Similarites and Differences/IDOJ & Bewitched

[tnjsdaughter]

My roommate and I are huge fans of I Dream of Jeannie and we like Bewitched too. We like IDOJ more but my roommate couldn't help but notice that IDOJ copied Bewitched quite a bit. Here is a list of the similarites and differences between the shows that I thought of.
Let me know if I have forgot anything.

Similarities

They both had animated opening credits.
They both had and identical, mischievious dark-haired relative.
They both gave the main female characters, Samantha and Jeannie powers.
They both had Samantha be loyal to Darrin and Jeannie loyal to Tony.
They both had overbearing bosses.
They both had beautiful blonde haired actresses in the roles of Samantha and Jeannie.
They both had Samantha and Jeannie be significantly older than they appeared.
They both had Darrin and Tony dislike their mother-in-law or mother-in-law to be and vice versa.
They both had the actresses who played Samantha and Jeannie play the roles of the mischievious, dark-haired relative as well.
They both had the real life husbands of Elizabeth Montgomery and Barbara Eden be part of the show is some way.
They both had Paul Lynde guest star.
They both used some of the same sets.
They both debuted in black and white.

Differences

Samantha and Darrin were married in the pilot. Tony and Jeannie weren't married until the last season.
There was a nosy neighbor on Bewitched, Mrs. Kravitz. The nosy people on IDOJ were Tony's boss Mr. Bellows and his wife.
On Bewitched, Darrin didn't have a sidekick except Larry Tate who was his boss. On IDOJ, Tony had a sidekick Roger, who wasn't his boss.
Everyone knew about Samantha, but not her powers. Nobody knew about Jeannie or her powers, except Roger.
Darrin was in advertising. Tony was an astronaut.
Samantha was a witch. Jeannie was a genie.
Samantha and Darrin had a daughter and a son during the show's run and only the daughter had powers. Tony and Jeannie had a son after the show's run and he had powers.
Darrin didn't want Samantha to use her powers. Tony didn't stop Jeannie from using her powers.
Bewitched debuted before IDOJ.
Bewitched was on longer than IDOJ.
Samantha twitched her nose. Jeannie blinked.
Samantha knew how to behave as a mortals wife. Jeannie was very naeive when Tony found her. She didn't know how to act at first, but she learned.

Yes, there are a lot of similarites but there are a lot of differences too.
I like IDOJ more but that's probably because of Larry and Barbara's chemistry and the way that Barbara portrayed Jeannie. You couldn't help but love her. It was a great show. Definitely way before it's time.

[jeannietonyfan]

Yeah, the key to IDOJ's success was the undeniable chemistry that Barbara and Larry shared!

Thanks for the list! A very enjoyable read!

[Subspace]

That was an excellent summary, I'd say it pretty much summed it up nicely! (No pun intended.) I agree with jeannietonyfan that it was an enjoyable read.

[ginuwine]

Actually, Bewitched copied My Favorite Martian, The Patty Duke Show, The Dick Van manly woman Show and I Love Lucy. My Favorite Martian came before Bewitched and Bewitched has a similar animated opening. My Favorite Martian had a suspicious landlady. Bewitched had Mrs. Kravitz. Bewitched also copied The Patty Duke Show with the Twin cousin thing.

Bewitched is far from original and copied storyline from I Dream of Jeannie and I Love Lucy.

[ginuwine]

Apr 25, 2007 17:10:07 GMT -5 tnjsdaughter said:

.Yes, there are a lot of similarites but there are a lot of differences too.

I think the shows have a lot more differences than similarities. However, Bewitched did rip off the movies Bell, Book and Candle and I Married A Witch. Not to mention, My Favorite Martian.

Since you mention the differences, how about making a list of all the differences? It seems IDOJ is always predictably being unfairly accused of "copying" BW. I think it would be a lot more interesting to point out the many differences.

[Gordon]

Both produced by Screen Gems

William Asher (Montgomery's executive producer husband) and Liz saw the same comparisons.

[RobertGatly]

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[Tim O'Hara]

Bewitched copied I Dream of Jeannie just as many times. One example is a season 2 episode of I Dream of Jeannie. Jeannie accidentally shrinks Tony and he is chased by a cat. In the season 5 premiere episode of Bewitched, Endora shrinks Darrin and he is chased by a dog. That's one of MANY examples. Also, Sidney Sheldon was working on I Dream of Jeannie and had the pilot script finished in August 1964. Bewitched didn't premiere until September 1964. Ray Walston, The star of My Favorite Martian, which premiered in 1963, one year before Bewitched on CBS, accused Bewitched from stealing ideas from them in the Aug. 1965 edition of The Philadelphia Enquirer. Watch some episodes and you will see why. They are all fun, classic shows. I wish people could enjoy them without having to "down" another show, especially when all of the facts are not given.

[Tim O'Hara]

Jul 26, 2023 2:54:13 GMT -5 Tim O'Hara said:

Bewitched copied I Dream of Jeannie just as many times. One example of this is a season 2 episode of I Dream of Jeannie. Jeannie accidentally shrinks Tony and he is chased by a cat. In the season 5 premiere episode of Bewitched, Endora shrinks Darrin and he is chased by a dog. Another example is in season 1 of I Dream of Jeannie. Jeannie assists Tony in a golf match. Samantha does the same for Darrin several seasons later. Those are just 2 examples of MANY episodes where a story was seen first on I DreamofJeannie. Also, the idea for I Dream of Jeannie (the show itself) was not a copy of Bewitched. Sidney Sheldon was working on I Dream of Jeannie and had the pilot script finished in August 1964. Bewitched didn't premiere until September 1964, one month later. Also, Ray Walston, the star of My Favorite Martian, which premiered on CBS in 1963, one year before Bewitched, accused Bewitched of stealing from his show in the Aug. 1965 edition of The Philadelphia Enquirer. Watch some episodes and you will see why. They are all fun, classic shows. I wish people could enjoy them without having to "down" another show, especially when all of the facts are not given.

[Grace]

Apr 25, 2007 17:10:07 GMT -5 tnjsdaughter said:

Samantha and Darrin had a daughter and a son during the show's run and only the daughter had powers. Tony and Jeannie had a son after the show's run and he had powers.

This list is awesome. Just one correction, Tabitha AND Adam both had powers. Adam wasn't using his powers because he realized from watching his sister that his father doesn't approve. When he was being tested by the council, when Darrin told him it was okay is only when he showed them that he DOES have powers.

I also think Darrin had a mean personality while Tony only got disappointed when Jeannie acted out...a FARRRR cry from Darrin Stephens. With Darrin it was always, MY WIFE, MY DAUGHTER, MY HOUSE, everything too him was MY as if they are property.

Otherwise, fantastic list all around.