Book Reviewed: Jeannie Out of the Bottle Paperback, by Barbara Eden and Wendy Leigh

An intimate portrait of Barbara Eden

This is an intimate account of Barbara Eden's early childhood, and her work on stage, TV, movies and live concert performances. Her personal life is portrayed in detail, especially her work with Larry Hagman on “I Dream of Jeannie” for which she is known and very well liked. Her emotional breakdown following the death of her only son, Matthew left her in grief and deep distress. His long addiction to controlled substances was devastating. She learns her son’s death from a late-night call from police who found him slumped over the steering wheel of his parked car at a Chevron gas station in Los Angeles, CA. He had injected himself with pure cocaine.

Eden has beauty in words when she is describing key events in her life. She makes the narratives come to life and fascinates us, the lows and highs of her life, with a sense of humor. The book is deeply engrossing and her style of writing is exemplary.

Two chapters stands out in my mind, Chapter 8 - All about Larry, and Chapter 9 - Viva Las Vegas. Working with Larry Hagman on “I Dream of Jeannie” was not exactly a bubbly happy picture. Larry was extremely moody and heavily into alcohol. He was a troubled young man. The storms and conflicts regularly raged on the set and the only way for Eden was to hide in her dressing room. He was openly rude to his television crew and co-stars. Guests of the show were treated with insult and rudeness. Jackie Cooper, Groucho Marx, Sammy Davis Jr, and Milton Berle appeared on her show; Hagman exhibited his worst behavior at them. Eden recalls Sammy Davis asking her, after the shoot, “How in the hell do you work with him, Barbara? He is an a*shole”. Sammy burst off the set saying, “if I ever have to see that – again I will kill him.” Gene Nelson, a costar of the first season was out the door because of Larry Hagman’s insistence. Despite all his tirade against the guests and crew and Barbara, he delivered the scripted dialogue in a professional manner. That is how we saw him; bright and happy astronaut in love with a Jeannie.

Eden has been much news lately, at 86, she appeared at the Hollywood Beauty Awards, where she proved that age certainly hasn't affected her grace and beauty. In 1990, she was honored by the University Of West Los Angeles School Of Law with an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. This is a memorable piece of literature; I am fascinated with her life. I recommend this book to fans of Barbara Eden, and “I Dream of Jeannie.” This book debuted at #14 on the New York Times Best Seller List.