Pics Of Barbara Eden Rocking Her I Dream Of Jeannie Costume In The '60s & Nearly 5 Decades Later

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Barbara Eden rose to fame playing Jeannie on the 1960s hit series "I Dream of Jeannie." The series was a success thanks in part to its humor, but Eden's outfit, which was rather risqué for the time, was the real star. And while the show ended in 1970, fans still couldn't get enough decades later. Eden's autobiography, "Jeannie Out of the Bottle," was a New York Times best-seller in 2011, and, in 2013, the star proved she still had it when she wore her iconic outfit on stage with Bill Clinton.

Sean Gallup/life Ball 2013/Getty Images

Eden, who really hated one specific episode of "I Dream of Jeannie," reprised her famous role at 81 when she joined the former president at an AIDS LIFE event. Talking with Entertainment Weekly, Eden revealed that she hadn't planned on wearing the costume, and even told a friend, "I'll be naked before I put that on" when they suggested taking it along just in case. Still, Eden packed the costume, and when the outfit she was meant to wear proved to be too big for her small frame, she was happy to have the original with her. The TV star slipped on her famous wardrobe for the first time in 50 years and headed to the stage, where she met a very happy Clinton, who exclaimed, "Of all the things I have to thank [Life Ball founder] Gery Keszler for, meeting Barbara Eden may be the best." 

The star looked absolutely amazing in her Jeannie garb even after all those years. Now in her 90s, Eden still looks absolutely gorgeous. Living in a bottle and granting wishes clearly works for her.

Eagle-eyed fans of "I Dream of Jeannie" surely noticed one big difference between how Barbara Eden looked on the show and how she appeared at the Life Ball in 2013: they could see her belly button. When the series originally aired in 1965, network censors demanded that they keep Eden's navel hidden behind her pants. The whole thing turned into a joke between the show's crew and the Hollywood press. Eden recalled to the Archive of American Television that things blew up when "A writer ... for the Hollywood Reporter would come down on set, and he teased me about it. He says, 'Where's your belly button, Barbara? I bet you don't have one'" 

The reporters' jests led to published articles, and before long Eden's unseen belly button became a big story. Eden explained, "It began to snowball, then George Schlatter wanted to premiere Jeannie's navel on 'Laugh-In.'" But NBC, which aired both "I Dream of Jeanie" and "Laugh-In," was steadfastly against it. Schlatter told Eden about the meeting regarding her infamous belly button, which she described: "Here was this long oak table with all the suits around it. And it was a very serious meeting talking about my belly button and whether it should be seen or not be seen." In the end, NBC denied Schlatter's request, and Eden had to keep her lint-catcher hidden away from the world. Oddly, NBC didn't have an issue with "Laugh-In" showing off other belly buttons. The network was happy to have Goldie Hawn, who became the show's breakout star, dance around in a bikini.