Actress Barbara Eden, best known for her role as Jeannie in I Dream of Jeannie, loved working with Elvis Presley on the 1960 movie Flaming Star. Barbara and “The King” took advantage of the long breaks on set to have deep heart-to-heart talks about marriage and love. Elvis even brought up a new girl in his life named Priscilla.
Barbara appeared on a panel alongside fellow actress Jackée Harry at Christmas Con in Pasadena, California, where she was delighted to answer questions about the experience. She stated, “Elvis was a delight. He was fabulous! He was so wonderful.”
She said that even though this was not a typical Elvis film, it was a stunning showcase of his acting abilities. “I think it was the only film he did that he got really good reviews for his acting and he didn't sing a song," she said. "His fans hated it, but the critics loved it, and he was a joy to work with."
Eden at 91 is still as feisty as ever. She joked that she "didn't have a romance with Elvis like most of his leading ladies did." Barbara at that time was married to Michael Ansara, an actor famous for playing Cochise in Broken Arrow.
At one point, Jackée said, “I'd have jumped Elvis.” But Barbara rebutted, “You wouldn't if you had Cochise for a husband.” Barbara and Elvis were good friends and colleagues.
She remembers him as a “gentleman.” She talked about his generous on-set behavior. She stated, "I'd come on the set and he'd get me a chair. Actors don't do that. You can sit on the floor, they don't care.” She appreciated his good manners.
On sets there is always a lot of “hurry up and wait” in between shots. Barbara recalled, “And in between shots, when they were fixing the lights and everything, he'd get his guitar out and he'd sing. Wonderfully, he'd sing. … And we used to talk. We talked a lot."
Their conservations were meaningful. They discussed her marriage with Michael and Elvis’ time in Germany. Elvis even told Barbara about meeting his future wife, Priscilla.
Elvis even asked Barbara for advice. Barbara recalled, “He said, 'How do you have a marriage in Hollywood? How do you do this with all the stuff going on?'" She told him how she and Michael made their relationship work. She said, “You know, for us, it's our job. This is how we make money. That's it.” When he told her about Priscilla, she went on to say: “Well, you know, if the two of you are a team, you'll be fine.” Barbara joked with the panel that hindsight is 2020, adding “little did I know.”
Barbara also recalled going to Las Vegas, Nevada, with Michael to see Elvis perform. She said, "I've seen a lot of people work but this was the most thrilling thing I've ever seen. All those guitars! Elvis was fabulous. He was just wonderful.”
Barbara chooses to remember her friend in his best light. “I remember him that way, not the later years. Because he was beautiful and a lovely man." A touching tribute to her costar Elvis.
