So last evening I was watching I DREAM OF JEANNIE—something
that I’ve been known to do off and on for literally half a century now. Only
this was an episode that I didn’t remember at all. The episode is titled, “My
Master the Ghost Breaker” and it is easily the most unusual episode of this
series that I’ve ever seen.
I DREAM OF JEANNIE was created in 1965 by future bestselling
novelist Sidney Sheldon. For those few unfamiliar with the series premise,
astronaut Tony Nelson lands on a deserted island beach and discovers a
gorgeous, all-powerful female genie who falls in love with him. He takes her
home where she lives in a bottle and causes our stalwart, all-business hero all
sorts of problems, not the least of which is how to keep her a secret from the
military. Only his fellow officer, Roger Healy, knows of her existence and he’s
constantly trying to get her to grant his most hedonistic wishes!
Every episode had a basic formula. Jeannie appeared in her
harem-like garb, used magic that caused some problem for Major Nelson who had
to try to fix things while living up to his military duties and yet still
keeping her a complete secret.
Every episode, that is, except THIS one.
This one starts with Major Nelson and Major Healy out of
uniform. They’re speaking with Jeannie—who is wearing a colorful mod miniskirt
rather than her traditional costume—when someone comes to the door. Rather than
the usual routine of having her hide, the door is opened and Tony simply
introduces Roger and Jeannie to the British solicitor who comes in (acted in a
horrible accent by crass US stand up comic Jack Carter). The Major finds out
that he has inherited an estate in England from a late Uncle he only ever saw
once when he was a child. The three immediately fly to England, presumably by
plane since the attorney goes with them. How were both military officers able
to get away so quickly and easily? How was Jeannie able to get a ticket with no
ID or last name? No clue.
Almost immediately they meet the butler, Smedley...although
the credits call him Chauncey. He tells them their rooms are prepared and they
settle in for the night. To avoid the question of where she will sleep, Jeannie
turns to smoke and goes into her bottle which is left downstairs—the first of
only three brief times she uses her powers in this entire episode, the second
being simply when she exits the bottle!
Tony and Roger are freaked out by ghostly happenings
overnight and presume it was Jeannie but it wasn’t. She’s more scared than they
are! The next morning, a man arrives who claims to be the real owner of the
estate. He demands our heroes vacate the premises immediately. They throw him
out.
They figure out that the solicitor and the butler are behind
it all and that night, Tony disguises himself as a ghost to scare them instead!
Jeannie inadvertently wraps herself in a white sheet due to the cold house and
everyone thinks she’s a ghost.
Eventually, the man who claimed to own the house arrives,
just in time for Tony to explain how the two crooks had tried to scare him away
so they could keep the money from the already sold estate! The sound of a
creaking door leads to footprints appearing out of nowhere and a real ghost
seemingly sitting in a chair. Tony and Roger presume it to be Jeannie...only it
isn’t. It’s apparently the real ghost of Tony’s grandfather!
Tony is left as the owner of this haunted English estate
which is never mentioned again. The next episode finds everyone back in their
assigned roles as they would stay until season 5 when Jeannie marries her
master and everyone gets to formally meet her, even though they don’t find out
about her magic.
I presumed IMDB would have something to say about this
unusually atypical episode but no. Nor did Steve Cox’s book on I DREAM OF
JEANNIE. I noted the name of the writer as someone whom I had never heard
of and therefore jumped to the
conclusion that he was simply someone unfamiliar with the characters. IMDB,
however, reveals that name to be a pseudonym of the show’s creator, Sidney Sheldon!
So what’s the story behind this episode’s un-JEANNIE-like script?
Anyone?
