‘I Dream of Jeannie’ Star Barbara Eden on Breaking Larry Hagman’s Tooth And That Belly Button Scandal (Exclusive)
Barbara Eden, who turns 94 on August 23, 2025, brought a rare blend of wide-eyed innocence with sharp comic brilliance to I Dream of Jeannie. Her Jeannie was more than just a magical sidekick — she was clever, independent, and disarmingly charming, with that mischievous nose twinkle that made every scene unpredictable in the best of ways. Eden chatted with ReMIND over the phone, sharing her memories of the series and more.
When I mentioned she’s graced our sister publication, TV Guide Magazine, multiple times, she told us she still has some of the covers saved to this day.
“I have several of them. I don’t have all of them,” she says about our sister publication. “I’m very proud to be on the cover of TV Guide.”
Eden fondly reflected on the series, which ran for five seasons (1965-70), as well as her costar Larry Hagman.
“One thing I do remember is Larry breaking a tooth on my knee,” she laughs. “It was during regular shooting, and they had me standing on the arms of an upholstered chair and then jumping into his lap.” Something didn’t quite go as planned and Larry walked away with a chipped tooth.
Everett Collection
Eden absolutely loved Jeannie’s costume and credits the show’s fashion designer for customizing it.
“She was wonderful,” tells Eden of the fashion designer Joie Hutchinson.“She came to me, and we had a fitting before she even designed it. She asked what my favorite color was, and I told her I didn’t really have a favorite color, but pink, I liked that. And she took notes and measured me and looked at my body to see what she wanted. And then came back with sketches and they were just great. The costume itself was all I could ever wish for.”
While she stared with just one costume, it didn’t take long to realize that the pants would need an update as the chiffon part of the outfit would rip easily. “My heel would rip it, or Larry, or somebody.”
And what about all that buzz surrounding her belly button? At the time, NBC’s Standards and Practices Department had a no-navel edict.
Everett Collection
“I’ve often said that women in the film are often known for their beautiful eyes or their other body parts, but I ended up with the belly button … In this day and age, you would not believe that. But at the time, even I was giggling about it because it was silly. Not only did I have pants on that were like a bathing suit pant, I had everything covered except my arms.”
Remind 
1965
February 2025
Flashback to 1965 and celebrate the very best of TV, Movies, Music, Fashion & more!
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