You know that American television is far-reaching when you turn on the TV in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, as I did a few years ago, and to your amazement, the first show you come across is "I Dream of Jeannie" broadcast from a Jordanian television station. Talk about disorienting! My husband and I were unpacking our suitcases and admiring the view of the Dome of the Rock from our room when I decided to check the news. I was looking for CNN or the BBC but of all things, there was "Jeannie" in her circa-1960s Americanized belly-dancer outfit being chased around a room by Larry Hagman playing a frantic astronaut. Don't get me wrong - I loved the show when I was a kid, and I was sorry to hear the news that Larry Hagman has passed away. While everyone else seems to remember him as J.R. on "Dallas," I prefer his role on "I Dream of Jeannie," although I have to wonder what people around the world must think about Americans as depicted in either show.
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