I Dream of Genie (The Twilight Zone)
Encyclopedia
"I Dream of Genie" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone
.
. While having a beautiful actress for a wife sounds like a dream come true, he begins to imagine his wife so obsessed with her acting career, and wearing makeup at all times, and living a starlet's life that it drives him crazy.
Hanley next decides whether or not great wealth is a proper wish. The ennui that comes with excessive amounts of money
is soon recalled, and Hanley chooses not to make this wish. His final thoughts are on wishing for great power
, but he then imagines becoming the President of the United States, and being paralyzed by indecision when faced with a global crisis.
Realizing that he's not really cut out for any of the things that most people would wish for, Hanley comes to a sudden conclusion and decides that he's going to make an "original" wish. The audience is not made aware of what he wished for until the next scene, when an apparently homeless man in an alley finds the genie's lamp lying in a garbage can. A genie (wearing traditional "Arabian Nights" garb) emerges from the lamp and offers three wishes, on the condition that the lamp will be returned to the alley afterward for another needy person to find. The camera pulls away from the stunned man to reveal that the genie is none other than George Hanley himself, accompanied by his faithful dog (also sporting a turban
).
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
.
Synopsis
George Hanley is offered one wish by a genie summoned from a lamp (dressed in modern clothing, except for his curl-toed slippers). Rather than make a rash wish, he carefully considers the three most popular options. He wonders what it would be like to wish for loveLove
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
. While having a beautiful actress for a wife sounds like a dream come true, he begins to imagine his wife so obsessed with her acting career, and wearing makeup at all times, and living a starlet's life that it drives him crazy.
Hanley next decides whether or not great wealth is a proper wish. The ennui that comes with excessive amounts of money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
is soon recalled, and Hanley chooses not to make this wish. His final thoughts are on wishing for great power
Power (sociology)
Power is a measurement of an entity's ability to control its environment, including the behavior of other entities. The term authority is often used for power perceived as legitimate by the social structure. Power can be seen as evil or unjust, but the exercise of power is accepted as endemic to...
, but he then imagines becoming the President of the United States, and being paralyzed by indecision when faced with a global crisis.
Realizing that he's not really cut out for any of the things that most people would wish for, Hanley comes to a sudden conclusion and decides that he's going to make an "original" wish. The audience is not made aware of what he wished for until the next scene, when an apparently homeless man in an alley finds the genie's lamp lying in a garbage can. A genie (wearing traditional "Arabian Nights" garb) emerges from the lamp and offers three wishes, on the condition that the lamp will be returned to the alley afterward for another needy person to find. The camera pulls away from the stunned man to reveal that the genie is none other than George Hanley himself, accompanied by his faithful dog (also sporting a turban
Turban
In English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
).