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Barbara Eden

I Dream of Jeannie glimpsed Barbara Eden surrounded by the paparazzi; I was transported back in time. She was no more than 50 yards away from me. She looked just like Jeannie, right out of the bottle in Major Tony Nelson's Cocoa Beach living room. And then, she folded her arms, blinked her eyes, nodded her head and I remembered why everyone loved I Dream Of Jeannie.

The five-year run of the famous show, created by Sidney Sheldon, was enthusiastically received and embraced by the public. 1965-1970 was the height of America's fervor with the space program. "Everyone loved us," Eden told me." We wore uniforms, the show was funny, and the whole family could watch together. I didn't realize until recently the impact I Dream of Jeannie made on the public and how strong and sustaining an impression the character has had." I asked her about breaking out of the typecast of Jeannie and Barbara Eden was very clear. "In my mind," she told me, "I have never been typecast. Prior to Jeannie, I played blondes and brunettes who were kissed, sung to and rescued. I'll admit, even though I played Elvis's leading lady in Flamingo Star (1960), nobody knew Barbara Eden before Jeannie."

But Eden had already made an impression in Hollywood throughout the latter 1950s which included Back From Eternity (1956) and How to Marry A Millionaire, a TV sitcom (1957). "I was discovered," Eden told me, "by a director from 20th Century Fox. At first, because I grew up in a musical home, I studied opera. In my family," she continued, "we would sing together while doing the dishes. My mom and my grandfather and I would make beautiful music together. But one day, my mother suggested I study acting because she said, "You don't believe a word you're singing. Every note is beautiful Barbara, but you don't believe it." So I studied acting, received a scholarship for school and moved to Los Angeles. I was performing in a play at the Laguna Theater in L.A. And that's how it happened. I was discovered." This is what dreams are made of and many of us would look at the genie in Barbara Eden and think she's got it made.

But all of us are susceptible to life's trials and tribulations and in June 2001, Barbara lost her only son Matthew to a drug overdose. She didn't see the signs, but in retrospect, she told Larry King just a short time ago, the signs were there. In our conversation, she told me "it is important for people to know about drugs and to look out for their children." She said she was still suffering from the loss of her son and uses work to help her through the days. "I don't know how I'm doing it," she told me, "but my friends have helped." "Rita McKenzie," her traveling companion and sidekick in her newest venture, the Female Version of the Odd Couple, " has really been there for me " she said. "We love performing and Rita makes the traveling fun. We've been touring the country and the play has been well received."

Eden recently completed a ten-week run at the Apollo Theater in Chicago playing the role of (Felix) Florence Unger. I met with her at the Parker Playhouse in Ft. Lauderdale. She was open to discuss the difficulties she's recently undergone and she explained what sustains her. Eden follows the practices and teachings of Ernest Holmes, the founder of Religious Science. "It's trite," she said, "but I believe in the power of positive thinking. Each day I have choices. Happy is a choice. Sad is a choice. I prefer to be Happy, Happy Happy!" She giggled and laughed and showed me that just like Jeannie, special moments are magical moments.

Eden takes her innermost passion for life and uses that to fuel her enthusiasm and that's what makes us all - dream of Jeannie!