Dr. Bellows

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Dr. Bellows is a shrewd and cautious man who is inevitably used as a scapegoat. He becomes fixated on Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman) and Roger Healy (Bill Daily) when they are caught in a web of inexplicable situations resulting from the magic of a genie, appropriately named "Jeannie". He observes, records and ponders their activities, determined to uncover the cause.


Wife Amanda Bellows (Emmaline Henry) is introduced in Season 2. She is an inquisitive woman who shares his interest in Major Nelson and Major Healey. Despite wanting to unravel the mystery around Tony and Roger, Bellows remains a true and loyal friend to Tony though he is never as close to Tony as Roger is. At one point Tony tries to preserve Bellows' medical career when the generals order a new medical officer brought in, who is far more blunt and planned to inject Tony with truth serum. Had this happened, Jeannie's true abilities would have been revealed.

Nevertheless, Tony and Roger sometimes make fun of Bellows in private. Jeannie often feels sorry for him as her attempts to help her master often result in landing Bellows in trouble, as well as Tony and Roger. Fans of this 1960s sitcom created a journal in which Dr. Bellows recorded his psychiatric observations of Tony Nelson.

Bellows never discovers Jeannie's true identity. However, in the third-to-last episode of the series, "Hurricane Jeannie", Tony dreams that Bellows discovers and accepts the truth about his wife. However, after Tony introduces Jeannie to Bellows as his fiancee, Bellows concludes that Tony simply being "in love" was the underlying cause of much of what Bellows perceived as unusual behavior. His relationship with Tony subsequently changes, with his wife Amanda appearing more frequently. This does cause some tension, as the well-meaning Bellows' perceive Jeannie as naive and become overbearing towards the newlyweds.

In I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later, Dr. Bellows has retired from the United States Air Force and become a psychiatrist in private practice.

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