Directed by sometime actor/director Robert Gist, the 1963 season's "I Dream of Genie" is played for laughs and veteran comic and prolific voice-over star Howard Morris provides them. Morris plays a weak-willed timid fellow who just happens to rub a mysterious lamp the right way and (POOF!!) wise-cracking Jack Albertson (of all people) suddenly appears as the genie of the title. But alas, poor wishy-washy Howard is only given one wish and then he has a heap of trouble trying to decide which course of action to take. The vignettes that follow are all well-acted although the final one where Mr. Morris is our new commander-in-chief struck me as the best of the bunch. Patricia Barry has several roles but her distressed mother begging for mercy and a presidential pardon from Morris' president wins her the blue ribbon. The payoff for this spoof is worth the wait and all involved share in the fun except Albertson. His job has been taken over by an unlikely source and he's nowhere to be found when the magic lamp gets its next customer.
Review of I Dream of Genie
