Barbara Eden’s wish for ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ 60th anniversary legacy

Barbara Eden has one wish: to be remembered by her fans.

“It made them laugh, it made them happy, and it took them somewhere else,” the actress, who starred in the film “I Dream of Jeannie,” said recently. People magazine.

“I have a lot of people who come up to me and tell me they had a terrible childhood, and the only thing that helped them through was going into their room and pretending it was a bottle,” the 94-year-old said, referring to the character’s home.

“I Dream of Jeannie” star Barbara Eden shares the real reason behind filming the first season in black and white

Barbara Eden as Jenny in “I Dream of Jenny.” The sitcom turned 60 years old on September 18, 2025. (NBCU/NBCUniversal Image Bank via Getty Images)

“It makes me sad and happy at the same time,” the star admitted.

Eden enjoyed a decades-long career in Hollywood, although many remember her best The beloved sitcom of the 1960s It celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The series tells the story of astronaut Major Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman), who finds a magic bottle with a 2,000-year-old genie (Eden) inside. The two fall in love and build a life together.

The series premiered on September 18, 1965, catapulting Eden to stardom. It aired for five seasons before ending in 1970.

Many fans told Barbara Eden that when they were children, they pretended to live inside a genie’s bottle. (Eddie Sanderson/Getty Images)

“I didn’t realize how popular ‘Jeannie’ was until many years later, and it still amazes me,” Eden said. “I can’t believe it. I have mail from Russia. Can you imagine? I have fan mail from Russia, China, Japan, Poland, Italy, Germany, South America, the UK. If you had told me that when we were shooting, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

Eden told the outlet that fans often ask her to do Jennie’s signature arm-folding motion to “cast a spell” for them — and sometimes they do it again.

“It’s magic,” she said. “They always want magic. Magic is good.”

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Barbara Eden and John Eichholtz were married on January 5, 1991. (Araya Doheny/WireImage)

These days, Eden enjoys a quieter life with her husband, John Eichholtz, and their dog, Bentley.

“We’re just happy to be together,” she told the outlet. “We really enjoy each other.”

When Fox News Digital recently asked Eden about her classification as a sex symbol, she replied, “I have no idea.”

Barbara Eden as Jenny, circa 1967. The actress never considered herself a sex symbol. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

“I never thought [Jeannie] “As a nationality,” she said. “She was beloved because she was honest and forthright and obviously devoted to her master. And she was learning. She enjoyed playing that part of it. She was learning all about this time. She was 2,000 years old, and people seemed to forget that.”

“She was an entity, not a real woman,” Eden added. “She was female, of course, but she’s an entity, not a human. And that’s your comedy right there. She felt like she could be a human, and of course he knew she wasn’t.”

Barbara Eden poses for a photo at the Los Angeles premiere of “My Life On A Diet” on April 5, 2019, in Beverly Hills. (Roden Eckenroth/Getty Images)

But one thing Eden couldn’t have predicted was the public’s fascination with her belly button – or lack thereof. Actress He is known for wearing a pink two-piece With high-waisted puffy pants and a crop top that hides her navel.

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“I Dream of Jeannie” ended on May 26, 1970, after five seasons on NBC. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

“Mike Connolly [a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter] “He would come down to the set,” Eden recalls. “He used to tease me about not having a belly button because it never showed. Well, it did, because I would raise my arms and do all kinds of physical things, and of course, my belly button would stick out.”

“But he enjoyed teasing me. He would poke me in the middle and say, ‘I don’t think you have one!’ And then he started writing about it. And then men all over the United States started writing about it.”

“I thought it was funny, but it was weird,” she laughed. “Suddenly, the standards and practices, or what they call it in the film industry, realized that I had a belly button. Even the studio realized that I had a belly button! But before that, there was no problem.”

Barbara Eden is seen here celebrating the 20th anniversary of “I Dream of Jeannie” in 1985 wearing a navel-revealing costume. (Gary Noll/NBCU Image Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

Eden said that initially no one at the studio insisted on covering her navel until the hilarious rumors spread like wildfire.

“They said I should raise my waist higher,” she explained. “But not only that, I had on dancer’s pantyhose, which are very thick, as well as a pair of underwear over them, and then chiffon. And then there was silk inside. It was very funny. All I could do was laugh at the whole thing. And guys would come down to the set just to stare at my belly. It was a lot of goofiness, but it was fun.”

Eden did give input on one thing regarding her midriff-baring outfit.

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Barbara Eden starred opposite Elvis Presley in the 1960 film Flaming Star. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

“Color,” she said. “Gwen Wakeling, Oscar-winning fashion designerShe came to me and showed me her drawings. And of course I loved them. Then she said: What is your favorite color? I said: Well, it depends. Now, the color is hot pink. And I went with pink. “I’m still so glad she did it.”

The star said that over the years, she never felt like Jenny’s strong presence overshadowed her Hollywood career.

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“I was always satisfied and happy with her,” she explained. “Even when I was doing ‘Jeannie,’ I was lucky enough to still be doing other things. I opened for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “I’m back to singing again.”

Barbara Eden told Fox News Digital that she has never felt typecast over the years. (NBCU Image Bank/Getty Images)

“When we had breaks filming ‘Jeannie,’ I would do another movie in between and then come back. It was a long ping-pong match. … And I’m so happy that people still love it. I had no idea the show would have the impact it has around the world.”

“at that time, I didn’t think about being famous“I was just working,” she reflected. I didn’t have time to sit down and say: I made it. I just didn’t do it. You can’t do that when you work hard.”