Jeannie Out of the Bottle - Barbara Eden [71]
Larry and I are with Simba, the lion, just before Simba gave a big roar. Larry and every other man on the set raced out of the studio in terror. Meanwhile, Simba put his head in my lap and purred! (Photo Credit i2.4)
Larry and I on the set of I Dream of Jeannie. Although we look serene and content here, when the camera was switched off, life was far from uneventful. (Photo Credit i2.5)
Groucho was a guest star on I Dream of Jeannie. This was our second meeting, but I decided not to mention our first to him. (Photo Credit i2.6)
A peaceful moment among Larry and Sammy Davis Jr. and me captured just before all hell broke out between Larry and Sammy off camera. (Photo Credit i2.7)
A publicity shot promoting my Las Vegas act, showcasing me in a Bob Mackie gown. (Photo Credit i2.8)
A still from the movie Harper Valley PTA, which was also Woody Harrelson’s first feature film. Afterward, I went on to make the TV series of the same name. (Photo Credit i2.9)
Showing my belly button at last! A publicity shot from I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later. (Photo Credit i2.10)
Harnessed, about to jump, and feeling petrified in a scene from Your Mother Wears Combat Boots, shot at Fort Benning, Georgia. (Photo Credit i2.11)
With my second husband, Chuck Fegert, at a publishing convention in Florida, where he was probably the life and soul of the entire event.
Mommy at my new house in Beverly Hills, which was in the process of being decorated. We thought it would be fun to pose for this picture sitting on the floor and enjoying it.
With Matthew at his cousin’s wedding. This photograph touches my heart, as Matthew, in his rented tuxedo, had made such a great effort to be with me that day. I could tell that he wasn’t well at all, but I was still glad he was there with me.
Such a contrast: Matthew in rehab, free and clear of drugs, looking bright and healthy, with all of life ahead of him. Or so it seemed to us both that day. Jon, who was with us, took this photograph.
With my current husband, Jon, at his company Christmas party, happy together then and forever.
MICHAEL ANSARA TRULY was the love of my life, the passion of my youth, and the father of my only son. I adored being married to him. But by 1971, a year after the cancellation of I Dream of Jeannie, he had less and less work, money was scarcer, and tensions were escalating in our marriage.
When we first met, Michael had been the star, and I was just a struggling contract player in her first TV series. But when I Dream of Jeannie burst into our lives, the tables were turned. In a scenario that echoed A Star Is Born, writers, photographers, and fans didn’t flock to Michael as they had when he was in Broken Arrow and a star; instead, they were almost exclusively centered on me.
Michael tried everything to revive his career, but after Broken Arrow was canceled, he was mostly cast as villains and heavies in movies, and was never the star. He suffered for not being a blue-eyed, blond-haired all-American boy. While I made sure to defer to him in most things, such as decorating the house and finances, and always encouraged him with his oil painting, at which he was extremely talented, there was no question that our marriage came under a strain because of my success in I Dream of Jeannie. Even when the series had ended and I was appearing in my Las Vegas nightclub act, the tensions between Michael and me continued to escalate.
That’s not to say we didn’t still have our happy times together. Michael was a great dirt bike enthusiast, and at the height of I Dream of Jeannie, we bought a Yamaha 360cc dirt bike for him and a 125cc Yamaha dirt bike for me. To my surprise, I got as much of a thrill out of dirt bike riding as he did, though I didn’t have as much time as I’d have liked in which to practice.
However, I wasn’t that comfortable about riding on the streets, which proved to be somewhat of a problem, as dirt bike areas are only accessible via the roads. Nonetheless, we circumvented