Mercy me, I'm giving away my age by resurrecting that old television debate. That question was frequently asked by young men my age when I was a young man of that age back in the day. The question simply asked who you would prefer (and I'll leave the definition of "prefer" to the reader): Jeannie, a genie and lead character of the I Dream of Jeannie television show, or Samantha Stevens, a modern witch and lead character of the Bewitched television show.
I never really took part in such discussions. That was due to my own definition of the word "prefer" which I took to mean "which woman would I rather be". In a gathering of a half dozen men discussing that question, I would bet serious money that I would be the only person thinking along those lines. Oh well, the other guys didn't know what they were missing.
In a serious discussion of which woman I would rather be, the answer is obvious -- Jeannie! She was cute. She was pretty. She was perky. She had a mischievous sense of humor. Her genie powers didn't seem to have all the rules and regulations of Samantha's witchcraft powers. And she was head over heels in love with Major Nelson. If you're gonna be a girl, it seems perfectly okay to have a nice looking fellow at your side. Plus that bottle looks a lot more comfortable than my current reality-based cramped quarters.
Alas, the only time I'll ever be able to wear Jeannie's cute genie outfit is at Halloween, and even then only for a good laugh. That's where the actual benefits of being a real genie would come in so handy. Feeling a bit bloated because you had cheesecake for desert last night? Just fold your arms over your chest, blink your eyes while bobbing your head, and the extra weight is gone. Now that is a feat NASA scientists should be working on.
A similar question of the day involved the television show Gilligan's Island and simply asked who you would prefer (again, the definitions are up to you): Hollywood movie star Ginger, or Kansas farm girl Mary Ann? Perhaps it is because of my midwest roots (familial, not hair), but I would have to side with Mary Ann for reasons of sweetness and perkiness. She also had a girl-next-door sexiness about her along with down home logic and practicality that I found both good and scary -- good in that all women need good "horse sense", and scary in that horse sense tells you it might be wise to consider "preferring" Mrs. Howell with her sweet disposition and mountains of money!
Hmm... that logic is too logical. Think I'll go back to my dreams of being Jeannie.
Kelli
Samantha. I loved Bewitched and also would love being Samantha and the rules were not that bad. Many were Darin's rules anyway. Unlike Jeannie, she has the power to do magic and not need a wish to do it. Plus there are the kooky relatives. But if it really was brought to brass tacks, I would prefer Samantha's cousin, who looked like her with black hair, Serena. She was the free spirit and sexually free. I would also visit my great TG sisters and grant wishes even though I was a witch.
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention it, didn't Jeannie have a trouble making twin sister or cousin? She had dark hair (Barbara Eden played both parts), was a genie, and was always trying to steal Major Nelson away.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Samantha Stevens had great legs for those short 60s skirts, but even today I still prefer Jeannie's cute little genie outfit.