# What role is Larry Hagman best known for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [April 7, 2025, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749 "2025-04-07T17:15:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/121 "2025-04-09T03:15:22Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Jeannie II was as naughty as Samantha’s cousin Serena on _ **Bewitched** _. All you have to do to create an evil twin is put a dark wig on a blonde actress and hey, presto! Not quite the same. Serena seemed to be Endora’s accomplice in trying to sabotage Samantha’s marriage. Jeannie II just wanted to have a good time. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/122 "2025-04-09T03:30:05Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Serena seemed to be Endora’s accomplice in trying to sabotage Samantha’s marriage. According [to the wiki](https://bewitched.fandom.com/wiki/Serena): ’ Despite her constant plotting with Endora, Serena is in favor of Samantha and Darrin being married.’ I remember the character, but I honestly can’t remember any plot points with her. Bewitched plots weren’t memorably deep 😀. But sounds like she was played as more mischievous than malevolent. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/123 "2025-04-09T04:33:56Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > But sounds like she was played as more mischievous than malevolent. Yeah. She was the groovy counterpart to the kinda square Samantha. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/124 "2025-04-09T17:11:11Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > 'Despite her constant plotting with Endora, Serena is in favor of Samantha and Darrin being married.’ Indeed, Serena and Uncle Arthur were the only two witches who actually liked Darren and supported his marriage to Samantha. I’m ashamed I remember that without having to look it up. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/125 "2025-04-09T17:16:46Z")
Though half of Uncle Arthur’s reason was if Endora didn’t like Darren, liking him would annoy her and he liked annoying his (much) older sister. Weirdness, Paul Lynn showed up in an early season as the driving instructor for Sam. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/126 "2025-04-09T17:17:07Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Indeed, Serena and Uncle Arthur were the only two witches who actually liked Darren and supported his marriage to Samantha. I mean, didn’t Serena bespell Darrin to fall in love with her? I always had the vibe that she was interested in him, so maybe not precisely supportive. I’m ashamed I remembered that, even if it’s untrue. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/127 "2025-04-09T17:24:12Z")
Pandora Spocks was the listed actress for Serena. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/128 "2025-04-09T17:26:26Z")
There was no “Who shot Tony?” on IDOJ. _Dallas_ by far. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/129 "2025-04-09T17:37:54Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Pandora Spocks was the listed actress for Serena. Apt… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/130 "2025-04-09T18:26:34Z")
Addendum: I remember now that Kristin had a miscarriage after JR paid to get her out of town, and she was impregnated soon afterwards by another man. So Christopher was _not_ JR’s son, as Bobby learned from digging up the original birth certificate. Up to that point, JR had blackmailed Bobby by threatening to reveal his dirty secret, but Bobby decked him the next time he tried it. I’ve always thought it odd that JR and Sue Ellen, who also knew the dirty secret, never bothered to do the simple math required to prove it couldn’t be true. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/131 "2025-04-09T20:42:48Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > There was no “Who shot Tony?” on IDOJ. It would have been Dr. Bellows. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/132 "2025-04-09T20:48:08Z")
Honestly, who could blame him? ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/133 "2025-04-09T21:35:47Z")
Larry Hagman himself thought so little of I Dream Of Jeannie that he didn’t do the reunion movie, Wayne Rogers subbed in. I don’t think he cared much for the role and I don’t think he really added that much to it; Dick York was far more effective in the same sort of role on Bewitched. IDOJ was silly even by 1960s standards; Bewitched, Hogan’s Heroes, and Get Smart were better sitcoms of that ilk. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/134 "2025-04-09T22:23:23Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > Larry Hagman himself thought so little of I Dream Of Jeannie that he didn’t do the reunion movie, Wayne Rogers subbed in. I don’t think he cared much for the role and I don’t think he really added that much to it; Dick York was far more effective in the same sort of role on Bewitched. As I think about it, the role demanded that Hagman essentially act as the straight man to the entire rest of the main cast: Jeannie, as well as Roger Healey (his playboy antics, as well as his occasional schemes to benefit from Jeannie’s powers) and Dr. Bellows (continually suspicious of strange goings on in Tony’s life). Dick York brought a certain frantic, wide-eyed frustration to Darren, but that sort of thing may not have been in Hagman’s wheelhouse. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/135 "2025-04-10T06:11:52Z")
Sorry to break it to you, but that’s Joie Addison, not Principal. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/136 "2025-04-10T13:01:32Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > s I think about it, the role demanded that Hagman essentially act as the straight man to the entire rest of the main cast: Jeannie, as well as Roger Healey (his playboy antics, as well as his occasional schemes to benefit from Jeannie’s powers) and Dr. Bellows (continually suspicious of strange goings on in Tony’s life). > > Dick York brought a certain frantic, wide-eyed frustration to Darren, but that sort of thing may not have been in Hagman’s wheelhouse On Bewitched York was the funny one of the couple, despite Montgomery having the powers. The show didn’t work as well with Dick Sargent. Sargent could do a snarky one liner, but he wasn’t the reactor York was, he was more like Hagman. Plus he couldn’t pull off the romance very well either. So they had Montgomery do more comedy, puns and stuff, and she wasn’t that good at it. Yeah, I don’t know if Hagman could have done what York did either. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/137 "2025-04-10T13:02:12Z")
My life is in ruins. I found a clip of the scene (on a porn site, can’t find it anywhere else) - but it wasn’t at all the scene I remembered. In my memory the camera was looking into the elevator from the lobby. When the doors opened there she was. But in the clip the camera was down the hall, you couldn’t see into the elevator. Something fishy here. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/138 "2025-04-10T13:35:53Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > On Bewitched York was the funny one of the couple, despite Montgomery having the powers. The show didn’t work as well with Dick Sargent. Sargent could do a snarky one liner, but he wasn’t the reactor York was, he was more like Hagman. Plus he couldn’t pull off the romance very well either. So they had Montgomery do more comedy, puns and stuff, and she wasn’t that good at it. > > Yeah, I don’t know if Hagman could have done what York did either. I was thinking along very similar lines. And York/Sargent provides a natural experiment of two very different actors slotted into the same role making into a different role. Which raises the question in my mind of what other actors might have done a different or better Major Nelson than Hagman? And how might the IDoJ overall plot and other players have been different? Akin to how _Bewitched_’s Montgomery had to alter her role to make up for Sargent’s differences. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/139 "2025-04-10T13:42:28Z")
> [@sunacres](#): > > My life is in ruins. > > I found a clip of the scene (on a porn site, can’t find it anywhere else) - but it wasn’t at all the scene I remembered I can’t help you with that clip, but I had a similar ruinous revelation once. I saw **[Bachelor Party (1984 film) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_Party_(1984_film))** when it came out. I was GF-less and frustrated at the time. There’s one scene where one of the bachelor guys is in a hotel room alone and there’s a knock at the door. Standing outside is one of the bachelorette babes in a negligee. She says something like “I’m lonely. Please make love to me.” It somehow struck me as a hugely sexy and touching moment; not raunchy, but very engaging to this male person in the audience. I saw the clip a few years ago flipping through youtube and it was utterly flat. Despite the babe being as cute as ever. Somehow it was nothing like I remembered it. My life was ruined. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2025, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749/140 "2025-04-11T02:03:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Which raises the question in my mind of what other actors might have done a different or better Major Nelson than Hagman? Imagine a world in which Major Healy had found Jeannie. Suddenly he has the power for all his hare-brained schemes to work (and blow up in his face.) Between the naive, trusting Jeannie and the now-powerful Roger Healy, Larry Hagman has to play the staunchly moral, secret-keeping straight man even harder than he did in the original. No wonder Hagman wanted to play a villian in _Dallas_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-is-larry-hagman-best-known-for/1016749.md?page=8)