Barbara Eden Reveals Shocking Reason ‘I Dream Of Jeannie’ in Shot in Black and White: ‘They Thought I Was Going to Die’

Lauren Novak September 29, 2025

I DREAM OF JEANNIE, Larry Hagman, Barbara Eden, 1965-1970 — Everette Collection

In the 1960s, color television was still relatively new, and some shows, like the first season of I Dream of Jeannie, still shot in black and white. Most fans assumed this was to cut costs or because the show’s special effects looked better in black and white, but star Barbara Eden recently revealed a very surprising reason that the show didn’t use color film in the first season: she was pregnant, and the producers didn’t want to sink money into the show in case Eden was unable to shoot another season.

She explained to PEOPLE, “I was pregnant. I was going to have a baby, and so they started fast, and I think they thought I was going to die or something. They didn’t want to invest the money in the color.”

I DREAM OF JEANNIE, Barbara Eden, 1965-1970

Everett Collection

The first color episode of the show ran on Dec. 18, 1965, about three months after the show premiered. Initially, Eden thought that she lost the gig due to her pregnancy as she found out the same day the show was sold to a network. However, the creator, Sidney Sheldon, decided to take a risk and they quickly filmed the first 13 episodes before she gave birth to her son, Matthew.

While Matthew sadly died in 2001 from an accidental overdose, Eden once shared about becoming a mom, “I don’t know if becoming a mom changed me, but it was the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me. It’s a miracle, having a baby, and having this little creation. I get goosebumps when I think about it. It’s the loveliest thing that happened in my life.”

The show ran for five seasons and about 139 episodes, with the first 30 in black and white. The episodes have been since colorized for the DVD release.