In the series, NASA is portrayed as an almost military-style organisation, although in reality things were quite different.
Contrary to what is shown on screen, NASA astronauts did not live in Florida in those days. They underwent training at the Manned Spacecraft Centre, now known as the Johnson Space Centre in Houston.
A stainless steel device
In the second series, in episode twenty-two, viewers are in for another intriguing on-screen blooper.
In one scene, Ginny floats into the frame with her legs crossed, like a perfect genie or an Eastern guru. But if you look very closely, you can spot the strings or wires holding her aloft. What’s more, she is sitting on a shiny aluminium or steel contraption that lifts her into the shot.
And that’s not all. Later in the same episode, Genie performs a trick: first she is inside her bottle, and then suddenly appears enlarged from the outside.
There is another memorable moment: in this episode, Ginny changes her hair colour from blonde to black. This trick foreshadows the later appearance of Ginny’s evil sister — Ginny II — whom Barbara Eden played wearing a luxurious black wig.
That very tennis dress
For many fans, one of the funniest episodes remains ‘See You in C-U-B-A’ from the fifth season. In short, Tony finds himself held captive whilst Ginny tries on one outfit after another.
It is this episode in particular that viewers remember most vividly — primarily thanks to the scene where Barbara Eden models various outfits. And in that tennis outfit, she completely outshone everything around her. Her natural beauty shone particularly brightly, and the skirt was so short that if it had been any shorter, it could hardly have been called a skirt at all.
Just imagine: you find a bottle on the beach, and out pops Barbara Eden, saying, ‘I am at your service and will grant your every wish.’ It’s easy to see why Tony Nelson was considered incredibly lucky.
Incidentally, in this episode, Ginny isn’t wearing her usual pink harem outfit, and the most observant viewers will surely have noticed this.
And here’s another interesting fact: Roger’s tennis partner, Tina, was played by a young Farrah Fawcett, who was then only in her first year of her acting career.
This happened seven years before she became famous across the country thanks to Charlie’s Angels. Later, Fawcett reappeared as Tina, Roger’s companion, just four episodes later, as if hinting to viewers in advance of the birth of a future star.
It is precisely these little details that make rewatching the series particularly fascinating — you never know what gem you might have missed the first time round.
Blue Smoke
The episode ‘Here Goes the Best Ginny I’ve Ever Had’ is considered a classic, and those who watched it particularly closely will surely have noticed one amusing slip-up.
When Genie waves her hands to dispel a cloud of blue smoke, her hands unexpectedly begin to glow with a blue hue. This effect appeared by accident: the blue light intended to colour the smoke cast an unwanted reflection on her skin. Today, however, it looks like a curious example of early Hollywood special effects.
The Jim Beam bottle
The antique bottle that served as a cosy home for Ginny was actually a decorative decanter from Jim Beam whisky.
It originally contained Beam’s Choice Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and was later transformed by one of the project’s artists using gold leaf. Who would have thought that Ginny had such refined taste in spirits?
The box opens by itself
In a classic episode of the second series of ‘Here Comes the Bride’, Ginny casts a love spell on Tony, after which a series of magical events unfolds.
Whilst viewers are usually focused on Ginny herself and her magical transformations — such as the spectacular wedding dress she creates — it’s easy to miss one tiny but very amusing continuity error.
In the foreground, right before Genie’s transformation, a closed drawer can be seen.
But just as Genie transforms herself into a bride with a blink of an eye, Tony’s drawer suddenly opens of its own accord — most likely a simple on-set mistake that accidentally made its way into the final cut. This minor glitch doesn’t fit the scene at all, but it makes it even funnier and reminds us that even magic can be unpredictable.
Incidentally, this episode marked Larry Hagman’s directorial debut.
Yellow or red roses?
But this particular blunder really does leave one scratching one’s head. In the second series, in episode 31 titled ‘The Fashion Party’, you can see a man in the background whilst Major Nelson and Jamie are talking. At first, the neighbour is holding bright red roses, but after a camera cut, he suddenly has yellow ones.
Most likely, this is because the scenes were filmed at different times — perhaps as little as half an hour apart. Although who knows, perhaps Ginny decided to intervene again with her little bit of magic.