Barbara Eden | Club Random

Summary

Club Random with Bill Maher

Episode: Barbara Eden | August 25, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Club Random, Bill Maher welcomes legendary actress Barbara Eden, best known for her iconic role in "I Dream of Jeannie." The conversation veers playfully through topics ranging from Hollywood’s Golden Age, the changing landscape of fame, the realities of aging, the evolution of sex and scandal, her career from Elvis to Vegas, and hilariously frank takes on men, women, and pop culture—always seasoned by Maher's irreverent humor and Barbara Eden's timeless wit.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Jeannie Legacy and Its Double-Edged Sword

• Maher launches in by joking about Jeannie’s bottle (02:36), appreciating its upgrade, and noting that Eden has always embraced her association with the role:

  “Some people, when they get identified too much with something iconic, almost don't like it... I hope you’re happy with that.” — Maher (03:04)

  • Eden responds graciously about her good fortune:

    “I enjoyed doing it. I felt very lucky that I was doing it.” — Eden (03:36)

• They discuss the lasting cultural impact and 60th anniversary of "I Dream of Jeannie."

  “I wish I owned it. It’s still on the air.” — Eden (28:02)

2. Old Hollywood Memories: Elvis, Marriage, and Management

• Eden shares stories from working with Elvis on "Flaming Star" (04:51), describing him as a direct, honest gentleman who asked for relationship advice.
• Discussion about Elvis’s controversial personal life and the role of Colonel Parker:

  “He got me out of that little podunk place I was playing. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here.” — Eden, quoting Elvis (05:15)

• Maher provides historical context of the era, including changing standards and tabloid culture.

3. Hollywood Press, Scandal, and Navigating Sexism

• Discussion of tabloid press—Eden notes early on that,

  “Some things shouldn’t be said. It’s not right.” — Eden (10:09)

• Maher jokes about Eden’s apparent lack of scandal:

  “What could they possibly say about you? You have no scandals.” — Maher (10:55)

• Sexism in Old Hollywood:
  • Eden, contrary to expectations, says she didn’t face much of it thanks to her marriage to Michael Ansara, a “big guy” who played Cochise.

    “Nobody ever just took [their pants off].” — Eden (11:47)

4. Personal Life, Multiple Marriages, and Aging Gracefully

• Open talk about multiple marriages with wit (“I don’t count the middle one.” — Eden, 12:41).
• Eden credits her current marriage (36 years strong) for her youthful energy.
• Discussion about the relativity of love and the Hollywood trend of serial marriages.
• Maher commends Eden’s ageless charm and professionalism.

5. Work Ethic, Longevity, and Connection with Audiences

• Eden attributes her career longevity to her love of work:

  “It’s my raison d’être, you know, it’s why I’m here, I think, is to work. And I like people.” — Eden (15:34)

• She shares joy in fan interactions, receiving mail from “Moscow, the People’s Republic of China, of course Europe...” (28:13).

6. Social Media, Technology, and Generation Gaps

• Eden maintains a social media “presence” through help, and muses on the differences between in-person and online interactions,

  “They bully, they make people kill themselves.” — Eden (17:45)

• Both lament Internet scams targeting the elderly (18:02) and the lost art of reading among young people (20:03).

  “Wisdom is in books, not in scrolling.” — Maher (20:27)

7. Censorship, Sexuality, and TV Standards

• Discussion of Eden’s famous Jeannie costume and the absurdity of belly button censorship:

  “They made a big deal out of it, actually.” — Eden (23:52)
  “I have often thought there were women actresses who were known for body parts, but they’re glamorous body parts. I’ve got a belly button.” — Eden (24:29)

• Maher marvels at how far television norms have shifted since then.

8. Vegas Stories and the Demands of Live Performance

• Eden describes the grueling schedule and Vegas “throat,” her cautious routine, and working with George Burns—

  “He’d say, ‘Come on, girls, let’s go get some soup.’” — Eden (!48:05)

• A surreal tale of performing with a deceased audience member:

  “How can I make people laugh if there’s a dead guy in front?” — Shecky Greene, as recalled by Eden (52:52)

• Maher and Eden discuss the “no business like show business” ethos, never missing a show except for real emergencies (59:04).
• Eden recalls breaking a rib onstage and performing anyway (60:12).

9. Changing Social Attitudes: Gender Relations, Promiscuity, and Identity

• Frank dialogue on modern dating, OnlyFans, and changing sexual mores – Maher provides an OnlyFans explainer, to Eden’s shock and amusement (35:01).

  “Hasn’t it always been that?” — Eden on the digital sex economy (35:33)

• Commenting on generational divides in relationships (“incels” and “fuckboys”) and women’s evolving roles.

10. Diversity, Representation, and Social Progress

• Reminiscing about more liberal San Francisco roots and Hollywood’s secret gay stars:

  “There were people we all knew who were gay. Paul Lynde. Did you ever work with Paul Lynde?” — Maher (63:17)

• The arc from “no belly buttons on TV” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (64:03) to today’s more open culture.

11. Iconic Co-Stars and Classic TV

• Eden fondly remembers working with Larry Hagman (Major Nelson), including his quirks (eating pot muffins, silent Sundays), and with comic legends like George Burns and Shecky Greene.
• The topic of typecasting and moving beyond Jeannie:

  “After Jeannie I dove in and did a lot of different things.” — Eden (45:23)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On iconic roles:

  “If you wrote Hotel California, why don’t you play it every night?” — Maher (03:04)

• On being grateful:

  “I enjoyed doing it. I felt very lucky that I was doing it.” — Eden (03:36)

• On career longevity:

  “It’s my raison d’être... it’s why I’m here, I think, is to work.” — Eden (15:34)

• On censorship:

  “They made a big deal out of it, actually.” — Eden (23:52)

• On social progress:

  “You can show belly buttons on TV now, you can show way more.” — Maher (65:15)

• On breaking a rib onstage:

  “I got up on the stage and started singing, and I got a standing ovation for a rib.” — Eden (61:17)

• On Vegas showbiz:

  “How can I make people laugh if there’s a dead guy in front?” — Shecky Greene via Eden (52:52)

• On modern sexuality:

  “It’s women masturbating or showing their vaginas to men who are paying them electronically... It’s very, very popular.” — Maher, on OnlyFans (35:01)
  “I will always remember it. Yes, this is my brain.” — Eden, deadpan (36:56)

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• [02:36] Bill brings out the Jeannie bottle; talks about embracing iconic roles
• [04:51] Discussion of Elvis, "Flaming Star," and Colonel Parker
• [10:09] Eden on the damage of tabloid journalism
• [11:44] Eden on not facing Hollywood sexism
• [15:34] Eden’s take on the purpose of working and legacy
• [20:35] Both discuss love of books and the importance of reading vs. scrolling
• [23:52] The Jeannie belly button controversy and standards of 1960s TV
• [28:13] Eden on global fan mail, including Russia and China
• [35:01 & 35:33] The "OnlyFans" explainer, Eden’s bemusement
• [45:23] Moving beyond typecasting after "Jeannie"
• [48:05] Working with George Burns in Vegas
• [52:52] Shecky Greene and the infamous "dead guy in front"
• [60:12] Performing with a broken rib — “the show must go on”
• [64:03] Social progress from “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” to today’s standards
• [68:11] Quirks of Larry Hagman (pot muffins, silent Sundays, guru robes)

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Tone & Style

• The conversation is warm, humorous, nostalgic, and at times deliciously irreverent. Maher’s signature sarcasm is met by Eden’s matter-of-fact storytelling and good-natured ribbing. The episode is rich in personal anecdotes, peppered with Hollywood lore and honest observations on fame, aging, and the evolution of modern life and media.

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Who Should Listen?

Fans of classic Hollywood, scholars of pop culture, those interested in the history of television and American norms, or anyone longing for a witty, honest, and heartwarming window into the life of an iconic star.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Host]

Club Random is brought to you by Factor because apparently living off coffee and sarcasm isn't considered a balanced diet. Factor delivers chef prepared dietitian approved meals right to your door. So all you need is two minutes. Eat smart at factor meals.com random50off and use code random50OFF to get 50% off your first box plus free breakfast for one year. That's code [e-mail] for 50% off your first box. Club random is sponsored by True Classic, a clothing brand that aims to differ from the rest. Most T shirt brands claim to fit great or feel amazing, but these actually deliver. They fit exactly how you want a shirt to fit. Snug in the chest and shoulders, relaxed around the stomach. But the part I like the best about True Classic, they don't cost a ton and they're comfortable. Like I forgot I was wearing it comfortable. You can find True Classic at Target, Costco or just go to truclassic.com random and try one. Club Random is brought to you by the automarketing pros at Radioactive Media. Your business could use a little help standing out. That's where podcast and radio come in. Podcasting is the hottest marketing medium out there. It's intimate, it's personal, and it sticks. Text random to 5 11, 511 or go to radioactivemedia.com Again, that's random to 511 511. Message and data rates may apply. Be heard while everyone else is just making noise. The bottle was not. Oh, that's interesting.

[Barbara Eden]

Could never be in my master's bedroom.

[Host]

Master's cool. But not the bottle there. Actual dead guy.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh yeah.

[Host]

But he was good for your show.

[Barbara Eden]

No Claw Random.

[Host]

Barbara.

[Barbara Eden]

I saw your feet. I knew you were coming.

[Host]

Really? The rest of me is attached. How are you?

[Barbara Eden]

I'm great.

[Host]

I'm so glad to see you.

[Barbara Eden]

And you.

[Host]

Oh my gosh. You're making a 12 year old boy very happy right now.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, are you serious?

[Host]

Well, I, you know, I mean, I don't know you at all. We're just meeting for the first time, so I probably shouldn't be this intimate right away, but I brought your bottle.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, you.

[Host]

I had this in my house.

[Barbara Eden]

That's an upgrade of a bottle.

[Host]

But it's a little like it, right?

[Barbara Eden]

It is. It's prettier.

[Host]

Yeah. You weren't in a lamp, you were in a bottle.

[Barbara Eden]

I was in a bottle and it was a working bottle, so every. I gave mine to the Smithsonian.

[Host]

It belongs there.

[Barbara Eden]

But it doesn't look so pretty. I mean, I Didn't may disappoint people because it's been through the war.

[Host]

Well, you know, some people, when they get identified so much with something that's iconic, you know, it becomes too much, and they almost. And they kind of don't like it. And I, you know, like, come on, man. If you wrote Hotel California, why don't you play it every night?

[Barbara Eden]

Right.

[Host]

You know, I hope you're, like, happy with, you know, that. Oh, of course you should be, because you were and are iconic and for a reason. And it was awesome. And there's a reason we remember it to this day so vividly.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, I enjoyed doing it. I felt very lucky that I was doing it. And of course, you know, I was under contract to Fox and MGM before I ever did Juni.

[Host]

Yeah. You did an Elvis movie.

[Barbara Eden]

I sure did.

[Host]

What was that?

[Barbara Eden]

It was the.

[Host]

There he is. That's from an album.

[Barbara Eden]

God love him.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

I'm a sweet, good gentleman. He was just the.

[Host]

Yeah, because you were too old for him. You were in your 20s.

[Barbara Eden]

No, I think I was married to Michael. Ann, Sarah.

[Host]

That didn't matter. It's that you weren't 14. Okay. He had a. He had a thing.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, you know, actually, we talked a lot about that.

[Host]

Really.

[Barbara Eden]

Because he wanted to know how, you know, how it is in a film. They're setting up the pictures, every lights and everything. So we had a lot of time to talk.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

And he wanted to know about my marriage with Mike and how did we make it work in this business?

[Host]

Ah. What year is this?

[Barbara Eden]

It was about. I married Mike in 1958, so it was probably 1960.

[Host]

Yeah, well, 60 was Flaming Star.

[Barbara Eden]

That's it. You got it. You got it.

[Host]

Really?

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, yeah.

[Host]

Flaming Star. Yes. Okay. I remember it now.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. He was good.

[Host]

He was good. He. He. He could have been a really respected actor.

[Barbara Eden]

Yes, he could have.

[Host]

That fucking criminal who managed him.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Had let him have the career he could have had.

[Barbara Eden]

You know what he said about that? He said, you know, Barbara, a lot of people don't like the Colonel, and they think that I should leave him. And. And he said. But he got me out of that little Podunk place I was playing. He said, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here today. And I just. I thought, God bless you, you know?

[Host]

Yeah. I mean, talent more than anybody, but. Oh, yes, yes, the Colonel did do that. But there is, I think, or should be a statute of limitations on how much we owe people for. You know, it's not a Lifelong contract.

[Barbara Eden]

Right.

[Host]

You know, if that really was his motivation, I have a feeling maybe the.

[Barbara Eden]

He was very honest. I can tell when somebody's not. And Elvis was very direct and honest and. Because then I said, you know, Michael, I. Business. That's the word. I said, this is a business. I said, it's our job. We both do our job. Then we come home at night. And he said, well, he said, I met somebody I really like a lot, but she's kind of young. I didn't know she was that young.

[Host]

I mean, honestly, for Tennessee, not so much in, you know, Elvis was born in 1935.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

In Tupelo, Mississippi. I mean, it was. It was not the, you know, now capital of the world at the time or probably now. I mean, still in there are states where the legal marriage age is really young.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Like 16. It's just, you know, and people just didn't. They just didn't think the same way. I used to do jokes about the songs. Remember Young Girl by Gary Puckett in the Union Gap? Young girl, get out of my mind My love for you is way out, way out of line.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, yeah.

[Host]

He's saying it. Nobody cared. Nobody turned off the radio or wrote a letter and said, what are you talking about? You see a girl, you wait a line and you don't care. Yeah, okay. And also, Elvis was a gentleman. I mean, he didn't not do the nasty with her all the time. She was living at Graceland.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. Her parents allowed her, but you see, she wasn't that area girl. Her dad was what, a colonel or something in the army.

[Host]

Yeah. Right.

[Barbara Eden]

So I'm sure they thought it over very carefully.

[Host]

I know the difference in the eras we live in. I mean, can you imagine today going to somebody, especially a colonel in the army and saying, sir, you're a 14 year old. I'd like her to live with me. I'm a 25 year old rock star and I promise the best high schools and after school activities. I mean, and the irony is that he really was. Yeah, he's like the only rock star in the world who would do that.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

But that was also his sexual problems. He. I mean, I'm getting this from just everyone who's ever written about him or talked to him. Maybe it's wrong, but like, he was very into the, you know, Madonna complex that people have, you know, really? Well, I mean, how do you do that? Well, in the sense that he didn't really want to have sex with her before they were married. They had sex. They were married. On May 1, 1967, Lisa Marie was born nine months to the day, February 1, 1968. And apparently, you know, he didn't. Really wasn't interested in a lot of sex after that. Like you were either a virgin or.

[Barbara Eden]

I see.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. But, you know, he missed out on a lot. I mean, you know.

[Host]

Well, he also got around. I mean, you know, Ann Margaret. Didn't he have a thing with her?

[Barbara Eden]

I. That's what they say. I don't know.

[Host]

Yeah, I think he.

[Barbara Eden]

I don't always believe the press.

[Host]

I don't either. You think they've been kind to you or under. What's your view on the press?

[Barbara Eden]

On the press?

[Host]

Yeah. I mean, do you think they've been decent?

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, it depends upon what we're talking about when we say press. It could be the yellow sheets, the nasties, you know, the tabloids. Yeah, yeah, the tabloids. And quite often they exaggerate and they. In order to sell what they have, they say what they shouldn't say. Some things shouldn't be said. It's not, you know, they have not. Right.

[Host]

They have. They have no shame. That's their brand. No, that's what they're selling.

[Barbara Eden]

Making a living.

[Host]

Yeah, we have no shame. We will get a picture of the corpse.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

And, you know, and pay for it. And there's a look I've had people tell me show people who are like, I can't believe you read the tabloids. You know, you're just. I'm like, fuck off. You know what? I will do whatever I want to do. That lightens my load. I find them funny. I know what's bullshit in them. And also, by the way, they sometimes do uncover a kind of truth that other people don't or are afraid to say.

[Barbara Eden]

And sometimes they're very good to people.

[Host]

Yes. Yep.

[Barbara Eden]

I've been very lucky.

[Host]

But what could we possibly say about you? You have no scandals.

[Barbara Eden]

You don't know me very well.

[Host]

Well, here's the time to tell us the. No, I don't think you have any deep, dark secrets. I think you're, you know, you. And especially since you came up in an era where you could be, I'm sure, bitter about certainly the sexism. I mean, even in the 60s, the way. Especially in show business, what people got away with, especially a hottie like you. I mean, they must have. Everybody must have been taking their shot. And some, I'm sure, in a way that you could never get away with today.

[Barbara Eden]

I. I did not have a problem.

[Host]

Come on.

[Barbara Eden]

No, I didn't nobody ever just took.

[Host]

Their pants off or.

[Barbara Eden]

Nope.

[Host]

Really?

[Barbara Eden]

No. And I think a lot of that is because I was married to Michael.

[Host]

From what age?

[Barbara Eden]

Well, I mean, 21.

[Host]

Okay.

[Barbara Eden]

We were married 15 years. Why?

[Host]

Was he a tough guy? Who was gonna.

[Barbara Eden]

Michael was just big, you know, so that's the secret.

[Host]

Have a big guy behind you?

[Barbara Eden]

No. Did you ever see the Broken Arrow? He played Cochise, the Chief. He starred in it.

[Host]

Really?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Jeannie married cochise. Show business.

[Barbara Eden]

Five. Five or something. And £200. And he lifted weights, so you don't mess around with him.

[Host]

That's your answer?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

That's your answer?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

But you've had, what, three marriages?

[Barbara Eden]

Yes. I don't count the middle one.

[Host]

I was gonna say.

[Barbara Eden]

With people of.

[Host]

Multi marriages, do they have a favorite ex? I guess they do. It's just like people say, I don't have a favorite kid, but every parent always says on the down low. Oh, yeah, I do.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Do you have a favorite ex like Jane Fonda? I know, I know.

[Barbara Eden]

It's Michael. Of course it is Michael. Yeah. He was the father of my son.

[Host]

The first.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, yeah, he was. He was.

[Host]

There is something to the fact that the more times you, you know, sort of get seriously involved with someone, there has to be some inflation of the currency of that. I mean, not that I'm anyone to talk. I've never been married, but I could see how the kind of people, you know, the Christian types, like, marry their high school sweetheart and they've never been with anybody else. I mean, there is a certain thing that once you get. Once you think that the person you're with. I mean, I thought of my high school girlfriend like, this is it. There could never be anybody better. And like, once you get over that, once. There's a certain relativism to any other person who comes after that you can't deny psychologically. So, you know, the more the people who have eight, you know, the Elizabeth Taylors and some of these people who have had. They just. Jennifer Lopez, I think, now has had five. Is it? Or four.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

It's like, why do you have to always get married?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Are you married now? No.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, yes.

[Host]

You are. So the third one last year.

[Barbara Eden]

Wonderful guy.

[Host]

Oh, awesome.

[Barbara Eden]

We've been married 36 years now. Yeah.

[Host]

Well, he's obviously keeping you young. I mean, you really betray your age. I mean. I mean, it's amazing because I've talked to people your age and I mean, and certainly people younger, and there's a certain. I don't know, haltingness to it that you have none of.

[Barbara Eden]

Thank you.

[Host]

I mean, no one thinks you're 35, but I mean, like, you're just.

[Barbara Eden]

Why not?

[Host]

No, but you're just like. All I'm trying to do, I'm almost 70, is just be on TV generically late, middle age, you know, that's as good as you can get. You just don't want people turning on the TV and going, oh, who's that old guy? You know, just don't, don't think about it at all. I mean, you still have that quality at your. Which is pretty amazing. Like you could play somebody's mother who's middle aged.

[Barbara Eden]

Yep. Do you think they. They know. They wouldn't want me.

[Host]

No, actually, I think it's a great idea. Would you ever, like, do a series again?

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, sure.

[Host]

Really?

[Barbara Eden]

Of course. I like to work.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

It's my raison terre, you know, it's why I'm here, I think, is to work. And I like people. I like going out and speaking and talking to them and have the Q and A and the. It's fun. And there are so many interesting, wonderful people where. Really good people, honestly there are. That you don't even know until you're on stage and you're talking to them. And they're remarkable.

[Host]

Yeah, no, especially when they're your fans.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, that's true. That's true. Yeah.

[Host]

You tend to think they're geniuses.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. Yeah, you're right.

[Host]

Yeah. It's, you know, we like who likes us. It's very natural.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

You know, I mean, people would always say to me as a bachelor, you know, like, what do you look for in a woman? I'm like the ones who like me. That's a great starting. You like me? I like you. I think you have great taste.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

You like me. Let's start with that. Now we're halfway home.

[Barbara Eden]

Don't you think that though that you like more than just a little circle of people?

[Host]

Oh, of course. Yes.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. There's something likable about every single person you meet and yeah, I truly believe that.

[Host]

I do too. Are you on social media at all?

[Barbara Eden]

I am.

[Host]

You are. Wow. Bet you're better than me.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, no, I'm not. I have someone who runs it for me.

[Host]

Okay. But you have a presence.

[Barbara Eden]

I do. There's a Facebook and yeah.

[Host]

I mean, I'm not too aware of it either, but I certainly get the gist that when people are online as opposed to in person, they can be assholes in a way.

[Barbara Eden]

They can't. And I know.

[Host]

They bully. They make people kill themselves.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Host]

And they actually.

[Barbara Eden]

Especially the young people.

[Host]

Yes. And they wish for it.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

If you disagree with them, they're not above. I want you dead.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. No. Yeah. Also, they take advantage of the elderly.

[Host]

Yes, they do.

[Barbara Eden]

And that's disgusting.

[Host]

And we deserve those parking spots.

[Barbara Eden]

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[Host]

No, they do. It's cruel that. I mean, obviously it's another form of people just will do anything for money. But they will run scams that really prey on the fact that older people are not native to the Internet or to computers or, you know, even when I was, you know, there was no computers when I was in grade school or college.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

You know, so it will always be a little like doing everything left handed to me. Whereas kids, you know, I think they come out of the womb with the fucking phone in their hand.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, gosh, yes. You know, wake up in the morning and they've got to go, yeah, yeah. I wanted to say take that off. Stop that. Use your brain.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

You know, start. Read a book.

[Host]

Oh, dream on, Jeanne.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

They are never. They're not gonna read a. Books are like, they make jokes now about. Comedians do about like how ridiculous it would be to read a book. Like all these words, you know, it's just so scrolling is not reading. And if you only have ever scrolled the idea of like page after page, which is just tragic because, you know, you can get all the facts in the world, but wisdom is in books.

[Barbara Eden]

Someone was interviewing me last week and asked me, what are your hobbies? And I Said I don't have a hobby, but I read. I love books. I like every kind of subject you want to put out there. I love history and I like murder mysteries. So, you know, you have both. And I am so grateful to my mother and my aunt for the minute. I started in the first grade to learn how to read. They took me to the library and got me a card and they used to read to me. But I would get four books a week and read them during the week and then take them back. And I was lucky. I had very young mom and dad, so they couldn't afford a babysitter.

[Host]

So when they'd go out as teenagers, they were.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, I think my mother was.

[Host]

Yeah, that was what people did back then.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. But they would go out and they'd take me and they'd sit me in a corner and I'd sit with my book and I enjoyed it. I'd read my book and they'd have their dinner or have their drinks or whatever, you know. Yeah.

[Host]

When did everyone catch on? You were so hot.

[Barbara Eden]

Hot?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

I mean, you know what? I don't know, because.

[Host]

Come on, it must.

[Barbara Eden]

No, honestly, school.

[Host]

Come on. Oh, stop. I mean, you must have been like such a smoke show in high school.

[Barbara Eden]

A smoke show. I bet you can have it. Okay. I want to be a smoke show.

[Host]

You are a smoke show.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, but you must have.

[Host]

I mean, come on.

[Barbara Eden]

I don't. Well, you know, first of all, I knew what I wanted to do very young. I wanted to sing. I didn't have the money to have the lessons. My mom and dad couldn't do it, so I got a job. So from day one, I didn't spend a lot of time at high school. I worked in a bank for four hours a day, and I went to school four hours on the weekends. I studied at the Conservatory of Music. Singing voice, not anything else.

[Host]

I bet you at the bank there was a very long line for you.

[Barbara Eden]

I know. I was not at the bank. I was the one that sorted the checks out. And you're up in an office.

[Host]

Still a long line, but go ahead.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, crap. I don't know. Where am I? I don't know.

[Host]

You're in the bank. You're in the bank.

[Barbara Eden]

I'm in the bank.

[Host]

It's 1950.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, well, it was, but I think that's why I really didn't. I didn't have a big social life, let's put it that way.

[Host]

Okay. I have pictures of. I still have them, by the way, that I cut out of TV Guide or wherever your picture would appear. But you did have a midriff outfit which was not seen anywhere.

[Barbara Eden]

But they wouldn't show navel.

[Host]

Really?

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, you didn't know that?

[Host]

Well, I mean, we're going back. I haven't looked at the pictures from TV Guide in a while.

[Barbara Eden]

They made a big deal out of it, actually.

[Host]

I'm sure they did. So the thing was cut right above your navel? Yeah, the outfit. Okay.

[Barbara Eden]

And I never thought about it. I truly never thought about it. But I'm trying to think of his name. He wrote for the Hollywood Reporter. And he came down on the set one day and he said, where's your belly button? I said, don't you. Do you really care? He said, yeah, yeah, yeah, show me. I said, ah, Nicola Peak. Well, I, you know, I was very cheap.

[Host]

Very cheap.

[Barbara Eden]

So he kept coming down on the set and talking and poking me in the belly button and writing about it. And then the guys all across the United States started talking about my belly button. And I have often thought there were women actresses who were known for body parts, but they're glamorous body parts. I've got a belly button.

[Host]

Yeah. I mean, yeah, I don't remember that there was none, but it was just. It was outrageous to some people. I'm sure there were places in the south that don't like that were more conservative about racial and sexual things. That was on tv. That was accepted in New York or Chicago or Los Angeles. I mean, that happened in those days.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, it's strange when it got so knowable and kind of famous, the studio decided it had to be covered. They never worried about it before. I put my arms up and of course it would peek out, you know, and the made it even hotter. Now, look, I had pantyhose on and I had panties.

[Host]

I had a bra and those hammer pants.

[Barbara Eden]

And they said I had to have something to. They changed it. Yeah.

[Host]

Hammer pants. Well, before hammer.

[Barbara Eden]

In between.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah. Like with the big balloony.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, yeah. What is this?

[Host]

It was good. I mean, it worked. It would have been too much if you were also showing legs. It was. Right. Because you had the midriff and the thing up here. It was all working for me.

[Barbara Eden]

The bottle was never allowed in the bedroom.

[Host]

The bottle was not. Oh, that's interesting.

[Barbara Eden]

Could never be in my master's bedroom.

[Host]

Master's. Cool. But not the bottle there. That's right. It was master. Oh, how times have changed.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, it didn't. You know, he wasn't really.

[Host]

He was like Elvis. He could have and he didn't.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host]

Men were, men were more gentle me in those days. I mean that was part, I thought that was part of the charm of it was that plainly he could have. I would have. Are you kidding?

[Barbara Eden]

She wasn't real. She was to me entity. Yeah. But in the, if you think of the text in the show, genies are not human and, and she thought she was human and she thought she was and he knew she wasn't.

[Host]

I don't remember that part of it. That may be. Maybe I was too young for subtext. I just remember Major heal. Oh, what?

[Barbara Eden]

I loved him.

[Host]

Loved him.

[Barbara Eden]

Bill Daly.

[Host]

Bill Daly. And he was on another show. He was funny too.

[Barbara Eden]

Yes.

[Host]

Like back. I loved it the way back then like your favorite TV star, they put him on another show, you know. Yeah, it was, yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

Bob Newhart.

[Host]

Bob Newhart. Well, he was a creator.

[Barbara Eden]

He was a good friend of Bob Newhart's.

[Host]

Yes, he. Oh, he was on that show.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Right.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. And it was, they're both from Chicago.

[Host]

Okay.

[Barbara Eden]

And they knew each other, you know, in Chicago.

[Host]

The 60th anniversary of when Jeie went on the air, is this.

[Barbara Eden]

Yes.

[Host]

Wow. 60th.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Wow. So I must have been watching it in the womb.

[Barbara Eden]

I wish I owned it. It's still on the air.

[Host]

It's amazing. I mean the longevity is truly impressive. I mean some things just people don't want to let go of. I'm telling you, that is, you know.

[Barbara Eden]

I, I, I do get fan mail and I sign it and leave, send it back. But I have received fan mail from Moscow, from the People's Republic of China, of course, Europe, uk, Germany, I expect that. But how they get those things out of those countries, I don't know.

[Host]

Everything is everywhere now because the Internet, everything is everywhere.

[Barbara Eden]

No, but how do they get their fan mail to me in the mail?

[Host]

You know, it's actual snail mail.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. With a photo. And they want the end one. One girl said that she sends hers to Poland. I believe she has a girlfriend in Poland. So she sends it first to her, who sends it to me and then I send it back to. Well, they put a cell phone, you know, envelope.

[Host]

I mean, I'm guessing in Russia and China there are censors who see everything that comes to the United States. So I'm guessing that they look and they see one of the few things that they find non threatening at all. Horny guys still like genie put in mail. It's fine. But anyway, congratulations on that.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, thank you. Thank you. You're great.

[Host]

But I, I, this is before I ever saw Playboy.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh.

[Host]

Which I know you turned down. Yeah, famously. Good for you.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, not enough money, you know.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, I do. I totally concur with that money.

[Barbara Eden]

Sorry.

[Host]

No shame in it. So why not? But yeah, if they weren't going to pay. When I started babysitting.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

There was one person who had, you know, the guy got Playboy.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

My father didn't.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, no, we didn't have Playboy.

[Host]

My father, I think it was his 50th birthday and somebody, as a gag gift, gave him a gag gift. I mean, it was, I don't know, I think to them it was a gag. To me it was deadly serious. A poster of Sophia Loren coming out of the water.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, my.

[Host]

And the water is making her tits stand up and stand out. And I just waited like two months before they forgot about it.

[Barbara Eden]

And you pull the spirit out.

[Host]

It never went on the wall. That's what I'm saying. They just let you know. It wasn't like my father was going to put it up. And I just waited until I thought they forgot about it and then spirited it to my room and put it in the back of my. I had a little closet about this wide. This. And I just put it on the wall with all my clothes so I could just park part my clothes.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Host]

And I even had it under Secret. I had it under Another poster of Mr. Spock in case my mother saw that. I know.

[Barbara Eden]

Always thinking.

[Host]

I was gonna say a strange little Machiavellian boy.

[Barbara Eden]

I was. Oh, you were a real boy.

[Host]

I was a real boy. I was. And I haven't changed a hell of a lot. Yeah, that's, that's my secret.

[Barbara Eden]

None of you have. They're all little boys.

[Host]

Believe me. It's so true. Right?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

And men take an especially long time to mature to the degree that they even do. Right?

[Barbara Eden]

Yes.

[Host]

Wouldn't you agree with that?

[Barbara Eden]

I just think it's great. I love that part about a man. I think men who are manly, you know, and suddenly you discover that they, they care or they're crying in the movie. You'll see a tear come down on the cheek. I love it.

[Host]

Oh, nothing wettens panties like that. Like the hot guy who plays against type or gets real sensitive or, you know. But don't ask Bob Conrad to do it.

[Barbara Eden]

Don't.

[Host]

I'm just. Remember him? Robert Cutt.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, sure.

[Host]

I tell you that the male stars of the 60s and 70s. Yeah, they were hot, like in a Way they forgot how to be Robert Conrad. Come on. Tell me you didn't have a little crush on Robert Conrad in his various TV shows.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, no, I didn't. I'm sorry. Really, I. I didn't.

[Host]

Why?

[Barbara Eden]

I don't know. I don't know.

[Host]

Did you know him?

[Barbara Eden]

He's not my type.

[Host]

Not your type of.

[Barbara Eden]

I. Yeah.

[Host]

I wanted to be. I want. He. I wanted to be him. I wanted to be with you and be him. But who else? Like Mannix, you know, they were, like, manly. They were just more unabashedly manly. And I feel like one of the problems we have today, and the sexes are just moving in opposite directions in every possible way. I mean, there's just a lot of hate for the other. There's incels.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, yeah.

[Host]

Those are guys. You know who that is? Involuntarily celibate. They're guys who can't get laid. Which, you know, no shame. I used to be an incel. We didn't have a name for it. And when I advertised that I can't get laid.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

I didn't want to join a club with other losers who can't get laid. I just. It was like, you can't get laid? Well, do something about it, you know? I masturbated and plotted how I could get better. Okay. They don't do that today. They just hate on the. They blame the women.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

And the women are like. Men are. Forget it. There's a whole movement now, you know, like just. They're. They're just irredeemable. You're not going to bring them along. And all of this plays right into the hands of the guys who least need to get laid. Because in a world where women are so cynical about men that they think, why even try? You might as well just fuck the cute guy. You might just fuck the fuck boy. So it just makes the problem worse.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, I guess. Hadn't thought about it.

[Host]

Yeah, well, I think it's really something that I want to throw in your lap. And I have a plan for you to go on Onlyfans. Would you. There's a question.

[Barbara Eden]

Hi, John.

[Host]

You know how. Oh, you could make a fortune on Onlyfans? I'll manage it. I'll be the manager. I'll take a very reasonable 20.

[Barbara Eden]

Okay.

[Host]

The colonel got 50. Come on. So. Yeah, but you know what? You know. You know what? Only Fans. Right?

[Barbara Eden]

You what?

[Host]

Only fans.

[Barbara Eden]

What that is, are you my only fan?

[Host]

No. There's a whole organization, the whole website called Only Fans.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, no, I don't know about that. No, no.

[Host]

Oh, no. Sit down.

[Barbara Eden]

Okay.

[Host]

No, even deeper. Sit even lower. This is not going to come as good news. Okay. Well, I mean, it's a website that advertises as a place where people can do anything. Show you how to cook or write poetry. It's women masturbating or showing their vaginas to men who are paying them electronically to watch them. And it's very, very popular. And millions of women, it's a big thing.

[Barbara Eden]

Hasn't it always been that?

[Host]

No, not like this. I mean, there weren't millions of American women who. Or go on pornhub. There's just an endless amount of women who are making porn videos.

[Barbara Eden]

And they get paid for it.

[Host]

Yes. Not. Well, except for at the very. At the high end of porn, at OnlyFans, they make millions a year.

[Barbara Eden]

Do they have a bag over their head?

[Host]

No, but I bet you they've tried that. You could probably get away with it if you had a hot enough body. But no, I mean, it's, you know, it's just. It's again, part of how sad this has become that there are men. I think the man part is certainly as sad that they think, yes, it is in some part of their brain that this is a real relationship.

[Barbara Eden]

Right? Right.

[Host]

And very often the woman who they're texting with, you know, as they look at her, it's not really that woman. It's some fat guy in the Philippines, right, who's pretending that he's this woman who doesn't even speak English because she's in Czechoslovakia. And this guy is so pathetic that he thinks this is, you know. Anyway, I hate to have been the one to have brought you that news.

[Barbara Eden]

I will always remember it. Yes, this is my brain.

[Host]

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[Barbara Eden]

Jack.

[Host]

Jack and Coke shot at Jack.

[Barbara Eden]

Jack Daniels, please.

[Host]

Right away. That's what makes Jack Jack. Please drink responsibly. Responsibility.org Jack Daniels and old number seven are registered trademarks. Copyright 2025 Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey. 40% alcohol by volume 80 proof. So do you think women are more promiscuous now?

[Barbara Eden]

When I was growing up, you could also get pregnant.

[Host]

You still can.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, but there's medicine and there's. Yeah, yeah, a lot of stuff going on. So. So.

[Host]

But they had condoms back then.

[Barbara Eden]

No. Yeah, they did.

[Host]

Just.

[Barbara Eden]

Did you carry one in your pocket all the time?

[Host]

Yeah, and. And sadly never used it. I may still have that too. No, I was, you know, terribly shy when I was.

[Barbara Eden]

I was too.

[Host]

Yeah, well, but see, it wasn't an issue for you because people would approach you and want you and talk to you, whereas the guy. I was the one who had to initiate and I couldn't do it.

[Barbara Eden]

No, I was just working. I really didn't.

[Host]

From what age?

[Barbara Eden]

I started at 14, but that was working on weekends in a department store.

[Host]

14.

[Barbara Eden]

Switched over to the bank in the sophomore year.

[Host]

Was that normal? To work at 14?

[Barbara Eden]

Sure, for sure. A lot of kids did. If it wasn't babysitting, it was doing something else. I worked, you know.

[Host]

Yeah, you're right. I did yard work. That's what I did. I just didn't. No, when I was 16, I got a job as a stock boy at the A and P. Yeah, yeah, that's right.

[Barbara Eden]

You said people would come to me, not you. You'd have to be the Instagram. Well, you would. You certainly would have to be. And I think it's normal, you know, to do that. But it doesn't always happen that way. I was also singing in dance bands, but this is after I got out. I was. I'm giving you a history here. I was going to City College and I was studying, still studying at the conservatory, and my mother heard me singing. We used to do the dishes and she'd sing with me, you know, mostly Gilbert and Sullivan, but. But she heard me studying what I had to do for the weekend. And she said, barbara, you're singing every note perfectly, but you don't mean a word you're saying. And she was right. She said, I think you should study acting. And that's. So then I had another thing to do at night, so I didn't go out a lot. And the. Oh, I know I'd want to tell you this. The acting teacher, the woman who had the school said, you're too shy, Barbara. You don't have to be the nice little girl, the good little girl all the time. And she also hit me on clothes because I wore mostly beige and black and, you know. And she said, get some color. And then every time there was a audition down in the theaters in San Francisco, she said, go down and audition. Is it just. You don't want the job, Just go and do it. Get used to it. And she was right. She was right. It served me well.

[Host]

Who championed you in those early years? Was there somebody?

[Barbara Eden]

My mother.

[Host]

Your mother? Nobody in the business. Like, there was nobody who was a mentor?

[Barbara Eden]

No.

[Host]

Like, who were the big people who you looked up to?

[Barbara Eden]

Like, watching everybody at the time. You mean before I came down to la?

[Host]

Yeah. Like, who was on TV that you wanted to be? Oh, well, Lucy.

[Barbara Eden]

Lucy, sure. Oh, yeah. There were a lot of women I really would like to have done. Yeah.

[Host]

Like, who else? There weren't that many women on tv. They were always the housewife in the sitcom. Like, Mary Tyler Moore changed the game.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. Yeah. But I really. I. I wasn't. I was never trying to be a person, a certain person or a certain part. I just wanted to work in my craft and I did all kinds of parts. All kinds of parts. But I wasn't thinking about being Lucy or. I mean, I loved her and I loved being on the show, but I also loved doing the Andy Griffith show and there are nothing but little old men on that show. But I had a wonderful time doing that part. If it's a well written Part and a well directed part. There's nothing better for me. I feel so much better when it's like that.

[Host]

Yeah. And you're also one of those people like the Fonz, you know, who does a part that's so iconic.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

That you know, it'll always be a great thing. And also a thing that can be a drag because the audience is the audience and you can't ever instruct them what to do or what to think or what to feel. And they just react. And that's all they should be doing.

[Barbara Eden]

Right.

[Host]

They're paying the money and they're watching the TV and buying the toothpaste. It's up. And, and it would be nice to be able to say to them, look, I, I, I'm not just jeie. But to them there's a certain percentage that like, they can't forget that because it was just so big. It's, it's, it's a victim of success in, in, in some ways, you know, and, and like that's, that's something that, you know, lots of sitcom actors really have had to fight again. Typecasting and pigeonholing.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, you know, after Jeannie I dove in and did a lot of different things.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

Cause you know, think about her. I didn't realize she's right there, always right there. But Harper Valley pta.

[Host]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

First it was a movie and then a TV show.

[Host]

First it was a song. Yeah, it's that the Genie C. Riley. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

No, no, I love that.

[Host]

Oh, if people don't know the song.

[Barbara Eden]

You got that wasn't Genie.

[Host]

No, no, no, I understand.

[Barbara Eden]

You know what I mean?

[Host]

Yeah, yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

And I. Oh, not at all. I headlined in Vegas doing and getting the old chords together. So I wasn't thinking or worrying about Jeannie at all.

[Host]

What was Vegas like then? It was like the 70s in Vegas.

[Barbara Eden]

Uh huh. Was that cool 80s?

[Host]

Yeah. I mean Sinatra was still playing Vegas then.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. And Elvis was right down the street.

[Host]

Yeah. Elvis. Of course. That was his era.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

You went to see him there?

[Barbara Eden]

I did the International.

[Host]

That's where he played. That's where Colonel Parker like lost interest him in a gambling bet or something. So we had to play there like a Mule. Like 2000 shows a year.

[Barbara Eden]

God, he was exciting. He got on that stage.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

He was just. First of all, when I work generally, especially in Vegas, I don't leave my bedroom. I do my show, I go back up. Because in Vegas you get Vegas throat. You've heard about that.

[Host]

I used to open for Musical acts in Vegas. And I remember them often getting Vegas Throat, which would give me the night off and I'd still get paid. So I loved Vegas Throat.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, I hated it.

[Host]

Oh, I know.

[Barbara Eden]

But what I did.

[Host]

Because it's so dry there.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, I would go. I'd do the show and I'd go up to the room. I had two shows a night, seven nights a week is what we did. And when I'd go to bed at night, I would have one of those hot steamers, you know. Of course, I had one on either side of the bed.

[Host]

Smart.

[Barbara Eden]

And my hair would go curly. And I would not talk a lot.

[Host]

Smart. Really smart.

[Barbara Eden]

I didn't go out right out of that room. And it was really boring. It really was.

[Host]

Vegas is rough. It was Vegas.

[Barbara Eden]

George Burns was the best. I worked with George.

[Host]

At what? At doing.

[Barbara Eden]

Just doing it. I loved working with him on stage. And then he'd say to the lady that was with me doing my hair, he'd say, come on, girls, let's go get some soup. And the first time he said that, I thought, I can't go get soup. You know, I can't go get soup. But I went anyway because he was so darn cute.

[Host]

Why is soup bad for your throat?

[Barbara Eden]

I don't know. I just didn't want to go down to the people.

[Host]

Oh, I see.

[Barbara Eden]

And for him, it was always, let's go get some soup. That was his thing, you're okay with. But it was fun. It was fun going with him. And it took some of the stress off of my worrying about.

[Host]

What is this act you were doing with him?

[Barbara Eden]

Well, he would open the show and then he'd introduce me. But I'd come out and I'd do Gracie Allen, actually, with him on stage.

[Host]

Wow.

[Barbara Eden]

Then he'd leave, and I would do my 50 minutes of whatever I was doing, singing.

[Host]

And so it was your show, but he was, like, the opening act?

[Barbara Eden]

No, we split the bill.

[Host]

You split the bill? It was billed as Barbara Eden. George Burns in Las Vegas.

[Barbara Eden]

No, it was George Burns, Barbara Eden.

[Host]

Okay. Well, he was a million years old. He deserved it. But, like, what hotel was this? Stardust or the.

[Barbara Eden]

No.

[Host]

Flamingo. The Riviera.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. No.

[Host]

The Sahara. The Sands.

[Barbara Eden]

Could have been the Riviera.

[Host]

The Platinum Lady.

[Barbara Eden]

I think it was the Riviera, but I'm not sure.

[Host]

I played the Riviera in 1985.

[Barbara Eden]

I played all of them, actually. The MGM. I opened the MGM.

[Host]

Really? The MGM Grand?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

That's the last place I played. The last Two years I was staying there six times a year. Yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

I couldn't take it anymore. I mean, not just Vegas, but especially Vegas. I mean, there is just something about that town that drains you. Like you're there for a day and you feel like you've been there for a week.

[Barbara Eden]

If you're like.

[Host]

And sometimes you're having fun.

[Barbara Eden]

Drains you.

[Host]

Yeah, I mean, part of it.

[Barbara Eden]

If you go and have a couple of days there, it's fun. That's it.

[Host]

Yeah, but like just coming down from the elevator and a clang, clang. Immediately assaulted with the lights and the clang, clang. And the. You know, it's just a bunch of stupid, like horrible people walking around in T shirts.

[Barbara Eden]

I knew that.

[Host]

Well, I mean, it's just. I mean, it's not the cream of the crop. It's just, you know, there was a time when a casino was, you know, James Bond walking in. In a tuxedo. Tuxedo. You get these. Lucky if they wear a T shirt tuxedo.

[Barbara Eden]

You're right. You're right.

[Host]

I mean, they're like practically bare chested in the lobby and they come in from the pool or whatever. It's just, it's.

[Barbara Eden]

My mother loved.

[Host]

It's dying.

[Barbara Eden]

You know, she went with me. I was. I also worked with Shecky Green.

[Host]

Oh, I remember Shecky Green.

[Barbara Eden]

I love him.

[Host]

Was he nice?

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, a beautiful guy.

[Host]

Really?

[Barbara Eden]

I loved him.

[Host]

Yeah, you were lucky. Everybody was nice to you.

[Barbara Eden]

Now he was really nice. And my mom and I would come down after I did because I opened for him and I would come down.

[Host]

Rachecky.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, yeah. This was at the MGM Grand.

[Host]

Okay.

[Barbara Eden]

And we'd come down and we'd put our chairs right in the wings and watch him because we didn't know what he was going to do. You never knew what Shecky was going.

[Host]

To do on stage because he was such an improvisational.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

That's awesome.

[Barbara Eden]

And naughty.

[Host]

Yes.

[Barbara Eden]

And my mother loved it.

[Host]

You know, See, I didn't. I mean, you just after all these years, changed my mind about Chuckie Green, or as the kids call him, who. Because I always thought he was kind of. I never saw him work that much. So I guess I kind of thought maybe because the name Shaky, I thought, oh, this guy's probably corny. And now you're telling me he actually was kind of a genius.

[Barbara Eden]

He really. He was great. I'll tell you one, one time I was doing my show and I thought, gee, really a good audience. I walked off and my conductor said, well, Barbara you really killed him tonight. And I said, thank you. And I went upstairs to change my clothes, get my mom. We're going to sit in the wings. We're sitting in the wings and Shecky is sweating and talking. And finally he comes walking off, he said, and. And cursing like mad. And we said, what's wrong? What's wrong? He said, how can I make people laugh if there's a dead guy in front?

[Host]

Actual dead guy.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, yeah.

[Host]

But he was good for your show, no. Oh, well, why did you do good.

[Barbara Eden]

If you couldn't see him?

[Host]

Oh, you couldn't see.

[Barbara Eden]

I didn't know the audience was.

[Host]

But you said the audience was good, for sure.

[Barbara Eden]

I don't think the audience.

[Host]

Obviously, they didn't give a shit.

[Barbara Eden]

They didn't know. I don't think. You know, but he was there. They covered him up with a tablecloth.

[Host]

During Shecky's performance?

[Barbara Eden]

No, during mine.

[Host]

They covered him with a tablecloth during your performance?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. But I didn't know it. I didn't know this one.

[Host]

But the audience must have seen that.

[Barbara Eden]

I don't know. They got the wife out of there. I heard afterwards, you know what they did?

[Host]

The Desert Inn has Heart. We got the wife out of there. The guy we put a tablecloth over. Of course, the show must go on. Wait.

[Barbara Eden]

I couldn't believe it. Well, the lights are so bright, especially if you're doing a single singing, you know, you don't see the audience down, especially near what.

[Host]

Go back to. They put a tablecloth over him. Because I just cannot. You did your act with a guy with tablecloth over him who's dead?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, but I didn't know it.

[Host]

What'd you think they were doing it for?

[Barbara Eden]

I couldn't see it. Oh, I couldn't see it.

[Host]

Where was he sitting in the room?

[Barbara Eden]

He was sitting right. Well, if this is the end of the stage.

[Host]

Oh, so front.

[Barbara Eden]

It's right there.

[Host]

Always the dead ones in front.

[Barbara Eden]

Really?

[Host]

People die all the time in shows, and I swear to God, it's always in the front row. That's the old saying. I killed him, you know. Wow.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Well, that's a great memory, really. I mean, how many people have that moment?

[Barbara Eden]

That's Jackie. How can I make them laugh with a dead guy out in front of.

[Host]

I remember a couple of times doing a standup show and somebody had to go for a medical, you know, reason. And then you have to find a way to recover from that and make the audience not be, you know. I remember it happened a few years ago. And I remember thinking after the show, I'm glad this happened when I was in my 60s. I don't think I would have handled it nearly as well in my 30s. You know, it takes a certain skill that a lifetime of performing will.

[Barbara Eden]

Especially for you. Well, yeah, because you're doing a one.

[Host]

Person talk and it's getting people to laugh, which they have to feel permission to do. So you have to kind of bring them slowly down to, you know, he's gonna be fine. This just in. It's just indigestion, you know. Now I don't know what I did, but, like, you slowly get back to your show as if it, you know, it's just, you know. But I don't know if I could have done the guy with the tablecloth.

[Barbara Eden]

I just feel like it was disgusting.

[Host]

I mean, why don't they just put a fork in them? I mean, literally, I've heard the term. And this would seem. Wow. But speaking of dying in the show, Vegas is dying. I just. I keep reading this.

[Barbara Eden]

I read that today.

[Host]

Yes. Isn't that sad?

[Barbara Eden]

It is. Well, they overbuilt it, first of all. Looks like a little city.

[Host]

They overbuilt it. I used to. We used to be able to just walk down one street, the Strip. Like the Riviera was at this end and Caesar's was at this end.

[Barbara Eden]

The MGM was the farthest out.

[Host]

Yeah, I think that came later. But when I first worked it in the 80s, I think the farthest thing was Caesar. I think Caesar's palace was.

[Barbara Eden]

Do you ever work the one up the top of the. With the circle?

[Host]

The circle, Yeah.

[Barbara Eden]

I don't remember what it was called, but you had to go up to the top, and that's where the showroom was.

[Host]

Oh, no.

[Barbara Eden]

And it was a circle. It would move.

[Host]

You mean like in the round? Yeah, but yeah, I've worked many in the round stages. Never liked them after the audience is looking at your ass the whole show.

[Barbara Eden]

I've done a lot of that too.

[Host]

Yeah, I'm sure it works better for.

[Barbara Eden]

You than me with a book show. I did a theater in the round.

[Host]

But anytime you're in the round, the thing is moving, right?

[Barbara Eden]

No.

[Host]

Oh, no, no. Oh, you never did where it's moving?

[Barbara Eden]

No.

[Host]

Oh, well, that's what in the round is. You're in the middle. It's a circle around you, and it's constantly rotating like you're a lazy Susan.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, we used to call it in the round. I don't know. John Kennedy. Do you ever work For John Kennedy.

[Host]

Well, if the audience is all around you, the thing has to move because you can't show your ass to one side the whole time. So it just. You. It just. It's just, it's. It's bad. I would never do it again for any amount of money. Yeah, but it's. It's a common thing to be. To work in the round like that, that people do it. And I guess some people like it anyway.

[Barbara Eden]

I've never been on one that was moved like that. Maybe for one number they moved it, but I've never really. I actually, I did with John Rate when I first. Because I didn't. I didn't sing for a long time in la and this was my. My first singing that John Rate, this beautiful voice. I remember all the stars came to see John. They all came, especially opening night. And I was so frightened. I mean, so frightened because all the, you know, the aisles would go down to this round stage and if the lights went out, you couldn't get back, you know, back and forth. And I thought, I can't do this. I literally felt my heart something. I can't do this. Then I figured, well, I have an understudy. She can do it, she can do it. I'll just say I'm sick. I had this all going through my brain and then I heard the music and I walked down and did it. Thank God. But I've never been that terrified.

[Host]

But you did it. I mean, not to shit on the younger generations, but the older generations have this idea. There's no business like show business. There's no business. I know they smile when they are low and you just always go out there. Yeah, I've never missed a show. Except when they made me twice because I had Covid. And a couple of times I missed standup shows because the plane broke and I couldn't get there. But I've never, like, actually missed a show because I felt shitty. Right. And today, like, pop stars often cancel shows just because they just feel shitty. I mean, I'm exhausted or I'm this. Or I got. You know, and they just. It's just like, no, I just can't. When a whole, like, gaggle of people have paid and gotten babysitters or whatever they had to do to get their ass out there. And then you just can't. I'm sorry. You know, call me what you want. Oh, get off my lawn. Fuck you. It's true. It's bullshit.

[Barbara Eden]

I broke a rib once.

[Host]

Broke a rib and still performed.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. I was doing Woman of the Year. And this was at the theater in near New York. I can't think of the name of it now, but I loved doing that play. It was fabulous. But they turned the lights out and I had to go down like this to get to the aisle. It was going up to where I made a quick change and my heel caught in something and bang, I fell. I felt. Felt like a car had hit me. And I lay there and I could hear people say, where'd she go? Where'd she go? And I was thinking, just stay here, Barbara. Just stay here. But I got up and they caught me and took me into the room. I changed my clothes to the quick change. It wasn't so quick. And got up on the stage and started singing, and I got a standing ovation for a rib.

[Host]

That's almost the exact plot of Showgirls.

[Barbara Eden]

Is it?

[Host]

You ever see Showgirls?

[Barbara Eden]

No.

[Host]

Oh, you have to. But ironically.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

You've heard of it?

[Barbara Eden]

No.

[Host]

Oh, it came out in the 90s. It was supposed to be a big movie. I mean, they spent a lot of money on it. It's one of those movies that is so bad it doesn't know it's funny. Except people have been knowing it's funny for 30 years and they watch it for comedy, which it is.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

But it's only funny because you realize they were serious.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

It's about a girl who goes to Vegas to be a showgirl, to be a star, and the ambition. And there's a scene where she's the understudy and the girl who she wants to take the place of, she pushes her down the stairs. Oh, it's.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, my God.

[Host]

Yeah. It's truly funny. And it's Vegas in the 90s. You'll watch it with. Watch it with your husband and say, do you do that? Do you, like, get into bed and watch some silly thing on streaming?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Is that one of your.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, we don't. We stay in. We stay in. We have a big screen, which we just got, and we love it. But we sit on the sofa and watch.

[Host]

You don't watch before bed?

[Barbara Eden]

No, we go to bed, he falls asleep, and I read.

[Host]

That's better. Better to read. See, I have to watch TV before I go to sleep.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, I would probably do that, too, but the TV isn't in our bedroom. We can fix that, you know. I know, but there's no room for it.

[Host]

We have the technology now. We can put it right at the end of the bed. There's just something about.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

[Host]

I mean, I am TV generation, you know, born in the mid-1950s, people just did not divorce or, you know, certainly no gay. That just didn't exist. Oh, well, I mean, there were people we all knew who were gay. Paul Lynde. Did you ever work with Paul Lynde?

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, sure.

[Host]

Okay. Well, you knew he was gay, right?

[Barbara Eden]

Remember? Of course.

[Host]

But the audience did not.

[Barbara Eden]

No, they didn't. But you know, my friends were gay. I had Rock Hudson. Yeah.

[Host]

Really?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Was he your friend?

[Barbara Eden]

Well, I knew him. He wasn't a friend, but I knew him. Yes. Nice. Nice guy.

[Host]

Absolutely.

[Barbara Eden]

But I didn't think of it. Of course. I came from San Francisco and I think that city is more. Or was more mixed. More mixed. We had all different colors in our school and we didn't think anything of it.

[Host]

Yeah, I mean, San Francisco is more liberal. Obviously. It became extremely liberal. But you know, liberals back in that era had beliefs that would appall the woke people of today. I mean, remember the movie Guess who's Coming to Dinner?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Great movie, right?

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

1967, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn. And the plot is the daughter brings home a beautiful black boyfriend, Sidney Poitier. Who could resist him? And the couple is a liberal couple, but their objection is not, oh, you're marrying a black guy. Their objection is your life is going to be difficult and you're our daughter and we. So that's what's making us hesitate. Well, if you tried to do that today, they would just say you're the most horrible people in the world.

[Barbara Eden]

Because it isn't difficult anymore.

[Host]

The world has changed a lot.

[Barbara Eden]

Yes, it has.

[Host]

They really don't give enough quite credit to how. I mean, America has a lot of problems, but America can change and has and does. I mean, you can show belly buttons on TV now, you can show way more.

[Barbara Eden]

We're very lucky in this country.

[Host]

I mean, when I think that you couldn't show your belly button and when I first only went on the Tonight show or one of my first times in the early 80s and I said the word sucks, the airport sucks. And they got mad. Of course, Johnny was saying it next week because nobody gave a shit. Yeah, yeah, so, but like that's where you couldn't say ass.

[Barbara Eden]

Ass.

[Host]

You had to work around the word. And now Comedy Central, which is like basic cable tv. Yeah, everything. It's just amazing.

[Barbara Eden]

Which is overkill.

[Host]

Overkill, yes.

[Barbara Eden]

It isn't necessary, you know, really.

[Host]

Right.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

Well, it is.

[Barbara Eden]

For Dice Clay, you talked about, we had a little group of nuns visit Us on the set.

[Host]

Nuns.

[Barbara Eden]

Uh huh. And I mean really nuns in the black things in the little hat because they were the Flying Nun. They'd gone to her set and then they came and brought them down.

[Host]

Were you on the same network as the Flying Nun?

[Barbara Eden]

No, but we were.

[Host]

You were NBC.

[Barbara Eden]

We were at Columbia Studios.

[Host]

Okay.

[Barbara Eden]

Shooting. It's movies, you know. But Larry, dear Larry, you don't know him. Hagman.

[Host]

Larry Hagman. I do know him. Or I did know him. He's a sweetheart, I loved him, but.

[Barbara Eden]

He'S a little crazy.

[Host]

Yes, sure.

[Barbara Eden]

Anyway, the little noemuns came down. I took one look at them and I took one look at Larry and I turned around and I went in my dressing room because I knew what he was going to do. He said every foul word he knew and it was pretty good. Then he got the axe from the fire axe and then started throwing it like this on the ground and singing really nasty words. And finally the guys on the crew got the thing away from. Because he could hit the coaxial cable and kill us all, you know, so. But I was peeking, but I wasn't out there. It was. The upshot of it was we never had any more guests on our. That was it.

[Host]

I remember when Sammy Davis was a guest.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh yeah.

[Host]

Because Admiral Bellows.

[Barbara Eden]

Yes, how come we remember that? Hayden Rourke.

[Host]

Hayden Rourke, another one in a lot of shows, always played that officious, kind of wonderful guy. Oh good.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah.

[Host]

I hate to be so cynical that I didn't think Hayden Rourke was good.

[Barbara Eden]

No, he was beautiful.

[Host]

But he wanted some entertainment. And Sammy Davis Jr. Guested.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah, right, yeah.

[Host]

But Larry Hagman, he got a reputation as being a real eccentric and he kind of was.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, he was.

[Host]

Yes, he didn't talk on Sunday, but.

[Barbara Eden]

He was a talented, very talented.

[Host]

Yeah. Oh, and huge success with Dallas, the way he, he, he that part in half. But like he. I remember once he was giving me the recipe for what he eats in the morning, which is a pot muffin or brownie, you know, he was telling me how to. Exactly how to make it. And that's what he would do every morning is make a pot muffin. I don't know.

[Barbara Eden]

He would make it. I think, I think his wife.

[Host]

Well, whatever, my aunt. Okay. But anyway, it was made and eaten and I was like, wow, this guy eats pot first thing every day and just stays high all day with that. It's kind of awesome. I couldn't do it myself, but I admired it. And he also didn't talk on Sundays.

[Barbara Eden]

I Know.

[Host]

But he wasn't like that when you knew him, right? When he was.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, yeah.

[Host]

He didn't talk on Sundays.

[Barbara Eden]

Well, yeah, no, he wouldn't. He wouldn't because they told him he had to have therapy. And he did go to a therapist who I think just made him worse. But he told him, take a day when you don't talk, you don't do anything. So Larry didn't talk, but he got his guru clothes on, robes flipping in the wind, and would have a flag, and he'd march down the beach in Malibu and everybody would march in back of him, but he wouldn't talk. But he got a lot of attention.

[Host]

Have you ever been in therapy?

[Barbara Eden]

No.

[Host]

Me neither. No, I mean, I'm sure it helps people.

[Barbara Eden]

Oh, I know it does.

[Host]

But like you just said, it made it. You think maybe it made it worse. Yeah, it can also do that.

[Barbara Eden]

I think.

[Host]

I do.

[Barbara Eden]

You go to the wrong person, you're. You know.

[Host]

I mean. Yeah, I guess that's what it is. Like any doctor, there's good ones and bad ones. But it's just such a nebulous area of the human mind. I mean, like, to pretend you know things. Yes, maybe you do. You see different. You see lots of patients and you see patterns in people's behavior. I think you people. Therapists can do that. But, you know, so many people have been in therapy for decades.

[Barbara Eden]

It's a crutch.

[Host]

And you would think if it, you know, doesn't something either work or not, don't you have to give a certain time limit on, you know. But. Yeah, but you seem extremely sane, Barbara Eden. Extremely sane.

[Barbara Eden]

I wouldn't say that.

[Host]

So many people have sat in that chair who are fucking nuts. I'm just telling you in, like, not in every way. Like, you'll be talking to them and blah, blah, blah, and everything seems normal. And then it'll be like. And then we fake the moon landing and you're like, okay. And like, I'm telling you, a lot of people, especially people in show business, they just believe crazy things. And you don't seem crazy at all. And that's great to see. Well, I appreciate it.

[Barbara Eden]

You'll never know.

[Host]

Okay, well, I can't tell you how much I loved you coming here and appreciate you and do that for me.

[Barbara Eden]

I enjoy that.

[Host]

You've kind of fulfilled a lifelong dream.

[Barbara Eden]

Thank you for having me.

[Host]

Would you.

[Barbara Eden]

I really enjoy.

[Host]

Would you sign my bottle? No.

[Barbara Eden]

I certainly will.

[Host]

Okay. Let's pose with the bottle.

[Barbara Eden]

Okay. I'm gonna try to get you one of our bottles.

[Host]

What do you mean they were. Oh, wow. That would be awesome.

[Barbara Eden]

Yeah. There's a guy who makes.

[Host]

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