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Jeannie Out of the Bottle - Barbara Eden [98]

By Root 364 0

It was snowing heavily when I arrived at the White House, and all the seats had to be wiped clean for the audience. As a dyed-in-the-wool California girl, I thought the event would have to be canceled. But parents arrived with their eager-faced children, and the ceremony went on as planned. President and Mrs. Bush arrived to watch and stayed in their box for the entire event. I sang several Christmas carols, ending with the perennial favorite “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Then Santa, played by country-and-western singer Roy Clark, made his entrance onstage.

I introduced him to the audience, then left the stage and headed for the dressing room. Before I got very far, the director rushed up to me.

“Barbara! Go back onstage again! Santa has lost his pants! Get out there and pull them up for him,” he said.

“Forget it,” I said. “There’s no way I’m going to touch Santa’s pants!”

I peeked through the curtains just in time to see Santa finish his song with his pants right down below his knees. I went back onstage again and thanked him for being on the show, but all the time I kept my eyes fixed firmly on his face!

In 2006, Larry and I reunited in a stage production of A. R. Gurney’s wonderful two-person play Love Letters. Romantic, nostalgic, sentimental, a bittersweet commentary on the passing of time and the changing face of love through the decades, the play was the perfect vehicle for us. As always, working with Larry was a delight.

There is excited talk at Sony these days about a big-screen feature film of I Dream of Jeannie, with stars like Cameron Diaz, Jessica Simpson, Alicia Silverstone, and even Gwyneth Paltrow being considered to play Jeannie. My dear friend Sid Ganis, a producer who recently completed two terms as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has been shepherding the project for quite a while now, and has never lost faith in the property. When it’s made, I’d like to be around to see it. Sidney Sheldon always said that one day he wanted to see me play Jeannie’s mother. Perhaps, perhaps not. All I know is that I intend to be working until I’m ninety.

Jon and I continue to live in our Beverly Hills home, along with our Labradoodle, Djinn Djinn, named after the dog in I Dream of Jeannie.

The wonderful thing about my business and about my life is that I never know what’s around the corner. I’m very lucky to like what I do and to be able to work at it so happily and for so long. I’ve always considered my career to be a great joy and a great gift. I love it, and long may it continue.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to especially thank my fans, writer Wendy Leigh, my agent, Dan Strone, and the truly wonderful and talented team brought together for my memoir by my publisher, Tina Constable, and my terrific and mentoring editor, Sydny Miner, with her assistant editor, Anna Thompson.

Without the love, encouragement, and wisdom of all of you, I would never have had the courage to get out of the bottle.

With love and appreciation,

Barbara

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Note: Photos that are not cited here are from the author’s personal collection.

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i1.2 CBS Television/Photofest

i1.3 © 20th Century Fox/Photofest

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i1.5 © Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation/Photofest

i1.6 © MGM/Photofest

i1.7 © 20th Century Fox/Photofest

i1.8 © Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation/Photofest

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Jeannie Out of the Bottle - Barbara Eden [98]

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