Retro : Eden’s Appearance Sets Up a Reunion

There’s a familiar face arriving on CBS’ “Dallas” Friday at 10 p.m. for a five-episode stint--Barbara Eden.

When a “Dallas” producer called Eden and asked her to guest star, it meant a reunion with her “I Dream of Jeannie” co-star Larry (J.R. Ewing) Hagman. But don’t expect Eden to expose her navel, say “Yes, master” or blink in and out of the Ewing Ranch.

“I play a former Texan, Lee Ann De La Vega, who is an oil heiress,” Eden said. “She had a wonderful marriage and her husband died and left her with all of these billions and billions of dollars. Isn’t that wonderful? She is brilliant, of course, and a brilliant business woman.”

And she’s bad. “Well,” said Eden with a laugh, “not exactly bad. She is just smart. J.R. knew her when they were in college, but he doesn’t remember her. She comes back (to Dallas) because she meets someone who J.R. had wronged and she remembers what a rascal he was and is and decides to rectify a few wrongs.”

Eden and Hagman hadn’t worked together since they did the TV movie “A Howling in the Woods” 15 years ago.