstone of the fantasy sitcom “fad” of the 1960s. Now that really began in the “stars” with Ray Walston’s “Uncle Martin” Aka “My Favorite Martian”, followed by Elizabeth Montgomery’s spellcasting Samantha Stevens in “Bewitched”. And then there was Jeannie,...

With the opening of “Elvis,” Aussie director Baz Luhrmann’s opulent and operatic retelling of the life of Elvis Presley, the late King of Rock ‘n’ Roll returns to Hollywood, where his first local stage performance took place 65 years this October, in the form of a grandly ambitious biopic. It’s a movie that “prints the myth” on at least one key count … but so did Variety, back in the day.

If you watch closely, you’ll catch a reference to Elvis’ purported trouble with at least one local police department, supposedly vigilantly monitoring EP’s provocative stage moves in case the King’s 1957 gyrations proved “too much,” as deemed by the self-appointed arbiters of decency and militant opponents of juvenile delinquency.

“L A. Police Order Presley ‘Clean Up’ His Pan-Pac Show” screamed the Variety headline on October 30, 1957, the day after the second of two shows. The prose gets more purple from there.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Kino Lorber has released the 1964 comedy "The Brass Bottle" on Blu-ray. The film appears to have been the inspiration for the hit TV series "I Dream of Jeannie" which starred Barbara Eden as the sultry title character. Some cinephiles argue that the film and TV series have nothing to do with one another, but it seems to me that if you make a movie with Barbara Eden and a genie from a brass bottle, than it's more than a coincidence that a TV series starring Eden featuring a genie and a brass bottle soon appears. It is true that Eden does appear as the female lead in the feature film, but in a very down-to-earth role as Sylvia, the fiancee of aspiring-but-unsuccessful architect Harold Ventimore (Tony Randall). Sorry, guys, no navel-gazing to be had here.The premise of the plot is as old as the pyramids: Harold...

The big-scale Cinerama fantasy once thought unrecoverable is back — a terrific restoration brings us George Pal’s ode to fairy tales, filmed on Bavarian locations with an international cast. Laurence Harvey and Karl Boehm are the brothers that compiled the famed tales of princesses, witches, magic spells and fiery dragons. Their idealized biography is interspersed with three full fairy tale stories, about a magic cloak of invisibility, a cobbler’s helpful elves, and a pair of fearless dragon slayers. The show has dancing, beautiful locations, a sequence with Puppetoons and a terrific animated dragon. Featured stars are Claire Bloom, Walter Slezak, Barbara Eden, Oscar Homolka, Martita Hunt, Yvette Mimieux, Russ Tamblyn, Jim Backus, Terry-Thomas and Buddy Hackett; a long-form docu goes into fascinating detail explaining how Dave Strohmaier and Tom March accomplished the mind-boggling restoration.

The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1962 / Color / 2:89 widescreen [Smilebox] widescreen / 140 135 min.

The Brass Bottle

Blu ray

Kino Lorber

1964/ Color / 1.85:1 / 89 Minutes

Starring Tony Randall, Burl Ives, Barbara Eden

Directed by Harry Keller

Possessed of a commanding baritone and an even more elegant delivery, Tony Randall was a natural for radio, cutting his teeth as program announcer for Wtag in Worcester before landing the role of a two-fisted detective in the early ’40s with I Love a Mystery. It was a voice—silky but full of import—ideal for Shakespeare in the Park yet the actor’s nervous-nelly demeanor would make him a standard bearer for light comedy. After flaunting his versatility in Broadway’s Inherit the Wind and television’s Mr. Peepers, Randall laid down an actor’s gauntlet with his gender-bending, shape-shifting turn as a mysterious carny barker in 7 Faces of Dr. Lao. Based on Charles G. Finney’s 1935 satire—a cynical diatribe transformed into a cozy fantasy by George...

Bridget Hanley, star of the late ’60s TV western Here Come The Brides, died Wednesday. The 80-year-old actress had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and was living at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Wasserman Campus in Woodland Hills, according to the local paper in Edmunds, Washington, where she grew up.

Hanley played the female lead, Candy Pruitt, on ABC’s Brides from 1968-1970. Her character was the love interest of Jeremy Bolt — teen heartthrob Bobby Sherman. Bolt’s brother on the show was played by David Soul, who would soon find fame on Starsky & Hutch. The show was loosely based on Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

The actress married E. W. Swackhamer, Jr. a producer and director on Here Come the Brides, in 1969. They were together until he died in 1994.

Hanley worked throughout the ’70s and ’80s on some of the biggest shows on TV, mostly in guest-starring roles.

Bridget Hanley, who was a series regular on Here Come the Brides and later Harper Valley P.T.A., has died. She was 80.

The Edmonds Beacon, a local paper in Washington state, said she died Wednesday of Alzheimer’s disease at the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, CA. The paper cited a tweet from L.A.’s Theatre West that announced her death:

With heavy hearts, Theatre West bids farewell to longtime member Bridget Hanley.

She is pictured here with Jim Beaver from “The Lion in Winter” in 2006, one of our most acclaimed productions.

Tw extends its condolences to Bridget’s family and friends. pic.twitter.com/3iszFbyQI9

— Theatre West (@TheatreWest) December 17, 2021

Born on February 3, 1941, in Seattle and began her screen career guesting on such popular mid’-1960s series as Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie and Gidget before landing her first regular gig on Here Come the Brides. The...

David H. DePatie, the the animation producer who, along with partner Friz Freleng created one of the most enduring and recognizable cartoon characters of the last century in the Pink Panther, died Sept. 23 of natural causes in Gig Harbor, Washington. He was 91.

His death was announced in a Seattle Times obituary.

In addition to the Pink Panther, which started as part of the main title credits for Blake Edwards’ 1963 heist comedy starring Peter Sellars before spinning off into its own cartoon shorts throughout the ’60s and ’70s, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises generated such instantly identifiable characters as StarKist Tuna’s Charlie Tuna, the cartoon versions of Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman for the opening credits of I Dream of Jeannie, and such children’s staples as The Ant and the Aardvark; Roland and Rattfink and Tijuana Toads, Here Comes the Grump, What’s New Mr. Magoo, Return to the Planet of the Apes,...

After publishing a memoir, 2012’s Jeannie Out of the Bottle, Barbara Eden is setting her sights on a younger demographic with the launch of her first children’s book, Barbara and the Djinn. Ahead of its Aug. 3 debut, the iconic Hollywood star opened up on the inspiration for her new tome, how she spent the Covid-19 pandemic and what she misses most about old Hollywood.

What inspired you to write a children’s book?

I was in Australia in 2013 and Dustin Warburton, who is a writer, was there also and we met up and talked about books. During our conversation, we ...

After publishing a memoir, 2012’s Jeannie Out of the Bottle, Barbara Eden is setting her sights on a younger demographic with the launch of her first children’s book, Barbara and the Djinn. Ahead of its Aug. 3 debut, the iconic Hollywood star opened up on the inspiration for her new tome, how she spent the Covid-19 pandemic and what she misses most about old Hollywood.

What inspired you to write a children’s book?

I was in Australia in 2013 and Dustin Warburton, who is a writer, was there also and we met up and talked about books. During our conversation, we ...

Gavin MacLeod, who was the Love Boat captain and played Murray on the Mary Tyler Moore Show, two of the top television shows of the 1970s and 1980s, died today at his home in Palm Desert, Calif. MacLeod was 90 and his death was confirmed by his nephew, Mark See.

No cause of death was revealed, but MacLeod had been in ill health over the last few months.

The affable actor played head writer Murray Slaughter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show and appeared in all 168 episodes over seven years, ending in 1977. He then pulled off a rarity, moving from one long-running hit show to another.

As Captain Stubing on The Love Boat, he appeared in 249 episodes, and later returned in the role for the TV movie The Love Boat: A Valentine Voyage in 1990 and for the “Reunion” episode of the rebooted series Love Boat: The Next Wave in 1998.

MacLeod was...

Gavin MacLeod, a sitcom veteran who played seaman “Happy” Haines on “McHale’s Navy,” Murray on “Mary Tyler Moore” and the very different, vaguely patrician Captain Stubing on “The Love Boat,” has died. He was 90.

MacLeod’s nephew, Mark See, confirmed his death to Variety. MacLeod died in the early morning on May 29. No cause of death was given, but MacLeod’s health had declined in recent months.

MacLeod played a relatively minor character on ABC hit “McHale’s Navy,” starring Ernest Borgnine, but as newswriter Murray Slaughter, he was certainly one of the stars of “Mary Tyler Moore,” appearing in every one of the classic comedy’s 168 episodes during its 1970-77 run on CBS. Murray was married to Marie (Joyce Bulifant) but was in love with Moore’s Mary Richards. His desk was right next to Mary’s in the Wjm newsroom, so MacLeod was frequently in the shot during the sitcom,...

For four years I followed Larry on the air. He was in L.A. and I was in New York, so we met on television — and we developed a relationship on television. When I was in L.A., or he was in New York, we always got together, and it was actually quite warm. He was an odd character in my life. He was generous, and he was funny, and I liked him a lot.

Our exchanges on air were like walking through an Iraqi village and not knowing where the IEDs were. I was doing a news show, and on any night we could have led with something awful that happened that day — somebody died, a village was blown up. News. Bad stuff. And Larry would just talk. It always seemed to me that he would end up telling me on air that Barbara Eden was really hot, and...

Larry King, the broadcast legend who died Saturday at the age of 87, deserves more credit than he typically gets for helping to build CNN and realize Ted Turner’s audacious vision for a 24-hour global news network.

In his prime, King’s “Larry King Live” interviews regularly made headlines thanks to his unique questioning style, which could be remarkably incisive about the subject at hand as well as, occasionally, cringe-worthy misinformed. As CNN gained prominence in the late 1980s and ’90s, King’s show became one of the hottest stops on the TV circuit for newsmakers, political leaders, captains of industry, crusading activists and celebrities, ranging from Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli to Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey to Suzanne Somers and Barbara Eden.

The variety of King’s guests and the fact that it went out live every night at 9 p.m. Et/6 p.m. Pt gave the show extra sizzle.

Lori Nelson, the 1950s starlet who was kidnapped by an amphibious monster in Revenge of the Creature and portrayed Barbara Stanwyck’s younger daughter in Douglas Sirk’s All I Desire, has died. She was 87.

Nelson had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for several years and died Sunday at her home in the Porter Ranch section of Los Angeles, her daughter Jennifer Mann said.

In Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair (1952) and Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki (1955), Nelson played Rosie Kettle, one of the daughters of the characters played by Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride in the Universal series of films.

Nelson also made her mark in I Died a Thousand Times (1955), a remake of the Humphrey Bogart classic High Sierra in which she portrayed the club-footed love interest of Jack Palance’s crook; Pardners (1956), working opposite Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in their penultimate film together...

Classic sitcom I Dream of Jeannie remains one of the most iconic television series to ever be broadcast, thanks in no small part to its convivial and arresting star Jeannie, played by Barbara Eden. She portrayed a lovable and coquettish genie who was released from her lamp by an unsuspecting astronaut, Major Nelson. He became her master and as such became involved in a variety of magical adventures.

Related: 10 Things That Make No Sense About I Dream Of Jeannie

Genies or djinns have been used in numerous television series and films as tricksters, heroes, and villains. They possess a wide range of supernatural powers that both help and harm those who release them from the preternatural objects cursed to hold their forms. Jeannie had a heart of gold, but often used her powers to play practical jokes on her master. How does she and her powers stack up against these other genies of pop culture?...

With the passing of comedy legend Carl Reiner, tributes have poured in from all over the world. “Modern Family” executive producer Steven Levitan shared with Variety his memories of the landmark television comedy that Reiner created.

Early in the run of Modern Family, I got a call from our show’s publicist asking if I’d be willing to do a Saturday photo shoot for one of the trades. “Saturday?,” I complained. “I try to spend Saturdays with my kids.” She continued, “It would be with Eric Stonestreet, Dick Van Dyke and Carl Reiner.” My eyes went wide. “F— the kids. I’m not even sure they’re mine.”

I grew up in suburban Chicago on a steady diet of Spaghetti-o’s, Grape Nehi and reruns of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” (God bless Wgn). Like countless comedy writers today, I do what I do in good part because Carl...

Phil Borack, a founding board member of Regal Cinemas whose career in film distribution spanned a half-century, has died of heart disease at his home in Cincinnati. He was 84. Borack’s colleague Florence Groner confirmed the news to Deadline, but she did not provide the date of his death

In 1971, Borack founded Tri-State Theatre Service in Cincinnati, building it into region’s largest film booker. He ran it as president for more than 40 years before retiring in 1996. But he continued to come into its office weekly, Groner said.

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When Regal Cinemas was founded in 1989, Borack was among its original board of directors. His independent Tri-State Theatre Service provided licenses for...

Fresh off filming Hawaii Five-0‘s series finale, Meaghan Rath already has a new job in her crosshairs — on CBS’ Jury Duty comedy pilot.

Penned by executive producers Dana Klein and Stephanie Darrow (both of CBS’ short-lived 9Jkl), the prospective series follows a group of jurors who are sequestered together until they all agree on a verdict, “and they can’t even agree on lunch.”

More from TVLineFive-0 Series Finale First Look: Chuck Norris Is a BadassPilot Season: Scoop on This Fall's (Possible!) New ShowsJeannie's Barbara Eden Returns to TV on Let's Make a Deal -- Watch Video

Rath will play Jen,...

Wondering what Barbara Eden is up to in 2020? Your wish is Let’s Make a Deal‘s command.

The legendary I Dream of Jeannie star is one of several celebrity guests joining the CBS game show as part of its special “Decades Week” event — which celebrates the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s — and TVLine has an exclusive first look at her appearance on Tuesday. And, yes, it even ends with her using those iconic Jeannie powers. (They’re real, Ok? Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.)

More from TVLineAs Five-0 Ends, Meaghan Rath Lands a Lead Role in...