Jeannie Nelson

Jeannie Nelson was the co-main protagonist on the 1960's sitcom, ''I Dream Of Jeannie. ''A magical genie, or djinn, out of Middle Eastern lore, she spent the series pursuing and ultimately winning the hand of US Air Force pilot and NASA Astronaut Anthony Nelson. In the anime genre, Jeannie is considered the original prototype for the trope of the 'magical girlfriend', and like her successors, her attitude and antics often placed in doubt just who was the 'master'.

In the series' original premise, Jeannie had once been a mortal girl changed into a genie by the villainous Blue Djinn when she spurned his advances. However, either because this was too sad (it meant that Jeannie's family and everyone she had ever known were long dead) or to open up her backstory, this original premise was ignored as time went by. Instead, Jeannie was from a Genie family, with at least her sister and mother appearing on occasion, also played by actress Barbara Eden and also all named Jeannie.

As the series began, Captain (later Major) Anthony *Tony* Nelson saw his space recovery capsule go off course and land on an uncharted desert island (No, not that one) where he located an ornate bottle he decided to open. In a puff of pink smoke, a girl (who at first knew no English) formed and eventually told him that she was a magical genie, and that he was now her master. After she granted his wish for a rescue team to find him, Nelson freed Jeannie from her servitude, bidding her go where ever she wished. Not necessarily in love with him at this point, Jeannie was utterly confused by a man who desired neither her company nor the riches and power she could instantly grant him. One interpretation of the show's subsequent events, where Jeannie rarely ever did exactly as she was told is, Tony had long ago ceded his position as master, leaving Jeannie free to do as she wished. So she followed him back to his home in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

As an up-an-coming astronaut at an exciting time in the American Space Program's existence, Nelson, who genuinely liked the girl, also felt (often correctly) that she would be an impediment to his career, especially if she was ever found out. His unwillingness to use either Jeannie's affections or her powers drove her to the point of suggesting wishes, and then interpreting his orders to the letter in order to aid him, with a mixed bag of results, usually on the down side. Adding to the mix was Tony's best friend Roger Healey, also an astronaut, and Colonel Doctor Bellows, the staff psychologist at Nelson's NASA office. Healey eventually learned about Jeannie, and was much more willing to use her powers than Tony, while Bellows observed a series of strange goings on and kept at Nelson, hoping to crack this mystery.

Jeannie was also not above interfering in Tony's efforts at a love life, from covert spells to overt magic, despite his insistence. That said, the two learned to work together when something unintended threatened their life together. Nelson on a few occasions saw flashes of Jeannie's temper; this may provide a reason why he was at first reluctant to enter into a relationship with her. Yet even at her most aggressive, Jeannie had nothing on her twin sister, also named Jeannie. Fending off friends, family and opportunists, somewhere in the mix, Jeannie unknowingly got what she wanted. The only obstacle was making Nelson realize this.

In a series of mishaps involving a throne held by one of her uncles, Tony finally drove Jeannie away, and immediately became morose and miserable. Seeking her out at risk to his career and his life, he proposed marriage and she accepted. Getting married and married life had their own challenges, like when the blushing bride was not capable of being filmed, or when an effort by friends to redecorate their home turned into an Escher painting-without Jeannie's help--it was the happiest they had ever been. Unfortunately, as for many series, resolving the premised relationship also means likely cancellation. In what was meant to be a final episode, Jeannie was finally exposed and Tony's career at NASA ended. But then, mixed signals on cancellation remade the episode into a dream, though no new season was produced.

Two TV-movies followed in the late 1980's, with the two still married, with a half-Djinn son, and troubles caused by Tony's astronaut career as well as the continued larceny of Jeannie's twin sister.