Ep 17. Jeannie, the Governor's Wife

In "Jeannie, the Governor's Wife," the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of I Dream of Jeannie, premiered on January 15, 1969, in a hilarious situation, Jeannie surprises Tony after she has become the wife of a respected government official.

The episode opens with Tony putting in extra hours at the office. Jeannie drops in to visit him and discovers that Tony is working on a proposal to upgrade the state's highway system. She offers to help, but Tony declines because he wants to prove he can do it on his own. Later on, Tony's boss, General Schaeffer, comes in with good news: since the governor is retiring at the end of the week, the general has recommended Tony to replace him.

Meanwhile, Jeannie has been daydreaming about what it would be like to be a governor's wife. To impress Tony, she decides to make herself look like a governor's wife, with new, elegant clothes, hairdo, and charm. Not stopping there, she files a fictitious marriage license in Tony's name stating they wed and honeymooned in Hawaii. Tony is surprised when a journalist follows Jeannie to his house, and they both pretend that she is his wife, hoping that the rumor will die down.

However, moments later, the governor appears and announces that Tony's appointment must be approved by the Senate. It is then that Jeannie reveals herself as Tony's "wife." Tony, afraid it will hurt his chances of being approved, has no choice but to go along with the story. Jeannie, as the governor's wife, will be attending a formal dinner with Tony and General Schaeffer.

Jeannie, feeling she needs to impress the stuffy Senate wives and gain their approval, decides they should entertain with magic. First, Jeannie magically makes wine appear in several glasses. Next, she clicks her fingers, and each Senator sees his wife sitting next to him wearing a fancy dress. The Senators are amazed, but Tony and General Schaefer chastise Jeannie for breaking the rules. The dinner is ruined, and Jeannie gets upset, feeling that she has ruined Tony's chance of becoming governor.

The next day, Jeannie overhears a conversation that the Senate will not approve Tony because of what happened at the dinner. She decides to set things right and offers to undo all the things she did wrong. She tells Tony to write a sincere proposal for the Senate detailing his plan, and to speak from the heart. Meanwhile, Jeannie works hard to make amends, including finding a way to present herself as a "normal" wife. She prepares meals, cleans the house, and even takes care of Mr. Schaeffer's cat.

The day of the interview arrives, and Tony wins the Senate's approval with his heartfelt proposal. Jeannie makes one more surprise appearance as a "regular" wife, hoping to overcome their objections to her magical powers. She is casually cleaning up in the background when Tony makes the announcement that he is withdrawing his name from the governor's race on the grounds that he can serve the people better from a non-elected position. Jeannie is heartbroken and disappears in shame. However, the resolution is happy and satisfactory, making the episode of season four one to remember.