As a kid, and being an Elvis Presley fan, the first time I saw Miss Eden was in 1960's "Flaming Star" (not a great picture - but Barbara helped to make it enjoyable). then came movies like, "The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao" and "The Brass Bottle" I was seeing a lot of her... but it was in the mid-sixties beach hit, "Ride The Wild Surf" that I couldn't keep my eyes off her (even as a brunette while Shelly Fabares was a blonde!!!)

"I Dream of Jeannie" was filmed at the Warner Ranch in Burbank, just a few minutes from the famous NBC studios where I worked as an executive liaison to the VP's in charge of programming and production. Over the years I'd often see Barbara Eden (sometimes in her "Jeannie" attire) when she would appear on shows we had in production... "The Dean Martin Show", "Hollywood Squares", etc... she was one of the most kind and gracious (not to mention beautiful) ladies I have ever met. A quality not found in many!

I remember the craziness over Barbara having to cover up her navel because of the censors, but the whole idea was a great publicity-getter, that newspapers and the press would talk gossip about to help bring in the ratings. As for the NBC, "I Dream of Jeannie" was the last show in the Peacock Networks' prime-time schedule to be broadcast in black-and-white. Season 2 turned color (thank goodness for their future in the syndication market!). Like Eddie noted in his great article, IDofJ wasn't the funniest of best of comedies, but there is such an innocent, fun nature about the show that's as enjoyable today.

Some of that and the behind-the-scenes antics are captured in Barbara Eden's recently written biography,
"Jeannie Out of The Bottle". Why just last week, Miss Eden received a lifetime achievement award from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Thanks Eddie, for your great article... there is so much to interest in "I Dream of Jeannie", that I'd love to read more - maybe a PART TWO ??!!

The world is getting crazier all the time! Just last week I stood in a line at a department store, and the kid in the front of the line was texting his Dad who was 6 customers back in the same line!!!!!

I heard the next thing coming are glasses that one can wear and the words of the incoming and outgoing text will be readable in the upper corners. They are going to combine this with voice-recognition to be able to drive or watch a movie and talk.

Gosh... I can't stand the little lights going on all over when I'm watching a movie I paid $15.00 to see!!!!

Wow... very interesting story... scary!

I never watched The Simpson's for the first few years... for some reason, seeing their images plastered all over various products, endorsing them with a bit of sarcasm just didn't appeal to me. I grew up on the rounded-soft-cutesy animated images, such as Bugs Bunny, Goofy and Barney Rubble, and the images of Homer and Bart were a bit "edgy" for me.

Then my surroundings started changing. I noticed people around me were beginning to worry and complain about life in general. A mood that I see even more deepened today.

As The Simpsons became more and more popular, I was finally exposed to watching an episode at a friends house.... then I caught another episode, then another. I started seeing a correlation between what the characters were expressing and the anguish that people in real life were beginning to feel. The Simpsons seemed to be a mirror for expression. I don't know if the public was setting the direction for the story lines or if the characters were changing the views of the people watching them. All I know is that people seemed to relate.

It was very interesting reading Eddie's article comparing who the characters were best modeled after, and what has kept The Simpsons on the air for all these years. Maybe I'll go back and watch some of the earlier episodes and re-examine what place they had made in society back then.

I must say, as a record collector myself... when Sgt. Peppers came out I had thought the album cover was terrible. It looked so cheap and "glued together"... something I thought both the Beatles and Capitol Records just gave to someone to throw together in a hurry.

BUT... a couple of weeks later, it grew on me. I started thinking about the cover and went back to see if could figure out who all the faces belonged to.

A few weeks passed and the rumors of Paul's death started swirling about. I remember hearing that "If you hold a mirror across the middle of the words "LONELY HEARTS" written across the center of the bass drum, you will see "IONEIX HEDIE". When arranged as "I ONE IX HE DIE," the image suggests the date (11-9, or November 9, 1966) that Paul died, as the diamond between the words "HE" and "DIE" points directly at Paul."

The album became even more fascinating, not just for me, but for everyone. I noticed that every time I walked into my neighborhood record store, someone was always standing in The Beatles section looking at the cover.

I truly believe that some executive at Capitol Records had been the one who came up with the rumor of Paul's death. What a sales gimmick! Maybe they should resurrect Paul's death after all these years, for his latest CD release. Well... maybe not.

Thank you Eddie for your wonderful story, making us think again, and learning more about those "loose ends" that we never pieced together!

I grew up working for NBC as an Associate VP, starting in the mid '60's, which what was still considered "the golden years" of television. Needless to say, I am very fascinated with all the elements that made up those wonderful times - from the very beginning until cable took over the spotlight.

So many people over the years have studied Jackie Gleason and borrowed his timing and technique, but reading Eddie Deezen's essay on Jackie Gleason and The Honeymooners Show proves that Gleason was an original and a master.

I think most people's families were much more like The Kramden's than The Harriet's or The Anderson's. Even Fred Flinstone was an animated morph of Gleason's Ralph Kramden.

Thanks Eddie for taking me back to those warm, wonderful times again!

Oh... P.S. Eddie - You mentioned Elizabeth Shue in "Leaving Las Vegas", which made me remember how I fell in love with her singing "Then He Kissed Me" in the opening titles of "Adventures in Babysitting". She was so wholesome and cute that to play a hooker later in her career shows versatility ! Thanks again Eddie for making me think!

Eddie Deezen's article about the 13 ladies (like in "ladies of the night) was spot-on. How Eddie can view things that many of us overlook is amazing.
I have read many articles and stories that Eddie Deezen has written over the years, and he still amazes me how he comes up with his topics.

In his current article, I never realized how many of these actresses who played prostitutes really did a 180. Look at Shirley Jones for example... she went from "Music Man's" leading lady to a "Sex Starved Man's" leading lady - quite a change from how she was typecasted.

And Rosanne Arquete! This girl is so beautiful, no wonder her past boyfriend wrote the hit song "Rosanne" about her. She must have had him wrapped around her little finger (was she preparing for that role in Woddy Allen's film?).

Whatever the case, I think Eddie should seriously think about becoming a professional writer! He has a way to paint a picture with words and his subject matter is always fun and interesting.

Go Eddie! I can't wait to read what you write next.