In 1965, a zany sitcom about an astronaut and his unbottled genie first aired on American TV. Forty years later, the town of Cocoa Beach, FL, just south of the Cape Canaveral Space Center, is celebrating their role as the show's location with "We Dream of Jeannie," a special event on Friday, Sept. 16. The town will also hold Jeannie and Teannie Jeannie look-alike contests.

Cocoa Beach's only permanent acknowledgment of its pop culture legacy are street signs for "I Dream of Jeannie Lane," named in 1996. The town has only recently embraced the connection, perhaps because "I Dream of Jeannie" was filmed in California, not Florida, and real astronauts don't live anywhere near Cape Canaveral. Still, we expect a statue will be added eventually, probably part of the TV Land project responsible for erecting sculptures to other Baby Boomer TV favorites.

February 10, 2012

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